Music Industry

Monday 22nd February

-Conglomerate: A thing consisting of a number of different and distinct parts or items that are grouped

-Globalised: Develop or be developed so as to make international influence or operation possible.

-Diversify: Make or become more diverse or varied.

-Regulation: A rule or directive made and maintained by the authority.

-Revenue: Income, especially when of an organization and of a substantial nature.

-Circulation: Movement to and from or around something, especially that of fluid in a closed system

Who publishes what's on TV?

Future PLC

Who publishes radio times?

George Newnes Ltd.

Who publishes TV Choice?

H. Bauer Publishing 

Who publishes Take a break?

H Bauer Publishing 

Who publishes Good Housekeeping?

Hearst Magazines

Who publishes Glamour?

Conde Nast Publications

Who publishes Inside Soap?

?

1. Who owns Mojo magazines?

    Emap

2. Who regulates Mojo magazines?

    ?

3. How are British Magazines globalised?

    

Monday 1st March

Music Genres

L/O: To identify and explain different music genres.

The Foo Fighters are a band who play rock music and have many well-known songs such as Everlong, The Pretender, Best of you and more.

Little Mix are a band that play pop music and popular songs such as Black Magic, Hair, Touch and more.

I do not know who the final artist is but I am assuming he makes country music because of the hat, the shirt and the jeans.

List all music genres you can think of:

-Pop

-Rap

-Hip-hop

-Rock

-Heavy Metal

-Drill

-Country

-Classical

-Opera

-Drum and Base

-K-Pop

Rock

-What do the stars look like?

Quiet a common feature is that they may have several tattoos such as Metallica or may be wearing masks such as Slipknot.

-Typically, how do they sound?
They tend to be quiet loud and usually shout their lyrics.

-What ideas/themes do they sing about?

Some bands sing about things that could be described as supernatural or beyond our world such as hell per say.

Pop

-What do the stars look like?

People who make pop music may wear very bright and hard to not see dresses as gigs such as sparkly or a vibrant colour but when they're not performing they will usually be wearing normal clothes.

-Typically, how do they sound?
Pop music is very commonly very up-beat and very positive.

-What ideas/themes do they sing about?

It is usually about a person like a friend, a partner, crush or an ex boyfriend/girlfriend.

Rap

-What do the stars look like?

The stars of rap may typically be wearing tracksuits, designer clothing and accessories.

-Typically, how do they sound?

Their music is typically really fast pace and may at time rhyme as well.

-What ideas/themes do they sing about?

Rappers may talk about their friends, killing people and more.

08/03/21

Music Magazines

L/O: To explore the terminologies and genres of popular music magazines.

What genres are these magazines? How do you know?

-The first magazine is a rock and metal magazine. I can tell that the magazine is that genre because the people on the front cover are dressed up like a rockstar e.g the black jacket and the bass guitars.

-The second magazine next to the rock magazine looks to be a rap magazine. I can tell this is a rap magazine because the man on the front cover is wearing a baseball cap that goes slightly to the side which is common to see in terms of rappers style/fashion.

-The final magazine appears to be a pop magazine. I think this because on the front cover is Katy Perry who is a very well-known pop star. But if you do not know who Katy Perry is, you may get an idea if you notice the flowers which seem very innocent which could resemble to pop music.

-Typography: Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. 

-Layout: The way in which the parts of something are arranged or laid out.

-Lexis: The total stock of words in a language.

-Colour palette: The full range of colours that can be displayed on a device screen or other interface.

-Mise-En-Scene: The arraignment of the scenery, props, etc. on the stage of a theatrical production or on the set of a film.

5 pop music magazine covers:

5 rock magazine covers:

5 rap/hip-hop magazine covers:

Monday 22nd March

The Music Industry: Music Magazines

L/O: To explore the magazine industry ownership, regulation and revenue. 

-Conglomerate: a thing consisting of a number of different and distinct parts or items that are grouped together.

-Globalised:develop or be developed so as to make international influence or operation possible.

-Diversify:make or become more diverse or varied.

-Regulation:a rule or directive made and maintained by an authority.

