Lyrics analysis - Wiley - Mike Lowery

Verse 1:
I like this flow so bro I'll say so much that I do one
And it's just like when man a man heard where's my brother on road it was a new one
I might be known as a MC stroke producer causing confusion
Anytime you hear anybody trying to be king don't believe the illusion
I'm gonna do it how I know they can't do it even if they can't do it I do it like its a light jog
If you are in the music game and you happen to know my name then you're in the right job
If I never gave birth to the scene then you'll be a cameraman behind tripods
Whoever don't like me then runway, we don't need to have dialogue
See I got a good heart like Malcolm X, but if I run up on a man I ain't preaching
I've been stabbed 21 times could have seen death quicker but no I'm still breathing
Some man had one beef and a next beef and their acting like they go boxing
I just said SYM to a spitter three times with a killi I knocked him
When I say I lock a man's ear off I'm not at all talking about radio
If I'm gonna kill a sound boy it's better that I do it than say so
And if they wanna see a blood bath, they will if not, then maybe they'll lay low
Bring another wave round, make you see the colours of a spark like a rainbow

Verse 2:
I got people from all walks of life thinking Wiley's on a mad ting
But they don't know I speak my mind, when I speak not for the reaction
Call me a keyboard warrior because I might hit him in the head with a keyboard
Funny when a man says, physically we ain't equal
I like that, it gives me a platform to climb I spread my wings like an eagle
I grew up in London, that place there is full of the wickedest people
Certain times you see a idiat who rolls in a badman vehicle
Call that a lookalike, that boys life is sweeter than treacle
You wanna know why I'm so hated? because I don't give a damn when I get irate
And when it comes to it my fans might burn you out like MySpace
When I make countless songs, and I do good work with locals that I rate
So if I'm attached to the club scene like a wired up studio why hate?
When it comes to the ladies I swipe like a thief in the night no black gloves
I want a peng ting with big bumper, slim waistline and fat jugs
Lets get hyper tonight let me show you what that does
This drunken vibe is covering my head in a place like a hat does
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"I like this flow so bro I'll say so much that I do one" since Skepta was the first person and original person to make the Mike Lowery track, Wiley is trying to say that he had heard Skepta's verion and liked the "flow" and so had decided to make his own version.

"And it's just like when man a man heard where's my brother on road it was a new one" - In this sentence Wiley is referring to his previous work "where's my brother" and how it was original by stating that it was "a new one" also what Wiley is trying to say is that Skepta's Mike Lowery was like his "where's my brother" orginal and new.

"I might be known as a MC stroke producer causing confusion" - This line refers to Wiley as an artist in general. Because he founded the Grime scene and was known as one of the best MC's he's recently been producing songs for other artists, then changing and producing songs and music videos, hence why he say's "causing confusion".

"Anytime you hear anybody trying to be king don't believe the illusion" - This line refers to Wiley's self image as the best MC and is basically saying if some other artist is saying he's better than him or the king of the genre not to believe it.

"If you are in the music game and you happen to know my name then you're in the right job" - This line refers to Wiley's status within the Grime scene as it's founder.

"Whoever don't like me then runway, we don't need to have dialogue" - What Wiley is trying to portray in this sentence is that those people that dislike him as an artist or as a person doesnt really faze him but just not to talk to him or about him.

"See I got a good heart like Malcolm X, but if I run up on a man I ain't preaching" - In this line Wiley uses clever and witty wordplay to make a point. The way this is done is by Wiley referring to Malcolm X who is a well known preacher, by referring to Malcolm X, Wiley then refers to what Malcom X does and says if he was to argue with someone he's not "preaching" meaning he wont talk but will take action.

"Some man had one beef and a next beef and their acting like they go boxing" - What Wiley means in this sentence is about what other artists or people are trying to imply about their self-image after they have had one or two fights.


"If I never gave birth to the scene then you'll be a cameraman behind tripods" - Since Wiley is seen as a pioneer of the grime scene as well as one of the artists to push the genre forward, in this line he is trying to say that if it wasn't for him creating opportunities in the grime genre then the grime artists today would of had a different career path.

"If I'm gonna kill a sound boy it's better that I do it than say so" - What Wiley means is that if he was to do something he wouldnt mention it but take action since to Wiley, actions speak louder than words.

