Post 4: The Pop Music Genre

Pop music is the most famous and popular genre of music we have today. Many artists/groups such as One Direction, Ed Sheeran, Khalid and One Direction. Have gone on to become global stars. The average pop song has a tempo of 116 beats per minute but happier songs will have a higher bpm and more sad song will have a lower one. However, there is a wide range as Perfect by Ed Sheeran only has a 63 bpm but Master of Puppets by Metallica has a bpm of 220.

History

Pop music started with the publishing of sheet music. During this period, many Americans turned to their pianos for entertainment. Families gathered during celebrations and let their children play their piano pieces. Hence, just as music sheets were transcribed for symphonies and orchestras, so too, sheet music for popular songs became a phenomenon throughout the country. Even those who did not have pianists within their families had the chance to listen to music by inviting friends who played into their homes.

In addition, to meet the demand for sheet music, publishers set up their own companies. They would look for talented composers, printing their music for sale, which was the start of the music publishing industry as we know it today.During this period, another music form started to make its way in America. Apart from “pop" music and surfacing through church hymns, ballads, and classical music, “jazz," the so-called new music of the times, was known to be “daring" and even “shocking" for many.This music genre has a unique African beat that was developed by Black musicians in the mid-west, south, and east. This, together with the “blues," another African-derived art form, helped transform music.

With the expansion of the music genres came diversity. Due to the popularity of jazz and blues with African Americans, these genres received the label of “race music." The genre “rhythm and blues" was later attributed to the Black community. Meanwhile, what was considered as “pop" was referenced to whites.Amid the roadblocks to pop music, the industry continued to grow and soon, the barriers between races blurred. Those considered as “pop" musicians started borrowing rhythms from jazz and blues musicians. By the early 1950s, this musical blend gave birth to “rock and roll."

Indeed, pop music as it is today would not be what it is today without that evolution. Pioneers of rock music include Muddy Waters, Ike Turner, Louis Jordan, Little Richard and Bo Diddley. They served as the role models of later artists such as Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, and lots more who made it big. From then on, more superstars rose through the ranks and made pop music like no other–superstars and worldwide icons like The Beatles, The Yardbirds, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Manfred Mann, Cream, etc.During this era, pop music diversified into many other related genres such as Acid Rock, Disco, Techno, and Dance–and we can't forget Rap.

This graph shows how Pop has become the most popular music genre in recent years:

Rap music, part of the inner-city cultural move known as “Hip-Hop," started in the 1980s. During its birth, mainstream companies still did not accept it as just another trend. However, when America embraced Rap, it soon took over the scene.Since then, for more than 25 years already, this genre has outsold Gospel, Country, Rock, R&B, and even Jazz. Today, Rap ranks second to pop when it comes to appeal, marketability, and profits. This genre has produced such stars as Eminem, Pink, Beck, Rage against the Machine, and others.With the birth of lots more genres of pop music today–from Post-Grunge, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, Pop Punk, Emo, Electronic Music, K-Pop, and others–pop music continues to be a huge part of culture. Although times have changed, the history of pop music has left its mark on generations of music lovers, with more generations to come.

Genre Hybridity 

Pop often crosses over into many other genres some the genres it's crossed over into are:

• Hip hop
• Dancehall
• Latin music
• Rock
• Counrty
• Jazz
• Rock n Roll

Despacito

This song is primarly a pop song however it is a good example of genre hybridity as it crosses over with latin music. As the majortiy of the song is in spanish.

It is a reggaeton and Latin pop song composed in common time with lyrics about having a sexual relationship, performed in a smooth and romantic way. Commercially, the song topped the charts of 47 countries and reached the top 10 of six others, making it both Fonsi's and Daddy Yankee's most successful single to date. In the United States, it became the first song primarily in Spanish to top the Billboard Hot 100 since "Macarena" (Bayside Boys Mix) in 1996, subsequently tying the longest-reigning number one on the Billboard Hot 100 at the time with 16 weeks, as well as becoming the longest-running number-one on the Hot Latin Songs chart with 56 weeks. It also became the first Latin song to receive a diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America. Internationally, it broke the record for most weeks at number one in Switzerland and Germany and became the longest-reigning foreign language number-one in the United Kingdom. In August 2017, the official music video for "Despacito" became the most-viewed YouTube video of all time after receiving its three billionth view. It became the first video on the site to reach the milestones of three, four, five, and six billion views.