-Revenue: income, especially when of an organisation and of a substantial nature.

-Circulation:movement to and fro or around something, especially that of fluid in a closed system.

Subgenres 

Pop, rock, metal, rap, hip-hop, country, drill, 

Rock

-What do the stars look like?

Quiet a common feature is that they may have several tattoos such as Metallica or may be wearing masks such as Slipknot.

-Typically, how do they sound?
They tend to be quiet loud and usually shout their lyrics.

-What ideas/themes do they sing about?

Some bands sing about things that could be described as supernatural or beyond our world such as hell per say.

Pop

-What do the stars look like?

People who make pop music may wear very bright and hard to not see dresses as gigs such as sparkly or a vibrant colour but when they're not performing they will usually be wearing normal clothes.

-Typically, how do they sound?
Pop music is very commonly very up-beat and very positive.

-Who is the target audience?

7+ years old is usually the audience for their music but anyone can listen to it.

-What ideas/themes do they sing about?

It is usually about a person like a friend, a partner, crush or an ex boyfriend/girlfriend.

Rap

-What do the stars look like?

The stars of rap may typically be wearing tracksuits, designer clothing and accessories.

-Typically, how do they sound?

Their music is typically really fast pace and may at time rhyme as well.

-What ideas/themes do they sing about?

Rappers may talk about their friends, killing people and more.  

Thursday 25th March

Genre and Target Audience

Identifying the Audience 

-Media producers identify their intended (target) audience during the planning stage for a media text because it effects the shape of the text so much.

-This is why it is vital to identify a TA before you analyse a media text.

-Psychographic- personality, what they  like, hobbies etc.

-Demographic- race, gender, age, income etc.

-Personality (Psychographic)

-Age (Demographic)

-Income (Demographic)

-Preferences (Psychographic)

-Attitudes (Psychographic)

-Interests (psychographic)

-Gender (Demographic)

-Hobbies (Psychographic)

-Lifestyles (Psychographics)

This photo is linked to the definition because there is a man on the front cover that looks like he is singing loudly potentially to rock music. The quote "Want to live life LOUD!", shows that the target audience of this magazine love loud music where you can shout and let all your emotions out with singing to the music. This poster will catch people like this' attention because it's bold and the red helps making it loud which is what these types of people love. Furthermore on the front cover, the guy is very bold and catches your attention because he looks very passionate and emotional towards the music he's listening/singing to. 

 

This photo links to the text because this man, Chris, loves music and spends the majority of his money on it and loves to listen to good music and these two are music legends of different generations. As said in the text, Chris loves to go to gigs to see new bands and bands he loves which shows that he loves music loads because he is willing to go to new bands gigs to see if he likes the newer generations music. 

The main target audience for this genre of music is people who enjoy classical music often performed in operas and is very chilled and peaceful. The lady on the front holding the violin catches the target audiences attention because the violin is a instrument commonly used in the opera and in classical music so people will give it a look and possibly buy it. 

MOJO Magazine

-Genre= Music

-Circulation figures= 55,913 in February 2020

-Publisher= Bauer 

-Target audience= 30+

-Examples of artists featured= 

-Price (print)

-Any interesting facts

Monday 29th March

Music Magazines

1) Hammer- Heavy metal due to the clothes and the makeup 

2) Billboard- Pop due to the flowers and the pink backgrounds

3) Vibe- Rap due to the hat 

Masthead- Big Q

Main cover line- LIAM

Cover lines- ON THE ROAD WITH U2

Strapline- Angel Olsen

Date, price and issue number- On the back

Barcode- On the back (commonly found in the bottom corners)

Website- Q

Banner- 

Plug/Puff- Weller's 40

Pull quote- "Love and abuse. That's what i'm about".

Main image- Liam Gallagher's face

Minor image- Royal Blood

-Typography: Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. 

-Layout: The way in which the parts of something are arranged or laid out.

-Lexis: The total stock of words in a language.

-Colour palette: The full range of colours that can be displayed on a device screen or other interface.

