Universal Music Group is the largest American music label. Founded in 1934 as Decca Records, it is among the oldest labels in the world. Universal Music Publishing Group (the second largest music publishing company) is owned by UMG. UMG also has a strong market position in recorded music, music publishing, and merchandising.
Capitol Records is part of the Capitol Music Group, which is a subsidiary of UMG. Founded in 1942, the label has helped stars such as Lily Allen, Sara Bareilles, Sky Ferreira and Lady Antebellum rise to fame. The label supports artists of a variety of genres, such as pop, rock, country (Capitol Nashville) and also has helped heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden to gain a larger following.
Moshi Moshi Records is a small record label based in London, launching indie stars such as Kate Nash, Florence and the Machine and Lykke Li.
Same high contrast and monochromatic colour scheme
Focus on hair
Same font and font colour
Same high key lighting
Same black background
Similar Artist: Gabrielle Aplin
Debut Music Video:
Website:
Album:
Links:
Pale colour scheme - cream, white, some darker colours
Hints of bright colour
Synergetic fonts
Album cover is background of website
Artist name in different colours on the website and album
Therefore:
There is usually a lot of synergy between an artist's current album and their website, so that people searching for the artist will be immediately aware that they can buy one their products. There are some links with the music video, with all of the music videos released from one album linking somehow (however tentatively) with the website and the album in order for the artist to present a complete image for the audience to buy into to.
Backing dancers are a range of ages, genders and races
Casual, laid back clothes
Plain background of the warehouse contrasts with dancers
Blocks of coloured board leaning against the walls
Everything is quirky and connotes a sense of joy and fun
Strong Sense of Development is expected:
Cyclical - begins and ends with her alone as the dancers appear and then disappear behind Feist
Dance grows more ambitious and exciting
Builds up to when she is put down and the dancers skip in lines
Strong sense of artist identity and aspirational to artist's fans:
Creating a sense of quirkiness, fun and prettiness around her
Establishes her as creative and someone to keep an eye on
The brightness and happiness of the video is appealing
The dancing looks really fun, and the originality of the video means that it would attract many new fans
Beauty/Money Shots:
Feists jumpsuit, stylish hair and the fact that she is at the forefront of the video
There are a few MSs and CUs, but she is the focus of the shot throughout the entire video
The originality of the idea makes her seem more aspirational
Extremejuxtapositions and binary oppositions:
The camera tracks in and out very quickly
At one point it spins around as it tracks through the tunnel of dancers
The greyness of the warehouse compared to the brightness of the mise en scene
Discontinious editing:
There is only one shot
When the dancers come in and go out may be an example
Polysemic:
When the dancers from a spiral around her it not only makes her the centre, but also connotes time as it is reminiscent of a clock shape (which relates to the lyrics '1234'), as well as snails or shells
Provokes a strong audience reaction:
The quirkiness and originality of it menat many people shared it online
It's cleverness appealed to people
The way the dancers appear and reappear is particurlarly impressive, and the intricacy of the dance being filmed in one shot impresses
We had this group meeting in order to discuss the construction of our music video as we are nearing the end of the initial research stage. Our music video is a one-shot, therefore instead of discussing a shot list, we talked about the narrative in the video, which it relies on. Soon we will have to start making the set pieces/finding props and choreographing the movement of the actors and props in the video, and so we need to finalise the storyline and what happens in each bit. We managed to establish what was going to happen in the video, considering the limitations and possible problems we will come across (such as the set looking amateurish) and how we will resolve this (by perhaps making the set more abstract rather than realistic). To ensure that we were not wasting any time, two of our group members continued to explore the narrative possibilities whilst the other two finished off our music video proposal.