Post 3: Regulation in the Music Industry

When making a music video it is essential to understand the rules and regulations in this industry. This has led me do various bits on research regarding the regulation which will apply to my music video.

Copyright Laws

Music Licensing:

Specially composed music-

Arguably the most cost-effective method is composing and recording a song for yourself, saving considerable time, money and red tape. For those working within the confines of a restricted budget, it’s possible to commission a piece of music from an unsigned artist or brand who will appreciate the exposure and may even hand you the license to the music for free. Nevertheless, a contract will still need to be written, informing the artist of how many times the track will be used and in what context.

Commercial music-

For those wishing to feature commercial music in their production the licensing process is somewhat more expensive and complex than utilising library music – which we will discuss shortly. Commercial music is anything that’s aimed at the general public e.g. songs you hear on the radio and albums available to download via iTunes. In order to use commercial music, you will require permission from the writer of the song, known as a synchronisation licence. A dubbing or master licence will also be necessary and this can be obtained from the copyright holder of the recording.

Library music-

Libraries exist with extensive back catalogues of music composed with commercials, television and film firmly in mind. Whether you’re looking for something exciting or emotive, or to create suspense, all you have to do is pay a fee to the library to use its music without the need for extensive licencing procedures.

How long does copyright last:

The typography of any musical score is protected for 25 years from the date it was first published. In the event it is republished in an original format this republication will be protected for 25 years from republication. 

Ofcom

My music video must conform to the restraints of the Ofcom Broadcasting code, here are the parts of the code that may become relevent when shooting a music video from each section:

Section one: Protecting the under-eighteens (As our target audience is 16-25)

 1.1 Material that might seriously impair the physical, mental or moral development of people under eighteen must not be broadcast. 

1.10 The use of illegal drugs, the abuse of drugs, smoking, solvent abuse and the misuse of alcohol: • must not be featured in programmes made primarily for children unless there is strong editorial justification; • must generally be avoided and in any case must not be condoned, encouraged or glamorised in other programmes broadcast before the watershed (in the case of television), when children are particularly likely to be listening (in the case of radio), or when content is likely to be accessed by children (in the case of BBC ODPS) unless there is editorial justification; • must not be condoned, encouraged or glamorised in other programmes likely to be widely seen, heard

1.11 Violence, its after-effects and descriptions of violence, whether verbal or physical, must be appropriately limited in programmes broadcast before the watershed (in the case of television), when children are particularly likely to be listening (in the case of radio) or when content is likely to be accessed by children (in the case of BBC ODPS) and must also be justified by the context. 

1.12 Violence, whether verbal or physical, that is easily imitable by children in a manner that is harmful or dangerous: • must not be featured in programmes made primarily for children unless there is strong editorial justification; • must not be broadcast before the watershed (in the case of television), when children are particularly likely to be listening (in the case of radio), or when content is likely to be accessed by children (in the case of BBC ODPS), unless there is editorial justification. 

1.13 Dangerous behaviour, or the portrayal of dangerous behaviour, that is likely to be easily imitable by children in a manner that is harmful: • must not be featured in programmes made primarily for children unless there is strong editorial justification; • must not be broadcast before the watershed (in the case of television), when children are particularly likely to be listening (in the case of radio), or when content is likely to be accessed by children (in the case of BBC ODPS), unless there is editorial justification.

1.18 ‘Adult sex material’ - material that contains images and/or language of a strong sexual nature which is broadcast for the primary purpose of sexual arousal or stimulation - must not be broadcast at any time other than between 2200 and 0530 on premium subscription services and pay per view/night services which operate with mandatory restricted access.

Section two: Harm and offence

2.3 In applying generally accepted standards broadcasters must ensure that material which may cause offence is justified by the context (see meaning of “context” below). Such material may include, but is not limited to, offensive language, violence, sex, sexual violence, humiliation, distress, violation of human dignity, discriminatory treatment or language (for example on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation, and marriage and civil partnership). Appropriate information should also be broadcast where it would assist in avoiding or minimising offence
Section 

2.5 Methods of suicide and self-harm must not be included in programmes except where they are editorially justified and are also justified by the context.  (See Rule 1.13 in Section One: Protecting the Under-Eighteens.)

