Pop Music Genre

"Image is a key paradigm for music genre, with an artist's look categorising them before they start singing or playing."

This is the main point I gleaned from this article and is something which I'm very aware of.
It's true that when I look at an artist who I've never seen before, I'll make assumptions about their music, messages and whole image before I've even heard their music and will judge whether I listen to their music dependent on my opinion of their image. This means that, without creating an image which is the same as every other popstar, when making my artist's image I have to research into the target audience for the genre of music and make sure the image is spot on.
A signature element is also something which I would like to create. For example, Elvis' flares, Micheal Jackson's glove and Amy Winehouse's beehive are all things you could look at in isolation and would remind you of that artist- perfect examples of good marketing of their images.

In the music video, the clothes they're wearing make a big impact on the seriousness of their work so this is something I'll pay attention to- if their message is of non-conformity and rebellion then I'd dress them in wacky clothes to signify this, whereas if they sing ballads and love songs, I'd put them in more normal or slightly dressed up clothing to look romantic but relatable.

We can see these ideas are often applied in the music industry, with 70s punk rockers The Ramones wearing leather, ripped clothes and long hair in order to show their disregard for social norms whereas we see Adele often wearing romantic black dresses with demure makeup and her bigger size helps with her likability for her target audience.

The Formula for Future Music Business Models

The main point of the 15 minute presentation by Mike Masnick is that there is a simple business model which artists can follow in order to achieve success in the music industry and this doesn't mean that the artist has to become a "cookiecutter popstar" but actually, you can execute this formula in an "infinite variety of creative ways".

Connect with Fans (CwF) + Reason to Buy (RtB) = The Business Model (££££)

NMTs mean that there is a tremendous amount of new ways for artists to connect with their target audience and fans and to offer real reasons to buy, which can only aid their overall success. "Those that complain about what's been lost in the past need to turn around and look at the vast open fields of opportunity in front of them."

Using new technologies seems to be the best way for any artist to apply this business model and we see artists doing this every day.

Twitter is a perfect way for artists to talk to and follow back fans in order to keep interest and make them feel valued as fans and is also a perfect way to advertise tours, singles and albums through both their own tweets and pictures on their profile- as we can see above.
Apps such as Instagram also give the audience the feeling of insight into their chosen artist's life and makes them feel personally connected with the artist; again, helping the business model.

I'll apply this to my artist's business model and create a Twitter and Instagram account in order to connect with fans and promote their work and the messages behind their music, giving fans a real reason to buy.

Why Piracy is Perpetuating Plastic Pop

Piracy means that, especially for younger artists who haven't had chance to "make money from the music industry before the advent of digital piracy", music is being cheapened and it's harder for artists to get their money back on the music they're creating.
It also compromises the image of certain artists and can defy their whole reason for making the style of music they make and the messages they convey through their music. For example, Billy Corgan, of Smashing Pumpkins, emanates a rebellious attitude and says that showing this attitude in his music and then "begging for attention" is "completely counter intuitive to why he became a musician in the first place."
So not only does piracy deplete the number of new artists, it can also destroy the images of others.

If applying this ideas to my own music video, I would focus this idea into the artwork for the CD cover. Instead of making something generic and pleasing to the eye, perhaps something more thought-provoking, controversial and individual would gain the audience's attention without "begging for it" and would mean that the artist's individuality is kept.

An example is The Sex Pistols, who created a controversial album cover for their single "God Save the Queen" which is relevant to their views; rebellion against social conformity to monarchy and which changed the face of music and grabbed everyone's attention whilst sticking to their own morals and the messages they convey in their music. They didn't conform to the popstar norm in order to achieve demand for their music and fame.