Kate Nash was born in Harrow in 1987, with her music career taking off after a few gigs and uploading her songs to myspace. She went to the BRIT school
Music:
Indie pop
Indie Rock
Strong British accent when singing
Look:
Quirky
Homemade
Vintage
Bed Hair
Vintage dresses
Casual Chic
Necklaces
Minimal Make up
Flirty, fun
Bright colours
Then she re-vamped her look:
fifties style
dark brown hair with blonde highlights
Hair part up part down
Smarter dresses
Bolder, stronger colours
More angular
Less dressed down, more high fashion
Wear more black and red - more sophisticated
Ideology:
Not staying with men who treat you badly
Importance of girl friends
Being normal and nice
Being yourself is better than being someone else
Love and romance can be nice
Strong but doesn't hate men
Iconography:
Quirky necklaces
Vintage clothing
distinctive hair
retro themes in her music videos
Eyeliner
Before it was her untidy bedhair hair, now it is her sleek fifties hair with the blonde highlight
Development/Change:
Changed from fifties style to sixties
Music videos became more mod in style - circles, bright colours, clean lines
Fanbase:
15-24 girls
15-24 boys - enjoy her thoughtful and interesting lyrics, she's pretty/likeable, makes indie music
Older people who enjoy the nostalgic feel of her music and videos
Mainly UK based
How we will use this in our own Artist identity:
Same fanbase of 15-24 girls
Similar ideology of being yourself but with a stronger feminist presence
Rejects boyfriend in music video but doesn't hate men
Quirky and homemade feel to music videos
Retro clothes
British Accent while singing - though this is because Lily Allen sings in a similar way
Lily Allen (now Lily Cooper) is the daughter of an actor and a music producer, and grew up on a council estate in Islington, but was involved with the world of celebrity from a young age. he hen went to several private schools, being expelled for drinking and smoking, but one of her teacher started giving her music lessons. She eventually got a record contract in 2002, achieving popularity through myspace demos. She has had huge album sales, performed at major festivals, and even had a TV show on BBC Three. She has her own clothing lines, support several charities, is a staunch Labour Party supporter and was even the face of The National Portrait Gallery.
Music: Indie, expressive lyrics, Catchy Tunes, English pronunciation - cockney accent, ska and reggae influences, synth, pop
Look: Modern retro, fifties rock and roll, shabby chic, classy chav
Ideology: Fun loving, not afraid of authority, feisty, not taking anyone's rubbish, fearlessness, independence
Iconography: Bows, big jewellery, knee length dresses, hair up, fringe,
Development/change: More country sounding music, away from retro sound of first album, more electro-pop
We wrote a list before the meeting of things we wished to discuss at the meeting with Miss Blackborow and two of the other groups, and we managed to resolve the majority of them:
The artist name - initially we called our artist Maia Clark, but the name 'Clark' came under criticism as it reminded people of the shoe brand, but the name 'Hart' started circulating, so we may consider this name with a different first name.
Why her retro image? - we decided that our artist would be styled in a retro fashion, but initially we did not know why. In the meeting, however, we discussed how that's just her style and she chooses to dress that way, and also the song 'He Wasn't There' has a vintage feel with the crackling records sound effect.
Picnic blanket vs. bench - when planning the set for our music video, we envisioned a bench in the constructed outdoor, garden scene, but we began doubting this idea as we thought it would be unachievable - fortunately, in the meeting, our teacher said that she would bring in her iron bench that we could paint white.
Car vs. boat - we couldn't decide on whether our last set should be centred around a car or a boat - the majority of people at the meeting said that boat would be the better option, but we will still need to discuss this further, as the props involved in the boat set would be harder to construct than the car set.
Camera movement? - as our video is a one-shot, we thought it would be risky to move the camera, but we also worried that if the camera remains static, the video will be boring - at the meeting, we discovered that it would be a lot harder in terms of needing more intense choreography, but it would not be unachievable, and we could make it work - this is therefore something we need to discuss further as a group, and we may do a test shoot with the camera static, and the camera moving, to see which looks better.
Record label - we decided on the record label, Fruit Bowl Records.
Interests: Various cultural activities, such as music, fashion, film, photography and literature, as well as socialising.
Tweens (12-14)
They would appreciate the fairytale idea of it
Our artist would be aspirational to them
They would enjoy the aesthetics; the cute props and the dance scenes
They would like the themes of romance and comedy
Teenagers (15-18)
They would find our artist aspirational - they may copy her style, or find the couple scenario aspirational
They would relate to the popular culture references
They would appreciate the one-shot aspect of our video
They would like the themes of romance and comedy
They would notice the underlying meanings to the video
Young Adults (19-24)
The child-like feel of our video would promote feelings of nostalgia
They would be able to relate to the situation (the break-up/make-up idea)
They would like the one shot idea
Our target audience would share our music video on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter as social media is familiar to people of all ages in this day and age.
