C2 Music

 04 March 2025

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1. There are 2 media exams

2. The exams are worth 70% of your overall mark

3. Component 2 is worth 30%

4. The main purpose of all media is to make money

5.  you might see a music video on youtube or artist website, social media, music tv channel

Music videos & online media 

1. Why do artists/ record labels create music videos?

• provide a visual representation of the song and its narrative
• promotional tool to sell the song which generates more money
• to show off an artists image
• makes the song more memorable
• entertainment
• help promote the artists other skills: e.g dancing

2. Why do audiences watch music videos?

•  

07 March 2025

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1. to make money

2. Music videos are made as a promotional tool to sell the song which generates more money

3. They can also make the song more memorable, show off an artists other skills like dancing

4. Two most common types of music video are performance and narrative

5. Conventions of a music video: lip syncing, multiple close ups of the artist, video tells a story, intertextuality often used, perform to cameras 

Taylor Swift The Man

• narrative
• conventions: video tells a story, filmed and edited like a movie - story matches lyrics/ is metaphorical representation: Taylor Swift dresses up as 'the man'

Stormzy Superheroes 

• narrative
• conventions: video tells a story, artist appears as performer (character), story matches lyrics/ is a metaphorical representation

TLC Waterfalls

• it is a mix of performance and narrative
• the video cuts between performance of TLC dancing and lip syncing and a narrative of 2 mini narratives that help tell the story of the lyrics
• lyrics: match the video as they are in the ocean and there is a waterfall
• conventions used: lip syncing, multiple close ups of the artist(s), video tells a story

The Music Industry

Overview

• in the UK music industry contributes billions to the economy 
• Due to the changing way which we consume music, the industry has faced many challenged recently
• most people download music or stream it rather than buying physical copies
• streaming now accounts 80% of music consumption in UK
• technological developments that once threatened the music industry have allowed it to generate revenue in different ways and to extend their reach to different and anew audiences
• As most of our music consumption is digital, cd sales are in decline. However, vinyl records and cassettes are becoming popular again. This may be because they are a collectable, nostalgia/ new trend

Streaming sites linked on artists websites:

  Stormzy

Taylor swift

sells vinyls and cds on website 

Ownership

• record labels are companies that make contracts with artists and release their music. record labels usually fund the costs of producing, distributing and circulating music to audiences 
• they will have separate production teams and distribution teams
• a single release from an album is usually accompanied by a music video which becomes a major part of the marketing campaign

The Big Three

• Warner music group, Universal music group, and Sony music
• these are all part of major conglomerates and are horizontally integrated 
• they all have subsidiary record labels, most of which were previously independent and associated with specific genres e.g island records
• this means they can invest a lot of money in artists that are or are likely to be commercially successful videos for major artists often have a budget of over 1 million dollars
• they are also able to reach. very large audiences through high profile marketing campaigns. They can also benefit easily from synergy with other companies in the conglomerate

18 March 2025

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1. Fans might buy vinyl records as collectables, they're limited edition, nostalgic

2. Big three record labels are Warner music group, Universal music group, Sony music group

3. Development of digital technology have effected the way we consume music the most over the last 20yrs

4. Synergy is two products promoting each other at the same time 

5. A subsidiary music label is a smaller record label that is owned by a larger conglomerate, normally linked to one genre

Independents

• often associated with more alternative acts e.g indie was traditionally non-mainstream
• most of these have to go to the majors to get distribution deals however, so the major labels can still get a cut
• some artists don't sign to the label at all. They use the internet to promote and distribute their work
• Taylor Swift is signed to Universal
• Stormzy is signed by Warner 

Regulation

• the music industry is not regulated by a single organisation, but there are regularly guidelines in place for music production in Britain
• the BPI runs the parental advisory scheme however this is voluntary and uses the logo to notify audiences about content that might not be suitable for children
• it is the record labels responsibility to assess the product and apply the logo where appropriate: both on a physical product or online
• Regulating music videos: since 2014 all music videos on DVD now need to be classified if they would achieve a 12 or above

Music Audiences

Case Study Research

Star Persona of Taylor Swift

Taylor Swifts style is very generic for a white American female, potentially showing she wants to present herself as either timeless or relatable. She is interactive with her fans both online and with her stage presence, showing again she cares for her fanbase. She has a signature fringe which she has had from very early on in her career, creating a strong, recognisable brand image. In both social media posts and album covers she is very often smiling, presenting her as a happy and bubbly person. She also has strong feminist values and independence which we know from both her song lyrics and social media posts.