2.6 Demonstrations of exorcism, the occult, the paranormal, divination, or practices related to any of these that purport to be real (as opposed to entertainment) must be treated with due objectivity.

Section three: Crime, disorder, hatred and abuse

3.1 Material likely to encourage or incite the commission of crime or to lead to disorder must not be included. 

3.2 Material which contains hate speech must not be included

3.3 Material which contains abusive or derogatory treatment of individuals, groups, religions or communities, must not be included

3.4 Descriptions or demonstrations of criminal techniques which contain essential details which could enable the commission of crime must not be broadcast unless editorially justified. 

3.5 No payment, promise of payment, or payment in kind, may be made to convicted or confessed criminals whether directly or indirectly for a programme contribution by the criminal (or any other person) relating to his/her crime/s. The only exception is where it is in the public interest.

3.6 While criminal proceedings are active, no payment or promise of payment may be made, directly or indirectly, to any witness or any person who may reasonably be expected to be called as a witness. Nor should any payment be suggested or made dependent on the outcome of the trial. Only actual expenditure or loss of earnings necessarily incurred during the making of a programme contribution may be reimbursed. 

3.7 Where criminal proceedings are likely and foreseeable, payments should not be made to people who might reasonably be expected to be witnesses unless there is a clear public interest, such as investigating crime or serious wrongdoing, and the payment is necessary to elicit the information. Where such a payment is made it will be appropriate to disclose the payment to both defence and prosecution if the person becomes a witness in any subsequent trial. 

3.8 Broadcasters must use their best endeavours so as not to broadcast material that could endanger lives or prejudice the success of attempts to deal with a hijack or kidnapping.

BPI

BPI represents the UK’s recorded music industry, which is one of the most exciting and thriving music sectors in the world. British artists account for one in eight albums purchased by fans around the globe.

The BPI have a parental guidnce scheme where stickers areb used to give warnings to the young when necessary. A copy of the guidance is available for download on their website.

Parental Advisory

In terms of industry an artist signed to Sony Music is more likely to avoid making parental advisory content. This is because less people will be able to see the video therefore this would be counter intuitive in terms of making money. The function of this label is to alert parents that their children may be watching explicit content.

If strong language or depictions of violence, sex or substance abuse are present in a recorded work, the PAL Mark is typically applied prominently to its packaging. The PAL Mark may also appear in connection with digital music products or services or in advertising for a sound recording

The Parental Advisory Label is owned by the RIAA. 

The Recording Industry Association of America® (RIAA) is the trade organization that supports and promotes the creative and financial vitality of the major music companies. Its members comprise the most vibrant record industry in the world, investing in great artists to help them reach their potential and connect to their fans. Nearly 85% of all legitimate recorded music produced and sold in the United States is created, manufactured or distributed by RIAA members.

UK Drill Music

Around 2011, drill began to emerge in Chicago as a kind of offshoot to trap. There aren’t major musical differences between trap and drill.After Chicago drill gained international attention, London artists began to put their own spin on the genre with local slang. Early tracks which could be considered UK drill include 2013’s Man Down by Scribz, Dimzy and Stack, and It’s Cracking by Stickz and MDargg. In 2014, Scribz re-emerged as the masked rapper LD and released Live Corn – an influential track on the UK drill scene.In 2018, prominent acts from the UK and US scenes came together when north Brixton groupSkengdo & AM released the collaborative track Pitbulls with Chief Keef.

In recent years, the UK media has been reporting rising violent crime rates in England and Wales. The increase in mainstream media coverage and public awareness about violent crime seems to have coincided with the Metropolitan police and media paying closer attention to the UK drill scene. Over 100 UK drill music videos have been removed by YouTube due to requests from the Metropolitan police. The police have also imposed injunctions on musicians to prevent them making drill music or censor their lyrical content. West London group 1011 were ordered to restrict violent lyricism and were ordered to notify the police about forthcoming videos and live performances. Uk drill has received a bad press or the graphic violence in the music and glorification of violence in  many vidoes.