-Mise-en-scene: The arraignment of the scenery, props, etc. on the stage of a theatrical production or on the set of a film.

Typography

Layout

Lexis

Colour Palette

Mise-en-scene

5 pop music magazine covers:

5 rock magazine covers:

5 rap/hip-hop magazine covers:

Rap/Hip-hop

In the rap/hip-hop covers, the colour palette used is commonly colours that are darker such as black, dark red, grey etc but sometimes use lighter and brighter colours such as white, light red, yellow, green etc. The layout uses contains of a massive photo of someone which is common for all covers and contains the name of the person/people. The font size is commonly large and the name of the artist(s) is usually quiet big and easy to spot.

Monday 19th April 

Mojo Audience

L/O: To explore and define the magazine's target audience

Background

-The most successful magazines during the time of intense competition from online media have been at the quality end of the market- the luxury brands- which offers their audiences a 'lean back moment' as they sink into the glamorous world of their favourite glossy magazines.

-These magazines use the advantages of the print media- high quality photography, familiar conventions, and sophisticated media language using high quality printing on glossy paper. These advantages, added to the authoritative brand image of an established magazine such as Vogue, attract advertising from big brands

-MOJO magazine has some aspects of the quality monthly, but it is only semi-glossy and uses lighter-weight paper. (Cheaper to produce) However, it retains enough quality to enable it to survive as a paid-for print product while the cheaper weekly music magazine have either closed or, like the NME, switched to free print versions. 

What's it all about?

-Our award-winning editorial team prides itself in delivering a magazine that is packed with insight, passion, and revelatory encounters with the greatest musicians of all-time, be they stablished or emerging musicians. 

-The magazine is loved by its readers and artists alike because it engages them on the subject they love the most: music itself.

-Every month MOJO brings you a definitive cover feature on an iconic act: a bespoke CD (especially compiled by the editorial team or a major musician in MOJO's world); and our famous reviews section, the Filter, which brings you 30 pages-plus of the best that month's music, both classic and contemporary.  

-MOJO is the WORLD'S LARGEST UK MUSIC MAGAZINE, delivering a monthly dose of world class journalism and iconic photography to an audience of extremely passionate music consumers. If you're featured in MOJO, you matter. 

-MOJO is the brand for those truly OBSESSED with music. 

-MOJO is THE MUSIC EXPERT- a magazine of high brand values and integrity. A carefully crafted musical archive covering the very best of music across genres. From classic and modern rock, folk, soul, country to reggae, electronic and experimental. It prefers to celebrate quality over popularity- music that will stand the test of time. 

General Audiences

-Weekly magazines target an audience that is more working class than middle class: the paid-for magazines with the highest working class readership are Take A Break, What's On TV?, OK! and TV Choice- all weekly magazines.

-The quality monthly magazines tend to target a more middle class audience. The paid-for magazines with the highest middle class readership are the monthlies Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Vogue, and BBC Good Food, followed by the weekly Radio Times. 

-The most popular weekly and monthly magazines have predominantly female readerships. Magazines aimed at men have lower circulations. The most successful are Men's Health and BBC Top Gear.

CLASS: Equal share of middle class and working class readers. 

GENDER: Four times as likely to be read by men than women

AGE: About 65% are over 35, but a  higher proportion of 15-34 year olds (a smaller group) read it.

MOJO U&G

-Personal Identity: 

How might it reinforce how they feel about their identity with regards to music?

Niche Music

-Information: 

What kind of information could they gain?

New information about the bands they're interested in 

-Entertainment:

How could they be entertained?

Free Stuff

-Social Interaction: 

How might what they read be used with others?

They may talk about the information they have, they may talk about their enjoyment involving the band, talking about new tours coming and their dates, meeting up with people to go to the tours with, etc. 

Thursday 22nd April

Uses and Gratification Theory

L/O: To explore the appeal of Mojo magazine to its target audience

Demographic- Gender, race, age (things out of your control)

Psychographic- Hobbies, things you like/enjoy, attitudes, lifestyles (things in your control)

Reading a magazine is a more active experience than a film at the cinema because you can re-read or skip the part you don't want to read.

