Music in the 80's

During another one of our lessons we learnt about music in the 80's.  The following information is what we learnt.

The 1980's saw the arrival of Pop, Dance music and New Wave. Disco music went out of fashion in the early 80's and genres such as post-disco, Italo disco, Euro disco and dance pop became more popular.

The use of synthesizers were commonly used in the 80's, therefore, synthpop music and other electronic genres featuring non-traditional instruments became very popular. Also, other electronic genres were developed including  electro, techno, house, freestyle, and Eurodance.

The major influences of the 80's were Michael Jackson and Madonna. 

Madonna
Madonna was the 'Queen of pop' who sold millions of records world wide and became the best-selling female artist in the 80's. She was known for campaigning for gay rights and for her rebellious behaviour and controversial songs. Her album "Like a Prayer" caused controversy, (some people thought that it was bad), as it had to do with Christianity. 'Like a Virgin' was also seen as bad for the same reasons.  During the 80's Madonna wore outrageous outfits which included the following.

Michael Jackson
Born on Aug 29, 1958, Michael Jackson was baptised in 1973 at a Californian Jehovah's Witness convention. Michael Jackson was a child entertainer with his brothers as part of the 'Jackson 5'. He was one of eight brothers and sisters.  He was the holder of the title for the best selling record of all times for Thriller (this is the long version), which spent 37 weeks at number one in the US Billboard chart.

Billie Jean was the first video by a black artist to air on MTV. With his fortune he built a fun fair and zoo called Neverland in his garden and Jackson’s most famous pet was Bubbles the chimpanzee. During the 80's he was awarded with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (one for himself and one as part of the Jackson Five). In 1984 he won eight Grammy’s – the joint highest amount ever won by a person in a single year.

In the 80's there were many other popular artists from different genres such as:

• Cyndi Lauper - Bubblegum Pop
• Whitney Houston - Soul
• Ozzy Osbourne - Def Metal
• Queen - Rock, opera
• Run-D.M.C.  - Hip Hop

MTV

MTV is a music channel, it became significant because it meant people had wide access to video. Song and video together was a better way to promote a single. Watching MTV was a visual look to a song, this enabled audiences to became emotionally engaged with song. MTV also had music awards which started in 1st August 1981. The first song which came on to MTV was 'Video Killed the Radio Star' this song was made by The Buggles.

Here is the music video (Video Killed the Radio Star)...



Did you know....

Music in the 70's

An additional presentation that we watched was about music in the 70's. This is what I learnt from the presentation:

In the 70's, North America, Europe and Oceania saw the rise of Disco. Euro Disco became more popular towards the end of the 1970's. Apart from Disco, Funk, Smooth Jazz, Jazz Fusion and Soul remained  popular for the decade. Rock Music played an important part in the Western musical scene. A new idea was introduced in the 1970's this was Reggae and from this it got a significant following. Experimental Music made a huge contribution to Electronic Music and became very popular.
Click here to read more...

An overall view of the 70's music scene would show us various interests at the time, such as:

• People engaged in drug use and promiscuous sex.
• Extravagant fashion sense.
• Disco was one of the biggest genres with gay disco going mainstream (Studio 54, 1977).

Audiences consumed music by radio, tapes, vinyl records and live concerts. In this time there was no one breaking copyrights and passing along music for free.

Disco
In the 70's was the rise of the disco, which became one of the biggest genres of the decade. This was especially in the mid to late 1970's. Disco first appeared in dance clubs by the middle of the decade. Hits such as Van McCoy - The Hustle were played during this time.

Popular songstresses...

In North America:

• Donna Summer
• Gloria Gaynor
• Anita Ward

In Europe:

• Dalida

With these singers they made the Disco genre popular. Decades later these women were described as the 'disco divas'.

The Bee Gees 

The Bee Gees were brothers: Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb and they were a musical group which was founded in 1958. They had a younger brother called Andy. Andy was also a singer, but dies of a drug overdose in the 80's. Maurice and Robin were twins who produced the soundtrack for 'Saturday Night Fever' which was the best film of 1977. In the early 70's the Bee Gees became a four piece band joined again by Australian drummer Geoff Bridgford became the last non-Gibb brother to be a member of the Bee Gees.

Here is part of the soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever - Night Fever.

Sex Pistols

The Sex Pistols were one of the biggest bands of the 1970's as they initiated the genre of punk. It attacked Britain's social conformity and disrespected the Monarchy (Queen). They were hailed as the 'Last and greatest outbreak of pop-based moral pandemonium'. The public described it as an assault, but the band denied this was their intention and insisted their true intention was to give sympathy to the working class as there was a rise in unemployment and a change in landscape.

