Semiotic Analysis

Before ultimately deciding upon which track, or even genre, that I will use for the project, I decided to analyse various music videos. Doing this enabled me to better my understanding of the connection between a track, lyrics, artist and subject matter in co-ordinance with the video.

Below is the video for "Hood Pope" by A$AP Ferg:

• The first 45 seconds of the video contains none of the music from the song and instead acts as a short backstory for the song. This introduction shows Ferg living in a poverty stricken area of the depths of Harlem, with a small TV, ripped jeans and only socks and sandals. This instantly sets a contrast with the wealthy and flashy A$AP Ferg that his fans would recognise
• The advert on the TV depicts a charity appeal for local children in poverty. However, as the actress/reporter is stating how the funding works, Ferg is shown to be shaking his head. This is most likely an indication that he believes it's not charity that the youth of Harlem need, it's spiritual guidance. This idea is also supported by the lyrics.
• Towards the end of advert, the kids who are meant to be looking sad and hopeless, begin to mess about in a play fight and run of giggling. This is linked to that idea that again, it is not money that these children need, as they are still happy children, instead that need proper worldly guidance.
• The shots of the Ferg standing on the backseat of an armoured jeep is a direct reference to the actions of the real world Popes. Ferg is mimicking the action of Popes appearing in public displays whilst riding in the oddly named "Popemobile".
• At the beginning of the video the children are portrayed as meaning innocent and simply childish. However, at around the 1:30 mark there is a scene of the children entering a dark alleyway appearing as silhouettes and eventually meeting with another hooded child who appears to be smoking cannabis. Furthermore, the camera is placed at eye level of the children to give them more a physical presence within the frame and therefore making them seem more like adults. This links back to the initial message of the song/video, that these children desperately need spiritual guidance in order to escape a hard life of poverty and crime. 
• In order to strengthen the idea that the youth of the area aren't actually bad, they are shown to be sharing food together peacefully in a rather communal manner. These displays their inherit ability and desire to be kind to each other, suggesting that any acts of "sin" is simply a result of misguidance.
• The children's clothes are not ones that you would usually associate with children. All of the children are wearing clothes commonly seen on adults within the most impoverished and rough areas of NYC, like Timberland's, hoodies, cargoes and caps. Some of the children are even physically scared. Both of these features connote the harsh upbringing of these children, as they've had to excel past their childhood quickly in order to survive properly. 
• One scene shows three children being christened whilst wearing very urban-influenced garments. This brings up the idea religion is a matter of personal and spiritual connections and doesn't take into account any physical cultural differences (ie the children wearing chains which are normally associated with the hood) 
• A$AP Ferg is represented as being the "Hood Pope" of his area in Harlem. This is noticeable from his lyrics that constantly refer to a hood pope as leading a misguided and struggling community. In addition, there is a sequence of shots where Ferg blesses a physically scarred boy and his scars instantly disappear, a power that is understandably only linked to God and his most committed connections (ie Jesus, Popes etc)
• Towards the very end of the video, Ferg is seen floating slowly into the air as if he is being called to the heavens. This could suggest that he is not only a beacon of hope for his small community, but could even of a much greater use for God, much like Jesus.

Influential/ inspirational websites

Websites are a staple part of every artists career as it acts as the central information point for their fans in this digital age. Below are some examples of effective and somewhat influential websites:

Disclosure's website is a very effective promotional tool. On the front page it greets you with a video of one of their gigs, put on Spotify. This will allow the new and curious to witness what the hype about Disclosure's live performances are all about. Whilst for any established fan, it's a chance to remember exactly why you are  fan. 

The actual home page has every link clearly laid out and even features pictures that act as links in themselves in order to keep a consistently aesthetically pleasing feel to the website.

Eminem's website is as bold, cold and aggressive as he is. It gets straight to the point in allowing the user to see every page link on the first page. It will act as a good promotional platform for whenever he releases a song as the home page is built around a focal feature slot.

Interestingly, SZA doesn't have a website and instead opts to have a tumblr page as her hub of information. This is a tactical decision by SZA as it allows her to express more of her own personality on a tumblr page than it would on a website. This is crucial as her music is very subtle, so emitting her personality to the world more, will give her music greater depth lyrically and will help her acquire extremely loyal fans. This works especially well due to the fact a lot of tumblr users will fit within SZA's target audience of more hip teenagers. There is of course, links to all the commercial sections, like tour dates and tickets, making the tumblr page not only expressive, but also commercially viable.

