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Video Killed the Radio Star

An Introduction to Music Video

SUMMER HOMEWORK A2

NATALIE CLARKE



What do you think are the major elements of an album marketing campaign (the ways in
which an artist/band identity is mediated to an audience)?
Digital Distribution how the copies of an album will be released to the fans (Spotify,
iTunes, YouTube) this also includes hand held copies of CDs. How easily people can get hold
of the album worldwide (sites such as Amazon).
Online Presence Promotional tools like social network sites with pages on Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram and even Snapchat. Also, the website for the artist having all the recent
information up to date. This could also include a live stream.
Newsletter All big fans sign up to a mailing list for their favourite artists, so this is a quick
automated service which can be emailed within minutes to these people worldwide.
Merchandise Brand new merchandise released which has something linked with the
album artwork of the new release. This generates profit in other areas of the business.
Presale releasing a select number of albums before the big release. This could also be
linked with tour tickets and shows.
Timing and strategy Linking the release with a major event for example Kanye released
his album within 72hours of the birth of his child, so the media spotlight was on him. Miley
Cyrus releasing an album after her twerking performance with Robin Thicke, as well as a
new haircut and style.

Where have you encountered these elements in your daily life?
Social Media sites such as Twitter are constantly up to date with the latest of music artists
activity and therefore easily accessible 24 hours of the day.

What factors make you like a band, and therefore download their music, buy their albums
or attend their concert? How do you decide which band is cool and which is not?
Image always has a lot to do with it, however I also believe increased media attention
always gives an artist a bigger market, whether they are in the spotlight for positive or
negative behaviours. I also believe the charts and line ups for festivals influence which
artists are set to be cool or hip because other celebrities/ well known radio djs tend to
talk about them on their shows and link it with upcoming festivals.


Where and when do you watch music videos?
- Music Channels when theres nothing on TV
- YouTube when you search for a song

Features and Conventions of Music Videos:
Male Gaze features
Relationship between visuals and lyrics
Star Image
Intertextual references
Concept
Amplification
Illustration
Disjuncture













Name of Track: Classic
Artist: MKTO

Features Observations Examples
Genre Characteristics



Pop Microphones
Curtain Stage
Relationship between visuals
and lyrics


queen of the disco tap lyric
and a disco ball present

everything is so throwback
yeah back in time

doing it Sinatra style

lets get it on like Marvin
Gaye
Old school chic posh
clothing from previous
decades

Lip syncing in performance
and narrative
Relationship between music
and visuals


its like a rewind small part
of the clip is rewound and
backwards

At the end when the drum is
hit the scene flicks to
something else

Are there close ups of the
artist and star image motifs?


Close ups with microphone
Close ups rapping


Is there reference to the
notion of looking?


Quick scene jumping
Colourful

Are there Intertextual
references?


References to older
influential music artists like
Marvin Gaye and frank
Sinatra who MKTO have
based styling this music
video around
Hats Sinatra
60s Mowtown Gaye

Of Mice and Men
American Dream reference
Is the video performance,
narrative or concept based?
How much of each?


Performance and narrative
half and half
Performance with
microphones and poker
party
Why did you choose the text you are analysing?
I chose this music video because it is a catchy song, with interesting lyrics, and therefore I
felt that it would be an interesting music video to view.
In what context did you encounter it?
On a music channel briefly before leaving the house
What influence do you think this context might have had on your interpretation of the
text?
I believe that it makes you understand the lyrics of what the song stands for, rather than it
just being meaningless.
Which conventions of the genre do you recognise in the text?
The performance and narrative links well to pop to narrate a story within the text which
may relate to the artist themselves or purely the lyrics of the song they wrote.
To what extent does this text stretch the conventions of its genre?
Lots of colour and tacky items are generally associated with pop music videos, and therefore
they stretch it to look more like a classic and posh bunch of scenes rather than entirely
computer generated from the use of a green screen.
Where and why does the text depart from using conventions?
I think the text steers away from using conventions because it doesnt want the song to
downgrade itself and look tacky. This is more commonly associated with female pop teen
artists not men in their 20s. This wouldnt also in my opinion attract their target market.
What sort of audience did you feel that the video was aimed at (and how typical was this
of the genre/style of music)?
I believe that the video was aimed at older teenagers and both female and male sexes which
is why I think that computer editing was used to put effects on the lighting rather than make
it over the top with colour, costume and setting.
What sort of person does it assume you are?
The video assumes we are female through the lyrics, but also wealthy young people who
like to attract the attention of a male figure.
What assumptions seem to be made about your class, age, gender and ethnicity?
It makes the audience seem to be wealthy, of an age range 18-24 and more commonly with
a white ethnic origin.
What interests does it assume you have?
Drinking, dressing up, partying and gambling (poker)
What relevance does the text actually have for you?
Not much, as it is set to be within an American lifestyle (Las Vegas)
What knowledge does it take for granted?
Most females in Las Vegas are strippers or bar maids and tend to like male attention,
whereas you cannot generalise that with the world population.
To what extent do you resemble the 'ideal reader' that the video seeks to position you as?
I personally dont fit in with that ideal reader, however teenagers in Britain of our
generation like to idolise this idea of wealth and men, and copy it to become the ideal girl.
Are there any notable shifts in the video's style (and if so, what do they involve)?
The videos style goes from very basic and smart to more of a fun atmosphere with
immaturity leaking through the actions slightly, which connote fun rather than serious
emotion.
What responses does the video seem to expect from you?
The video seems to expect that every culture and every person across the world grows up
with wealth and going out as a social activity, when realistically there are audiences of the
same nation with totally different outlooks and activities in life.
How open to negotiation is your response (are you invited, instructed or coerced to
respond in particular ways?
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Is there any penalty for not responding in particular ways?
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To what extent do you find yourself 'reading against the grain' of the text and the genre?
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How typical do you think this video is of music videos?
I think that as far as music videos go in this day and age it looks very professional and well
edited, and fits within the American dream lifestyle. However its not something I would
have expected from this song.