Personal Identity

-Music magazines often reinforce the readers' sense of being a fan of a particular genre of music or artist. 

-They offer aspirational role models- music artists- with whom their readers can identify.

-They might reinforce a readers values- either values held by a particular musical genre.

MOJO- Madonna 

If someone sees a magazine with Madonna on the front cover, it is going to get their attention and are quite likely to buy it. By many, she is seen as a role model so this is going to help sales. These magazines contain interesting stories that contain stories that involve her including how she went from a rock punk to a pop queen/majesty. 

Information:

-Music magazines offer a sense of being in contact with the world, giving information about the world of popular music. This can normally be seen through the regular features each issue. 

MOJO Contents- information

'What goes on!' is a section about new news that is popular at that time and is necessary for people who love that topic to know about. Regulars is the newest news that has a backstory that get new updates to keep you updated. 

Entertainment

Music magazines offer a range of entertainment pleasures such as comedy, gossip, free gifts, striking visuals and attractive stars. They can offer an escape from everyday life into a different world of stars, celebrity and music!

Entertainment- Jimi Hendrix 

The types of people that would be drawn to this magazine would be people that are interested in Jimi Hendrix's music or his life story. Also, people could be interested in the people's music that are at the top of the magazine for example Ian Dury and Bauhaus.

Social Interaction:

People can have conversations about similar interests in music e.g same favourite artists or same favourite genre of music. Also, they may meet up in person to go to a gig or a live show and meet loads of other people and join a club.

Personal Identity:

People who read this magazine will most likely be fans of Oasis and are interested to find out about this magazine. But, the readers may be fans of Liam Gallagher and may be interested in reading about Oasis because they might want to hear about what Liam use to be like when he first started music

Information:

Fans that buy this will want to hear about the life story of the two brothers while they were growing up and what their childhood consisted of. They will also be interested in what they get up to outside of music and when their gigs or when their tours are.

Entertainment:

Social:

People who read the magazines may join a community where people make plans to meet up to go to watch Oasis or Liam Gallagher and talk about their enjoyments towards the music or similar artists they recommend to each other.

Monday 26th April

Music Magazines Cover Analysis

L/O: To analyse the cover of a magazine, linking it to genre and audience

-MOJO, is a serious 'classic rock' magazine that targets an upmarket and mature audience, reflecting the context of the economic power of the 'babyboomer' generation. 

-In terms of media industries, MOJO is a good example of diversification.

-A product with a clear audience address- engaging the passion of music fans who consider themselves discerning- reflected in a consistent media language house style.

-'babyboomer' generation- a person born in the years following the second World War, when there was a temporary marked increase in birth rate 

-Diversification- The process of varying products 

-Audience Address- How the text speaks to the audience, and involves and influences them.

-Discerning- Having or showing good judgement. 

-House Style- A company's preferred manner of presentation and layout of written material.

Codes are signs which have the potential for different meanings and conventions are arrangements that become habitual and accepted.

Intertextuality happens when the conventions of one genre are alluded to in another, or when a specific cultural reference is made in a media text. ... Film posters or DVD covers use intertextuality when they mention other movies made by the same director.

Shot type

This shot of Dave Grohl is called a mid shot.

Star Vehicle

The star vehicle is Dave Grohl.

Colour Palette

This colour palette contains of colours that will get your attention because they are so bright and vibrant.

Bands/artists mentioned

The bands mentioned are Foo Fighters and David Gilmour.

Masthead Style 

The masthead is not in the way of Dave Grohl's face because he is a big reason why people buy the magazine.

Main cover line style

The style of the line is it is bold so people can see the main cover line clearly 

Minor cover line style

It is there so you can read it but it is not bold enough to see 

Puff

This is found near the top right of the page in a red, spiky bubble

USP (freebies)

Freebies you can get from magazines are CD's, stickers etc

Placement of Text

The text at the top of the page is behind Dave Grohl's head just so you can see him clearly so the magazines can possibly get more sales because fans of his music will like this magazine

Thursday 6th May

Cover Analysis

L/O: To analyse the cover of a magazine, linking it to genre and audience

Thursday 17th March

Music Video 

L/O: Explore media codes and conventions in music videos.