Stormzy is presented as a role model figure to his audience and his culture, as he is very supportive of black lives matter and mentions associated struggles in many songs, interviews and social media posts. He is also not afraid to speak on controversial topics such as mens mental health online. 

21 March 2025

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1. Niche audience: small specific target audience

2. The star persona

3. development of digital technology has effected the way we consume music most in the last 20 years

4. Fandom: Social interaction, personal identity

5. Hardcore music fans might buy physical copies of music, buy merch, go to concerts etc

TLC: Waterfalls

• TLC all girls r&b/hip hop group (hybrid) TLC combined smooth and soulful elements of r&b and the tougher, more 'street' approach of rap, to create a group with a tomboy image
• unlike other girl groups, TLC had more of a rock n roll image. they were honest about their individual battles with addiction, police arrests, abusive relationships and spats with each other, arguably making them more 'gritty'

Meaning

• episodic song; several different scenes are depicted in the lyrics
• first scene is a mother/son relationship, son resorts to unorthodox ways of making money, his greed is his 'waterfall', eventually leading to his death
• second scene is a man chasing a different waterfall, specifically his 'waterfall' is his sexual desire, resulting in him contracting HIV
• the 'waterfall' is a metaphor for the thing they are unnecessarily chasing or drawn to

Media Language

• performance, narrative and conceptual all blended
• narrative: two clear narratives with characters and situations that directly relate to the lyrics
• conceptual: the liquid effect over the girls at beginning, at the waterfall and at the end 
• performance: girls dancing and singing to camera, dancing in sync, direct address, lip syncing, cut to the rhythm of the music - all typical conventions of music videos
• some clear illustration of the lyrics (images show the literal meaning of lyrics) e.g mother literally gazing out the window at her son, and man literally doesn't recognise his own reflection
• included diegetic sound (gunshot, heartbeat), almost pausing the song for the sake of the narrative of the music video between the verse and the chorus. Adds more realism
• intertextual reference: terminator 2. Similar CGI effect to the liquid versions of themselves was an intertextual reference to the liquid metal in terminator 2
• montage of flying imagery with natural and urban landscapes 
• special effects used to portray ghostly figures of mother and son, also to show the symptoms of the mans disease
• CGI adds almost supernatural element to song about very real social issues

Mis en scene

• first narrative scene: typical inner city location have connotations of ghetto culture and the costumes connote a dangerous urban environment. Intertextual links to 90's films like New Jack City and Boyz 'N the Hood. warm tone meant to show the safe and warm environment he comes from
• second narrative scene: iconography of the romance genre is used:attractive semi naked actors, silk stockings, tangled sheets, large mirrors: yet these swiftly become threatening and horrific to show the symptoms of the disease HIV. over exposure of the mans face shows symptoms taking effect

Symbolism

• drugs aren't explicitly shown, neither is any HIV diagnosis, but they are symbolised by a brown paper bag and AIDS by skin deterioration and a montage of photos of the females previous boyfriends

Special Effects

• used to balance the gritty realism of the narratives with something almost magical
• examples: mother appears as a ghost trying to prevent her son from approaching the gang, later son appears as the real ghost
• makes HIV seem more like a magical curse than a STI
• this alters the tone of the song from naturalistic to more expressionistic 

Context

• many r&b videos focus on a romantic narrative and often hip hop videos feature groups of men celebrating their wealth usually through crime
• waterfalls references these genres by showing the temptations of both sex and crime 
• its overall message is less glamorised and more cautionary than. many videos of this genre
• In the 90's TLC were the second biggest girl band after the spice girls with a similar message of female empowerment and female solidarity. this sub genre could fall into sub genre of 'socially aware' hip hop that explores real life issues but in a sympathetic way rather than glamourising dangerous lifestyles

Representation

• age: mostly young adults as they are the primary target audience, young boy in first narrative shows how young people can be easily tempted by crime/ drugs. Young people being shown as quite irresponsible. Overall stereotypical. 
• gender: generally young men being represented as quite impulsive and attracted to dangerous pursuits 
• TLC themselves: showing as almost supernatural beings which is quite stereotypical for the artist to be represented as magical or superior 
• social issues: are represented sympathetically. linking to the bands message that they want to send a message without preaching. The young black man is not a typical gangster, but rather represented as someone trying to make easy money. Racial and gender stereotypes have also been reinforced as all of the gang members were young black men 

25 March 2025

Do Now

1. Waterfalls incorporates performance, narrative and conceptual all blended

2. TLC bring together R&B and hip hop (hybrid)

3. Media Language: special effects, CGI, diegetic sound used to mark the narrative

4. Waterfalls is expressionistic

5. Social issues, age, gender

Taylor Swift: The Man

How does the video challenge typical pop music video? 

