Research into record labels - Miss Georgiou

Major Record Labels mean that large companies within the music industry that may also own smaller record labels. 
Within the UK there are four major music labels which consist of:

1.)Universal Music Group (UMG) is the largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry. It is the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations. 

Some of the many artists that the label manages are: 

• Lady Gaga
• Gwen Stephanie
• Keri Hilson
• Young Jeezy
• Mariah Carey

2.)Warner Music Group 
Warner Music Group (WMG) is the third-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies. The current incarnation of the company was formed in 2004 when it was spun off from the Time Warner, and as a result, Time Warner no longer retains any ownership. Warner Music Group also has a music publishing arm called Warner/Chappell Music, which is currently one of the world's largest music-publishing companies. 

A few of many artists signed to Warner music group are:

• Death Cab for Cutie
• Gnarls Barkley
• Basshunter
• Fleetwood Mac
• Enter Shikari

This major company owns many smaller companies for example: 
Warner Bros. Records
Some of the artists signed to Warner Bros. Records are: 

• Cher
• Clint Eastwood
• Goo Goo Dolls
• Nelly Furtado
• Faith Hill

Warner Classics
              Some of the artists signed to Warner Classics are:

• Janet Williams
• Brian Adams
• Kim Begley
• Ruth Welting
• David Adams

3.) Sony Music 
Sony Music Entertainment UK is part os the largest music and entertainment companies in the world. It has a broad array of local artists and international superstars, as well as a vast catalogue compromising of some of the most important recordings in history. 

Some of the many artist that  Sony manages are: 

• The Ting Tings 
• The Clash
• MGMT
• Ke$ha

This major company owns many smaller companies, for example; 
Epic Records:

         Some of the artists signed to Epic Records are: 

• Avril Lavigne
•  Michael Jackson
• Nicole Scherzinger
• Paloma Faith 
• Ozzy Osbourne 

               
Provident Music Group
             Some of the artists signed to Provident Music Group are:

• Moriah Peters
• Michael W.Smith 
• Brandon Heath 
• Matt Maher 
• Royal Tailor 

EMI 

The EMI Group (Electric & Musical Industries Ltd.) is a British music company. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of records labels in the recording industry, making it one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major publishing arm - EMI Music Publishing - based in New York City. The company was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index bit is now wholly owned by Terra Firma Capital Partners. 

Some of the many artists that the label manages are: 

• Whitesnake 
• Iron Maiden 
• Spice Girls 
• Kate Bush 
• The Beatles 

The major company owns many smaller companies, for example; 

Blue Note Label Group 
 Some of the artists signed to Blue Note Label Group are:

• Britpop
• Green Day 
• Joy Division 
• Glenn Miller
• New York Dolls 

Capitol Music Group

           Some of the artists signed to Capitol Music Group:

• Royal Bliss
• Katy Perry 
• Morrissey 
• Neil Diamond 
• Faith Evans 

Independent UK record labels: 

LAB Records (pronounced lab) is an independent record label operating from Manchester, England and founded by Mark Orr and Nathen McVittie in 2007. The company also has a creative and distribution division, LAB Exposure, as well as a New York based management company, LAB Partners. 

It releases music in the pop and rock genres, with bands primarily from the United States and UK. As of 2014 artists include Cover Drive, Mike Dignam, Fort Hope, Bethsn Leadley, Cartel, The Hush Sound, and William Becket, and the label has released positively reviewed albums such as The Way I Fell In by The Morning Of, Would It Kill You? by Hellogoodbye, and It Hates You by He Is Legend.

The label has a reputation for developing UK talent.  Two LAB affiliated artists, Young Kato (BMG Chrysalis), and Katie Sky (Universal Music Group) both signed to labels in 2013, while UK rock band Blitz Kids signed to Red Bull Records.

Clay Records
Clay Records was an independent record label founded by Mike Stone (Not Mike "Clay" Stone) in 1980 out of a record shop in the English city of Stoke-on-Trent. 
Nowadays Clay Records is an independent label and studio in Groningen, the Netherlands. 
Artists signed to this record: 

• White door
• Discharge
• Demon 

Dreamboat Records
Dreamboat Records is a British Independent record label based in Bristol, England. The label was founded in in 2005, and released records on a small scale for a group of local artists. In 2009 it expanded to include releases of independent film soundtracks. The first film the label worked on was "How To Be" which starred Robert Pattinson, followed by the soundtrack written by John Parish for the film "She, A Chinese". In 2009, they became the label for "This Is The Kit" and, in 2010, the UK label for "Bear in Heaven."
Artists signed to this record: 

• Whalebone Polly
• Bear in Heaven 
• Robin Allender 

Erased Tapes Records
The record company was established by German-born Robert Raths in early 2007 in London, with the release of Ryan Lee West's Vemeer EP under the Aparatec moniker. Raths defines his main interest as 'a dialogue between two opposite poles, between traditional and contemporary, between digital and analogue'. The label is known for its strong sonic and visual aesthetic with a special focus on packaging and design, which has seen collaborations with Berlin based graphic design studio FELD and American contemporary artist Gregory Euclide. Erased Tapes has a tradition of releasing a free compilation annually and continues to gain a reputation for unpredictable releases. The label is managed by Raths with assistance from Sofia Ilyas. 
Artists signed to this record: 