Here is a music video by the Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen.

Music in the 60's and 90's

In media me and my partner had to create a presentation on the music in the 60's and music in the 90's.

In North America, Europe and Oceania, the 60's decade was particularly revolutionary in terms of popular music. It saw the formation and evolution of Rock. From the 1950's Pop and Rock and Roll trends continued at the beginning of the 1960's. By the 60's Rock and Roll became more international and by the mid 60's it was gradually overtaken by Pop Rock, Beat, Psychedelic Rock, Blues Rock and Folk Rock which had grown in popularity. Towards the decades end genres such as Baroque Pop, Sunshine Pop, Bubblegum Pop, Progressive Pop and Heavy Metal started to grow popular. Punk and Soul music also saw a rise in popularity. Latin American, Jamaican and Cuban music gained a degree of popularity with genres such as Bossa Nova and Calypso.
Click here to read on...

Popular music in the 1990's saw the continuation of teen pop and dance pop trends which had come from 70`s and the 80`s. Hip hop continued to be successful with the continuation of the genres 'golden age'. Contemporary R&B and urban music remained extremely popular. Like 1980`s rock music was also popular in the 1990`s. Electronic music risen in the 1980`s, grew highly popular in the 1990`s. House and techno from the 1980`s rose to international success in the 1990`s. Euro-dance and Euro-pop music were highly successful gaining international success. In the 1990`s it also featured the rise of contemporary country music as a major genre.

Since we did both era's together they are both put into the same presentation. Here is the presentation that we created (underneath the Prezi presentation are some extra notes that I said during my presentation I did to the class):

Music Decades on Prezi

Here is the extra information which we said during the presentation.

 

Rights for Artists

Artists have a choice whether or not to grant a licence to anyone interested in synchronizing his or her song to a visual (synchronized rights). Three Six Zero a record label help insure that all releases are supported at the level necessary.

"A group of high-profile rock and pop artists battle for music rights". Copyright on sound recordings currently lasts for 50 years in the UK.

Companies such as Three Six Zero protects artists as they have the right to sue people who copy their work/music. These people who copy their work may put it onto websites such as YouTube, so that audiences can view it  for free rather than paying for it. By having it this way, it is quicker for the audiences to listen to music.

How do new artists get started?

1. One way of doing this is by promoting music on websites without having problem with record people.
2. Another way is by doing talent shows such as The X Factor, American Idols and The Voice.  These talent shows are shown to the public, where the public enter and help build a name for themselves.
3. SB.TV (Smokey Bar Television) this helps people noticed by there talent online.

Example 1:
Lady Leshurr a female rapper who promoted herself on YouTube.

SB.TV spotted her and promoted her work on there YouTube channel.

From this she collaborated with other singers to become more famous. The song that she collaborated in was Game Over - Female Takeover.

Example 2:
In 2007 Carly Rae Jepsen was a contestant on Canadian Idol.

From this she has gone on to become No. 1 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 chart from her lead single 'Call Me Maybe' which also rapidly became a pop-culture sensation.

Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe

How do record labels make new artists a 'Star'?
They find new talent and market then promote that new talent. However some underground artists believe that they have do more work i.e. creating the songs, promoting their own music etc.

"Your label doesn't really kick in until you got something going on" - Scooter Braun

Once you are signed with a record label you still have to work by this it means creating and promoting.

Here is what the hierarchy of a record label would look like...

Example - Roc Nation

This is a record label for people in the music industry / media industry. This place allows you to contact artists to pay them for performance or the use of there song. The artists may already have a Facebook page or newsletter. 

Within the music industry; most recording artists have become increasingly reliant upon record labels.

How is it affecting audiences?

Singers / rappers who wish to become famous can follow in the footsteps of someone that has already become famous.  Tori Kelly a fan of Justin Beiber posted her music on YouTube to get the same attention / status as he does.

Tori Kelly - Inspirational Melody

The changing role of radio and the music charts

"It is time that radio stations adapt to the new media technologies."

Radio companies are losing regular listeners rapidly due to new technologies such as the internet and smart devices. From this Institutions are expanding online using websites such as iTunes. Mostly all radio stations need to be prepared to be taken over by the internet and its accessibility. From this radio stations may need to expand and begin to have a music channel of their own.

