Audience Profile- Demographics and Psychographics

Here, I have gone into more detail about my target audience.

Audience profile

My audience profile.
The back image is of a crowd to represent live music which is current with every genre.
Tumblr logo, as indie music fans use Tumblr as a platform to share and discuss music and musicians, including images, videos and gifs of live music.
The hassle bag and boots are representative of the fashion of indie folk fans, typically the style is alternative from main trends.
The patterned guitar is a common instrument in indie folk music, indie music fans may be into instruments themselves.
Vinyl sales are actually popular as they are considered as collectables.
Indie folk audiences like a unique, vintage style and so would be into Diana photography which creates a vintage style of photography.
The music festival poster for indie music, audiences love experiencing their favourite bands live.

Moodboard

My mood board for my artists 'Kiki'.

Because my genre is Indie Folk, I've ensure the mood board reflects this with the patterns and images I have used. The font is a handwritten style which adds to the 'folk' effect. The images include artiste in the same genre, an acoustic guitar which is a significant instrument in indie folk, indie patterns, indie fashion and images that show what my music video will involve.

Music Video Analysis in my chosen genre - Goodwin analysis

Gabrielle Aplin-Home. Indie Folk genre.

Genre characteristics 

The music video demonstrates genre characteristics. There a a few including; artists passion for music which is common in indie folk videos, the artists doesn't focus on money or fame but their love for the music they make, we can see this aswell by the way she buys the guitar at the end of the video. Another is the use of nature, scenery and natural light, in this video we see the artist outside a lot with natural light, there's nothing artificial in comparison to pop videos for example.

Relationship between lyrics and visuals

The video is about the girl trying to find her place and survive on her own. The lyrics accompany this "Cause they say home is where your heart is set in stone". The lyrics talk about how home is comfort but how she wants to fly the nest and survive in the real world and this is what we are shown in the video.

Relationship between music and visuals

The music is quite slow paced and uses soft instruments. The video is also slow paced and quite calm, there are even parts that are slow motion.

Close-ups of the artists face

There are many close-ups of the artists face in the music video, and she is the main character in her video. Aplin appears in most of her music videos, so the use of herself has become motif recurring in her work.

The notion of looking

There is a scene in the video where the character looks at herself in the mirror, this signifies her reflecting on herself and her image, it seems she hasn't washed for a while so she is probably trying to make herself appear clean.

Intertextual references

The video doesn't reference anything directly. However, the idea of her walking in an open place, walking down long roads has been used in many different medias. Lana Del Rey's video for Ride shows her travelling along open roads. They're quite similar in style and concepts

Indie Folk genre research- Artists

Indie Folk

Indie folk is a music genre that arose in the 1990s from musicians in the indie(independent) rock community influenced by folk and classic country music . Indie folk combines the catchy melodies of indie rock with the acoustical sounds of contemporary folk music. 

Mumford & Sons are a British rock bands from London,formed in 2007. The band consists of Marcus Momford (lead vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drums), Ben Lovett (vocals, keyboard, piano, synthesizer), Winston Marshall(vocals, electric guitar, banjo) and Ted Dwane (vocals, bass guitar, double bass).

Lucy Rose Parton, known as Lucy Rose (born on 28 June 1989) is an English singer-songwriter from Warwickshire, England.Her debut album, Like I Used To was released in September 2012. Lucy Rose released her second album Work It Out on 6 July 2015 on Columbia Records.

Birdy (stage name) is an English Singer and songwriter from Hampshire. Best known for her cover including 'Skinny Love' and 'People Help The People, and her own single 'Wings'. She has two albums 'Birdy', which came no.13 in the UK, and 'Fire Within'.

Indie Folk- Brainstorm

Indie Folk Genre- Influences

Indie Folk uses influences from folk and country music:

Country Music

Originating in the 20's in Southern America, Country Music uses mainly guitars in its sounds and consists of mainly dance tunes and ballads. It is named as country music because it literally originated in the country. Indie Folk uses similar instruments to country music.

A popular example of country music would be Dolly Parton: 

It's clear in the video that the guitars are an important part of the genre.  

Folk Music

Similar to country music, folk music was originally that which was sung within communities. It wasn't really created to be sold to wide audiences and was sung by people who weren't necessarily musicians. It later embedded with pop music., during the 'folk song revival.  Again, instruments used in folk music are used in Indie Folk Music.