• Michael Price
• Douglas Dare
• Codes in the Clouds 

Jungle Records
Jungle Records is a British-based independent record label formed in 1982, specializing in classic punk rock, post punk, gothic and alternate releases. 
From 1982 to 1986 they were also active as a record distributor and were 'unofficial' members of the Cartel. They held the exclusive right to sell all indie product to the Our Price Records chain, including supplying them hits by Depeche Mode, New Order and The Smiths during that high growth period of independent music. 
They recorded albums by Johnny Thunders such as 'Copy Cats' (with Patti Palladin) and 'Que Sera Sera' and are licensors of the classic Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakerstape library, including their seminal L.A.M.F. album. 
They discovered and released the irst recordings by Mercury Rev: 'Yerselg Is Steam' and 'Car Wash Hair'. and also the first recordings by Fields of the Nephilim, 'Burning The Fields'. 
Artists signed to this record: 

• Geraint Watkins 
• NFD
• The Waldos

Boy Better Know is an English grime music collective – a group of musicians, a UK grime record label. The collective was formed in North London by JME, his brother Skepta and Wiley. The band and label were established by Jamie Adenuga (born 4 May 1985).

In my opinion, I find the fact that there is four main companies dominating the music industry unfair to those artists in other less known music industries due to the fact that there are some artists of whom may not appeal to the dominating industries so would therefore be forced to join smaller industries interested in their genre making it harder for them to become well known to a wider range of audience. The affect this has on the music industry is vital because the artists within the most popular genres will join with the dominant labels where as those artists within the genres that are less known would be inclined to go with the smaller companies therefore making the music industry less unique as it stays consistent in the music that is most well known. This means the audience are deprived of the music that the major record labels don't take on or find appealing when the audience themselves could be interested in the type of music turned down by the dominated labels.
The way in which you can judge whether the independent labels are successful depends on the artists that are signed to them, some of the artists names are more well known than others and some bring more individual artistic success to the table such as the amount of records sold, charts list or winning awards. The independent labels offer the chance for artists and bands of a a more varied genre to be signed to a label and to have the chance of becoming famous as their own expense. The most dominant and largest record labels only accept artists of whom they believe have potential success and have the appearance of a star of that particular genre and whether they will gain capital for them and build a better reputation for the label.

Research into chosen music artists - Miss Georgiou

As a group we decided on the artist Lana Del Rey who is from the Indie-Pop genre. The reason as to why our group decided on Lana Del Rey is because I find that her music is very lyrical so therefore would go well with a music video as we can include Goodwin's theory - lyrics matching the visuals within our music video. The song my group has chosen to analyse is RAC remix to Lana Del Rey's 'Blue Jeans'.

Lana Del Rey is an American singer/songwriter, born in New York in 1986, her birth name is Elizabeth Woolridge Grant. Lana Del Rey's awards consist of MTV Europe Music Award for Best Alternative in 2012, Echo Award for Best International Newcomer in 2013, Brit Award for International Breakthrough Act in 2012, Brit Award for International Female Solo Artist in 2013, Echo Award for Best International Rock Pop Female Artist in 2013, Q Awards for Q's Next Big Thing in 2011, Ivor Novello Awards for Best Contemporary Song in 2012 and UK Music Video Awards for Best Pop Video in 2012. American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey has released three studio albums, four extended plays, 18 singles, and 17 music videos. She has sold more than seven million albums and twelve million singles worldwide. In 2011, Del Rey signed a record deal with Stranger Records and released her first single, "Video Games".It is Del Rey's best-charting single to date, peaking at number one in three countries and being certified Platinum or better in four. Later that year, she signed a joint record deal with Interscope Records and Polydor Records and released her second studio album, Born To Die, the following year. Born to Die reached number one in nine countries and received Platinum awards in fourteen. It was the fifth best-selling album worldwide in 2012 and has sold more than four million copies as of July 2014.Born to Die also produced eight singles. "Summertime Sadness", the album's sixth single, peaked at number one in Poland and was certified Platinum in three countries. In 2013, a Cedrick Gervais remix of "Summertime Sadness" was released. It peaked at number one in Hungary, and was certified Platinum or better in three countries.Del Rey followed up Born to Die with an EP called Paradise in late 2012. The EP produced three singles. In 2013, Del Rey contributed the song "Young and Beautiful". The song was certified Platinum in the United States and triple Platinum in Australia. Her third studio album, Ultraviolence was released in the summer of 2014 and debuted at number one in twelve countries.The album produced four singles and has been certified Gold in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. As of July 2014, it has sold more than one million copies.

The two videos I have chosen to analyse is Lana Del Rey- Born to Die and Lana Del Rey - West  Coast

Within the 'Born to Die' music video Dyer's theory is used through the use of hegemony as the audience can relate to the Lana Del Rey as they can share or admire the relationship contrasted with individuality shown within the music video. Some fans of the artist may attempt to replicate Lana Del Rey in her behaviour and what she does in the music video, with a negative impact as she makes references to drugs and alcohol within the music video which can influence the target audience. In addition Lana Del Rey represents shared cultural values and attitudes, and promotes a certain ideology of love and relationships. The audiences interest in these values enhances Lana Del Rey's 'star quality', and it is through conveying beliefs, ideas and opinions/personal experiences through her music video that helps to create her star character to her fans which then connects and builds a relationship between her and her targeted audience as well as existing fans.