At the beginning of 2019, Skengdo & AM were given two year suspended sentences for breaking an injunction by performing the track Attempted 1.0 at a London concert.The subject of UK drill’s censorship has divided opinion. The police have claimed that UK drill music can cause serious violence, and therefore procedures to prevent artists from releasing it are necessary to increase safety in London. Some media outlets have also presented the argument that UK drill is a direct cause and catalyst for violence.

Sexualisation in Music Videos 

The sexualisation of women in music videos is a two-tailed argument that can be fought with ferocity on either end of its spectrum. In our modern society, the music industry thrives and feeds off of the sale of the female body. This is both lyrically but especially visually through the medium of music videos. ‘Sex Sells’ is a phrase that I had never been so familiar with until now, as I have deeply researched the diverse range of views that our global population hold on this issue. However, to what extent can the display of these girls’ bodies be deemed as empowering and feminist in nature? When does it become exploitation or border on pornography?

One argument on this issue is that our freedom of expression in society means we should be able to sing and showcase the elements of ourselves that define who we are through our artistry, including our sexuality. ‘Music videos both accompany and push the message of a song, so if that is about sex, the artist is just visually communicating what they are saying through the video, it has a purpose.’- a young, male musician’s thoughts on music video content. To an extent, I agree with this. I think that we are fortunate to have the ability to speak about our views on sex as both males and females, without its historic stigma of shame and humiliation, which is why if an artist sings about sex, it could be reasonable for that to therefore also become the subject of the video, as long as it holds integrity and is not just for commercial motivation. 

Another area of my research into the sexualisation of women in music videos shows that this is a debate that has negative implications for parenting in our modern society. Dr Justin Coulson, Parenting Researcher and Parent of six, wrote an article in ‘The Daily Telegraph’ in September 2014, detailing the damaging and derogatory nature of popular music videos and its harmful effect on the development of growing girls. He states ‘My daughters and your daughters are taught to conform to this narrow sexualised, unhealthy norm.”

Monetisation

In order to increase profit most labels ensure that their artists adhere to regulations and try to keep the age rating on youtube as low as possible. For instance, I wish to keep my music video as a 15 rated or lower. Keeping lower ratings increases the reach of the product.

Post 2: The Role of the Internet in the Music Industry

Every artist/ band uses the internet to market their brand. Therefore they may synergise their brand via music, merchandise,social media and sponsorships. Artists use digital convergence to market themselves which allows them to grow fans but also allows fans to feel as if they are more connected to the artist. Social media often pays a pivotal role in this as the artist can use exclusive content, sponsorships and hyperlinks to promote themself.  Artists have pages on instagram and twitter aswell as having websites designed to promote the artist.

Khalid: 

Is a pop star with a big online presents clearly shown by his 7.8 million followers on Instagram. On his instagram you can clearlly see that he uses mainly bright colours and that the  light blue is on most of his posts.

The first thing that I noticed was that his website consisted of very bright colours and  had a clear colour scheme of lime green, blue and grey. The website has a lot of visual content for instance videos and pics of Khalid which is a convention of a website. As soon as you enter the homepage the 1st thing that you can see is a his latest music video with clickable what now button, this is another convention of an artist's website as websites are often used to promote the latest single. 

At the top of each page there is a navigation bar, this allows the user to easily navigate between pages, this clearly is a convention of a website. Khalid's website has a section where it says "follow" and has Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify and apple music icons all these icons are hyperlinked to his social media accounts. This shows convergence between his media products. Something, that is missing from Khalid's website is a sense of community. For instance, there is a section where the user can sign up to a newsletter but there's only a join button there are no hashtags and there's no call to action for example "become a free spirit." This is an area which I would to improve on in comparison to Khalid's website. In terms of industry, the website refers to Sony Music as the record label. As the footer of each page there is the RCA logo, which is a subsidiary of Sony Music, there is a sentence saying " Sony Music Entertainment. All Rights Reserved." Under this there is are hyperlinks to the Sony Music website. The website itself is one single page where the navigation bar takes the user to different places on the same page, this helps minimise the time being used to navigate the website.  The website is very eye-catching and visually appealing. The majority  of strips have different colours or different images this keeps the user interested.