Bruno Mars- Uptown Funk:

-Artist: Bruno Mars

-Name of song: Uptown Funk

-Genre: Pop

-Release date in the UK: November 2014

-What is the song about?: It is about selling cocaine

-Describe briefly what happens in the video: The men that are in the video are out in the street getting "freshened up" by getting their shoes polished, hair done etc. 

-Who features in the video: Mark Ronson 

These screenshots of Bruno Mars' Uptown Funk shows us what the video is about which includes men and dancing around the town in blazers whilst freshening up by going to a salon to get their hair done then also going to get their shoes polished. This video can be seen as a common stereotype for black areas in America. 

Beyoncé- If I were a boy:

-Artist: Beyoncé

-Name of song: If I were a boy

-Genre: Pop 

-Release date in the UK: October 2008

What is this song about?: Beyoncé is thinking about if she was a boy who is a policeman 

-Describe what happens in the video: We see Beyoncé as a policewoman who is very flirty with the men she works with but at the end, we see the roles switched over and find out it was the boyfriend who is the policeman and is flirting with his colleagues.

-Who features in the video: police officers, her boyfriend

These screenshots display briefly what is happening in the music video showing the boyfriend and the girlfriend being with their colleagues but also being rather flirty. This music video is unconventional in some ways as it does not feature separate studio based performance shots and also has no dance sequences. Plus it is quite slow and sad in comparison to most of Beyoncé's R&B tracks. The black and white shows a real love sense to the music video and Beyoncé is sexualised specifically for male interest. The man is very vocal and talkative to his girlfriend with her not saying anything which is usually the other way around. The scene where she is firing the gun at the shooting range it shows a masculine side to her which is also aggressive and powerful. Also, the way she is teaching the man to shoot the gun properly, she is shown as a leader due to helping people out with stuff that she already knows how to do. When she is with her friends, her husband calls her and she just hangs up the phone and this is a stereotype for a man to do because he would rather be with his friends than being at home with their wife. 

Thursday 31st March

This shows her powerfulness, masculinity and leadership in her job.

This shows her being out with her friends rather than answering the phone to her husband and being with him.

This close-up of the husbands face whilst trying to contact his wife shows the pain and sadness he feels when being ignored and hung up on.

This low-angled shot shows her powerfulness and physicality. This is also another use of stereotype since the man being arrested is black.

This shows us evidence of our assumptions of her being distant from her husband.

Medium close-up showing her emotions on the situation and the roles being reversed with her husband being the one who is being distant and flirty with other people.

Another medium close-up but with her singing this time and it creates a very personal feel to the music video and that Beyoncé is singing directly to the audience.

The roles have been reversed and Beyoncé is the one working in an office and the husband is the police and when it was the other way around, it was all an imagination maybe a dream.

Uptown Funk Bruno Mars

This low close-up of the women's legs sexualises her as the subject since we do not see her but we see her with legs out and red heels on.

This medium close-up shows a group of friends (as shown by the handshakes and freshening each other up) getting excited over an attractive girl walking past them.

This wide shot shows us that these men are wealthy and are materialistic since they are wearing blazers and nice clothes but also have chains on which could also be an example of their popularity. With Bruno Mars in the middle, it shows that he is the leader and the primary subject of this shot. This use of a blazer with a regular shirt on shows a very 80's outfit from Bruno Mars. 

The way Bruno Mars and his friends are strutting across the camera shot shows that they are very confident and perhaps cocky in a way. In terms of the background and scenery, it shows that they are much too wealthy for where they are since it is a very run-down area.

In this shot, there is a use of a fish-eye lens so they can fit all of the friends including Bruno in the shot whilst it still being a close-up shot. This use of them being close-up to the camera with them all in the shot and singing portrays them as powerful and their clothes aid that opinion.