Goodwin's theory is used within the 'Born to Die' music video as the lyrics match the visuals. This is evident when the song lyrics quote "lost but now I am found" whilst the music video shows Lana Del Rey on her own then fades into her being with the male character to give the audience a visual aspect of the meaning behind the lyrics that she was 'found' within her relationship which is an idea that the audience could relate to. Furthermore, Lana Del Rey acts out the lyrics in some parts of the music video such as "going insane" and circling her finger around the side of her head and also "get high" whilst acting out smoking cannabis as well as "I was blind now I can see" whilst covering her eye with her hand then removing her hand. Another aspect of Goodwin's theory also put forward within the music video is the idea of a Star Image (protagonist), lots of camera shots are used making Lana Del Rey the centre of attention. Lana Del Rey's star image is very unique in the way she is presented through her clothes and her appearance. This helps to promote herself and her stars image towards the public and also helps to promote the music video itself in the process of creating and building up a public reputation for the artist herself. 

Lana Del Rey's artist representation is very unique and individual within this music video in the way she is presented through her clothes that is old style clothing which is rarely worn in the present day and also her appearance as a whole with hollywood style plumped lips and pin curls. This helps to promote herself and her stars image towards the target audience of those who listen to 'indie'-which promotes the individuality of the genre and also helps to promote the music video itself in the process of creating and building up a public reputation for herself. The use of close-ups within this music video helps to show the contrasted facial expressions of Lana Del Rey which consists of both a sad/straight depressed emotion and a smile which conveys a happy more upbeat emotion. This represents the artist as having different emotions about her personal experiences which can be relateable to the audience and their feelings.

The target audience of this music video are the existing fans of Lana Del Rey and also those who listen to the Indie genre. The target audience consists mostly of indie or sadcore lovers aged between 18-28 of the female sex as most females can relate to the video because there is love, abusive and argumentative elements involved within the video. 

The audience will see the music video in a narrative and cognitive light , this is because the music video tells a story which interests the audience but also informs the audience of the realisation of relationships especially those in young relationships. 

The mise-en-scene used within this music video through the use of clothing and costume which is contrasted throughout. In some parts of the music video Lana is seen to be wearing a dress of class and royalty as well as dressed in a hollywood theme in other parts and in another scene Lana is introduced very differently as she wears casual clothing (a leather jacket,converse,denim shorts and a crop top) which can appeal to a variation of different audiences by appealing to them with separate appearances through the mise-en-scene of her clothing. The mise-en-scene of setting and scenery also seems to contrast as some scenes are shot on what seems to be a dessert or woods at night which gives a romantic element whilst also showing the scenery of Lana in a French Palace to give out the feel of power and importance and also gives the impression that Lana is having flashbacks about moments with her lover through the change in setting.

The camera shots used within this music video includes a mid-shot where Lana is laying in a silk night dress on a bed by herself, some form of a fade occurs and Lana is still in the same position but now her "lover" is beside her whilst watching her and stroking her face which suggests there is an obsession and that he controls her. A long shot is also used within the music video showing the full scenery of a French Palace, the audience are shown Lana sitting on a throne elegantly whilst dressed to look as royalty, two real tigers are at either side of her, this camera shot suggests power and authority, especially because the tigers are so relaxed sitting beside her which seems as if they are to protect her and therefore she must have some form of control over them.

Within the 'West Coast' music video Dyer's star theory is used through hegemony as the audience can relate to the star through the relationship and love being shown within the music video which is a feature that they the share or admire with her. Some of Lana Del Rey's fans may attempt to replicate the star in their behaviour and what they do. This could have a negative impact as some of the scenes within this music video contains 'rebellious' behaviour such as smoking and drinking. Lana Del Rey represents shared cultural values and attitudes, and promote the idea of love within this music video in which the audience can take interest in or relate to which enhances Lana's star quality and gains her more fans. Lana Del Rey could also impact her fans through the  fashion trend within this music video which can lead to masses of fans copying her hairstyle and clothing. 

Goodwin's theory within this music video is shown through the technical aspect of his theory as effects are used throughout the music video - B&W effect.  The lighting and B&W colour helps to set the mood for the music video and creates an emphasis on significant parts of the song to create a dramatic and old-style effect and also to give the audience a different feel of the music video in a unique way. Another aspect of Goodwin's theory that is put forward in this music video is the narrative of the song. Andrew Goodwin believed that it was important for an artist to be involved in the music video by performing or acting out a role as the main character or singer which is evident of Lana Del Rey doing so in this music video - playing the female main role in the love story being narrated.

The lyrics within this music video shows the recurring theme in the majority of Del Rey's lyrics- That she is represented as a naive girl falling in love with a bad guy. The audience are shown that Del Rey is naive and weak, as despite all the things this man has done to her she continues to love him. Clearly these lyrics are engineered to appeal to a very wide target audience, as they are reasonably vague and address very general problems, something that many mainstream artists also target.