Taylor Swift:

I decided to look at Taylor's Instagram page as she is a pop star with a big online presence. The first thing I noticed that despite having 122 million followers she does not follow anyone, I believe this because Swift posses star quality. Also, she shows digital convergence as her bio has a link to her music video. 

Another artist who I looked at was Stormzy, I noticed that he there is a clear colour scheme, most of the pictures have a dark theme and most of the posts have the colour black or red. There is a lot of promotional content on his feed with sponsorship with different brands for example, Time and Relentless. 

Post 1: The UK Music Industry

The UK music scene is popular worldwide, some of the most well know UK artists are Ed Sheeran, Adele and Dave. The three major labels are:

1. Sony Music Entertainment

2. Universal Music Group

3. Warner Music Group

Sony Music has many subsidiaries:

Black Butter Records

Black Butter Records is a formerly independent record label based in London, England that releases various styles of electronic music. It was founded in 2010 by Olly Wood, Henry Village and Joe Gossa, with an investment of £5,000, and was named after a brand of condiments that had the same name. It was intended initially as an outlet for musicians who were signed to their artist management company, Stackhouse Management.

The label releases mostly singles,and has put out the first releases of artists including Clean Bandit, Rudimental, and Jessie Ware. It was awarded 'Best Small Label' at the 2012 Association of Independent Music Awards, and has been described as a "hub" of the British electronic music scene.

Columbia Records

Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded in 1887, evolving from the American Graphophone Company, the successor to the Volta Graphophone Company. Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in the recorded sound business, and the second major company to produce records. From 1961 to 1990, Columbia recordings were released outside North America under the name CBS Records to avoid confusion with EMI's Columbia Graphophone Company. Columbia is one of Sony Music's four flagship record labels, alongside former longtime rival RCA Records, as well as Arista Records and Epic Records.

Artists who have recorded for Columbia include AC/DC, Adele, Aerosmith, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, George Michael, Frank Sinatra, Pharrell Williams, Paul McCartney and Joe Zawinul.

Insanity Records

Founeded in 2015, as a joint venture between Insanity Records and Sony Music Entertainment. With an independent approach to artist development, Insanity records has launched the careers of Craig David, Ambjaay, Yo Gotti and Tom Grennan. Insanity Music forms  the group of companies, includes artist management of music, television, radio, podcast and digital influncer clients. Insanity is led by Andy Varley. 

Legacy Recordings is an American record label that is a division of Sony Music. Formed in 1990 after Sony's acquisition of CBS Records, Legacy originally handled the archives of Sony Music-owned labels Columbia Records and Epic Records. In 2004, under the Sony BMG joint venture, the label began to manage the archives of RCA Records, J Records, Windham Hill Records, Arista, LaFace, Jive, and Buddah Records. Legacy Recordings now also handles Philadelphia International Records and the catalog of recordings produced by Phil Spector. Some famous artists are Aaliyah, TLC, Bob Marley, Adele, Justin Timberlake and Ciara.

Ministry of Sound is a global entertainment business, comprising recorded music.The label`s current roster comprised of Brit nominated group London Grammer. Some are notable artsist are Wretch 32, DJ Fresh, Ateez, Joey Badass, Solardo and Swizz Beats.    

The RCA Group UK is a flagship recording label of Sony Music Entertainment encompassing RCA records, RCA Victor, Space & Time Records and Chess Club Records. The company has existed since 1919 and pioneered very 1st 45rpm record. The label has a history littered with legendary artists from Elvis and David Bowie to Nina Simone and Diana Ross. UK artists on RCA include Little Mix, Paloma Faith, Olly Murs and NSG.  

