TEACHERS COMMENTS

Easter Practice Question.

6. "Media Production is dominated by global institutions which sell their products and services to national audiences." To what extent do you agree with this statement within the media area you have studied?

Music production in the music industry is one of the largest forms of media produced, in a month around 1000 new songs are made, not only from the music company such as Sony Music and Warner but from hopefuls trying to make music by themselves and distributing it on a global site like iTunes or Beatport.

In the music Industry there are 3 companies that control a large majority of the music produced around the world, these 3 companies are Universal, Sony and Warner. Each of these companies have many different “sub-Companies” that they own e.g. Sony owns Syco, Warner owns Metal and Dust and Universal owns Intercsope Records. Looking at the top 10 songs (in sales) for 2013, 80% of the top 10 where produced and sold by one of these 3 companies. This proves that media production is dominated by these 3 companies. Using a focus group, I said the name of an artist that is owned by each of these 3 record labels. 100% of the people I asked knew the 3 artists I named.

Not all the music in the top 10 is produced by 1 of the big 3. For example “Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ Thrift Shop” was 4^th is song sales in 201. This song was created by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis without help from another music record label. Instead Macklemore created “Macklemore LLC” an independent record label that currently only Ryan Lewis and Macklemore use to make their music. This proves that not all music is owned by the big 3 but a large majority of it.

Synergy is used in the music industry to help promote music buy giving them a second pourpous like a song being used in an advert or a song being used in a film. An example of this is the song “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. This song was originally made for the film “Despicable Me 2” but thanks to the success of the film this song is currently the most bought song of 2014 but to remind listeners that this is still part of the film characters and actors from the film are in the music video. Because of the songs success it was nominated for a Oscar for “Best Song”. Using a focus group I discovered that 70% of people bought the song because they saw the film. Another example of synergy is the song “Best Day of My Life” this song was released before it was used in a TV ad for centre parks. The advert allowed to song to climb back into the top 100 chart and this song also gained a place on the track list for “NOW That’s What I Call Music 87” along with Pharrell’s “Happy”

Convergent technology like laptops and mobile phones are now being used to create songs instead of having to use a full production studio, for example Fruitloops and Adobe Sound Creator are 2 types of software that can be downloaded onto laptops, these software provide a simplified studio on a portable device so dj’s and EDM artists like Martin Garrix and Avicii can create remixes and whole new song on their way to festivals and gigs. These software can also be downloaded from the internet so new hopefuls can create songs to distribute and share online. Another example of convergent technology being used in the music industry is to create record labels. Spinnin’ Records is a large record label that recruits EDM and Club Music hopefuls. The whole company was created by one man on his computer. The Spinnin’ records website has a “Talent Pool” where people put their songs on to be assessed by fans of Spinnin’ Records, like sound cloud only with 2-3 genres of music. Spinnin’ Records’ A&R department search through the “Talent Pool” to see if anyone is up to the standard the company is looking for, these people are then put on trial to see if they can get a record contract. Spinnin’ Records every 3-4 months releases a album called “The Talent Pool” where the top 10-20 songs voted by the fans are put online to be bought. Spinnin’ Records also buts songs from the “Talent Pool” on to their soundcloud to advertise the album.  (1hr 8mins)

(Task 5) Finding Tutorials

Film
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBshTYrFbKI
a) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx0PmH9sW74
b) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6N2SpA2XPI

(Task 4) London Grammar Essay

London Grammar are a British band from that formed in 2009, since then the media sites like Facebook and twitter have help get the band "Out-There". Without the popular social network site "Facebook" the band would not have formed in the first place.

On  the 12 December 2012, London Grammar posted their song "Hey Now" on YouTube and now has over 1.9 million views, and there Sound Cloud also had around 370,000 plays in early 2013, which has grown over the year to be in the millions. This is a synergy relationship the band has mad with these to site.

Because of the Internet they where able to market themselves and there music around the world, proof of this is because there EP Metal & Dust made the top five of the iTunes chart in Australia. On there Website there are lots of external to lots of different social media sight like Facebook, Instagram and Sound Cloud. This increases there presence on the internet. In an interview with a NHS Manager she said she was watching a vlogger talking about London Grammar on YouTube, then she said she then listened to the song ‘Hey Now’ on YouTube and really enjoyed it, after listning to extracts of the songs on there new album on iTunes she went and bought the album to play in her new car. Later that day she posted a facebook status saying ‘Just been listening to London Grammar in my new Car with the roof down. Lovely car, lovely music, lovely day :D’ she said that her cousin said she really liked it and that she had just bought a couple of tracks on itunes. and also that another friend messaged her saying she’d never heard of them before but she’d just downloaded the whole album. We then sent a questionnair arround the school about how they found the music they listened to and  30% of people bought music based on a recommendation from a facebook friend or other social media site? but 80% Have downloaded music illegally based on a recommendation from a facebook friend or other social media site.

(Task 3) Music Marketing using the Media

Music Company and Artists have started to use internet sites like YouTube and sound cloud to demo there music (new albums from artist the support/manage/produce for) before or around the general release of the album.

1) the first example of this marketing technique is used by Ultra Music, they released all the songs on "deadmau5's"new album "> album title goes here <" was released on 24/09/11, and the day after Ultra Records posted the whole album (Track by Track)

2) the second example is Tinie Tempah who posted on his you tube channel a 22 minute video demoing 90 seconds of his new album around 2-3 week before the release of his album "Demonstrations"

3) my last example is that Deadmau5 uses sound cloud to demo new sounds, beats and song to his fans, this means that they practically feed him what his fans like, don't like and want to hear, then some of the track he posts on sound cloud, he releases as tracks on his album

These 3 examples show how artist and company’s market there music. 2 of the examples are the artist/company releasing the songs (or sections of the song) on YouTube before or around the release date of the album, This is marketing because this is the company/artist is allowing people to listen the music to see if they like it and to see if they like it enough to buy the album.  The other example of deadmau5 using Sound Cloud is marketing because he is sharing the making of his songs and receiving feedback about what they like and how he’s music should sound.

Evidence to show that this marketing scheme works is in the comments of the YouTube videos. For the Tinie Tempeh album video demoing all the tracks, 70% of the comments said that they had pre-ordered or about the pre-order the album.

Evidence to show that this marketing scheme works is in the comments of the YouTube videos. For the Ultra Music and Deadmau5’s New Album Videos, around 40% of the comments said that they were going to go out and buy the album.

(Task 2) Analysis of A Magazine Cover