Radio Stations

Capital FM - This radio station is the biggest commercial radio station in London. However, it has lost 8.7% of it's listeners in the past few months. This is because of Capital launching  a new music channel which now allows audiences to access the music and the video at the same time.

Heart FM - In the past year Heart has lost 9.6% of their listeners. Heart FM has also launched a new music channel which lets audiences know about celeb gossip and music. 

Smooth FM - This radio station has lost 20.8% of it's listeners in the last year and 38.5%  in the previous quarter. 

This shows the sharp decline in people regularly listening to radio stations.

Radio Roles

Switch-Off / Switch-over 
This is the switching of consumers from getting their entertainment from an analogue platform to a digital one. Analogue radio switch-off plan would cost £21 million to do, a source said it would be 'a waste of time'. Digital radio currently accounts for 29.2% of all radio listeners.

Audience Expectations
Past Expectations

1. Being able to listen to the news at given times.
2. To have the current hits on a loop.
3. To no not know much experience of a hosts personality.

Current Expectations

1. Being able to constantly be updated with new music and latest news.
2. Accessible music on the go.
3. A solid programming schedule.
4. Radio hosts must maintain high standard. 

How to attract new audiences
Radio stations need to start using online streaming and pod-casts in order to attract the growing online generations. They should also look into developing desktop and mobile applications to help them to retain audiences. By using these applications listeners will be able to access additional information when they need it by visiting their website pages.This could be considered cross media synergy thus allowing a much more media rich experience and allowing user engagement.

Relationships between the Radio stations and Artists
Radio stations are not PAID by record companies for anything unless they are buying paid commercials. Due to radio stations not getting paid, record labels and artists aren't either meaning that they are trying to get radio stations to pay them.  In the past artists have been more than happy for the promotional power of having their records played; this resulting in having a very good relationship  Now they are getting greedy.

How are up and coming artists found?
It first starts with A&R scouts. Their job is to listen to demos, go to shows and find new artists from their contacts and the press. If the scout finds someone who fits the label they will pass them to an A&R Manager. From this the Manager will make the decision on whether or not to sign the artist and negotiate the deal. After striking a deal with the artist it is the Managers job to get the rest of the department at the label interested in the artist, presenting them to PR and promotions people.

Types of Advertising
National - Generally big cities get this type of advertising such as airlines and consumer products.
Regional - This type of advertising are for bigger radio stations where it is more expensive to place an advert which be heard over a large area.
Local - This a much cheaper way of advertising as it broadcasts in a smaller area.

General Audience Research

For our media course work we had to research:

1. Who still buys CD's? (However since this was asked to individual people I asked them do they still buy CD's)
2. Why do/don't they buy CD's?
3. What CD/Album cover art is their favourite?
4. Why is it their favourite CD/Album cover art?

I asked various people of different ages male and female and below is a list of their answers.

Stacy Myers age 52

1. I only buy them occasionally.
2. The reason for this is because I download them for free.  I also like the fact I don't have to store CD's as I don't have the room.
3. My favourite album cover is Stevie Wonder's 'Innvervisions'.
4. This is because it was the first ever album I had and was bought for me for my 13th birthday in 1973 the year, month and date it was released.  I still have it now and it brings back wonderful memories of my teenage years.  I love the cover as I have always found it haunting and interesting to look at.

Here is a track from Stevie Wonder Innervisions called Higher Ground.

Keeley Towns age 22

1. I buy CD's rarely.
2. This is because it is easier to download, however I will buy a CD if it is by my favourite bands.
3. My favourite cover art is for 'System of a Down' (Mezmorize and Hypnotize).
4. This is because the two CD's fit together which is unique.

Here is a track from Mezmorize. 

And the track Hypnotize.

Mrs Rockall age 61

1. I occasionally buy CD's.
2. The reason for this is that I like to listen to them in the car.
3. Not sure.
4. N/A.

Richard Paddon age 32

1. Yes I still buy CD's but not very often.
2. I buy CD's because I have a CD player that I use when the battery in my iPod is dead
3. My favourite album art is Dookie by Green Day
4. I like it because it is a memorable cover and the cartoon style reminds me of funny jigsaws I used to do when I was younger.

Here is a track from Dookie by Green Day called Longview.



Anonymous age 30

1. No I don't buy CD's.
2. The main reason is because it is easier access to music online.
3. My favourite album cover would be Avenged Sevenfold - Nightmare.
4. This is because it is mysterious and though it looks scary and portrays nightmares it seems to give off a calm feeling.

Here the music video to Avenged Sevenfold - Nightmare.