• No performance element, no obvious scene of the artist singing the song/ lip syncing in any way
• Mis En Scene - linear narrative by following the mans typical daily activities in various locations including the subway, office and park. These everyday settings are everyday locations that aren't specific to him, they represent the kind of places that women may experience sexism in their daily lives. The mans seen in a suit connoting education, wealth, sophistication etc. This aligns with the other settings: yacht and tennis court, both quite luxury locations, possibly suggesting the pay gap between men and women. All women wearing yellow bikinis in the yacht scene, all the same suggesting they are objectified and all seen as the same, dehumanising etc 

Propps character roles:

• The character of the man could be the false hero
• Taylor swift unmasked as the real hero at the end. The fact that you see her unmasked at the end followed by the credits of her writing and directing and the end encourage audiences to view her as a powerful and successful woman 

Intertextuality ( one text referencing another )

• Wolf of wall street references: the office scene and yacht scene, connoting the misogyny of the businessman
• references to her other own albums and on the wall with graffiti. Sign with the scooter with a line through it references her fight for the rights of her music with producer scooter braun, anchored by the missing poster

Media Language

• Clothing codes & propps: Man often seen in a suit, or has expensive sunglasses on etc, connoting his wealth, success, intelligence, superiority. 
• Colour palette: In the yacht scene, all of the women are in yellow bikinis taking away their individuality and presenting them as all the same. The yellow also reinforces the reference to the wolf of wall street as this is a prominent colour in the films colour palette e.g the poster & font
• Gesture codes e.g facial expressions: Scene on the subway when we is man spreading and flicking cigarette ash onto the women next to him both actions reflecting a disregard for others. Touches/re-arranging himself in public shows he is vulgar, inconsiderate, inappropriate
• Technical codes: man is in the centre and the camera lacks movement suggesting he is the centre of the narrative

Context

• social context of feminism in this video as TS is known to be a feminist. She takes on the role of a man to show how she feels she is treated, and to express her feminist views. She mocks the patriarchy and makes a serious point about gender discrimination 
• TS known for using her videos to criticise people from her personal life. This video may reference Jake Gyllenhaal who she has previously dated. 

Representation

• Men: men are represented as arrogant and misogynistic towards women. Represented as disrespectful when engaging in several exaggerated versions of several male behaviours. The posters highlight hyper masculinity in action movies and male stereotypes are reinforced in the newspaper the man is reading. Ego driven arrogant men 
• Women: women in this music video have been objectified e.g in the yacht scene to show how they are viewed by men. In the office scene represents women being subservient and desperate to be chosen 
• Taylor Swift has been represented as a powerful and successful woman as she is revealed at the end as the director, followed by the credits scene naming her as both director and writer
• Inequality is the main theme following the narrative of the music video, and is represented to show the social issues of gender discrimination against women as unfair 

28 March 2025

do now 

1. The Man music video challenges conventions of a pop music video as there is no performance element e.g lip syncing

2.  The wolf of wall street, tennis player, graffiti on the wall

3. ML: Mis en scene: his outfit connotes his wealth, intelligence, success. Technical codes: man is in the centre and the camera lacks movement suggesting he is the centre of the narrative. 

4. The man fills propps role of the false hero 

5. two areas of representation you could discuss in the man: gender inequality, gender

Stormzy: Superheroes

Overview

• released December 13 2019 in Stormzy's second album 
• Video premiered on 9 September 2020, was shown in school classrooms in London, Glasgow, Dublin, Manchester when schools reopened after being closed during covid pandemic 
• video directed by British film maker Taz Tron Delix, produced by Argentinian animation studio 2veinte
• Dedicated the music video to Chadwick Boseman following his death August 2020
• In 2020 Stormzy donated £500,000 to the Black Heart Foundation to provide educational scholarships for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and pledged to donate £10 mil over the next decade to help combat racial inequality in the UK

How does it challenge conventions of a normal music video?

