Negus' Theory
An organic act is an act that has been created by themselves and was then picked up by a label and the label may have slightly added to their image, but would not completely change or create their image unlike with a synthetic act. Some examples include, The 1975, Ed Sheeran and Black Sabbath. These acts are aimed at people who enjoy more emotional music as well as elder people.
What function do organic acts fulfill for record labels?
They allow the labels to have a long lasting act that will provide them with a regular income. They bring in a long term revenue, that will sell several albums.
What is an synthetic act? Give some examples and who are these audiences aimed at?
A synthetic act is an act that has been created by a label to attract to the young audiences who will listen to catchy and annoying music. These include bands such as Carly Rae Jepsen, Las Vegas and PSY. They will not last very long and are acts that are commonly described as 'one hit wonders'
What function do synthetic acts fulfill for record labels?
They are a quick influx of cash for the labels and are completely created by the label. The acts themselves have no control over their image and how they are portrayed.
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| This is my analysis of Amy MacDonald's album cover and how she is portrayed as an organic act through this piece of text |
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| This is my analysis of the NSYNC Album cover and the way they are portrayed as a synthetic group |
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| I used spiderscribd to create the mind map |
Blumber, Lazafeld and Latz' theory of
'uses and gratifications' primarily argued that audiences are not
passive but actually active, therefore they selected media texts to
fulfil different needs and desires. These three men argued against
the Effects Model, which was a theory that came along in the 50's
when parents looked at rock n roll and believed it would permanently
change and harm their children, therefore they attempted to stop this
'new' type of media to protect their children.
The two main categories used by
Blumber, Lazafeld and Latz are Diversion, which is a form of
escapism from a mundane reality for the audiences. It offers a
pleasure from imagining a more exciting and glamorous world. The
second one is Personal Relationships which allows the audience
to feel a type of relationship with the characters in a text, this
can include familiar settings, direct address, privileged access etc.
Analysis from Rolling Stone's Top 10
list from 2014
OG Maco “U Guessed it"
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| The use of a handheld camera in this video applies to Personal Relationship's as it gives the audience a backstage feel, therefore making the audience feel as though they are there and have a closeness to the stars. |
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| The use of Direct Address also adds to Personal Relationship's making the audience feel closer to the singer. |
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| There is also a sense of Diversion as it shows a party lifestyle as they are in a luxurious Hotel, causing chaos very late at night, this adheres to the beliefs that celebrities are allowed to do anything they like. |
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| Another use of Diversion is the use of Security Guards in the Mise-en-scene, as they are shown as powerless and therefore supporting the idea that celebrities can do what they like. It mainly creates a different world for the audience. |
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| The artist is also shown as quite intimidating and powerful therefore appealing to the target audience as they want to rebel, and that is what the artist is showing to be through his music video. |
Another aspect, not explored by
Blumber, Lazafeld and Latz was the creative side of the music video
in which the effects add to the music video to make it more
appealing for the new youth growing up with advanced technology.
Disclosure “Grab Her”
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| The use of Personal Relationship is shown differently throughout the video as it is set in an everyday office setting which appeals to most of the target audience, being people from 16 to 35 years old, however it is showing the mundane reality, not the glamorous life of the artist. |
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| There is also a stronger connection with the idea shown throughout the video and the target audience as there is a sense of mockery of the corporate world and the ways in which they are portrayed. It mocks the seriousness and makes the everyday lifestyle into a surreal life. |
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| The rebellion to the corporate world shows how everyone feels the same way, therefore there is a shared value on the lacking respect for the corporate world. |
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| It is appealing to the target audience as well as it is technically innovative by including gravity defying aspects. |
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| As well as using comedic elements i.e. the use of the pissing on his head, or the fish on the ceiling. |
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| The casting adds to the comedic elements as they use a funny man who plays the main character, almost showing the inner outgoing personalities of those who work in the mundane office workspace, therefore directly appealing to the target audience. |
Hyuna “Red”
There are a lot of sexy elements that are used in this music video and several sexual connotations, i.e. the use of a large lipstick, nudity, close ups on her breasts, crotch, butt, the use of sexy and provocative costumes, promiscuous dance routines etc.
The target audience would be youths as it will appeal to young boys as they will enjoy the display and therefore supports the idea that young men only think about sex and are going through a stage of sexual discovery in their lives.
It would also appeal to young women as they would look at the woman and want to be more like her, i.e. looking at her body, the fashion, styling etc.
Justin Bieber "Never Say Never"
There is definitely the use of Personal Relationships as we are in the recording booth, in which many of his fans would know is a familiar setting for him
The use of another celebrity in the music video shows further Personal Relationships, as if the audience/viewer is hanging out with both Justin Bieber and Jaden Smith
This music video also uses Direct Address to further emphasise the Personal Relationships, and creates a bond between the artist and the viewer.
There is also a sense of diversion as it shows the ways in which stars can hang out together and watch themselves in a film.