Influential/ inspirational Album Covers

Below are a few album cover that, in my mind, have been very influential on the way album covers are used or have simply inspired me to think differently about the possibilities when it comes to designing an album cover:

 Mos Def - Black On Both Sides

I really like the simplicity of this album cover. Mos Def staring in a  rather emotionless manner at whoever lays upon the cover. It instantly draws attention and displays the humanity and talent behind the music, removing a layer of difference between the consumer and artist.

Lapalux - Nostalchic

This is a very unqie album cover. At first it just seems like a jumble of colours. but, at close inspection you notice that it's a collage of lots of cropped photos. You have to use your imagination to complete the photos which is similar to the same creative frame of mind that the consumer has to be in whilst listening to the album if they wish to get the most out of it.

The Streets - Original Pirate Material

This album cover will be instantly recognisable for anyone who lives in a British city. The album cover simply displays a block of council flats. These types of flats are usually associated with the gritty and dangerous lifestyle of poorer people living in some of the bigger cities in the UK. The picture also coincides quite nicely with the artist name "The Streets". Overall, this album cover emits a clear identity for not only the artist but their genre as well.

XXYYXX - XXYYXX

This album covers is arguably the most iconic of all for the electronic genre in the last couple of years. The album name is the same as the artist, allowing XXYYXX printed boldly on the bottom to be more than enough information for the consumer to deal with. The famous Eye of Providence is recognisable with a tear hanging from it. This adds an eerie and abstract element to the usually cold and emotionless world of ancient Egyptian art and hieroglyphics.

Influential/ inspirational Artists

With the recent boom of digital and internet culture, it has become increasingly vital that artists portray a genuine and unique style to all possible consumers. Those that are most successful nowadays, are the artists that not only produce the best popular music, but also those that are most popular as people/characters.

Below are a few artists that have really inspired me throughout the course of my research via their unique, and somewhat, influential styles:

Ghostpoet

Ghostpoet uses a contrasting combination of a laid back, slurred vocal style with emotional and powerful lyrics to create an ethos that has never been captured by an artist on the same scale.

His fashion sense is almost post WWII which deeply contrasts which the rustic and gritty settings of London that he affiliates himself with.

As a whole, Ghostpoet is a very contrasting artist, who seems somewhat like an omniscient time-traveler who struggles to display any form of enthusiasm, but somehow it works.




FKA Twigs

FKA Twigs is truly one of a kind in both her music and her appearance. She uses a mixture of mellow, progressive and occassionly aggressive beats and instrumentals as a backing for a mixture of high pitched vocals, inaudible noises and rapidly strung together lines.

She uses a combination of old school urban fashion and current up market fashion. She also uses a subtle amount of her sexuality to make her whole persona seem even more confusing as she seems to rarely emit any juicy personal traits. This alien like persona has gained her a respectable level of fame within the mosre alternative music scene.



Lapalux

Lapalux is a new breed of DJ, blending lo-fi samples with immaculate waves of electronic music. His style of music has varied from each album to the next butm he has always maintained this emotional and lost element identity in every track.

As a person, Lapalux gives off few clues to his personality in his dress sense by sticking to bland yet fashionable clothing. His fairs always appears to be emotionless, which paints him as an extremely controlled and thoughtful being due to the fact that his music is, in contrast, quite emotional at times.

Suitable tracks for the single

Here are some of the potential tracks that I'd like to consider for our music video:

• Strong female lyrics that would be appropriate for lip syncing
• Enough instrumental segments for a narrative to be fully drawn out and interpreted more by the listener
• More aggressive drop that will allow us to do something visually spectacular
• Lyrics can be linked to a hangover which a recognisable concept for our audience

• Very calm and laid back allowing for a powerful narrative video
• Interesting use of archival audio footage
• Essentially a blank canvas open for multiple interpretations

• Progressive music is ideal for a narrative in the form of a journey
• Open ended lyrics that we can interpret ourselves
• Fairly upbeat towards the end that will prevent it from being too stale

• Very bold and engaging tune
• Slurry lyrics allow for an abstract studio shoot
• Interesting sounds which could sync well with visual effects

