I dimly recall posting on this (probably giving Doors and Beatles examples) before, but with minimal web connection for now I'll make do with this addition - glam/sleaze rocker archetypes Motley Crue, of recent biopic The Dirt fame/infamy, have cut a new vid for a track from their debut album (1983?).
Remember, this is essentially what you're doing with your coursework (dependent on track selection)!
Thanks to Simon for this one, which demonstrates another alternative to the traditional narrative/performance video but also the ongoing process of convergence. Its also a further demonstration of how artists are increasingly taking on formats popularised by fans as UGC and releasing their own official versions to better control the monetising of their recorded material.
Simon linked this eg by the world's biggest-selling artist of recent times, the ubiquitous Taylor Swift. She makes for an interesting digitisation/convergence case study already - she initially refused to allow her albums to appear on Spotify and Apple Music, forcing Apple to abandon plans for a free version of Apple Music with lower artist payments.
and here's the original
Think about why artists do this:
primarily more control over monetising their work
but also accessibility: creating the sense/brand image that they are to some degree at the level of their audience still (in this case shooting simple vids through their smartphone)
standing out: multi-versions like this generate articles/news stories, thus more hits and more revenue
for ultra-mainstream artists like Swift maintaining wide audience appeal through single narrative videos can be difficult, so these help to target specific demographics
IN THIS POST:Multiple examples of alternative videos; using animation; UGC/fan-made videos; the role of dance moves in vids; examples from UNKLE, Billy Eilish, Sepultura, Arctic Monkeys. See alt videos tag etc for more
Spotted this thanks to a Yr8 student - yet another type of alternative (not the main promo) video, to go with visualizer, lyric, unwrapping, teaser, single shot, performance, acoustic (not to mention fan-made, covers, reaction videos and UGC generally)...
Billie Eilish has released a 'dance performance' video for Ocean Eyes.
Smart move which achieves a key aim of pop vids especially - to generate a replicable dance sequence, which might then be taken up by (especially) young fans for playground simulacra or, the holy grail, posted UGC vids which are directly monetised anyway through YouTube but also generate further free publicity by appearing on Twitter, FB (etc) feeds of friends/followers.
You should think about replicating at least one of these - or even just short teaser clips (or gifs) for the website + social media feeds that push traffic to the YT channel (even if the full vid isn't actually there), a great, easy way to show (if you provide detailed research/explanation) insight into audiences and industry.
(TBC) I've previously provided an extensive list of themes to consider, with notes on each of these. Having reviewed these, I've come up with a more streamlined list of 10, combining these and some additional aspects. These will help you evidence research/analysis/applied understanding of all 3 CIA (Conventions, Industry, Audience) and go a long way to preparing for your 4 evaluation Qs.
You can gather and build your research through any combination of posts so long as this eventually includes posts titled:
GENERAL CONVENTIONS1: Lyrics/visuals; Narrative GENERAL CONVENTIONS2: Genre characteristics GENERAL CONVENTIONS3: Intertextuality + postmodernism GENERAL CONVENTIONS4: Representations GENERAL CONVENTIONS5: Cinematography + Editing GENERAL CONVENTIONS6: UGC GENERAL CONVENTIONS7: Alt vids GENERAL CONVENTIONS8: Distribution, social GENERAL CONVENTIONS9: Branding/promo package GENERAL CONVENTIONS10: Possible influences SUMMARY
That's 10 research themes. For each one you need to indicate ideas/aspects you've seen that might influence your work (and then sum this up).
1-5 are conventions focused (+ incorporate Goodwin's 6 conventions), 6-9 go further into industry and audience, and 10 is simply an overall summary of which points are more likely to be reflected in your idea.
You will have some posts, including from class and homework, on individual videos, titling like this:
GENERAL EG1: Artist 'Track Title' (year)
This phase of pre-production is to help inform your initial pitch development. You will repeat the process with a similar list for GENRE conventions research.
