PLANNING: How my Band created its Star Brand

In order to establish their star brand image Fij has used serveal social media platforms

Interviews on BBC radio has given them the opportunity for promotion

Pictures on their Facebook page has also given the band to expand on their Indie star image. Being an emerging band they follow the footsteps of well established bands through marketing techniques used, never the less they aren't at the stage of having a recording studio that can arrange print publicity for them. This would include Digi-Packs, print adverts, billboards and flyers.

Through the use of graphics and iconography the band Fij can deliver the message of their band and establish their style and genre. On their Facebook page in order for this to happen, there should be a stronger visual presence.

The selling of named merchandise serves as a badge of loyalty to the band and signals belonging to a sub-culture. Fij could establish their star image through selling products such as T-shirts promoting their band.

The music can't be purchased through websites such as iTunes however You-tube serves as a platform for people to listen to their music. 

Fij has Gigs to develop their star image however if they posted details about the Gigs on their Facebook page they might turn into performances of a bigger scale. 

RESEARCH: Directors Label

Click to view my slideshare on Directors Label

RESEARCH: Trends

Trends in Music History...

1950s- Rock and Roll Genre
1960s- Swinging sixties - Motown primarily featuring African American artists
1970s- Rock Genre with bands such as Kiss
1980s- MTV generation
1990s- Hard Rock and Heavy Metal with Bon Jovi and RUN DMC
2000's- Several diverse music genres Nirvana, Oasis, Blur, Spice Girls

Today in 2012 we have been seeing the particular music trends:

Young Hollywood Stars such as Justin Bieber, Carly Rae Jepson and One Direction are central in the music industry.

- This music is often orientated to a young audience with the artists being teen idols. The promotion of pop music was greatly effected due to the rise in music television channels such as MTV. The lyrics and subject matter of their songs often are about love and relationships and tend to be simplistic. Pop music is popular today since the beats of the music often encourage dancing which is reflected in the upbeat and choreographed music videos.

- The music videos often consist of fast paced editing, straight forward narrative and related situations and scenairos that teenagers would find themselves in, making it relatable to their audience.


This is what my group is trying to achieve in our music video "Our Song". We want to present the daily activities of a group of friends which other young audiences will relate too making the song relevant to them.

RESEARCH: Stardom

The Star Image: 

The Music Business relies on big named stars to fund its activities however only about one in ten acts put out by the industry actually makes any money. 

Therefore what is described as the “meta-narrative star image” has an important role to play in the music video making process. Meta-narrative star image describes the development of a stars image over a period of time and the stories that surround a particular artist.

CASE STUDY: 

For example the Red Hot Chili Peppers illustrate their star image through their music video “ Can’t Stop”.  The video builds a picture of the performers as a group of friends larking around, having fun, play fighting at times, experimenting and getting things wrong. There is a laddish feel to the video, which compliments their unconventional star image. 

The Red Hot Chili Peppers promote themselves through social media by having- An official website, Twitter and Facebook which allows their fan base to keep up to date with their activities. This accessibility is liked by the fans and contributes to their "stardom. 

Their website consists of upcoming tours, music, videos and photos of the band not only from performances but also from the press. 

The information that the band provides for their fans on their website gives an opportunity for the fans to understand and learn more about them as a band, again contributing to their stardom.

Social Media is a significant platform and creates "word of mouth" for the band. The more people the know the bigger the stardom the band will get.

RESEARCH: Music Television Channels

Music television is a type of television programmes which focuses predominantly on playing music videos from bands or artists.
Music Television programmes may also host their own charts.

Examples are MTV, Kerrang TV and VH1. MTV is an American cable television channel based in New York City that launched in 1981.

MTV significantly influence popular culture and succeeded earning $7 million in advertising revenue in the first 18 months. 

It remained a critical part of the music industry by leveraging music videos to help the image of artists such as Michael Jackson, Guns n’ Roses and 2Pac. The digital revolution in the 90s really put the pressure on the music industry with music videos, which became the one of the primary way of enjoying music. The industry was worried about declining CD sales. Music Television serves as platform for music videos to be accessible and watched by wide audiences. 

RESEARCH: Studying Music Videos Prezi

Click here to view my Prezi

Here you can view my Prezi on the form and conventions of Music Videos

PLANNING: First Draft Story Board

Some of the ideas on our story board are:
-Lip Syncing
-Cut Backs to the suitcase slowly filling up along with the calendar
-Panning shot of boys room and each time a poster leaves his wall until he is looking at a bare room
-Photoshoot with friends- pictures then being packed
-Skateboarding and Football shot for their activities