Audiences

Here are the results of a survey I conducted upon my family regarding their music taste:

Age: 17

Gender: Male

Favourite genres: Low-fi Electronic, Hip-Hop, Drum and Bass

Favourite artists: Gang Starr, Shy FX, Lapalux

Consumption of music: Phone

Obtaining music: iTunes

Discovering music: Souncloud 

Age: 15

Gender: Female

Favourite genres: Alternative Hip-Hop, Rock, Alternative R&B

Favourite artists: FKA Twigs, Tyler the Creator, Lana Del Rey

Consumption of music: Phone and laptop

Obtaining music: Torrenting

Discovering music: Youtube

Age: 51

Gender: Male 

Favourite genres: Jazz, Soul, Jungle 

Favourite artists: John Coltrane, Marvin Gaye, Pharoah Sanders

Consumption of music: Phone and CDs

Obtaining music: iTunes and CDs

Discovering music: N/A

Age: 49

Gender: Female

Favourite genres: Dance, Hip-Hop, R&B

Favourite artists: Disclosure, Fugees, Lana Del Rey

Consumption of music: Phone

Obtaining music: Amazon

Discovering music: Word of mouth

From this survey I have learnt that it would be wise to target the younger demographic as they are quicker to pick up on new songs/artists. Furtermore, the 51 year old stated that he doesn't even discover new music anymore as he is content with his vast collection. In addition to this, because the youth are more involved with social media and the internet in general, they are the demographic that will first watch our music video and spread it via word of mouth and social media to the other, older demographics.

There doesn't seem to be any dominating genre within this survey. However, electronic music of any form seems to be consistently popular. 

Record labels

A record label is a brand or trademark associated with the marketing of music recording and music videos. A record label may also be a publishing company that coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, promotion and marketing of their artists , whilst also enforcing the copyright for their recording and music videos. A record label may also scout new talents and develop new artists, and may have contracts with the artists and their managers.

Gaps in the market

www.officialcharts.com

Gender:
Only 2 out of the top 20 singles were by a solely female artists, with 4 being from a mixed gender artists and the remaining 15 being from solely male artists. This is a clear indication that there is a massive gap for female artists.

Solo Artists vs Groups:
13 of the top 20 are by solo artists with the remainign 7 being either groups, features or a mixture of the two. This suggests that solo artists are the dominating demographic. However, they are not really dominating the market by that much, meaning both a solo artist or a group could break into the charts without facing added difficulty due to saturation.

Ethnicity
Only 5 of the top 20 singles are made by black artists, with 1 being made by a multiracial group and the remaining 14 from white artists. This is a fairly strong indication that black and any other ethnic minority artists are definitely under supplied.

Style
Every single one of the top 20 singles are made by people who fit within the mainstream stereotypes of their given genre. There seems to be a lack of more abstract and underground artists within the top 20 which of course is to be expected as being abstract and underground is not as commercially viable as being mainstream.

Yuna

In conclusion, it is fair to say that the ideal artist to fill the gap in the market, would be a non-white, abstract female artist, whether solo artist or a group.

A few artists who fit these criteria are FKA Twigs, SZA and Yuna

What is selling well / Current trends in popular music

Top 25 singles of 2014 so far in the UK

As can be seen from the above picture, dance music appears to be the most standout big selling genre of 2014 thus far. However, there are also a noticeable number of American pop songs that have been successful in the UK.

UK top 10 singles

There is no sole dominating genre in the top 10 singles of the UK top 40 charts. However, as a whole, dance and pop seem to be the main contending genres for the top with 7 or arguably 8 of the top 10 fitting into one of these two genres.

UK top 10 albums

In regards to the 10 best selling albums of the UK top 40, dance and pop music appear to lack as much presence as they did in the singles. This is most likely because pop and dance singles will explode in popularity for whatever reason, regardless of the artists other content. This is why rock music, which covers more consistent and idolised artists, seems to have far more presence in the album charts.

www.musicweek.com

Additionally, as the above extract explains, Rock is the best selling genre of 2013. This is most likely a result of rock fans being more loyal to their genre in regards to purchasing content, that dance and pop fans are.

What kind of music video I would like to make and influential/inspirational music videos

Ideally, I would like to create a music video that follows a narrative structure, with the focus being on a young person. Other elements that I'm contemplating are the use of an urban environment, an abstract studio shoot, alternations in camera quality and possibly even the use of graphics. Most importantly however, the video must follow some clear theme or idea.