Evie brought this format to my attention, another to consider alongside the lyric video, unpacking video, live video, and additional narrative or concept videos (eg Pixies' 2 Bagboy bids, U2's 3 for One!)
Here's another format that could be great fun to adapt for evaluation Q's or earlier audience/genre conventions research: http://www.metalsucks.net/2018/07/02/reaction-video-alice-in-chains-so-far-under/
Rita Ora apologises after LGBT criticism of her song Girls
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/may/15/rita-ora-lgbt-criticism-of-song-girls?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Blogger
I've blogged on alternative, secondary music video formats before: the one-take, single shot video; the lyric video; the album trailer; the special edition or merchandise unwrapping.
To this list, one worth pondering for an additional quickfire production that will help to drive website and social media content and engagement, add the tour date video (with website plugging included too).
The example is from 80s crossover (punk/thrash) legends Suicidal Tendencies. The video, spotted from a browse of the TeamRock site, a rich source for spotting evolving marketing strategies, includes several features:
performance footage
album art and website splash page, with plugs for both
like the most basic lyric videos, the main content is a vertically scrolling list of tour dates, white font on a black background
the audio consists of a snippet from a new album track, NOT the full track
The unpolished look is further evidence of how artists have incorporated audience approaches (fan-made videos) into their own playbooks. Even the mighty Metallica have dropped an unwrapping video, a hugely popular format that may have had pop origins but is now seen from audiences and artists across the age and genre spectrum.
Iron Maiden Fan Club members will be given access to an exclusive pre-sale, with information available via the official website.A Trooper VIP upgrade package will also be available, giving fans early access to the venue, exclusive goodies as well as food and Trooper beer. VIP tickets cost £140 and gig tickets will need to be bought separately. [LouderSound]
Artists variously charge for photos with fans, sometimes as part of a VIP backstage package, have licensed drinks, offer exclusives to fan club or registered website members (often charging a subscription fee).
...Maiden are a great example of a long-running act who skilfully use traditional and social media, and diverse merchandising, to successfully monetise their art and brand. Here's another example from them...the thankyou to fans, a natural example of direct address made possible by online media.
...
[recent update:]
I mention beer as a great example of merch - you can buy both Slayer and Iron Maiden beer in Luxembourg (Auchan), and Motorhead, plus some other branded wine/spirits if I recall correctly. That this is now a common strategy, especially in heavy metal, can be seen from a simple google ('heavy metal beer'). See this Pinterest for a gallery (pic, right comes from it):
Sainsbury’s customers can now pick up some exclusive, freshly pressed vinyl alongside their freshly pressed fruit juices. (Sainsbury's,1st Nov. 2017)
Sadly the vinyl boom, boosted by nostalgia* from the deaths of the likes of Prince and Bowie, whose final album Blackstar was a vinyl bestseller, is led this year by the tragic return from early retirement of Ed Sheeran.
Further evidence of how mainstream this vinyl resurgence is, a major Xmas pressie source, the Gallagher brothers solo records and Sergeant Peppers are joined as major sellers by ... supermarket Sainsbury's own label.
Grab a loaf, milk and a compilation record with some Van der Graaf Generator. Tremendous. Though the only real national music store chain left, HMV, remains the dominant force in vinyl sales for now.
Here's a very useful video suggested by Richard D:
...
*THEORY TIP + A SPOTof INDUSTRY ANALYSIS:
Simon Reynolds wrote an interesting book, Retromania, about the profound change in the cultural position of music and how its consumed brought about by digitisation. Thanks to YouTube especially, older acts never actually fade away. Pop was always considered ephemeral: pop acts would have their year or so of popularity then fade from the limelight and memory as their teen/tween fanbase got older and bored.
Now we can easily access older acts material, and record labels see back catalogue as a key driver of revenue. Spotify is full of special editions, and even re-recordings (eg Def Leppard's Hysteria), which enable a band to regain control of revenue streams rather than the record label they were signed to for the original album.