• no performance aspect 
• illustrated: animated nature subverts music video conventions, but enables the characters superpowers to be shown imaginatively 
• very different tone to Stormzy's other music videos
• entirely narrative based, but lyrics still narrate the story throughout, and the visuals contain many cultural references to real people and events from 2020

Media Language: 

• Mis en scene: opening shots show the buildings showing the locations a city. Colour palette: pink skies green trees and flowers and diegetic sound of birds suggest peaceful and happy and optimistic tone, all subverting typical conventions of Stormzy's videos 
• Propp's character roles: Stormzy fills the role of the hero: rescues the boy, helps the 'Young Black Queens/Kings'. Could be seen as Proppian heroes, who receive help from Stormzy and other inspirational figure: could argue Stormzy also carries the role of the donor, helper, and dispatcher as he helps the kids on their journey towards empowerment 

• Clothing codes and props: boys adidas tracksuit reflect similar style to the dress code in Stormzy's other music videos, adding authenticity and relatability for the young audience. 
• Lighting: at one point Stormzy is glowing and transfers the light to the boy showing his internal power and significance 
• Technical codes: low angle shot establishes Stormzy as the hero when he first meets the boy, the boy is looking up at him from the corner of the frame, positioning the audience to view Stormzy as an inspirational role model. Wide shot at the beginning to show the city, showing that the target audience is kids from urban areas as thats where the problem is worst

Intertextuality:

• Noughts and crosses: hows the book in his video. is a book about racial inequality with the roles reversed to highlight the issues. Stormzy has a part in the noughts and crosses series on BBCone, could be classed as synergy
• Toy Story: built like buzz lightyear, similar movements to him like the flying
• The Matrix
• Little Simz: another Black music artist represented as a role model to younger girls/ kids in the music video 

Iconography

• Shot on the left represents the covid pandemic (face masks)
• These two shots also represent the global Black lives matter movement going on following the death of George Floyd. This starts at the beginning of the video with the guy gratifying the wall, and we see other protests throughout the video. There is no violence in any of the protest scenes. There is diversity in the crowd. 
• The hashtag merky is Stormzy's brand
• all the iconography in the video is associated with Black empowerment: placards and raised fists in the protest scene, then the symbolism at the end when he places the world in the boys hand, showing that these young people have the power to change the world 

Context

• many references to popular culture chosen to represent Black culture in an empowering way, including rappers Dave, Little Simz and footballer Marcus Rashford
• Use of little simz subverts gender stereotypes, showing her as an equal hero to the other figures
• Marcus Rashford shirt reflects social and political contexts as he successfully pressured the government into reversing their decision of ending free school meals during the pandemic , therefore Stormzy wanted to represent him as a hero in his video
• noughts and crosses referenced, stormzy appears in BBC ones series of it as it explores racism in alternative
• Stormzy is well known for his political activism, using social media to highlight profile performances e.g Glastonbury headline slot 2019 when he wore a bulletproof vest to send a message. 

Representation

• Women: subverts stereotypes, e.g Little simz as hero and the football player being a girl. Young female character with body confidence issues but inspired to embrace her natural beauty
• Stormzy: heroic, role model etc. Represented really positively, Black role model with power hoping to inspire the younger generation. Shown as caring, supportive, intelligent. Shows the n&c book to police, showing education is the root to empowerment and equality - educating yourself will empower you. Showing the book to police is a little dig at racial profiling and inequality. 
• Men: `' Young black King' main young male lead shown as vulnerable and lacking confidence at the start, but by the end is confident after his journey with Stormzy
• Family --

1 April 2025

Do Now 

1. Superheroes challenges the conventions of a mainstream music video as it has no performance element: no lip syncing or singing 

2. Intertextual references superheroes: noughts and crosses referenced, stormzy appears in BBC ones series of it as it explores racism in alternative, including rappers Dave, Little Simz and footballer Marcus Rashford, also references to toy story and the matrix

3. Media Language in superheroes to create meaning: low angle shot establishes Stormzy as the hero when he first meets the boy, boys adidas tracksuit reflect similar style to the dress code in Stormzy's other music videos, adding authenticity and relatability for the young audience. 

4. Stormzy fills the Proppian hero role, but teaches this to the children/ community throughout the video, and they also take on this role once they have 'transformed'

5. Two areas of representation you could discuss in superheroes: gender, racial inequality

MV: Industry and Audiences

Taylor Swift: Industry

• signed song writing deal with Sony records in 2004 and a recording contract with big machine records in 2005
• signed to public records in 2018, the label under which her 2019 Lover album was released
• after a dispute with big machine records , she began re recording her first 6 albums, 3rd of which i released July 2023
• Her music is promoted to audiences through her website and its convergence with her social media accounts. 
• Examples
  
  
  