Here are a few references to the kind of music video that I would like to make:



Chrysalis is the name of a short film that uses the soundtrack Gold by Lapalux.

• It follows a narrative structure, allowing the music to create the atmosphere for the visuals
• The focus is on young people, with the plot being about a boy who cannot move on from a past relationship and "dies in his silence". An exaggerated yet recognisable theme amongst young people
• The video itself contains some rather graphic and disturbing elements that will make both the song and video memorable

• Loosely follows the narrative of a DJs lifestyle in the 90s, touring around playing in concerts and raves.
• Uses a mixture of VHS and HD cameras in order to give a vintage feel to the video, which coincides with the song itself. Furthermore, it seems to use some archival footage of gigs in the 90s
• The costumes and overlay effects are representative of the 90s dance scene

• Follows the narrative structure of riot taking place in New York, most likely as a repercussion of racial discrimination
• The video itself was made in the late 90s and so had to rely on VHS styled cameras, thus giving the video an old school feel to it
• Common breaks the 4th wall in the video and seems to be a separate entity to the riot happening around him. However, his lyrics suggest that the riot could be a result of him and other conscious rappers empowering the people and therefore he is involved with what's going on around him even if it isn't apparent in the video.

• Follows the journey of Trim walking through a dark, rainy London and the journey of an unknown young male on a bike travelling around London in the same conditions
• Captures the grungy feel of London by showcasing the backstreets of residential areas in contrast with iconic landmarks like London Bridge, Canary Wharf and Old Spitalfields Market.
• Towards the end of the video, the camera quality drops when following the biker. This emits a rustic and realistic feel from the video.

• This video doesn't follow any kind of narrative structure. The video is simply one massive reference to the song lyrics. From alcohol bottles being present, to the graphic of a skeleton when Ghostpoet says "lazy bones".
• It's quite an abstract studio video, with neither a real structure, nor a clear indication that it's merely a studio shoot. The use of many close ups of Ghostpoet adds to the unusual feel of the video.

• Follows the journey of a lone, teenage skateboarder as he travels from his suburban home and through the wastelands of an American desert.
• The concept is simple yet effective in that it uses the setting and minor details to create a mysterious aura about the whole video. As the song is completely instrumental, there are no lyrical clues as to what the video actually means or represents which in turn allows each individual viewer to come up with their own personal interpretation.

Initial Research: My Music Consumption

Music has always been a huge part of my life and I try to consume it in one way or another as much as possible. I listen to it on journeys, whether walking or taking public transport, through earphones connected to my iPhone. At home, I tend to listen to music through speakers that are connected to either my laptop or iPhone. The simplest way to describe my music taste is Hip-Hop and Electronic music.

Perhaps my most treasured possession, is my iTunes library that consists of just under 1000 songs that I have collected over the last 5 or so years and contains almost all of my favourite songs from throughout my life. As expected, it is a very diverse collection with songs from the likes of Notorious B.I.G., Jon Hopkins, Dizzee Rascal, Shy FX and Lapalux. Any songs that are not available on iTunes, tend to be found on either YouTube or Soundcloud, so I am therefore active on both of these websites/apps as well.

In recent years I have began to attend festivals and gigs in order to more thoroughly appreciate my favourite music. Festivals and gigs not only act as a means of consuming music, but they also provide a very unforgettable and unique social experience which adds even more depth to the music.



Songs that have meant something to me over the years:

Childhood - River Man by Andy Bey



My Dad was always play this song out of the speakers in our kitchen for as long as I can remember. When I listen to it now, I get reminded of random memories from my childhood.


Early Teens - Makeshift Sanctuary by Aether



I listened to this song at least once a day for a good few months when I was about 12 years old. Again, listening to this song just brings up various memories from that period of my life.


Currently - Universe by Kashuks



I found it rather difficult to decide on a song that means something to me today. This is mainly because there are simply so many songs that in the last couple of years mean a great deal to me, whether that is because they are somehow linked to an important event or even because the lyrics are relevant to my life. However, I decided upon this song simply because I would listen to it quite frequently when I was taking a break from revision in the run up to my AS exams. This habit has stuck and I find myself doing the same thing whenever I'm taking a break from a particularly intense piece of work.