The mise-en-scene used within this music video consists of the iconography of a cigarette held by the artist herself which is used as a sign of rebellion and also follows the generic conventions of the indie genre. Furthermore, the clothing of the artist is casual throughout which converts Lana Del Rey's usual old style/hollywood outfits. The use of casual clothing helps to make the music video more realistic and therefore more relateable to the audience.


The main camera shots used include a two-shot of Lana Del Rey and her 'lover' to give the audience a visual aspect of the relationship-in which the lyrics are about - between her and her 'lover' which therefore connects the audience to the narrative of the story as they may admire or even share the experience being shown within the music video. Many establishing shots are used to give the audience a feel of the surroundings within the music video which gives them more of an understanding of the story being told. There are also many close-ups of the artist within the music video to build a relationship between the audience and the artist and to show Lanas facial expression to connect her feelings with the audience making the lyrics more understandable to them.

Research into chosen music genres - Miss Georgiou

The music genre of our chosen artist Lana Del Rey is Indie-pop, however the song we are using is a remix so therefore is mixed with the dance genre. Indie-pop music tends to be very lyrical so I was inspired to chose that genre to match the visuals of my chosen music genre with the lyrics of the song. The genre can however be depressing so I was inspired to get a remix to add the dance genre which it upbeat and will work well with the fast editing I wish to use.   We want to make this video our own, and whilst following some of the conventions of the indie genre we also want to try and include some of our own ideas and inspirations from other music genres- specifically the dance genre to try and make this a one of a kind music video. What interested us the most with the indie genre was mise-en-scene of costume as in indie music videos they appear to be very retro. It is very unique with clothing coming from the past and the artists slowly modernising it. This helped us to think of a narrative for the music video, with the mis-en-sene costumes with the grunge we thought of a narrative to do with a possible abusive/complicated relationship , abusing the use of drugs and alcohol. This will be relevant to the specific target audience as they will probably find it more realistic and relatable as they are more likely to be exposed to the uses of drugs and alcohol rather than an abusive/physical relationship. We were also inspired by the mis-en-scene iconography such as the use of alcohol bottles and cigarettes. This also made us have many ideas to do with the narrative and by following a few conventions the video would still have its typical music genre.

An artist that is similar to my chosen artist Lana Del Rey is Ellie Goulding. The music video of Ellie Goulding's I have chosen to analyse is 'How long will I love you' which is downbeat and quite depressing similarly to Lana Del Rey's music.

The codes and conventions of this music video consists of the use of instruments including both a piano and a guitar as well as musical equipment including a microphone. This is conventional to the music genre as instruments are generally used within indie-pop music videos as they are associated with the artist in that type of music. 
Indie music videos are known to be quite low budget, the main settings of the video are in the studios, cities, parks, tunnels etc. These are places that can be accessed easily and they can create enigma. The setting is kept simple because it is typical and conventional of the indie genre to focus more on the artist or their performance. 

The mise-en-scene used within the 'How long will I love you' music video follows these conventions as it is set in both a studio and a city/town to keep the main focus on Ellie Goulding and also the performance and narrative the music video is based around. Mise-en-scene is used also used through the clothing and iconography. Clothing because the artist is dressed in clothes conventional to the indie genre as she is seen to be wearing a beanie hat, jeans and a baggy jacket. The use of this shows a relaxed environment which builds up a relationship between the audience and the artist. She wears clothing which isn't revealing but that is tight fitting in some parts. The natural and basic colours to the clothing is essential within an indie/pop music genre as it represents the artist as being quite laid back, and that she isn't superficial she is just herself and it portrays her music as being natural as well The clothing used is very conventional to a indie genre as she is wearing hoodies and trousers throughout most of her video. The element is very conventional to a indie music video as stereotypically you would see the artist in casual clothing as indie artists are usually portrayed as being realistic and relatable for the everyday audience. The clothing she wears is oversized on the top half by tight on her bottom half and it gives her a grungy look, but also shows off her figure but in a more subtle way. This is your everyday sort of clothing and this is essential in an indie music video as it sows that the artist can be themselves without trying to impress anybody; it creates a relationship with the audience as they are able to relate to the everyy clothing and it makes the artist seem more realistic to the audience instead of being an out of reach star. The clothing is used so that the audience can feel closer to the artist as the clothing shows that they are just like them.
The iconography used is instruments which shows that the artist themselves is the one playing the instruments in the song. The use of a guitar in the music video is a major essential to a indie genre as this is coventional as this is streotypical instrument for all indie stars to play. It creates a different atmosphere to the music video and makes the audience feel that the artist is a true/real performer and very intelligent and diverse as a musical artist. This creates a relationship with the audience as they are able to gather an insight to the music artists instrumental side and it could inspire them to take up an instrument themselves like the artist just to try and copy what they do even more and be more like them.