SECONDARY AUDIENCE
Age: middle aged
Gender: Female
Occupation: Any - perhaps creative
Class: Middle-class
Interests: Various cultural activities, such as music, fashion, film, photography and literature, as well as socialising.
Why?: Nostalgia, their daughters would share it with them, the retro feel, the novelty of having a one-shot
Our song 'He Wasn't There' was released on Lily Allen's second studio album.
We discovered that Lily Allen's Album 'It's not me, it's you' was released by Regal Recordings and Parlophone, and that Parlophone owned Regal Recordings.
We couldn't find an email address for Regal Recordings, but did find a possible email for Parlophone: keith.wozencroft@emimusic.com
A possible address:
43 Brook Green
London
England
W6 7EF
However Warner Music Group has bought Parlophone Label Group: Headquarters
75 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10019
Tel: (212) 275-2000
We sent them this email:
Dear Sir/Madam,
We are a group of students from a North London High School and we hoped to be allowed to use Lily Allen's song 'He wasn't There' from her album 'It's not me, It's You' for a school project.
Hope to hear back from you soon,
Anna Rawe, Emily Lawson, Sharlene Gandhi and Mila Hrismova
Monday 9th September - Lunch, p7-8 + After School
Wednesday 11th September - p2-3, p4-5, Lunch
Thursday 12th September - Lunch, p6
Monday 16th September - p1-3, Lunch
Coming up with the name of our artist was one of our hardest decisions during the initial planning process. We wanted her name to portray her quirkiness and fun ideology, and so we came up with 3 names:
- Isla King
- Ava Ruskin
- Iona Hart
We decided to ask people from our target audience which name they preferred - Isla King got 3 votes, as did Ava Ruskin, and Iona Hart received 2 votes. After much deliberation, we finally decided to call her Ava, without a second name, because it's catchier and more memorable.
We had our first meeting with the teachers on Monday, where we had the chance to pitch our separate ideas and get an opinion on each of our pitches with which we could continue to refine the idea through visual references and plan the marketing campaign.
We pitched three initial ideas that individual's in the group had: Emily's idea for I Want You (Kelly Clarkson), Mila's idea for Wondergirl (Hey Monday) and Sharlene's idea for He Wasn't There (Lily Allen). In the end, we went with the idea for He Wasn't There, which consisted of a constructed outdoors theme to be shot in the studio. The story in the lyrics was about a girl being glad that she gave a guy a second chance, and so we thought it would be appropriate for the artist to act as the girl, and to also have a male partner in the music video.
Although the initial vision for He Wasn't There was fairly simplistic, during the meeting, we developed and refined the idea so that we could present a narrative that worked in conjunction with the lyrics. In the end, the idea progressed to become a 'one-shot' music video, in which we would have roughly 3-4 outfit and set changes.
A real one-shot would be extremely difficult to execute, especially with costume changes, so we decided to have very subtle cuts around 3-4 times in the whole video. In terms of transitioning from one set-up to the next, we would have to make the cuts absolutely seamless, and a way of doing this would be to mask the sets during the cut. An example of the way in which we hope to achieve this is by having the artist twirling in front of the camera and cutting mid-twirl, or by putting a bouquet of flowers in front of the camera and cutting to when she moves it away from the camera, but in a different set-up.
There are several things to consider before going ahead with the idea. Firstly, we must be able to draw visual and technical references from a variety of sources, including music videos, film, TV, photography, advertising and art. Some of the references we gathered at the meeting were Alice in Wonderland, Lazy Song (Bruno Mars), We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (Taylor Swift) and the John Lewis advertisement from 2010. We also have to start planning logistically by compiling props/ costume lists, choreographing, casting and planning our first test shoots. The earlier we can start to rehearse, the better!
One Shot Videos
We plan on using only one shot, or implying one shot, for our music video. Here are a few one-shot music videos that we researched after we decided on our final song/idea.