Relentless Records is a British record label currently headed by co-founder Shabs Jobanputra. Originally known for UK garage singles such as Artful Dodger's "Re-Rewind" and B-15 Project's "Girls Like Us", Relentless has also published albums by Joss Stone, KT Tunstall, So Solid Crew and Cage the Elephant.Relentless Records was formally registered as a company on 1 December 1999. After first working with Virgin Records in 2003, the label was sold to it in 2009 (when Virgin was at that time a label of EMI Records).In January 2012 Relentless became part of Sony Music in the UK, reuniting Jobanputra with his former EMI/Virgin colleague Nick Gatfield. Recent signings include Bondax, Misha B, Misty Miller, The Other Tribe, Mausi, Roll Deep, Martin Solveig, Headie One, Chris Malinchak and Rude Kid. 

Launched in mid 2018, new label Since '93 is run by co-presidents Glyn Aikins and Riki Bleau. The Pair are set to capitlise and new era of entrepreneural artists, creating culture focused on developping grassroots talent into future global success. Some of there artists are Loski, Aitch and Fredo. 

Syco Music has offices in London and Los Angeles and is home to several artists. Syco has the exclusive right to sign winners and finalists of The X Factor and BGT. Susan Boyle's debut album, I Dreamed a Dream, has sold over 9 million copies, making it one of the bestselling releases of the last decade and Syco's most successful release to date. Between 2004 and 2009, Il Divo achieved four multi-million selling albums and in 2007, Leona Lewis became one of the most successful talent show winners when her second single, "Bleeding Love", propelled the album Spirit to 9 million global sales. In 2010, Syco began diversifying by adding producer/singer-songwriter Labrinth. Savan Kotecha, who had been writing for Syco acts for several years, also became an A&R Director and set up a joint venture, Kanani Songs. Syco also began forming closer partnerships with other Sony Music Entertainment UK labels. For the first time, Syco entered into an agreement with Columbia Records that would see them work together to launch the career of a The X Factor winner - Matt Cardle.

The official history and purpose of sony music is present above.

Incredibles 2 trailer

The trailer starts with a comedic element that introduces most of the protagonists, the family. This immediately appeals to hard core Disney fans, mainly women and children as well as families including the adults. This is typical of Disney`s 4 quadrant marketing plan. This sets the tone and tells the audience that despite the action based plot there are still many light hearted comedic elements of the film.  

Gender subversion is a theme in this trailer as the `Elastigirl` the wife is choosen by the agency to fit crime, intsead of her husband, this opens the film up to a wider audience it challenges societal norms, as it is the husband who has to look after the children, while it is the wife how goes out and works.

Non digetic sound is used in parts of the trailer, superhero like music is played in the background. This ties in with the theme of action in the film. This apeals to more of the male older disney audience. Towards the end of the trailer a lot of action is used to entice the audience into watching the film and a cliff hanger is used, does the mother save the day in order to make life easier for the rest of the family or, does the chaos continue.

Continuity Task 2 Analysis

1. What was your role in task and what did you actually do?

I did not act however I took on many various roles. My first job was as a camera operator, this meant that I had to film all of the shots and use the camera correctly. Also, I worked as a sound operator, this meant that I had to listen to all the shots and make sure that all the sound was clear and of a loud enough to understand correctly. At the start I needed a bit of help and was given a quick tutorial on how to use the camera but after that I was able to use all the equipment correctly.

2. As a group, what factors did you take into account when planning, filming and editing?

Collectively the group worked as a director as we all made the choices together on shot duration and the position of each shot etc. We had to make sure that our shots were long enough for us to have enough content for us to edit properly. We had to use the position of background objects in relation to the our characters in order find multiple matches-on-action in order to keep continuity in the sequence.

3. How successful was your sequence? Did you fulfil the demands of the brief? Did you manage to demonstrate match on action, shot-reverse and 180-degree rule? Did you achieve continuity overall?

I believe our sequence was very successful was we managed to many matches-on-action and we achieved continuity for a lot of the sequence. We stuck to the 180 degree rule so our sequence made sense and overall I believe we did well as a team. However, there were a few occasions where we were unable to keep continuity through out. For instance there was an occasion where Makori`s arms where high in one shot but low in the following shot, so it would have been better if those shots were done differently.

4. What have you learnt from completing the task? How might this impact on future video production work?

I have learnt that when make a sequence it is very important to use multiple takes. Also, that it is very important to make sure that the actors repeat actions in the same place from shot to shot in order to find a match on action.