It has been increasingly popular to include a narrative within the music video of the indie genre as it helps to tell a story which the audience could relate to. This is because usually the narrative links in well with the lyrics which leaves room for more imagination which makes the music video stand out more. Narrative has become popular and conventional to the indie genre as it hold peoples attention and comes across more interesting through the variation of shots used. Ellie Goulding's music video follows the convention and style of a narrative as a love story is being shown through most of the video to give the audience something to relate to. The style of the music video is mainly narrative based with small performance throughout. The narrative based shows the lifestyle of the artist and this connotes that she wants people to see who she really is despite having the title as an indie star.The use of the narrative in this music video connects the lyrics to the visuals and it explains the song in more depth so that the audience are able to relate, understand and connect to the song more than what they would with just a performance based music video. The narrative enables the audience to see what the artist though the song was about themselves though the narrative and ideas of the music video, without a narrative based video they are less likely to connect to the song if it has a meaning behind the lyrics - the narrative also allows the audience to see the artist in a different setting to what they would normally. Performance is also used within this music video as it shows the artist in her element, where she loves to be the most. She uses emotion through acting and through her eye contact with the camera and by having the performance style is lets the audience see her in all her glory and as an artist.

The artist is represented as somebody who is carefree, reminiscent of the past and also rebellious and a rule breaker. We see this through many of the different elements in the music video and due to the narrative. We firstly see the use of mis-en-scene costume to show her carefree attitude towards life. This is evident when the artist and her partner are seen to be stealing from someones garden and then fleeing the scene laughing. 

The main camera shots used are close-ups of the artist Ellie Goulding which is conventional to the indie genre as it introduces and helps to advertise the star. Close-up shots also highlight the artist's talents when they are singing and it also shows their passion and emotion. Long and wide shots are also used within the music video which is conventional to the indie genre to set the scene of the narrative in the music video.
One of the main camera angles used was mid-shot. This camera angle is the base camera angle throughout the music video; it is used constantly so that the audience can see pretty much everything in front of them. This is essential to indie music video as we are able to see the basics of what is around the artist. When she is performing we see some some of her surroundings in the room she is singing in of the city backdrop; this enabes the audience too feel that they are in the music video themselves watching the artists herself in the flesh. This then creates a relationship with the audience as they are able to feel that they are in the music video and see her as an artist perform as they will feel it is more realistic.

It follows Goodwin's theory in some ways that in which it has many close-ups of the artist. This enables the artist to promote themselves as an  artist an create a relationship with the audience as they are able to get a more in depth feel for the artist as they feel that they can connect with the artist more if they can know there image more and use of eye contact with the camera. It makes the audience believe that the artist is singing to them and only them. It makes the song more personal.
Another way in which is follows Goodwin's theory in the fact that there is a balance between narrative and performance based context. It also follows Goodwin's theory in some ways that in which it has many close-ups of the artist. This enables the artist to promote themselves as an  artist an create a relationship with the audience as they are able to get a more in depth feel for the artist as they feel that they can connect with the artist more if they can know there image more and use of eye contact with the camera. It makes the audience believe that the artist is singing to them and only them. It makes the song more personal.

The editing used within this music video consists of fast/quick editing which is conventional to the indie genre as it reflects the pace/beat of the song which links in well with Andrew Goodwin's theory with the visuals matching the lyrics. This editing style allows the footage in the music video to be quicked rapidly and make the images on screen move faster and show more footage. Although not essential within a music video, it was added here to match the lyrics to the song, and also show a hidden message. The editing style shows how Ellie Goulding is trying to say how time passes so quickly and that she feels that her career is going quicky also. This editing style creates a relationship with the audience as they are able to see more real footage of the artist and this lets them get a better insight into her life as an indie star and this then lets the audience feel more connected to her.

The target audience of Ellie Goulding consist mostly of teenagers and young adults interested in the indie/ indie-pop genre. Ellie Goulding is represented as an everyday person in this music video which appeals to a varied audience as it makes it more relateable and realistic. 

The second music video I have chosen to analyse is 'Route 94 - My love'. It is of the Dance music genre which links in with my chosen song as it is a remix. The mise-en-scene characteristics used within this music video includes the location and environment of it being set in a club which is conventional to the dance genre as music videos within the dance genre are typically set in lively atmospheres with a lot of things going on simultaneously. The music video is set in a club so that the audience can relate what they are watching to their lives. A lot of bright lighting and vibrant colours are used which are typical conventions of a dance genre music video as they accompany the dance audio, and the sense of liveliness and feel good atmosphere is given off to the audience. 
The main camera shots used within this music video include conventional shots such as fast cut shots in time with the dance beat which sustains the audiences interest and prevents boredom. Both high angle and establishing shots are also used to give the viewers a sense of environment the dance track is filmed in. Close-up shots of people are also used to show individual roles of different people within the video. Furthermore a range of mid-shots are included to add to the sense of realism that there would be in a dance/club environment. 
The main editing styles used include fast cuts shots to enable the audience to view different angles and areas of the video. The use of this editing technique contributes to accompanying the audio of the video which is designed to almost give the audience a sense of euphoria, and make them want to dance in an environment similarly depicted in the music video.
The target audience of this artist and music genre consists mainly of those who are 16+ who tend to go clubbing or events that play that genre of music. The artist is not shown within this music video instead characters are used which is typical of the dance genre as the DJ's tend to promote their mixes as opposed to themselves.