Mcfly - Love is Easy
Feist - 1234
Bat for Lashes - What's a Girl to Do
Gary Jules - Mad World
Spice Girls - Wannabe
Bruno Mars - The Lazy Song
Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U
Taylor Swift - We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
The song we have chosen is 'He Wasn't There' by Lily Allen
Lyrics:
He wasn't there when I needed him
No, he was never around
His reputation was preceding him
And he was out on the town
It didn't matter if he let me down
I didn't care about the lies
Now all I knew was that he loved me very much
He was my hero in disguise
I'm so pleased I never gave up on him
Oh well you wouldn't believe some of the things that he did
And everyone said you have to give him some time
And I'm glad that I gave it to him cause now everything's fine
Now you see I never thought you'd be a constant person in my life
And I don't think that you would be if you'd have stayed with your ex-wife
I know you wouldn't but there is no need
No need to apologise
Because I know you'll always love me very much
You are my hero in disguise
I'm so pleased I never gave up on him
Oh well you wouldn't believe some of the things that he did
And everyone said you have to give him some time
And I'm glad that I gave it to him cause now everything's fine
You might have thought you didn't teach me much
But you taught me right from wrong
And it was when you didn't keep in touch
Well it taught me to be strong
And just in case you ever thought I would
I wouldn't change you for the world
Because I know you'll always love me very much
I'll always be you're little girl
I'm so pleased I never gave up on him
Oh well you wouldn't believe some of the things that he did
And everyone said you have to give him some time
And I'm glad that I gave it to him cause now everything's fine
Band, Group or Solo? Band - we have instruments, but also could be a group of 3 singers, and Kelly Clarkson singing solo in 'I want You' (Emily's song choice)
An issue is that we would need male actors - Alex E, Chris, Stefan, Torin Luke, boys from the year below, Ben,
I chose to analyse Regina Spektor's video for 'How' because not only is her artist identity (and accompanying ideology) similar to that of Ava, but this video in particular, although simplistic, could be interpreted in a number of ways. The song is primarily about a past lover and the difficulty the artist has in moving on, but there are several other layers of meaning that could be extracted from both the lyrics and the imagery.
Lyrics
How can I forget your love? How can I never see you again? There’s a time and place For one more sweet embrace And is time, ooh when it all, ooh Went wrong I guess you know by now That we will meet again somehow
Oh baby How can I begin again? How can I try to love someone new? Someone who isn’t you How can our love be true? When I’m not, ooh I’m not over you
I guess you know by now That we will meet again somehow
Time can come and take away the pain But I just want my memories to remain To hear your voice To see your face There’s not one moment I’d erase You are a guest here now
So baby How can I forget your love? How can I never see you again? How can I ever know why some stay and others go? When I don’t, ooh I don’t want you to go
I guess I know by now That we will meet again somehow
Time can come and wash away the pain But I just want my mind to stay the same To hear your voice To see your face There’s not one moment I’d erase You are a guest here now
So baby How can I forget your love? How can I never see you again?
Analysis
Illustration - Monochrome styling and colouring of the video corresponds with the general melancholic and nostalgic elements of the lyrics. - "We will meet again somehow." - The slow addition of colour (largely bright crimson reds and pastel blues) reflects the change in tone in the lyrics from dejected to hopeful. - The imagery of nature, especially floral, bird and insect imagery, has connotations of happiness and optimism, which supports the change in tone mentioned above. - The costume design, which incorporates the image of stereotypical romance, the rose, is a reflection of the overarching theme of the song: love. - "You're a guest here now." The action of blowing the cloud away reflects the way in which a guest would eventually leave.
-"How can I forget your love?/ How can I never see you again?" - The butterfly iconography here makes her appear vulnerable and fragile, as do the rhetorical questions she asks throughout the song.
-"But I just want my mind to stay the same." - Holding up the old, black and white photograph in front of her face shows her unwillingness to adapt to the circumstances.
Amplification
- The beginning of the video features Regina Spektor and her violin, with her eye make-up and lipstick resembling the colour and the shape of the violin. The implication of this is that she finds herself in her music, and perhaps music becomes a means of escaping these otherwise melancholic surroundings.