Dushi Nagarajan age 41

1. I do not buy CD's but my husband buys them.
2. When I have the CD's I like to listen to them in the car and to be able to put in a music system. I feel the quality of music is better when using a CD. 
3. My favourite album cover is Viswaroopam CD cover.
4. I like the hero on the cover of the album doing a Indian classical dance pose/action. The cover makes me want to dance like the hero. I also thought that it was elegant.

Here is Unnai Kaanadhu Naan one of the tracks which is in Viswaroopam.

Mrs Smith age 57

1. Yes I buy CD's.
2. I buy them because having the CD is more permanent - I don't have to worry about the computer crashing and losing everything. 
3. My favourite album covers are from the artists Pink Floyd / Led Zeppelin who made Dark Side of the Moon and Stairway to Heaven.
4. I feel both of these album arts are pieces of artwork.

She continued to say that...

Dark Side of the Moon is simple but striking.

Here is some music from the album Dark side of the Moon.

Stairway to Heaven is very detailed - you see something different each time. This can be seen as surreal. 

Here is a track from Stairway to Heaven.

Aleena Hussain age 13

1. I don't buy CD's.
2. This is because I can download them.
3. Not sure.
4. N/A

I decided to do the questionnaire myself to gain an extra result.

Isaac Harvey age 17

1. I do not buy any CD's.
2. One reason why I don't buy CD's is because after listening to a track a few times I get bored of it and move onto other types of music. Due to this it would be a waste of time to buy CD's so by doing it this way it saves money and space. Another reason is that I would rather listen to music on the internet thorough websites such as YouTube. I also download music onto my iPod.
3. My favourite album art is from Mika - The Boy Who Knew Too Much.
4. I don't exactly listen to their music but their album art  is eye catching  It's like every time you look at it you see something different. It is a very creative looking album art.

Here is all the tracks for The Boy Who Knew too Much in a nutshell.

 

By carrying out this particular research it has now influenced my decision making on my CD packaging/album art. From this research I have found out that the younger audience do not purchase CD's and prefer to listen to their chosen music online or download, this is mainly because of an easy access route to enjoy music. The older audience however, are very traditional and still buy their CD's. To grab the attention of all ages I am going to make sure that my CD cover is striking and memorable with the hope of attracting a wide range of listeners to buy the CD out in the shops instead of downloading. 

Feedback for First Edit

In this post is the feedback that I received for my first edit of my music video.  Firstly here is my music video that I showed to my class and my media teacher.

Music Video Feedback

Good Points:

• Good use of continuous shots
• Good repetition
• Good density 
• Good adding of other visuals
• Good foreground/background
• Good that all characters did not show their own identity by using masks

Constructive Feedback

• Green Screen - could of had something projected onto it
• The use of the Muppet's could be seen as copyright as it belongs to Disney

I will into consideration these points for my next edit.

Album Cover Art Textual Detail pt 3

This is the last part looking in close detail of different album arts.

Nas - Stillmatic

Textual Detail

• Artist in orange tracksuit with lots of bling.
• Squatting on a graffitied wall.
• Pigeon next to him.
• City behind him.

What it tells us? Why is it effective?

• Links to black stereotypes of 'gangster' or gang image.
• Pigeon - could suggest run down place (vermin).
• Graffiti suggests run down area.
• Bright orange tracksuit could suggest stands out from the norm - stereotype - shown to look brighter than everything else, shows now in a better place.  Originally came from the street and poor side of town.
• City - looks glamorous whereas now he is on the other side.

Here is the intro to Nas's Stillmatic album.

Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking

Textual Detail

• Title - 'nothing shocking'
• Two women naked sitting in a rocking chair looks like fire coming from top of heads - siamese twins? - Not a sexual image - Weirdly erotic - Faces showing enduring pain.
• Black and white
• Artist name font - looks like it has been signed
• Rocking chair rocks side to side like cot - age related elderly/young.

What it tell us? Why is it effective?

• Title - irony - everything on cover is shocking
• Shocking imagery
• Music style - heavy metal? - Music can link to the fire coming from hair/head - hell/bad place
• Contradiction to title and cover
• Underground - we are extremely different from the norm.

Here is some of Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Special album.

From analysing all of these album arts I now know that I must make sure that it attracts the target audience. This is dependent on what type of genre it is and how the artist is portrayed. For example the album by deadmau5 - Right this Second links to house music by having a disco ball and the mouse looking happy. This album art is going to inspire me as it is linking to my specific genre of techno house music that I am doing. This will help me a lot as I will take most of these ideas on board.