A popular example of Folk Music would be Bob Dylan's Blowin In The Wind:

The song is an example of a song that reflects current social issues, 'Blowin In The Wind' was song written for the black rights movement in the 60's

Final genre decision

I have decided that my genre will be Indie Folk

It is a sub-genre of Indie, and I have decided on Indie Folk because:

• It fits the characteristics of the person i'm using as my artist in terms of looks and fashion. 

• One of the main instruments in Indie Folk is the acoustic guitar, the person I'm using for my artist owns an acoustic guitar and can play it which means they can play it in tune in my music video.

• Indie Folk is a person interest of mine in terms of the genre and so I feel this will help me in being familiar with conventions. 

Kiki Brief

Initial ideas for my artist

Now I've chosen a genre I need to decide on an artist, or at least the type of artists(gender, look, solo or band etc) I have already decided on the person to use, now I need to think about how they'll look/ behave.

With an indie folk the artist may have an 'indie' look that doesn't follow usual fashion trends or norms. This could be shown through their choice of clothing, hair colour, make-up, jewellery etc. Kind of fashion would be a floral/paisley pattern dress, brogues, a necklace. Here's a similar example:

My artists will play the guitar, this shows that they're really into their music and have a passion for it and it is also an instrument associated and widely used in the Indie Folk genre.

My artists writes her own songs and puts her own emotion and meaning into them. She wants her songs to really reflect situations in her life and make them relatable to her audience. This may be songs on love, relationships, hard times etc. 

Initial genre research- Artists

Alternative rock is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 80's but became popular in the 90's. This type of music doesn't fit into 'mainstream rock', hence why it is named 'alternative' rock and it came from artists on independent labels that were influenced by pop-punk. What makes this genre different from just rock is its distorted guitar sound and subversive/transgressive lyrics.

I say 'alternative/indie' as indie pop is a sub genre of alternative music. Furthermore, I know alternative music is what I'm working with but it may be a song that is described as 'indie pop,indie folk' etc. 

Example artists of indie music:

Lana Del Rey is an American indie/dream pop artist, her debut album 'Born To Die' was fifth best-selling album of 2012. Lana Del Rey's music is known to reference 50's and 60's America, with a cinematic sound. 

The XX are an English indie pop band with one female member and two male members. They won the Mercury Music Prize for debut album 'XX' in 2010. The XX have a very unique sound and their style is very un-conventional when it comes to music videos.

Jake Bugg is an English Indie Rock singer and songwriter who's self-titled debut album reached number one on the UK albums chart. Bugg's music also has a 'folk' style to it.

Ben Howard is an English Indie Folk singer songwriter. His debut album 'Every Kingdom' was released in 2011. Howard won a Brit Award in 2013 for British Male Solo Artist.

Wolf Alice are an English indie rock band consisting of three male members and one female, lead singer. Their debut album 'My Love Is Cool' was released June 2015. Single 'Moaning Lisa Smile' which charted within the Billboard Alternative Songs Chart. The band describe their style 'rocky pop' and Clash magazine has described the band as "the lovechild of folk and grunge"

Initial ideas for genre

I have been thinking about the genre of music I want for my song as this will help in making an artists and picking a track.

I know that I would like the genre to be indie.One of the reasons is its the genre I am most familiar with and that I know a lot of about. This helps as I know what to expect when it comes to the artists look, their album artwork and their music videos. If I didn't know much about the genre I would struggle to make a successful music video as I wouldn't be confident with the conventions, the appearance, the music style, or the music video types. So, I feel choosing indie/alternative is a good choice and I would feel confident producing something within that genre 

Alt-J Cross-media case study

Cross media case study from jasminelecomber

Green screen Poster + Digipak analysis

Album Cover Analysis

Album cover analysis from jasminelecomber

Album Poster Analysis

Album Poster Analysis from jasminelecomber

Digipak Analysis

Digipak analysis from jasminelecomber

Adorno and Horkheimer- Culture Industries

From the 1940's book, Dialect of Enlightenment, by Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer.

Adorno and Horkheimer argued that the way in which cultural items are produced (music in this case) are comparable to the way in which mass consumer goods are produced on a vast scale in manufacturing  industries.