- Not only is Regina the focus of the video, but she is alone for the duration of the video, which accentuates her solitude after the separation from her lover.
- "I guess you know by now/ That we will meet again somehow." The prop of the sparrow here connotes freedom , which could be either from the relationship or from her current state of misery. Sparrows are also symbolic as they represent innocence, which perhaps highlights the artist's naivety and accentuates the theme of entrapment discussed below.
- "There's not one moment I'd erase." - Having Spektor's arms run over the projected image of words could create the implication that the relationship relied heavily on words; whether it was love letters or verbal communication is ambiguous, but her "moments" are linked with these words.
- The way in which she blows the cloud away could also be symbolic in terms of freedom from the relationship or from the tension that it brought, since clouds represent gloom.
- The sequence where Skeptor opens her eyes multiple times could be a way of communicating that she has finally 'opened her eyes' and seen the truth of their relationship.
Disjuncture
- There is a distinct theme of entrapment that presents a juxtaposition with the calmness of the lyrics. For example, on the 'ooh's, Regina's wrists seem to be in chains and locks.
- The placement of the neck-piece, which features the rose and the butterfly, is almost quite restrictive. It resembles a choker, which not only supports the notion of entrapment and suppression, but further develops this point to suggest that the artist was trapped in a conventional relationship made of symbols dictated by society.
- One of Spektor's dresses almost represents entrapment, because of the high neck and the way in which it is designed to look like a belt. This somewhat bleak image creates the impression that her voice and opinions were suppressed in this relationship.
- The irony rests in the fact that Spektor is singing about never seeing her lover again, yet she breaks the fourth wall and makes direct eye contact with the camera, as if she was speaking to her lover.
The video begins in an outdoors setting, with the artist, Kate, sitting on a bench. The background is meant to look natural, however it seems to me that it is actually a green screen.
Then later on in the music video, the background changes and therefore it is proven that it has been a green screen throughout the duration of the video.
The cutting away of the background and general chaotic nature of the clippings hints at Kate's active imagination and her fantastical desires.
This could also hint at her being dissatisfied by reality and the changes between the park, the school gym, the mountains and the farm could maybe suggest that she wishes to travel and experience as much of the world as she can, which gives out a very positive message to teenage girls (her core audience).
The quirky styling of her clothes further appeals to this audience, as the outfits are fun, bright and girly.
The guitar could be symbolising her musical background, but it is also aspirational, in that many girls (and boys) who cannot play the guitar, want to learn and think it is an impressive skill to have.
The video is edited in a collage-style, with many cuttings (symbolising magazine cuttings), cellotape (seen best from 2:51), and the main background is reminiscent of grid paper, something which school pupils and university students would be most familiar with. This further proves that the core audience is 12-24 year old females, who are creative and perhaps would wish to travel.
The fact that the video begins and ends on the same shot connotes the cyclical nature of life, and also how reality is unavoidable, despite how much we may dream.
Kate Nash's Foundations video is stylistically very close to what we would like to recreate, in terms of narrative and mise-en-scene, especially due to the importance of props in this particular music video. In an analysis of the semiotics used in Foundations, this is what I found:
The ball rolling over into the neat line of high-heeled shoes is the clash of a stereotypically masculine prop with something that represents femininity. The ball works in a way that wrecks the straight line of shoes, which could suggest that their relationship is a hindrance to her life. Furthermore, the ball is a symbol of immaturity, whilst the heels connote sophistication, and in this way, the implication that her boyfriend is childish and immature is created and we, as the audience, immediately side with Kate.
The placement of the blue and the pink toothbrushes next to each other represents the way in which the couple in the video are cohabiting, and there is something very conventional about the colouring of the toothbrushes in the way that they represent both genders. However, placing the toothbrushes in one cup could suggest that they are bound to each other or unable to escape from what seems to be a strenuous relationship.
There are several references to games and childsplay, including the board game, cards, the throwing of the dice, the arm wrestling and winding up the toy baby. This could suggest that their relationship is a meaningless game to both Kate and her boyfriend, as well as the fact that they are constantly 'playing' against each other, and consequently trying to demoralise or degrade the other.