The style of the music video is a mixture of both narrative and concept. This is because there is a theme of a slight love story being told and the idea behind it is showing the audience the typical club romance in which the audience of this music genre can relate to as it is a realistic scenario. The use of the narrative in this music video connects the lyrics to the visuals and it explains the song in more depth so that the audience are able to relate, understand and connect to the song more than what they would with just a concept or performance based music video. The narrative enables the audience to see what the artist though the song was about themselves though the narrative and ideas of the music video, without a narrative based video they are less likely to connect to the song if it has a meaning behind the lyrics - the narrative also allows the audience to see the artist in a different setting to what they would normally. Concept is also used within this music video as it shows the character in his element, where he loves to be the most. He uses emotion through acting and through his eye contact with the camera and by having the concept style is lets the audience see her in all his glory by having an idea behind the music video.

Goodwin's theory is used within this music video as the music matches the visuals, the fast editing used and quick shots reflect the upbeat music of the song. Furthermore, Goodwin states that the technical aspect helps to hold the music video together through the use of mise-en-scene, special effects, sound and editing, the technical aspect is withheld within this music video as special effects are used throughout of neon bright colours. Goodwins theory is also used through the setting as it is based in a everyday locations. This is conventional to an indie genre as this shows that the artist possibly want to portray their music and their personality through scenery showing their hobbies as if to tell the audience that they are fun and like an everyday person themselves. This creates a relationship with the audience as they are able to relate to the artist in the realistic locations shown. Another way in which is follows Goodwin's theory in the fact that there is a balance between narrative and performance based context. The use of the narrative explains the lyrics of the song in more detail, and gives a visual of the lyrics to what the artist thinks her own lyrics mean. It connects and builds a relationship with the audience as they are able to see the artists own ideas through the use of her narrative and what the artist believes the song is about.

To conclude, the research I have done on my combined music genres will assist me with planning my own music video as it has given me an understanding into the conventions used within the two music genres and how they are effective in appealing to the target audience of the genres. Furthermore I have come to conclude that the style of a narrative is versatile with both the dance and the indie genre so would therefore work well with my groups chosen song. This has also inspired me in many ways with the use of cinematography close ups are very important of the artist performing so that the audience are ale to connect with the artist in   better way. They also have inspired me as they can see the conventional indie conventions of indie clothing which is baggy clothing on the top but tight on the lower part of the body so that she can show off her sexuality but subtly.

Analysis of a Star and Dyer's Star Theory - Miss Miller

Artists may feel the need to reinvent themselves for the following reasons

• Different target audience 
• Tired of their old image
• Change their genre of music  - Experiment
• Increase their revenue by having wider audiences
• Improve their fan base - more varied
• Created publicity 
• Previous bad press

The artist I have chosen to analyse whom I believe has changed their image over the years is singer/rapper Chris Brown. The three music videos by Chris Brown I have chosen to compare is his 2007 music video 'Kiss Kiss' his 2012 song 'Don't judge me' and his recent 2014 song 'Loyal'.

The first music video is 'Kiss Kiss'. "Kiss Kiss" is composed as upbeat chanting record that incorporates elements of R&B and dance music. The song is written many about getting a woman's attention. The song was a commercial success as it topped the charts in New Zealand and the United States, becoming Brown's second number one hit in both countries.

Within Chris Brown's music video 'Kiss Kiss' Goodwin's theory is portrayed. The music video contains both narrative and performance. This is evident as he is telling a story throughout the music video about a love triangle between a girl, a geek and a popular boy of whom both are played by Chris Brown as well as lots of dancing and singing involved performance wise. The purpose of using the narrative and performance combined style of Goodwin's theory helps to connect and build a relationship between the audience and the artist as by telling a story it seems more realistic so therefore could be more relatable to the audience. This music video also follows Goodwin's theory through the relationship between the music and the visuals. This is because it uses disjuncture to promote the song as the song is completely ignored in the music video and has nothing to do with what is being shown so therefore stands out to the audience in a surprising manner. Another aspect of Goodwin's theory is the idea pit forward of a Star Image(protagonist), as lots of camera shots are used on him throughout making Chris Brown the centre of attention. Chris Brown's star image is being presented through his clothes and his dance moves in the video which are both seen to be conventional to his music genre. The purpose of this is to help promote his star image towards the audience as well as promoting the music video itself.

The genre of Chris Brown and his 'Kiss Kiss' music video is RnB. This music video is not conventional to the RnB genre as the mise-en-scene used-his clothing subverts the conventions of typical RnB artist outfits which tend to be hoodies,chains ect. Chris Brown however, is seen to be wearing clothes of a school boy/student including costumes such as a football/soccer kit and a stereotypical nerds outfit. This is to portray his youth as an artist as he was a teenager when producing the video.

By using Goodwins theory we can identify that there is a relationship between lyrics and visuals in this music video. This is shown when Chris Brown says 'It's bird-like'. The visuals then shows a mascot costume of a 'bird'. The link between the two gives the audience a more visual understanding of the song and shows that Chris brown has control of the music. 