The Smiths, The Sex Pistols and Metallica are but 3 recent examples of bands re-releasing iconic albums with lots of studio outtakes, demos etc, sold in multiple packages (with vinyl options in all 3 of these examples). The Master of Puppets boxset was gifted by the Danish PM to his Indonesian equivalent, and you can also treat yourself to the very dull featuring singer James Hetfield's hands, part of the publicity and marketing campaign that kicked in months before the release date.
Websites are routinely updated to centre on the latest album release
Bjork, The Pixies and many more are trailblazing a growing trend of creating videos for ALL album songs, not just the singles, recognising this boosts revenue-gaining YouTube hits ... but the importance of additional videos (unwrapping, lyric, live, UGC etc) is growing faster still, and Suede's "album sampler" is a good example. It would have Vernallis jumping up and down screaming I TOLD YOU SO given its narrative-free (is that possible?!) nature
Its another reminder of the convergence between film and music video - bear in mind that the 1964 Beatles movie A Hard Day's Night [Wiki] is widely considered as having created the music video template (archetype) with its video-like scenes ... and MJ's Thriller! While you will generally be creating youth-targeting productions with bands' existing (older) audience now the secondary target for you, Suede are possibly reinforcing their mature adult appeal with an entire feature-length arthouse movie released with their album. Its nature might also suggest an oddly upmarket (ABC1) audience for an Indie band. Read more here.
Here it is so you can judge for yourself - you should be thinking of this as an easy, but creatively free, extra (like the single shot video, lyric video...), so long as you remember to keep it MUCH shorter (or it'll just get blocked).
This would be a good idea for an additional video alongside your main effort (live, lyric, unwrapping vids are also useful additions).
The infamous Wayne's World Bohemian Rhapsody inspired James Corden's Carpool Karaoke which in turn has inspired this couple of performers (he's a comedian, she appeared on America's Got Talent) to create a series of car-set lip sync vids.
With 120m views already, they're making money from that, but they are also add for their services as hireable entertainers.
A useful reminder of the versatility of the music video format:
Death metal godfathers Obituary won a synergistic cross-promotion through Guitar World magazine (also a website of course), creating a split-screen video to enable fans to play along with the guitar on their new release.
They are also booked on a branded tour which will benefit from a major push through the magazine, and offer the chance to attract new fans as the publication has a multi-genre readership. Moreover, it's a neat way for a 1980s band to attract younger fans, kids and teens starting out on developing guitar skills.
So, add this to the lyric video, unwrapping video, album preview/promo video, tour announcement or localised tour shout out, single shot, live performance, fan footage, interactive, 3D, virtual reality (VR), teaser, tie-ins with console games like Guitar Hero ...
It also gets Obituary further publicity through stories on popular e-zines such as MetalSucks.
Good tune to boot, even if not up to the standard of their early classics, Slowly We Rot and Cause of Death!
What you can learn from this example - you should have a clear, consistent brand image and concept to promote - that consistency would extend across multiple platforms and even merchandise - most artists will change website banners, YouTube icon/banner (etc) to highlight their latest release or tour - artists increasingly create video content that can be shared (ideally go viral) ... even short promo clips for an album with self-filmed interview-style footage - artists also increasingly embrace and create content that was seen as typical of UGC/fan-made videos, notably the lyric video - you can present research into any coursework topic by creating content that takes on a recognised media format: magazine feature, radio or TV interview/chat show appearance, e-zine interview (more informal, including setting), podcast ... - the Anthrax Twitter's most recent update was on Record Store Day - formats like these are ideal to convey your grasp of industry topics like the role of vinyl; the issues around streaming and revenues; influences ... even technology ... - ... it could the album producer, songwriter, video director, video editor or cinematographer (especially to discuss technology used: hardware or software) sleeve art designer, record label executive, band management, fans, ... there are many options. Great website content, research evidence, Evaluation content...
The self-produced Anthrax new album promo is like an interview or TV feature
Pics to be added - a bang up to date example of the multi-formatting that forms part of the marketing for many album releases now.