As one of the most
controversial music videos of all time, Like A Prayer shows
themes of violence, religion and racism. It was extremely uncommon to
see such a controversial music video It portrays different
historical connotations, such as, the burning crucifixes, the
stigmata on Madonna's hands, and the setting being mirrored from a
church to a prison. |
| A Ku Klux Klan Ceremony |
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| Madonna dancing provocatively in front of burning crucifixes |
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| Filtered scene to show past |
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| Men 'raping' the woman in the sequence |
Through
the use of burning crucifixes, there is a direct relation to the Ku
Klux Klan as they were a very aggressive and violent all white group
who would set fire to burning crucifixes in front of the houses of
black people to signify they are about to or have just killed a black
person. They ruthlessly killed black men without trial and were an
extremely controversial topic at the time that Madonna released her
music video in 1989. The use of burning crucifixes is a direct
connotation of the Ku Klux Klan and racism, however it also links to
religion. The fact that throughout the sequence Madonna dances in
front of the Crucifixes is very controversial, however it is
confusing as to whether she is celebrating the KKK or mocking them.
Madonna wears a crucifix throughout the whole sequence signifying
that religion is a vital symbol in this video as well as where her
values and opinions lie. This adds to the controversy to the video,
as Christians were at that point in time the more racist religion,
therefore exposing the idea that not all christians are racist, or
that she may have some underlying feelings about racism. Through
Richard Dyer's Star theory we can see the extreme repercussions that
this video may have had, as Madonna was a largely influential singer
among many different audiences, whom would have been influenced by
the Like A Prayer music video. That connotation therefore
reminds the audience throughout the whole video the aspect of
religion that plays a key party in the civil rights movement at the
time. Through the use of editing, we are able to see that the
beginning has a filter which means it is set in the past and
therefore triggers the historical element in the music video, it also
uses slow motion to give it a more dramatic and intense scene, while
the non diegetic sound of the organ plays at the beginning of the
song which then further emphasizes the drama and importance of the
sequence.
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| The Black man being framed |
There is
also a lot of controversy towards Madonna's Like A Prayer
music video as it showed extreme racism, and certain argued
ideologies at the time. Not only, is a black man framed for murder
which was a very common and hushed issue at the time, but there are
many aspects leading to the conclusion that the black man in the
church is Jesus. Firstly, through sound we can see that the use of
choir and organs at that time in pop music was uncommon which created
controversy as to what music was and if a white woman should be
singing such a soulful song. It also created confusion as to the
connotations that come with her genre of music and how she is
portrayed as an artist. The scene in which we see Jesus as a black
man is extremely controversial to all audiences as firstly he is
shown as a statue that is crying, therefore subverting the image of
statues being emotionless and also the fact that he is of skin colour
that, at that time, was suppressed and known as 'slaves'. This can be
seen through the use of camera work as there is a low angle close up
shot on the tears when he is crying therefore emphasising him crying
as well as making him look more godly. Then the editing creates
juxtaposition by making the next shot a high angle shot on Madonna on
her knees, therefore giving her a weaker and desperate image, as she
bows down to a black Jesus. At this point, the mise-en-scene further
emphasises Madonna's role in the sequence as the back lighting gives
her an angelic, innocent and virgin like quality, which is changed in
the rest of the sequence. The use of a statue for Jesus also plays
with the idea that Jesus is not real, and he is a simply a
statue/image in christian minds, this would have created a lot of
controversy among the Christian people, which was the majority of US
citizens in the 80's. To further add on to the controversy, Jesus
then proceeds to 'kiss' Madonna, which implies that he has taken her
virginity. This is done by creating a short sequence that shows
Madonna falling to heaven, possibly suggesting orgasm, and being
pushed back into reality by a black woman, further emphasising the
racist issues addressed in this music video. Further into the
sequence, after she has released Jesus she then picks up a knife,
prop, that cuts her hands creating stigmata which then changes the
sequence and implies that Madonna herself is Jesus. This may be one
of the most controversial parts of the sequence as it is suggesting
now Jesus is a woman. This creates a sense of mockery of christians
through the use of mise-en-scene and camera work.
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| Low angle shot of statue |
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| Low angle shot of Madonna |
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| Stigmata on Madonna's hands |
In
conclusion, this music video was extremely controversial as Madonna
was a very big role model at the time and many people admired her,
including younger audiences. Many parents were shocked themselves at
the video and did not want their children to be influenced by it. It
has a lot of violence and sexual connotations that would not be
suitable for a younger audience therefore creating a large amount of
controversy. Every aspect, arguably, of this music video has a
connotation that would have created a lot of controversy, hence why
it is one of the most controversial music videos of all time, as it
related to modern day issues and touched upon them in a very risky
and touchy manner.
This is an image summing up all the different types of music genres that are most commonly known in the music industry. Music Genres help audiences categorise music. The use of music genres is helpful for the artist and/or the music label as they can easily identify their target audience and use that to sell their product more effectively and it is useful for the audience as they will be able to find and identify with their type of music.