This shot shows us a women's body walking past the shot but with her head out of view. This dehumanises the women as it happens many times and this women is not the only one to have it done to them in this part of the video. Th men in this video seem to be more humanised as the target audience for the music video may be for men. In terms of this video being a flashback to the 80's, this was seen as normal back then with nothing wrong with it as women would never say anything about.

This camera angle, otherwise known as a Dutch tilt, shows the dancing as it mashes all the clips together and shows the tempo of the music video. This spinning angle could also that the world literally revolves around him which goes back to him being confident and perhaps cocky.

This shot could also show his wealth as it shows his fancy, white limo that one of them is sat on which also goes back to suggesting his materialism. 

Thursday 12th May

L/O: To explore the use of media language to create meaning in music videos

1) Do artists perform? If so, who to?

Yes they do. In Uptown Funk, pretty much the whole music video is a performance because Bruno Mars and all of his friends are dancing and singing in front of the camera whilst roaming the streets in blazers, vests, chains, suit shoes, etc. 

2) Is there a sense of 'naturalism' created through use of MES and setting? If so, how is this created? 

In If I Were A Boy, the whole thing feels like we are watching their lives instead of a music video because it is all so natural and life-like. 

Does the editing match the pace of the song? 

In Uptown Funk, the pace is matched well because the tempo and speed of the words, dancing and camera angles/turns is similar as they are both very fast and rarely have breaks of slowing down but when it does, the music also slows down to match with the pace of the dancing. 

Is the camerawork smooth and controlled or handheld and documentary-style?

The camerawork in Uptown Funk is very much handheld. My reasoning for this is the way the camera is spun around very quickly such as the Dutch tilt which creates the factor of him being the star and the world revolving around him. Although, the camera is sometimes still and is almost like they have stood up the camera. 

Is the colour saturated or de-saturated? 

In If I Were A Boy, the screen is de-saturated for 90% of the video until right at the end where it goes to colour. The reason for the screen being de-saturated could be resembling the sadness the man is feeling because of his wife working with men all day and they are very touchy towards her. But at the end of the video, we see the roles are reversed and Beyoncé is the one who is sad about her husband working with a woman all day and he is now the policeman.  

Explain one way in which music videos use media language to differ from each other.

There is countless amounts of ways that you can make a music video completely different to others but still use the same media language. For example in Uptown Funk, there is a use of Dutch tilts; you can use these but you could use them based on something other than a person (e.g. change the focus). Other than camerawork, there is a consistent upbeat sound to the music video which can be used in other videos but you must change the rhythm of the beat else it will sound identical which you cannot do. 

How is love represented? 

In IIWAB, the love between the two characters is shown as very distant and no interest is coming from her but the man is putting in the effort.

How is masculinity represented? 

In IIWAB, men are shown as being cheaters and liars right at the end of the video. In Uptown Funk, they are shown as seeing women as objects and not caring for their feelings. 

How are women represented? 

In IIWAB, women are shown as flirts and almost like cheaters; at the very end, they are shown as very nice and easy in the relationship. In Uptown Funk, women are shown as objects by the men which is wrong because these women would not like the objectification the men gave them.

How is ethnicity in the US represented? 

In IIWAB, there is a scene where Beyoncé arrests a black man with his hood up which can be shown as a stereotype and represents the highest arrest percentage in America. In Uptown Funk, there is a scene where the men are getting their shoes polished by an older white man which shows another ethnic flashback where in history, it would be the other way around where the black men would be polishing the older white mans shoes.

How are the artists represented? 

In Uptown Funk, Bruno Mars is being shown as cool, the main man, the popular one, etc (he is also the one that is always in the middle of the group which shows him to be the more powerful one and the leader). In IIWAB, Beyoncé is shown as a lower standard to what she usually is in other things as she is seen as this goddess but is now seen as an everyday person. 

What is seen as attractive?

In Uptown Funk, there is a lady at the very start that walks past with very "attractive" legs because they are skinny, tanned and smooth which does not make you attractive as everyone can be. In IIWAB, there is a scene in the changing room where Beyoncé is getting changed and she is wearing a bra which shows much of her cleavage. This is sexualised by the audience because they don't see it as someone getting changed and instead see it as her being sexual.