• Prosthetic makeup used to transform her into the Man involved her wearing a muscle suit and having facial sculptures which took 4-6 hours on each day of filming. 
• the final bts shots of the video reveal the transformation that she did to become the man, and we are reminded she is both the singer, song writer and director of the video
• Swift was the first person to win the woman of the decade award at Billboards women in music awards 2019
• The documentary film Miss Americana was released on Netflix in 2020, following her over several years of her life and career. Promotes her music to a wide audience and is an example of media convergence 

Taylor Swift Audiences:

• 25 February 2020 posted a teaser short trailer for the man music video on her social media accounts, announcing to her fans that it would be released two days later on her youtube channel 
• she answered questions on 27 February 2020 in the hour before the video premiered on her accounts. The hashtag 'TheMan' was used by fans to share responses to the video after its release
• she posted thank you messages to the actors in her music video for the parts thy played- they could then repost this , opening her up to even more of an audience and fanbase
• She uses social media accounts often take a more personal approach to connect with her fans often posting her cats  and also expressing her personal views on there, e.g the hashtag MeToo movement and 2020 US Presidential election 
• International women's day in 2020, The man was added to playlists on streaming platforms including apple music and Spotify 
• British politician Liz Truss referenced lyrics to the song during a debate on gender equality in the House of commons on International women's day in 2020

Uses and Gratifications

• Personal identity: may resonate with the message the video conveys, or to some of the characters
• Entertainment: form of escapism for a few minutes
• Social interaction:  provides a talking point for existing fans and new ones too 

THEORY: RECEPTION THEORY

• Stuart Hall came up with the idea that  media producers encode messages with intended meanings but audiences actively decode these messages based on their personal experiences and context, leading to diverse interpretations
• PREFERRED/DOMINANT READING: audience accepts the intended meaning of the message 
• NEGOTIATED READING: audience partially accepts intended meaning but also incorporates their own interpretations and perspectives
• OPPOSITIONAL READING: audience rejects the intended meaning and interprets the message in a way that contradicts the producers intent ( this often happens when the viewer is either not the intended target audience so doesn't understand reference/ context, or the product has been produced poorly)

Possible PREFERRED and OPPOSITIONAL readings of The Man by audiences:

• Preferred: Audiences understands and addresses the misogynistic issues of todays society, for example taking part in the MeToo movement. Females should also feel empowered by the message of the video and feel encouraged to challenge the representations and stereotypes that are being parodied 
• Oppositional: Possibility that men are offended and take it as a criticism because they cannot relate to its message as they have not experienced it. Men may also feel its an outdated misrepresentation of them. The man could also be interpreted as cool or appealing to anti feminist figures 

Stormzy: Industry

• first album 'gang, signs and prayer' was released independently 
• was the first rap album to win the BRIT award for Album of the year 
• then signed to Atlantic records in 2018, under which his second album 'heavy in the head' was released, 5th best selling album of 2020
• 2020 stormzy signed to 0207 Def Jam (part of universal music group) a newly formed sub division of Def Jam records based in London which focuses on UK rap and grime artists
• production company responsible for producing superheroes was 2viente, well known boutique design and animation studio in Buenos Aires that works with traditional frame-by-frame 2D animation 
• managed to produce the video in eight weeks - had to use simple backgrounds to focus more on the characters and minimise scenic details 
• His official website promotes tours, albums releases, associated merchandise and is currently (as of 2023) promoting Stormzy's third album, 'This is what i mean "

• has a brand Merky, pledged to donate £10 million over a ten year period to black organisations to fight racial inequality in the UK 
• Known for bringing grime genre into mainstream - grime is a sub genre of hip hop
• first unsigned artist and first grime artist to appear on Later with Jools Holland on BBC2

• Older gen z audiences reacted on social media to his use of lyrics from Keisha Whites someday, which features at the end of superheroes track, this is better known as the Tracy Beaker theme tune, sparking comments 
• 5th most popular rap/ hip hop artist in the UK. About half and half of his instagram following are male/ female 
• His music video is promoted through his website and convergence with his social media, which takes a more personal approach to connect with his fans . He has expressed his views through social media on issues such as the BLM movement 2020, 2019 UK general election 

Preferred and Oppositional reading:

• Preferred reading: the young black audience to embrace the positive message of strength and hope, and to feel inspired by not only Stormzy but the other role models in the video 
• Oppositional viewpoint: may come from an older white audience that may not understand the representations and issues faced by the black community, and feel that some of it has been overly exaggerated 

ONLINE MEDIA

1. A place for fans to connect with the artist

2. A place to sell merchandise, an important revenue stream for artists

3. Direct fans to their social media accounts 

4. Help promote a new album and tour 

5. Help promote their brand, through tie ins to an album release