The lyrical reference to the beer bottles is literally represented in the visuals. They are significant as a prop because in the song, it is implied that the boyfriend's drinking habits are what is putting Kate off. They are therefore a symbol of the downfall of their relationship, and by putting flowers in them (which are symbols of domestic pride and vibrancy), it is as if Kate is trying to make the best of the situation.
There is a strong clash between conventional masculinity and conventional femininity that is expressed through the use of semiotics. For example, there is the shot with the dirty trainers propped up next to a dainty cup of tea, as well as the green gingham table cloth with the half-eaten takeaway burger. Both these shots have juxtapositions which highlight the differences in the couple, therefore suggesting that they have nothing in common and that their relationship is disharmonious.
The album art for Kate Nash's Made of Bricks (which Foundations is featured on) works in synergy with the music video, as it conveys Kate's artist identity as an independent, quirky, fun-loving young woman.
The dress is bright and vibrant, as it is in the Foundations video, making her easily recognisable.
The notion of artifice is also apparent in this album art, as it is in the video; whereas in the video, there is a strong emphasis on the use of games to connote being against one another, the dolls-house on the album art could suggest an idea of perfection and proportion.
In general, the album art is very colourful and bright, which is a reflection of both the music videos Kate Nash has and her artist identity.
In comparison to her album art and video for Foundations, Kate Nash's website (myignorantyouth.com) is less colourful and perhaps more minimalistic. However, the website still successfully represents her identity as an artist, which is feminine and a little alternative. This is also a reflection of her target audience, who are most likely to be young females with an interest in alternative music.
The highlighted bullet points represent repeated conventions which appear in almost every album cover, and therefore the conventions which we will most try to abide by. The italicised bullet points are conventions which we find interesting and therefore will try to apply to our own album cover if possible.
Gravity Happens - Kate Voegele
Solo artist appears alone on cover
Artist looking thoughtful
Constructed background
Artist's name below the album title
Artist shown with guitar to connote musical talent
Filter on the whole cover, making it look like it has all been painted
Wearing casual clothes, to represent her laid-back personality
Mainly two-tone colour scheme; blue and red
Long shot of artist
Hair is natural and not tied up
Name in lower case letters
It's Not Me, It's You - Lily Allen
Solo artist appears alone on cover
Simple, one tone background
Name appears above the album title
Wearing a cute, girly dress and headgear to show her quirky personality
Barefoot to connote her natural way of life
Lying on the letter 'L' to symbolise her own name and therefore artist identity
Mainly two-tone colour scheme; pink and black
Artist's name is more prominent than the album title
Long shot of artist
Hair is natural and not tied up
Name with capitalised first letters
Cassadee Pope EP - Cassadee Pope
Solo artist appears alone on cover
Artist's name appears above the album title
Artist shown with guitar to connote musical talent
Simple, one tone background
Artist's name is more prominent than the album title
Long shot of artist
Hair is natural and not tied up
Name in capitalised letters
Wasting All These Tears - Cassadee Pope
Solo artist appears alone on cover
Artist's name appears above the album title
Artist's name is more prominent than the album title
Artist looks thoughtful/dramatic
Wearing a fancy dress
Dramatic eye makeup
Hair is natural and not tied up
Mid-shot of artist
Name in lower case letters
Mama Do - Pixie Lott
Solo artist appears alone on cover
Artist's name appears above the album title
Artist's name is more prominent than the album title
Wearing casual clothes
Simple, one tone background
Mainly two tone colour scheme; blue and white
Long shot of artist
Name with capitalised first letters
Hair is natural and not tied up
Lungs (The B-Sides) - Florence and the Machine
Solo artist appears alone on cover
Artist's name appears above the album title
Wearing a glamorous dress in a performance set-up
Accompanied by a big prop of a half crescent moon which shows how her head is in the clouds
Border around the edge of the main photo
Hair is natural and not tied up
Name with capitalised first letters
Long shot of artist
Overall, the conventions which we will try to incorporate into our album cover will be:
Solo artist appears alone on cover
Artist's name appears above the album title
Artist's name is more prominent than the album title