"And if they wanna see a blood bath, they will if not, then maybe they'll lay low" - Wiley describes something which is gory "blood bath" that people wouldnt want to go through, this is more of a threat by Wiley to those who anger him, and if those who are angering him dont want to see a "blood bath" then they should stop being of an annoyance to Wiley.

"I got people from all walks of life thinking Wiley's on a mad ting" - This line refers to Wileys current music direction within the scene.

"But they don't know I speak my mind, when I speak not for the reaction" - The reason that Wiley mentions this is because sometimes people make assumptions that Wiley say's things in his music or other forms of media just to spark a reaction but this sentence clears that assumption up by Wiley saying he is just saying whats on his mind and how he feels about it.

"Funny when a man says, physically we ain't equal, I like that, it gives me a platform to climb I spread my wings like an eagle" - Wiley uses this in his lyrics because a lot of people challenge him but he see's it as a method to expand and develop his skills.

"Certain times you see a idiat who rolls in a badman vehicle, Call that a lookalike, that boys life is sweeter than treacle" - Wiley states this in his lyrics because of what he see's is going on in society today, what he is trying to mention is that a lot of people are trying to become what they are not to impress others and are actually the opposite of what they are trying to show.

"You wanna know why I'm so hated? because I don't give a damn when I get irate" - Irate means to show extreme anger or feelings, so by implementing this term in to his own lyrics Wiley is trying to explain why some people hate him either as an artist or as a person.

"And when it comes to it my fans might burn you out like MySpace" - Since the MySpace 'hype' is over and the trend has moved on to facebook, Wiley is trying to represent the other artists work as 'MySpace' and saying that his fans will finish the other artists 'hype'.

"When I make countless songs, and I do good work with locals that I rate" - This line refers to Wiley's recent disagreement with his producer, this line is used by Wiley to let us know that he knows what he is doing.

"So if I'm attached to the club scene like a wired up studio, why hate?" - Wiley is asking this question to those that envy the fact that he is being paid alot of attention and treated importantly by many people as well as clubs.

"When it comes to the ladies I swipe like a thief in the night no black gloves" - Wiley uses metaphors to tell the audience how ladies are attracted to him and how he takes them with him after the club or event is over.

"I want a peng ting with big bumper, slim waistline and fat jugs" - In this line Wiley is reffering to the sort of woman he seeks or desires.

"This drunken vibe is covering my head in a place like a hat does" - In this line Wiley is trying to say how being drunk takes over his mind and how his mind and body works.

Record Label Research

Music Institute (record label) Research

Finding the correct media institute or record label for our music product would be an essential part of our media products venture; this is because if the correct institute or record label is chosen then the artist as well as the media product can be marketed properly and much more efficiently. Choosing the correct record label can also help us to maximise our views as well as to maximise the amount of target audience being reached out to, this is because different record labels specialise in different fields for e.g. A&E records specialises in developing artists that produce work in the rock genre and therefore can reach more rock audiences than XL Recordings which can be seen as more of a hip-hop label.

Since our media product is of the grime genre we will be researching different record labels to try and find out which record label would be best for us.

Def Jam

Def Jam recordings is an American based record label which is owned by universal music group. This record label focuses more on the hip-hop genre which has produced many popular and well known artists such as Kanye West, Young Jeezy and other artists. Although the record label is American, Def Jam could be a potential record label which can help distribute and popularise our media product, though it is American Def Jam has signed British artists in the past, these British artists were popular artists such as N-Dubz. By looking at the fact that Def Jam has signed British artists before, it tells us that it is not impossible for our media product which is British to be taken on board this record label. However although Def Jam are popular and do have a significant amount of consumers at their disposal it will not fit our requirements as most of their audiences are fans of the hip-hop genre as well as most of their artists being from the hip-hop background. This means that Def Jam may not have enough resources or sufficient experience when dealing with the grime genre and therefore may not have the time and effort to help our media products in development.

Boy Better Know

Boy Better Know is an independent grime record label which is based in the U.K. mainly in London and has produced successful artists such as JME, Skepta and Wiley. Although they are successful artists they are also the runners of the Boy Better Know record label. Boy Better Know is an ideal record label to produce our media product seeing as they focus mainly if not then entirely on grime which means that they can give us their time and knowledge as well as their focus and experience on distributing our media product. Although Boy Better Know is an ideal record label for our media product Boy Better Know wouldn’t have any room for expansion in to other areas of genre’s such as collaborations etc. also because Boy Better Know is new and recent record label they do not have as much market share as record companies that have been in the business for longer than they have, or as the same amount of experience which means that our media product may not get the correct marketing.

XL Recordings

XL recordings is another British independent record label which works with various artists from various genres such as Giggs, Gorillaz, the prodigy and more. XL recordings has been producing and working with artists since 1989 which means that XL has a lot of experience as well as contacts with in the music industry which is very valuable to an up and coming artist. Also because XL has been running since 1989 their marketing tactics as well as market share and experience can be viewed as an important asset in to distributing a successful media product seeing as they have many doors of opportunities that are already open which means that there would be little or no complications when dealing with our media product.

The record label that we have chosen to go for would have to be the Boy Better Know record label. This is because the record label is mainly if not entirely focused in to the grime genre which means that their market share should be grime fans. The reason that this is important is because XL and Def Jam may have a considerable amount of market share but only a small percentage of that market share may be grime. Also for a new and recent record label Boy Better Know has produced millions of views online which shows that for a new and recent record label they still have a lot to learn meaning they have so much more potential. Going with Boy Better Know would be the best choice since if Boy Better Know realise their potential and can grasp their potential then they can easily become one of the leading record labels and therefore being part of this would help our media product to be recognised.

Denotations and Connotations Analysis - Nas - One Mic

Denotations: (What you see)	Connotations: (What it means)
P.O.V of car driving along the road	At the beginning and near the end of the music video a P.O.V of what seems to be of the driver of the vehicle is shown driving in one direction, this could represent that the artist is on the right path on the ‘road to success’.
Buildings lights effects	The lights of the buildings are seen fluctuating with the beat, when the tempo of the beat is changed the tempo of the lights fluctuating is also changed, this is to give a visual with the sound of the track.
Artist in empty room	The artist being shown by himself in an empty room can represent that he wants to lead a simple and humble life, as well as wanting to be alone which could be linked with the word ‘one’ from the tracks title.
Musical equipment in empty room	The artist shows musical equipment in his empty room, there is not a lot of equipment but ‘one mic’ ‘one’ set of speakers and ‘one’ artist which could again represent the track title.
Police vehicle and sirens	Police is a typical convention in Hip-Hop videos which is shown negatively, the artist has made use of this convention and shows the job role of the police officer and what he does.
Group of men running from law	The group of men running from the police can represent what the artist had to go through as well as the circumstances some people in society have to live with.
Glass bottle is smashed	The glass bottle being smashed in the ground shows a visual link with the artists lyrics when he says ‘Bus stop glass bursts, a fiend drops his Heineken’, when this sentence is said the artist is referring to a gun being put to use, the audience that understand this sentence is then given an ironic glass bottle being smashed on the floor as to represent the end of a life.
Image of Jesus	The image of Jesus could have been used to represent the artist’s faith.
Riots	The riots that go on in the music video between villagers and the local authority can represent the artists inner balance which they are trying to portray as being unstable as the lyrics and the way they are said are more aggressive and seem to have a deeper meaning for the artist.
P.O.V of rock being thrown	The P.O.V of the rock being thrown can represent the aggression and the lyrical flow of the artist’s style.
Artist stands up in empty room	The artist stands up from a seating position at the start of the last verse; this could have been done to show the artist being ready to perform his last verse, it could also have been used as a visual to introduce the powerful lyrical content of the last verse.

Denotations and Connotations Analysis - Kano - Signs in life

Denotations: (What you see)	Connotations: (What it means)
Flats, Council Estate	The artist has maybe done this to show where he is from; this is also done to give it a grime theme as most grime themes are associated with council estates, flats or in any type of urban area.
Home-Studio with live performance	The artist has done this to show what he does or has done to build up his music career.
Pictures of London	The artist has maybe done this to show where he is from; this is also done to give it a grime theme as most grime themes are associated with council estates, flats or in any type of urban area.
Gangs of youths	The artist has done this to show what kind of social life he lives in or is representing, also when looking at the grime genre a convention we may see is a gang of youths behaving in an antisocial behaviour.
Night time – Evening	The artist has gone for a video where it is produced in the evening during dark hours, this could have been done to give the music video a more sinister atmosphere as well as a more grime based theme seeing as grime could be seen as a sub-genre of heavy metal which is conventionally associated with dark themes.
Images of cars, jewellery, money etc.	The artist has done this to show a visual link with the lyrics, also when analysing why a gang of youths act in a certain way, the motive behind there behaviour could be for these reasons.
Road signs	Visual link with the sound/lyrics, road signs are also used by the artist in the music video so that the audience can associate the road signs with the track title ‘Signs in life’ also when looking at this denotation carefully the signs that are shown is something that someone may see everyday in their life or have seen during any part of their lives.
Images of prison	Artist has used this as this is where most people may end up, especially youths that are involved in gangs like the ones that the artists are representing.
News	The artist shows bad news for e.g. in the video there is a police sign which reads out ‘fatal incident’, this is to show that there is not always good news where he is from.
Stolen Car	Visual link with what the artist is talking about, this is to give the video a more realistic theme to be associated with the lyrics
Image of infant putting up his middle finger	This can represent some issues faced in society, how antisocial behaviour is being passed down to younger generations.
Black or dark clothing	This is to go with the atmosphere of the theme as well as being a typical colour or theme a group of youths will wear. It is also conventional clothing that is linked with grime.
Religious Signs	The artist would like to portray a religious side of his music video, where religion also indicates ‘signs in life’, also because religion guides a lot of people and the term ‘signs’ can mean an indication or direction for a person to follow, the artist is trying to convey an image where it shows double meaning.
Images of police vehicles	These are the sort of things that you will see in a typical London urban area as crime rates are high which means there is a lot of trouble with the police.
Bright and occupied room in an unoccupied flat being used as a studio	This could tell us that the artist is secluded from trouble as he is trying to build on his music career, also it can mean that the artist is trying to convey the problems that he faces outside of the studio.

Questionnaire Results & Analysis

Questionnaire (results out of 30)

  

1. What is your gender?

This chart shows us that we had chosen 50% males and 50% females to carry out our survey.

  

2. What is your age group?

Looking at the age group it can show us that the least age group that filled out the questionnaire was 21+ and also may have a completely different taste in music as they are from a different generation.

3. Do you listen to music?

This chart shows us that a majority of the people do listen to music whilst there is still a small gap of people that do not.

4. If yes how often do you listen to music?

The chart shows us that again the majority of people listen to music regularly therefore suggesting that the majority of people are in to the music culture.

5. What genre do you prefer to listen to? 

When looking at the results, the results tell us that the majority of people would prefer to listen to grime, this is not surprising as grime is a dominant genre of music in the U.K. After grime the results tell us that Hip-Hop would be a second choice for audiences to listen to in the U.K as Hip-Hop is more global and mainstream.

7. Do you purchase any of the artists albums, mix tapes etc?

The results tell us that a majority of the audience do purchase albums and mix tapes, this shows that with the right marketing tactics an album can be mass produced as we know the majority of people will purchase the album, although this is the case we would also need to have a pricing strategy as to maximise profits.

8. How much would you spend on an album?

The chart shows that the target audience wouldn’t want to spend too much on an album or mix tape, although other factors can come in to play such as if the artist is well known the price may be higher, if the price is worth the CD etc. Since a majority of the people said they would spend £3 or less it will be a good idea to mass produce so that there will be a better chance of breaking even, the more we sell the closer to breaking even and making profit we become.

9. Where do you purchase or get your albums from?

Since a lot of the target audience said that they purchase their albums and mix tapes from the internet it will be a good idea to put the album up for sale online, this would also be better as a more wider range of audience is available as well as a mass of potential consumers. Also putting up the album or mix tape online is relatively cheap or sometimes free which means we can then again maximise profit for the artist.

10. Do you watch an artists music video?

This question was asked so that we can find out whether a music video will produce views or not, by clarifying that a majority of people do watch an artists music video we know that views can be gained, although views can be gained it is sometimes difficult in to getting people to watch something that they haven’t seen before and therefore has to be unique to catch the audiences eye.

11. Where do you watch these music videos?

The best places to put up our music video would be television and the internet this is because both these media outlets reaches a mass of target audiences as well as potential audiences that can give a boost to a music videos views. Views can be gained through a television by choosing the right institute to showcase our music video for e.g. a very grime theme based music channel would be channel A.K.A where we may want our media product to be showcased. Also with the correct viral marketing we can further increase boosts of views if our media product.

12. Does an artist’s music video influence you to purchase their albums?

Since a majority of the people said yes, producing our media product up to standards would be necessary, this is so that we can try to reach as much of the target audience as possible, the more we reach the more consumers for our media product.

Initial Ideas

Questionnaire - Questions and justifications

Questionnaire - Questions and justifications

1. What is your gender?

The reason that we are asking this is because when analysing the questionnaires we would like to find out which gender associates with what genre, artist etc. more. 

2. Please specify your age group

The reason that we want to know the age group is that we can again further break down which group likes what, this is called segmentation, by segmenting the audience we would be able to target specific groups.

3. Do you listen to music?

The reason that we would want to know this is because some people may not be interested in music, by identifying who does not listen to music we can save time and money by not having to target out media product at them.

4. If yes, how often do you listen to music?

The reason that this is important to know is because we can again save time and money by targeting our media product at those who are heavily involved in listening to music as well as those who listen to music occasionally.

5. What genre do you prefer to listen to?

This is an important question to ask, the reason that we would be asking this is so that we can find out which is the popular choice for which groups.

6. Who would be your favourite artist in this genre?

We would like to know who is the favourite artist in the genre the target audience have chosen, this is so that we can find out which artist is more associated with which genre.

7. Do you purchase any of the artists albums, mix tapes etc.?

This information would be important so that we can find out how many people purchase the albums, this is so that we can then have a think about whether or not an album should be mass produced since if not a lot of people purchase the album then it would be a waste of time and money as well as the artists effort.

8. How much would you spend on an album?

This is an important factor to think about when it comes to distributing the albums, knowing how much a person would spend on an album helps us to create pricing strategies.

9. Where do you purchase or get your albums from?

We would need to know this so that when marketing and distributing our media products we would know where the main income will come from as well as to know where we should focus our marketing on.

10. Do you watch an artist’s music video?

This question is so that we know whether people watch music videos or not as well as to know whether out music videos will get any views or not.

11. Where do you watch these music videos?

The reason that we are asking this is because there are different methods of watching a music video, this means that we would like to know which kind of method of watching a music video is popular so that we can consider the options of how to get our media product out there.

12. Does an artist’s music video influence you to purchase their albums?

The reason that we would like to know whether an artist’s music video influences the target audience, is so that we can know whether a music video can give our artist a boost of increase in sales.

13. What kind of things would you like to see in a music video?

The answer for this question would be where the person will have a chance to give their own opinion, this is so that when producing the music video we can look at these opinions and use them to create a brainstorm of ideas to use in the media production.

Focus group - Devlin - Marching through the fog

Marching through the fog is a song by urban music artist Devlin from his latest album Bud, sweat, tears. The video uses a very gritty theme which uses violence and shows many typical scenes that you'd expect from the genre. The main narrative of the music video is basically what Deviln's life has been like. It shows him showing no fear when facing certain or near death and how he overcomes and fights back.


Genre characteristics -

The video uses many different enviorments and it works well as it portrays the song very well. It uses urban enviorments from London that look very gritty and dark and works well. The dress code is very typical also. Devlin himself is wearing a tracksuit and trainers and the other people is wearing similar i.e hoodies, jeans, trainers.

What is there a relationship between lyrics and visuals? - During the chorus of the song it says "Has Devlin gone soft, does Devlin think he’s bad, nah he thinks he’s at the top," and during this chorus Devlin is one person swearing and shouting at a group of thugs who are looking to do him some damage.  What is the relationship between music and visuals? -When he emerges from the fog the beat of the song builds up to imply that something is about to emerge.  Are there any close-ups of the artist and star image motifs? - Yes, the music video close-ups of Devlin mostly show him lip syncing to the song in the way that he does with is arm moving etc. This could show his passion for music and what he does for a living and that he's trying to portray that to the audience.
 

 

Focus group - P Money - Slang like this

Slang like this is a Grime genred music video which features P Money. The video is a typical of a grime video where it incorporates estates and very urban areas though it doesn't use the gritty dark side of grime. The song maintains a very light mood which is done when the song goes to the chourus and you see many diverese people of all races and colour. The video doesn't have any narrative structure and most of the camera shots follow P Money and he's walking thorugh the different urban enviorments.

Genre characteristics - 

The music video uses the very typical Grime scenes which incorporate estates and alleyways littered with graffiti. Also the people who star in the video is what you would call typical of the genre with a few exceptions, you mainly have young male and females that are wearing urban clothing which you'd associate with Grime. P Money and other grime artists like D Double E.

Are there any relationships between visuals and lyrics? -
Yes there are, during the chorus the video has the words being lip synced by a diverse range of people as well as the main artist P Money. This could incorporate part of the chorus as well as the song name which is "We speak in slang like this", "Slang like this".

Are there any relationships between the music and lyrics? -
Not really, the song maintains a light grimey beat which is mostly lip synced to. Other than that beat does have a dancey theme to it where the people on screen dance and bop to the beat, an example of this would be toward the end were the instrumental is playing and P Money is bopping away to the beat.


Are there any close-ups of the artist and star image motifs? - Yes, throughout the music video there are several close-ups of the people in the video during the main parts and chrous. But mostly the close-up shots are of P Money and D Double E. There is also a bit are the start where the camera see P Money walking through a tunnel and as he gets closer to the camera it changes to a track shot + mid shot.

Focus group - Skepta - Mike Lowery

Mike Lowery is a Grime music video from artist Skepta from his album "Doin it again". The video incorporates many unconventional scenes but still maintain a deep and hectic grime beat. The main narrative of the video is sort of a thriller where a person posts abusive language about the artist in question and comes to kidnap to torture them in Saw-esque way. The video starts of with a person on his laptop writing "F**K SKEPTA" then his doorbell rings, as he opens the door Skepta appears and takes him to a warehouse where he gets tortured for his actions. 
Genre characteristics -General - The video uses a very unconventional scenes and theme for what a grime video is or conveys. The video uses a thriller theme where the main artist takes the role of a kidnapper and tortures his victims. Although the song itself does go with the video.
Detailed - Very deep grime beat which gives of a very dark gritty feel. 
General - Door bell at the beginning and door slamming at the end has exact on screen visuals.
General - Yes there are several close-ups and mid-shots of the artist Skepta.
Detailed - They show him in different angles to portray different meanings. For example they show him in some low angle
Are there any intertextual references? - General - Yes, during the video whilst he's torturing one of his victims the camera does a close-up of his "Boy Better Know" chain which of course refers to the label which he and JME run "BBK".
Detailed - References to other members of BBK.
Is it performance-based, narrative-based or concept-based? how much of each? - General - It is narrative based as there is a sort of story to it as Skepta takes the role of a kidnapper/torturer.
Detailed -  The video then shows that Skepta has many people in captivity. 

Music Genre Research - Dubstep

Dubstep is a new style of urban music that came into prominence in the early 2000's. It originated in London and stems from many other urban genres from the UK. It sometimes is regularly featured on many radio stations such as Tim Westwood's 1xtra and Radio 1. It has been described as a mix between grime and 2-step with some of the grime scene popular artists making the odd tune in the dubstep genre such as P Money and JME.

The characteristics of dubstep include sounds and beats from other genre's such as UK Garage and grime. Sometimes and often in present day, music videos use dubstep elements or a whole dubstep beat for their music video. Many perceive dubstep as a fusion genre which can be mixed and used to make entirely creative, fresh and funky soundtracks and beats.

Present day dubstep has had mainstream popular success with many o mainstream artists using the dubstep vibe in their songs. Also the dubstep genre has been popular for theme songs of tv shows, the main example being Channel 4's Dubplate Drama.

How are artists work promoted?

There are many ways an artists work can be promoted, these methods include mainstream TV, posters, billboards etc. The reason that an artists work will be promoted could be for different reasons. These reasons can include:

-       To boost an artists sales in terms of albums.

-       To popularise an artist so he/she would be an influential and iconic person to a certain target group.

-       To get artists in to shows to further promote them.

-       Many times an artist would be promoted so he/she can be signed to a major label.

-       If an artist brings in a new sound then they will be further promoted as the music industry knows that they will be successful as well as influential.

There are also other reasons why artists will be promoted. Positively there are a number of methods that can be used to promote an artist. These methods are used very strategically and effectively so that they produce results to a maximum level. The methods used or can be used are:

• TV Commercials – TV commercials can be used to promote an artists album, shows etc. TV commercials can be seen as an effective method to use to promote an artists work as it reaches out and promotes on a mass scale. It is also effective as many people get to familiarise with the artist.
• Brand Association – By associating an artist with a big brand it can popularise an artist as it allows the market that are familiar with the big brand to become familiar with the artist.
• Posters, Billboards, Newspapers etc. – These methods of promotion are useful as it can also reach a wide range of the target market which can create a lot more awareness for he artist.
• Shows – Doing shows is an important part of an artists career, not only is it because of the revenue that a show can generate for an artist but also because of the turn up numbers, the more people that turn up for the artists shows means the more people that know about the artists or will know about the artist as the show can generate more marketing, through word of mouth. The more people talk about the artist the more promotion they will be getting.
• Tours – Tours around different countries is a more common way for a major record label to promote their artists work, this is because tours include doing shows which creates awareness of the artist, not only this but doing shows in different countries means the artist would be promoted and known in different countries which results in the artists being known on an international level. 

Music Videos and Lip Synching

Many artists use lip synching to make their music videos, lip synching is when the artist would synch their words/lips with the words from the chosen track. Once the lip synching process has been recorded the editor would cut the background sound from the clips recorded and drop in the chosen track by the artist, whilst editing the music video. The reason that artists use this is to symbolise the fact that they are the artist that had produced this track, this is an important factor when promoting an artists albums, shows, and the artist themselves. The reason that this is an important factor is because when the audience watch the music video’s produced by the artist they are more likely to purchase/attend the artists albums/shows because they get more familiar with the artist. This can be evidenced by placing another artist to lip synch a different artists track, by lip synching the other artists track the replacing artist would gain the credibility and fame, therefore boosting their sales. This is one of the main reasons why artists lip synch their music video, for the credibility as well as so that it can go in synch with the music video. Lip synching is mainly used in music videos so that the words are said on time, this can be done mainly for the pleasure and satisfaction of the audience as the audience would not like to see a music video where the artist’s words do not match the words from the track.

Goodwin's theory

Goodwins theory is based around eight different points when analysing a music video.

1. Links between the lyrics and the visuals. This means are there any on screen actions where the lyrics match them. For example in Skepta's music video So Alive he says the lines "It's as if I'm looking through Michael Jackson's eyes" during this scene he puts his hands over his eyes which implies this.

2. Link between music and visuals.

3. Genre characteristics. This means is this typical of the genre? is it conventional? an example of genre characteristics would be a conventional RnB video which would have loads of sexualy attractive women dancing etc.

4. Intertextual references. Are there any references to any other media texts or forms. An example would be if a music video has a certain theme such as Rihanna - Disturbia which has a horror torture theme which references to films such as Saw.

5. Notion of looking.

6. Voyeurism.

7. Representation of the Artist.

8. Performance-based, narrative-based, concept based.

Album art analysis - US (cont)

Shontelle No Gravity album is an album which is mostly compromised of POP tracks with some of the tracks influenced by Rock music. The album cover shows Shontelle in what looks like a bird cage, this could be done to show Shontelle as trapped. This trapped representation could have been used to coincide with the album title ‘No Gravity’ as being trapped often can bring someone to feel as if there is no air or ‘No Gravity’ around them. The lighting of the album cover also gives off hints as to what we would hear in the playlist, this is done through the shading where there is dark and light in the background, which could also be used to represent that in Shontelles playlist we will be hearing both sides of different views, the ‘good’ and the ‘bad.’ This representation is a convention which Shontelle seems to be following as some, if not most of her tracks are compromised of relationship songs. The background lighting and colour could also have been used to make the artist look bolder and more of an eye-catcher as well as more of an iconic figure on the album cover.

Bruno Mars is an American singer and songwriter who has worked with various artists such as B.O.B, Flo-Rida, Travie McCoy and more. Bruno Mars’s album cover ‘Just The Way You Are’ compromises of different colours and shapes to make up one image, this technique is called a ‘montage’ and has been used by other artists such as Michael Jackson etc. The reason that Bruno Mars had decided to use this technique could of been to create a link between the album title and the image used, this visual link could of been meant to show that no matter the differences (shapes and colours) Bruno Mars would still like to show that he likes a single thing, ‘Just The Way You Are’. This is further represented by the fact that the different shapes and colours makes up the head of a single image. Also the colours used on the album cover are colourful and vibrant. This could have been done to catch the eye of the audience to boost their sales. Another method that Bruno Mars’s album cover uses to boost its sales is by making the artist’s name ‘Bruno Mars’ large and readable, this could of been done to again, boost sales as the album cover can use the artists name, popularity and fan base to generate more sales.