There are also a lot of close up shots of Chris Brown to develop motifs for the artist. These close ups are done by the demands of the record label. These close ups show Chris Brown's face clearly, as he was a upcoming artist at this stage in her career, it allows the audience to remember his image and appearance; it Identifies who Chris Brown is.


Richard Dyer's theory relates to the music video, especially through youthfulness. This is because Chris Brown is portrayed as a teenager in school around other young people. No drugs, violence or sexual references are used which portrays a sense of innocence through his youth. The star theory hegemony is also used as the target audience can relate admire and share the same experiences as Chris Brown within school/college.
Chris Brown's target audience within this music video consists mainly of teenagers similar to his age at the time which has changed over the years slightly to young adults due to his explicit content.
In this music video I feel that Rihanna was portrayed to be a regular teen. By his costume, mise-en-scene being quite casual making him blend in with the extras/dancers within the music video. This applies to Dyers theory as Dyer believes that the institution models the artist around the target audience they choose. Dyers theory says that icons and celebrities are manufactured by institutions for a financial return. He believes that stars are constructed to represent 'real people' experiencing relatable things. Which is what Chris Brown does in this video, appearing to be an average teenage boy.
The messages and values Chris Brown is bringing across within this music video is that you don't have to be popular or rich in order to 'get the girl', instead he is saying that even the 'geeks' or 'nerds' can get them because it's not all about the exterior of a person but also the interior. This message is influential to his target audience as it gives them confidence to achieve what they want.

The next song "Don't Judge Me" is a song by Chris Brown on his fifth studio album, Fortune (2012). "Don't Judge Me" is a midtempo ballad, with lyrics in which Brown asks his lover to forgive him "for his past indiscretions" and "move on with the future."

Within Chris Brown's music video 'Don't judge me', Goodwin's theory is portrayed as the lyrics match the visuals. The song contains the lyrics quote 'please don't judge me' whilst the visuals show a lady sitting distressed with Chris Brown trying to assure her. The purpose of this is to help the audience gain an understanding of the song and its meaning along with the message Chris Brown is trying to bring across as they get a visual perspective of it. Another aspect of Goodwin's theory shown within this music video is the demands of the record label as the video includes many close-ups of the artist. The use of these close-ups help to create emphasis on the artists emotions as well as reflecting the words of the song with the movements of the lips of the artist. This gives emphasis on the song and what is being said, as well as their emotions, allowing for the song to have more engagement to the audience, also making them feel as if the artist is singing directly to them, which then allows for a connection to be built between the artist and the audience.
Chris Brown's genre changes slightly within this song and music video as he is an RnB artist however 'please don't judge me' sways more towards the Pop genre. He had previously followed generic conventions in his music of the RnB genre, but during his artist reinvention after his criminal offense he toned down and reached out to the audience with a more sympathetic down beat tone. 

Linking to Goodwin's theory I believe that many close ups were used as demands of the record label. The many close ups of Chris Brown allow his face to be remembered by the audience it also helps him to become more of a brand, as his face becomes something which is memorable and identifiable to the target market. Through close ups we can also see Chris Brown's facial expressions, this helps the audience to understand the way he is feeling and form an emotional connection with him. This can potentially make fans more dedicated to purchasing the artists material as they will feel as though they have an emotional connection with Chris Brown, which in turn benefits the record label through sales and profits.

Richard Dyer's theory is shown mostly through the use of aggression/anger within the music video, this can be shown through close-ups of his facial expressions.
His target audience changed slightly for this music video as he was reaching out to fans of the Pop genre too, interested in slow lyrical music. Furthermore,  increasing the brand identity benefits the institution as they become a household name increasing sales in all of the media platforms they are in. This brand identity may mean that fans start to replicate and mirror the artists behaviour, fashion or look. This can be identified with Chris Brown's blonde hair, Chris Brown started the iconic bleached hair for boys in 2012 which became a trend.

The messages and values Chris Brown is bringing across in this music video is a lot more 'mature' and 'deep' than his 'Kiss Kiss' music video as it relates to situations older teens/adults tend to be in as it is saying that the amount of judging society can do to one person can cause them to erupt and turn to suicidal thoughts- which is shown when Chris Brown goes on a suicide mission for the ones he loves. Chris Brown has changed his message due to society judging him for the assault he committed so therefore needed to come across to the public in a personal sense. The change is also in accordance with the era as society has become more suicidal and stress revolved since social media or any kind of media has developed and is used to portray people since Chris Browns older music.
Chris Brown has definitely changed his music content since 'Kiss Kiss' as his music is now aimed at a more mature audience going through breakups and more adult situations. I feel that Chris Brown has changed because he has grown up, it was 5 years since 'Kiss Kiss'. He has also changed more because of his own freedom and independence to sing and entertain the way he wants by linking in his music with personal situations. Compared to when an artist first comes out where the record label mould the artists look and character to fit what they feel will sell and are less free to sing about what they want.


The last song "Loyal" is a song by Chris Brown, released as the fourth single from his sixth studio album X (2014). The overall theme of the song is about unfaithful women. It was reported that Brown makes references at ex-girlfriend Rihanna in the song, as he sings about a girl not being loyal in a relationship.