Unlike many other examples, this isn't a reissue - indeed, the thrash godfathers have put up a video of interviews to trail the album release, with the YouTube description featuring US and UK links for different formats.
Look out for magazine ads for this - drop me a link if you see one.
As usual, convergence is evident here: someone posted a link in a FB group pointing to a metal news site that had their own video which in turn linked to the band/record label's trail video...all accessed, viewed, clicked, read and blogged on through my phone - albeit pictures, saved from phone, formatting and tagging will have to wait til I'm sat at a PC/Macbook!
THE ANTHRAX ALBUM PROMO
ANTHRAX DRUMMER INTERVIEWED FOR AN E-ZINE'S PODCAST SERIES, AND E-ZINE ARTICLE ON THIS!
How do your products engage with the audience and how would they be distributed as real media products?
As part of your background research you should investigate how the music industry works, considering issues such as those below - a more extensive list of issues can be found in this post:
who are the 'big three' (now big two?) of the music industry?
what's the difference between Indie and conglomerate or subsidiary (consider vertical and horizontal integration + synergy - terms from AS learning)?
how has digitisation impacted ('disrupted') the music industry?
has streaming effectively replaced lost revenues from physical media sales for artists and labels?
how else are musicians seeking to monetise their work, brand and fanbase?
why is vinyl making a comeback, and how wide or narrow a range of artists/genres are publishing in this format? is it just for older, nostalgic audiences (Simon Reynolds: Retromania)?
do you still need a record label/deal? think about Soundcloud, Vimeo, YouTube ... but also how difficult it is to make real money from streaming (Harlem Shake for the opposite!), and Elberse's argument/case studies (Jay-Z and Gaga) in Blockbusters (cheap as an e-book)
does the rise of crowdfunding, Kickstarter etc, prove the audience/producer divide is dead?
are social media interactions as important as the music itself?
where does video fit into this picture? consider convergence and what this means for the increased accessibility of video and the expansion of video production too (you're a part of this), plus UGC such as lyric videos and digipak/CD unwrapping videos
Evaluation Q3 asks:
How do your products engage with the audience and how would they be distributed as real media products?
Focusing mainly on the second part of this, use the following resources to create a post on music video distribution. You should make some reference to recorded (CD) music distribution too, linked to your digipak, and any notes/examples on marketing, social media and audience engagement/interaction will also help.
CREATIVE APPROACHES Interview a record shop owner International Record Store Day feature Interview someone (or multiple people/roles) at the record label The artist does a promo for record store day, or speaks out about why they're unhappy with YouTube especially... Band/act's accountant discusses their hits/streams/followers/subscribers data (screenshots!) on any streaming platform they are on (soundcloud, YT, Spotify...). Don't forget that lyric vids etc are still distributing the music
There are screenshots/links below to several egs of interactive vids: QoTSA, Death Grips, Bob Dylan etc
Writing in The Guardian's Music Blog, Harriet Gibsone reports on a new phenomenon, one which takes the postmodern/web 2.0 notion I often raise, the blurring (at least) of the producer/audience divide, on to a new level:
His video for Subterranean Homesick Blues may have unwittingly pre-empted the lyric video by 50 years, but Bob Dylan's telly-hopping interactive video looks like it could be another first of a kind. With
Like a Rolling Stone as its soundbed, the player allows its audience to
flick through a range of fake television channels, each of which
features different characters lip-synching the words to the 1965
classic. "I'm using the medium of television to look back right at us,"
director Vania Heymann told Mashable. While
Dylan's new video feels like an inventive way to breathe new life into
an old tune, other artists are using the format to make a quick online
buzz: in the past week alone we've seen interactive videos from Queens of the Stone Age, who are at the end of their album campaign, and Bombay Bicycle Club, who happen to be at the very start.
Here's a screenshot from the Dylan site, where I've 'switched channels' to a shopping channel:
