Statement of Intent

My idea is to promote a new and upcoming acoustic folk singer-songwriter from the UK called Megan Linford. She is 16 years old and lives in Portsmouth. With a very musical and theatrical background, she is self-taught on the guitar, piano, banjo and ukulele. Her music is very guitar influenced and she plays this live when performing.

The genre of this music is acoustic folk, so people who are fans of this genre will enjoy Megan's music. But also people that are fans of singer-songwriters will be interested in her music too. Because of this genre, and the interest and development in folk music over the past few years, I think that the initial target audience will be teens, around the age of 16 upwards. This is also similar and fitting with the singer's age too.

For the tasks part of the coursework, I am going to do the print based media task and the broadcasting task.
 For one of the print based parts, I am going to make a full page advert for the album. I plan for the album to look quite simple and basic, as to fit with the chosen genre. The folk music is very calm and peaceful, and I want the album artwork to mirror this. I would like the cover to have her full face and shoulders in shot. Either that or the singer playing an instrument instead.
For the second part of the print based media task, I am going to create a half page advert for the tour. I plan for the advert to have an image of the singer on stage, playing the guitar. The dates will be clear to see and will state all the relevant information, for example; where to buy tickets and how much they will cost.
And for the final part of the print based media task I plan to create a press release to be sent to journalists. I plan for the press release to include background information, interesting things, musical influences, what she does/did to get to where she is. I will also include 2 promotional photographs so that they know what she looks like. I will make the press release at least 1 and 1/2 sides long in order to meet the briefs requirements.

For the broadcasting task, I am going to create a 2-3 minute promotional video on my chosen singer to be posted to her Facebook page and other social media websites. This video will include biographical information in an interview format, videos of the singer and music. I plan for this to be quite a casual set up as to make the video easy to watch and so the singer being interviewed feels comfortable and relaxed. I have created a storyboard to collect all of my ideas in one place. This has helped me to see which format will work and how to set up the room that we shall interview in.

Response to Feedback

The feedback from my presentation showed me that my media product has the potential to actually work, but that I need to do some more research into media theories and audience demographics for my singer as this is something that my presentation was lacking. So in this blog post I am going to research some of the things that should have been included.

There are 3 questions that should be considered when looking at audience theories, these are:
1.) Why do audiences choose to consume certain texts?
2.) How do they consume texts?
3.) What happens when they consume texts?
And there are 3 theories of audience that my help my coursework:
1.) The Hypodermic Needle
2.) Uses and Gratifications
3.) Reception Theory
However, only one of these theories applies to my coursework focus and that is the Uses and Gratifications theory.

The Uses and Gratifications theory assumes that the audience is an active audience and is concerned with why people consume media texts, and what they do with these media texts. This theory suggests that people's needs influence how they use and respond to the media. Blumler and Katz identified 4 reasons for using a media text:
1.) Diversion - Escape from their issues
2.) Personal Relationships - Use for interaction
3.) Personal Identity - Learn behaviour and values from the texts
4,) Surveillance - Useful information
This theory does apply to my media coursework as people may have a need for new music, or may like folk music so will go looking for this to fulfil their needs. They may listen to my singer's music to escape from their issues or they may be able to relate to the lyrics that she sings about.

Something else that was missing from my presentation was the demographic classification of my media product and the primary and secondary audiences too.
Looking at my research I can see that my media product would appeal to people in the social grades of A-C1 and maybe C2. This is because not many people know about this genre of music and so these artists tend not to release music as often as other artists that are quite mainstream. Therefore making it cost more when it is released. Also these artists tend to do a lot live gigs and festivals which do cost a lot of money. So the people in these social grades would be able to afford this.
The primary audience for my singer would be the people of these social classes and people around the ages of 16 and 20 as they can relate to the singer's age, and maybe be able to relate more to her lyrics. And the secondary audience for this media product would be either their friends or their families who may be around when they are listening to this music.

Proposal Feedback

The Proposal Pitch

This presentation shows my proposal for my idea for my media coursework. In this presentation I have explained what the idea is, who the audience is and what research I have done to back up my ideas.
Doing this presentation has helped me to see where I need to improve and what holes need to be patched up. After doing this presentation, I also received a lot of feedback from class members.

This feedback said that I should consider more media concepts and look at and include some media theory as this is something that my presentation was lacking. Another point that people picked up on was my lack of audience demographics and groups. This is because folk music has such a wide audience and varies in age groups, as I have found in my research, so it is that much harder to pin it down to just one group or age group. But hopefully once I have carried out a questionnaire, I will fins an audience and age group that like folk music so I can pin it down.

The feedback also gave some good comments. For example, a lot of people commented on the amount of research that I had done to come up with my idea. They also commented on the amount of example that I have looked at to come up with an initial broadcasting idea.
But overall people thought that it was a good idea and that it had the potential to be a media product.

From these comments I am going to some more research into media theories and include them in future presentations and such. Also I am going to look further into the audience demographics of my media product after I have carried out my questionnaire on a variety of people and age groups.

The History of the Music Press

                  

The first music magazine that was published was Billboard Magazine, which was printed in 1894 but became well known in 1936. Billboard magazine then gradually evolved into radio airplay and record sales charts.

Melody Maker then began in 1926, this was a Jazz Magazine. By the 50s, it had competition from New Musical Express (NME). This appealed to a younger audience as it had coverage on the up and coming rock scene. Both magazines offered weekly information on new record releases.

Crawdaddy and Bomp are examples of music fanzines that exist now, these first came around in the 60s. It is thought that they emerged from sci-fi and comic related publications. These types of magazine are mainly for a niche audience because they are mainly focussed just around one topic or type of music.

1967 saw the Rolling Stone magazine created. It soon became an important part in the culture of youth with articles about music and social change. However, this magazine was less factual information and more about the culture of music.

Smash Hits magazine was created in 1978 and was aimed at teens. This magazine is important to the development of music because it covered music in a different way. This is because it was a genre-specific magazine. Along the similar styles of Smash Hits, Kerrang! was then introduced in 1981.

The Face was launched in 1980, this was a monthly magazine that offered the colourful layout of Smash Hits but was aimed at an older audience. This magazine stopped running in 2002, but it did influence other magazines like Q Magazine and Uncut.

In 1980, a magazine called Record Collector became available. This was a magazine that was filled with adverts and contained sources of buying and selling music. This was sort of the start of people turning to the internet to get their music fix and information on new record releases. As this magazine told people where they could go to get this information rather than in a magazine.

Nowadays, music magazines have become less popular as getting new information on new music is very easy, thanks to Twitter and Facebook. You can now also use the internet to buy music magazines.

Flyer Example

This is an example of a flyer for a single. The artist whose single is being promoted from this flyer is Olly Murs, who is a British singer-songwriter from the UK.

This flyer was made to promote a single that was going to be released sometime soon. It includes all of the relevant information that a potential buyer would need. For example, the artist, the people featuring on the track and the single's artwork. The colours of the writing match what he is wearing and are big bold so that they stand out as much as possible.

Olly Murs is a singer that is aimed at children and teens, this is because his music can be generalised as "pop", which is also associated with being a child's favourite genre. He is also featured on some children television channel's adverts. This engages the children into the advert, therefore making them look at the product that they are selling or advertising.

The graphology that is used for the singer’s name is how it is presented on all his forms of merchandise. This means that to people who do not know what his name is, or what his logo looks like, they can now see from this flyer for his single.

The image used on this flyer appeals to the audience and genre of "pop" music as it is of Olly Murs himself. This is a general trend for pop music artists to use their faces and image to promote themselves as much as possible. Therefore letting people know what they look like, as this will be what some people will first see of this singer.

This is a good example of a flyer for a single as it gives all the relevant information on one side of the flyer, for example; the single name, who the song features and the single artwork. For the print media based task, I would like to create a flyer for a single or an album and this has helped me to develop my ides further.

Music Production Poster Example

This poster is an example of a music production poster for a gig. The band whose gig it is advertising is Kodaline, an indie-alternative rock band from Ireland.

This poster was made to promote a gig that they were doing in the area. It includes all of the relevant information that a potential attendee would need. For example, the date, time and place are all placed where they can be seen clearly. The colours contrast each other as parts are black and others are a goldy colour, making the lettering stand out as much as possible.

Kodaline is a band that is aimed at teens and young adults, this is because they are often featured on such radio stations like Radio 1 and TV channels like BBC 3 and the MTV channel, MTV Rocks. These are all aimed at this demographic too. Their main audience is between the ages of 16-30 and would be fans of indie music.
The graphology that is used for the band's name, is their actual logo, this means that their fans will already know who they are and new potential attendees who do not know their music, will be able to recognise them from now on from their logo.
The image used on this poster appeals to the audience as it isn't of the actual band itself, but it is quite abstract. This is a general trend in indie music posters and albums etc.. Because the image is so abstract, it will make the audience think and wonder what is going on in this image.

Because the imagery and artistic direction of this poster are quite unique, it means that the poster is aimed at a more niche audience, and mainly for the people that already know the band so that they know what to expect.
This is a good example of a poster for a gig as it looks interesting, it stands out, has an interesting image and features all of the main things that a gig poster should have. For the print based media task, I would like to create a poster for a gig and this has given me some ideas as to what I can do with it.

Gentlemen of the Road Stopovers 2013 (Tour Promotion Example)

This is an example of a promotional tour trailer which can be used for the broadcasting part of the brief task. Mumford & Sons put on a festival once a year in the summer, they invite some of their folk music friends to join them in performing in some of the UK's most serene and "out of place" places.

The trailer gives an insight into what might happen at the festival and the music fits with the genre of the music that they and they're folk music friends’ play. In the trailer it shows some clips from previous shows that they have done on this special summer tour. It shows them on-stage  giving prospecting people an insight as to what they can expect from the festival shows, and it shows some crowd reactions as it shows the excitement that this festival can bring to people, maybe persuading more people to come to the festival.

This video includes some interesting camera angles and shots. It has a slow start that shows a lot of shots of the woods and of trees, this draws the audience in and will make them want to watch further to see what it is all about. In the middle of the video, there is a tracking shot. This doesn't really show what it is filming until it is zooming out, this is a good thing to include and it will make the audience question what the video is all about and will continue watching. And finally, the video ends with a montage of loads of clips of Mumford & Sons on stage. Therefore answering any questions that audience members may have as to what this video is about. So the shots that are used means that it fits the genre of the video as it is a teaser trailer.

This is a good example of a promotional video for a tour because it gives all the relevant information, for example where they are going to be performing. If I were to create a tour promotion video, I would take a lot of the elements from this video as I found it very useful in my research.

House Style of a Music Magazine

This NME cover features the indie rock band called Haim. NME have a very distinctive, varied style. On this cover there are many house styles that would feature usually on every NME cover.

For example, the logo for the magazine "NME" is red, as it is on every cover, and is placed in the top left of the magazine. The red of the logo, allows it to stand out as the background of the magazine is white.

Another example of a house style on this music magazine is where the barcode is placed. It is in the bottom right, where it is on the cover of all of their magazines. It isn't in the way of anything and from this cover we can see how it fits with the image as it is slightly tilted, like the image.

A different example of a house style on this magazine cover is where the band is placed on the cover. Haim are featured on the front, centre of this magazine. For every one of NME's covers, they have a band or singer in the centre of the cover. This is so that they can be seen easily and stands out to fans of the artist or magazine.

The final example of a house style on this magazine is the writing that is featured on the cover. For each cover there is a different font style. This can change due to the singer or band as it depends on what style of music the artist makes. But the font style then stays consistent for the rest of the cover. On this magazine it is quite bold and crazy when it says their name and this carries on with the rest of the magazine. The name of the band on this cover is their logo, so the way that the magazine carries on this trend throughout the whole cover is almost as if it is giving the band an identity so that people will remember them.

I like this example of a house style of a magazine because it defines the band straight away just from the front cover. This is something that I would like to be able to do if I decide to create a front cover of a magazine as this will be the first thing that the audience will see, if they do not know who the band/singer is. Also the manipulation of photography that the band have used on the cover is very clever too. The band are seen taking a photograph with a camera and the front cover is made to look like they are in an old polaroid picture.

Folk Music Moodboard

This is a mood board for my new idea, for promoting a new and upcoming folk singer. Creating another mood board has definitely helped me to look at my new idea and see where I want the idea to go.

I looked at the type of music that the singer will sing and play, the types of people that may listen to this genre of music, how the band would dress when performing and where I think the singer’s music could be played.
This mood board has helped me to see who the music will be aimed at and where this style of music could potentially be performed, i.e. a music festival. It has also shown me that the genre that I want to do now is definitely folk and sub genres that branch off of this. And I think that festivals and smaller events would suit this genre best.

Idea Change

After researching indie music and bands for a couple of weeks, I have decided to change my idea. This idea change comes with a new genre of music to promote which is folk and the sub genres that branch off of this. And rather than promoting an indie band, I will be promoting a folk singer-songwriter.

These pictures above show the beginning of my research into folk/indie folk music. The two artists I looked at were Ben Howard and Mumford & Sons. Looking at these two artists has helped me to see how folk music has had an increase in interest in the past 5 years or so. This is why I feel changing my concept would be a good idea.

I have decided to change my idea as I feel that promoting a style of music that may not have been exposed as much as others will bring people to find a new style of music that they may not have heard before, but may enjoy. The audience for this genre of music is very wide and is quite difficult to define. Although I think the majority of people that listen to folk music, tend to be a lot more open to different genres of music.

Broadcasting Idea

These two pictures show my storyboard for a possible broadcasting video. I based it on the X Factor clip that I posted previously.
This has helped to develop my idea, as if I were to create a video I would like it to be a promotional one, which the X Factor clip shows.

Creating a storyboard has helped me with my research as it opens up my options as to what I can do for a final project. However, at this point I don't think I will be making a video as it may be too complicated for the brief that I have chosen. But I can keep my options open now that I do have a storyboard for my idea.

Broadcast Example

The first 45 seconds of this X Factor clip are an example of a promotional video.

It gives some information that is quick, snappy and appealing to the audience. It gives the amount of singles and albums that Kety Perry has sold worldwide, the amount of UK number one singles that she's had and the amount of video hits she has had.

During this clip, it also has short snap shots from some of Katy Perry's most famous videos. A lot of them are close up shots of her face. These quick shots appear in between all of the information and keep the audience engaged into what they are watching.

If I were to create a promotional video for my broadcast I would like to do one like this as it is simple and to the point. It gives all the information in one place and is easy to absorb.

Indie Music Moodboard

Creating this mood-board has helped influence my ideas for my final piece. I looked at the types of music I would like the band to play, the type of people who I think would listen to this music, how I would like the band to dress and where I would expect the band to play their music live.
The mood-board has showed me that the styles of music I want to focus on is Indie rock, and genres along those lines. And I think that the festival scene would suit this genre best.