Chris Brown's present day music video 'Loyal' portrays Goodwin's theory with his Star image. Chris Brown presents himself through his conventional RnB/rap choice of clothing and also his dance moves. The purpose of this is to appeal to the target audience of the genre as they may inspire to dress in the same way as they enjoy that type of music. Another aspect of Goodwin's theory is again the lyrics matching the visuals for example 'white girl with some fake...' and a white female is shown matching the description of the lyrics. The purpose of this is to give the audience a visual aspect of the song making it more entertaining and understandable to them.
The genre of this music video has changed as he now brought rapping into his music to combine with the RnB genre. 
Chris Brown's tattoos are visible within this music video which is conventional to the RnB rap genre as tattoos can relate to previous experiences that have occurred in their life.


Goodwin's Theory is also shown with the  relationship between the visuals and the music. This is shown through the pace of the music and the pace of the Chris Brown and the back-up dancers dancing. They dance  to the beat and when the base drops. This is to keep up and connect with the pace of the music. This makes the video more exhilarating to watch as everything is in rhythm. This is done because there is a dance routine and an out of pace dance routine would look odd and uncomfortable to watch.

Lastly, their is voyeurism and sexual objectification shown in this music video. For example, all the women included within the music video are wearing minimal clothing, and are treated as sexual objects by the men in the music video. Many of the shots are of the females bodies including shots of their backside. This proves that they are treated as objects just for pleasure and sexual enjoyment. Also voyeurism is shown, as many of the female dancers pay no attention to the camera. They look as if they are being watched in a sexual manner by the men within the music video including Chris Brown. The purpose of this is to fit genre conventions. As Rap tends to exploit women to see their assets when their dancing and to please the male target audience.


Richard Dyer's theory is used within this music video mostly through rebellion, sexual magnetism, and a disregard for social values. 
Chris Brown's target audience within this music video are viewers aged 16+ due to the explicit language and content used. This differs from his previous target audience who used to range from a younger age due to his youthfulness. I think the target audience has changed and increased in age as the artist himself has increased in age- in a sense he has aged his music and it's content with himself as he as matured and stepped out of his adolescence. 
The messages and values of this music video aren't heart felt like his old music videos, instead he is provoking women and promoting sexual content by expressing the values of women as he calls within this song 'hoes'. I believe he has changed his values as he is more careless as to what the public think of him and is instead trying to mould into a generic RnB/Rap artist of today.
We can identify Dyer's Star Theory in this music video with the audience and institutions. Dyer's theory say's that Stars are made for money purposes alone. This can explain Chris Brown's change from a sweet average teenage boy in Kiss Kiss to edgy and sexually open in Loyal. It shows us that the star is treated like a product, a star adapts to the changes in demand and tastes. The same way an artist changes to trends, tastes and fashions. Dyer's theory explains that this is all done to suit the audience and create what they want to see in order for the institutions to benefit from it profitably. Furthermore, increasing the brand identity benefits the institution as they become a household name increasing sales in all of the media platforms they are in. This brand identity may mean that fans start to replicate and mirror the artists behaviour, fashion or look. 

The target audience here has definitely changed as when Chris Brown first came out with his first debut albums they were more in the Pop/Rnb genre as opposed to Rap. Which I feel is aimed at a younger target audience. In this song Loyal, it has connotations of more adult topics such as sex and romance. I do feel like his audience have adapted but that he is keeping the same audience he had since he first came out but both audiences have matured.

Hegemony and cultural beliefs in the star theory is that we as the audience can relate to the star we admire or share experiences with. This develops into idolizations. Chris Brown has a massive fan base and he is on many social networking sites so the audience can see all of his actions. This keeps Chris Brown's movements in the public eye. So with this 'Loyal' music video with the exploitment of women and raunchy dancing. It can make Chris Brown appear to be a bad role model for his fans and younger audience. Chris has also appeared to be a bad role model in the past for his abuse on ex-girlfriend and star Rihanna,doing drugs and taking alcohol. This can be bad for the people idolizing him as they can start copying his actions. Chris Brown makes constant refers to drugs within Loyal "smoking marijuana -rolling up that molly" and refers to females as "broke bitches" which can have a negative effect on his artist representation.

The reality of Chris Brown could be different to that displayed and brought across within the music industry however as Chris Brown supports many causes and gives back to children in need, giving his money -which is so showed off within his music- to make a positive difference in the world. This relates to Dyer's theory saying that the star's brand is focused around certain things, going on to say that they are not real just constructed people. But the real Chris Brown could be the one doing all the charity work and helping people. It show's two sides of Chris Brown which makes it hard to establish which Chris Brown has been produced by the record label and what is really his personality. 





To summarize, artist Chris Brown began his music career as a young teenage boy reaching out to a teenage target audience of whom could relate and be entertained by him - his youth was reflected with innocence. However, he then made certain choices and decisions to reinvent his image and career after his public criminal offense towards another young music artist 'Rihanna'. After this, he tried to reach out to his current fans as well as the general public to gain their sympathy by giving them his perspective and how he feels through his music but by also coming slightly out of the RnB genre. Chris Brown then stepped out of this zone to reinvent himself again as a confident conventional RnB/rap artist to appeal to the target audience of similar rap and RnB artists in the industry today in order to fit back into his music genre.