What this means when talking about the music industry is that artists and their products are being made on a mass scale to please the consumers. This would be linked to the idea of 'mass culture' where society is exposed to the same media sources and so share the same ideas and values. Furthermore, when music is produced it is to please the majority in society and those will buy it. This is similar to industries like the fashion industry for example; there will be a 'trend', brands will produce this product on a mass scale and a majority will buy it.

The musicians become part of this 'omnipotent' system.


Pseudo-individuality


Pseudo-individuality is the idea that because there are various and 'different' products, we are unique if we buy them and will be different from the 'mainstream crowd'. However, in reality we are all buying into the same commodities. This links to the music industry as it can be said the music industries create various types of music (think of different genres e.g alternative), and so those who consume these 'alternative' music products will feel an eccentric sense of self, when really they are buying into what everyone else in society is.


Applying the theory to musicians

One Direction

One Direction are an example that can be applied to Adorno and Horkheimers theory. 1D's music is typical pop and so is their image, they are the generic 'good looking boy band that is aimed at young girls and teenagers'.  ID merchandise includes dolls, clothing and even toothpaste. 1D's image and music fits the idea of 'mass culture' and because they fit common ideas and values, they make a lot of money. 

Digipak- What is a digipak and why are they used?

A digipak is a style of disk packaging, however it is an alternative to the jewel cases we are most familiar with. They are usually made with cardboard, and are a bit like a book when opened. CD's may be released as a digipak as a special edition or limited edition but can just be the way the album is produced.

99 Problems music video Goodwin analysis

Demonstrating Genre Characteristics 

The video demonstrates genre characterists. These are the setting of the video, which is in a rough looking neighbourhood which would be considered a ghetto. This setting is typical of many hip hop videos. There is also iconography of baggy clothes, heavy necklaces and cars which is associated with hip hop videos. They're used to signify wealth.

Relationship between lyrics and visuals

There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals as throughout the song Jay Z raps about the problems he experiences e.g being pulled over by the police. We can see him in the video being pulled over. Also, he talks about problems in his community and it is filmed in a community area.

Relationship between music and visuals

The song is fast paced with an aggressive tone. This works with the pace of the music video, as it goes quite fast and there are many handheld shots. Also, there is a gritty feel to the video which works with the song, we can see this by the use of black and white, the contrast and the area the video has been shot in.

Close-ups of the artists face

There are many close-ups of the artist, he is used a lot in the video. Of course, Jay-Z is very recognisable and so it's important to have him appear in his music videos.

The notion of looking

In terms of the voyeuristic treatment of the female body, there are a few shots of women dancing, where we can see their legs, buttocks and breasts. They are seen as 'eye candy' for men and fits with the male gaze idea.

Intertextual References 

An intertextual reference in the video could be the streets of Brooklyn which are used in films depicting crime in this area. It's also a place used in other hip-hop music videos.

Goodwin Analysis

Goodwin's music video theory, taken from "Dancing in the Distraction Factory".

There's 6 points to Goodwin's theory:

1.Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics, for example pop music using dance routines and a rap video may use iconography of money, cars drugs etc.

2. There's a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics may be represented within the video, e.g lyrics about love, the music video may show couples, or breakups.

3. There's a relationship between music and visuals. The music may be represented by the tone and atmosphere in the music video, e.g slow pace music, a slow pace video.

4. Demands of the record label will include the need for close ups of the artists face. Artists may develop motifs with recur across their work.

5. The notion of looking. There may be mirrors, screens within screens etc. There may also be voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

6. Intertextual reference. Music videos may refer to film, tv, or other music videos.

Music Video Research- The History of Music Videos

Music Video Research- The history of music videos Considered the first step towards music videos, ‘The Little Lost Child’ (1984) by Edward B. Marks and Joe stern, is said to be the first ever ‘illustrated song’. An illustrated song is a slide of images put in with a song, where the images ‘illustrate’ the lyrics, this form of entertainment was popular in 20th Century US. Although not literally considered a music video, it was the first kind of ‘music and imagery’ and evolved to what we know call music videos. Here is ‘The Little Lost Child’ (1894):

  In 1920, Warner Brothers produced the ‘Spooney Melodies’ where animated art was mixed with music. Although not what we would consider a music video today, it is recognised as one of the ‘first music videos’.

 Subterranean Home Sick Blues by Bob Dylan is the first noticed standalone promo clip for music which is more similar to what we know today.