 

Critical Perspectives

Contemporary Concepts of Identity and 'Collective Identity'

Media/collective identity (targeted group/group of people who share same belief)

 

 

Collective Identity

 

Individual identitity - How you see yourself. Seperately from others.

Social identity - Our 'meaning' to others, the role we play in society.

Collective identity - How those who are similar or different contribute to our sense of 'self''

  

Anthony Giddens and 'Structuration'

Individual actions and social forces are inter-related. Repeated actions of individuals create 'social norms'. These 'social norms' influence the individuals decisions on how to behave for example, conforming vs. rebelling. So, identity is influenced by society's expectations (and lots of these expectations are reinforced by the media). For example, queing at a bus stop becomes a social norm. However individuals have a choice whether to conform or challenge these.

We then thought of examples from our own behaviour where we have reinforced a 'social norm' and where we have challenged a 'social norm'.
For example, for me a way that I reinforce 'social norms' is by not swearing in public and by wearing clothes (you can be arrested for indecent exposure if you are naked in public). However I can't say that I challenge any 'social norms'.

Giddens 'Traditional Identity'
'Traditional societies' identity is based around the accepted norms, codes and behaviour of the family/community. For example, a mans job is the same as your father's, so your career, class and gender is set.
 



Visually 2

In media we learnt about how women are portrayed from a clip taken from the film Charlie's Angels 2. Here are some questions that we answered to get a better understanding of the film and how women are seen differently. (I couldn't find the clip we watched but here is a clip which can relate to this.... click here)

Fetishisation in Charlie's Angels 2 (2003)

Critical position 1 - In what way are the 'Angels' empowered?

1) Describe what you see the 'Angels' doing?
It looked like they were escaping from an army base. The army were trying to kill them.

2) In what ways are they 'active' in the narrative?

• Driving in big trucks
• Jumping out of trucks off of high bridges.
• Flying helicopters with big explosions.

3) How does their behaviour challenge gender stereotypes?
You would normally see a man doing these things. Women are fearless goes against typical female behaviour.

Critical position 2 - How does the use of camera and mise-en-scene fetishise the Angels?

Look at the use of camera - how does this sexualise the 'Angels' ?
When they are at the side of a truck the camera was pointing at the Angel's backside. On the beach a  shot of women's backside was shown.

Describe their costumes:
Short tight skirts, cleavage showing, low cut tops.

Visually

In this post I shall be discussing the Narcissistic Identification of men and the Voyeuristic Objectification of women.

Reinforcing evidence of:

Voyeuristic Objectification of Women.
A video which shows Voyeuristic objectification of women is Sisqo - Thong Song. This is because many of the women are seen wearing a thong and bikini top. The women are shown dancing in a sexually provocotive way in front of the men and the women are touching the men in an inticing way.

Narcissistic Identification = when you identify with someone greater than you i.e James Bond.
Aspire to be like James Bond.

Narcissistic = when you love yourself.

Narcissistic Identification of Men
One video which shows Narcissistic Identification of Men is 50 Cent - Window Shopper. This is because he is able to afford expensive items such as:

• Cars
• Yacht
• Expensive Cigars (Cohiba)
• Expensive Food
• Dimond Rings and Jewellery 
• Expensive shoes.

This makes the audience want to be like 50 Cent as he is seen to be greater than the audience as he has money. 

Ones that do not do either
A song that doesnt show Narcisstic Identification and Voyeuristic Objectification is Rihanna - Take a Bow. This is because Rihanna is singing about how she is indepenent and doesn't need a man telling her what to do. In this video one can tell that Rihanna is the main icon by her presence, resulting in her not being objectified and Rihanna being a powerful leader.

Whereas in most other music, women are seen as sex objects and not as indivduals. However in other videos such as Rihanna - Rude Boy, she is objectified as being an sexual object.

Point to the offensive image and click Report.Done reportingLearn more

Consumer Habits

In class we learnt a few consumer habits which happen in society. Here they are.

14 - 24 year olds - 26% listen to music recommended by friends on social networks (marketing).

BMI - 22% only listen to music via social media (distribution).

From this I now know the best way of marketing and distributing my music/music video.

Initial Digipak

Here is a sketched out version of my digipak idea.

Digipak First by Isaac Trophies Harvey

For my digipak I decided to base it around the idea of dance. So I thought that throughout the digipak I would make it as if the audience was going through a nightclub e.g. front cover would be the entrance and the back being the exit. By doing this it will make it more interesting to look at as their will be many different colours and lights to look at.