Institutional Context & Professional Practice
Most often, a record label is a company that brands, trademarks and markets music recordings and videos. It also co-ordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, promotion and copyright protection of these music products. Some larger labels conduct talent scouting and development of new artists (“artists and repertoire”/A&R) as well as maintain contracts with artists and their managers.
Recording artists usually rely on record labels to promote their music through radio, television and to market and distribute their products to stores and other media outlets; all to further broaden the artist’s audience. In recent years, however, the internet has increasingly become a way for artists to directly distribute and promote their products while avoiding costs.
Record labels range between small, localised “independent/indie” to large international media groups. The four largest labels are called the Major Labels. A sub-label is a label part of a bigger company which trades under a different name. Some labels are not a company, but only a trademark or brand. These are referred to as imprints.
Major Labels
1. Sony Music Entertainment (SME)
2. Electric & Musical Industries Ltd (EMI)
3. Warner Music Group (WMG)
4. Universal Music Group (UMG)
Most record labels are controlled by a corporate umbrella organization called “Music Group”. Music groups are typically owned by an international conglomerate holding company, which usually have non-music divisions as well. As of 2005, “Big Four” music groups control approximately 70% of the world music market and about 80% of the US music market. Record companies (i.e. Music Publishing Companies, Record/Sound Recording Manufacturers, Record Distributors and Record Labels) can also make up a “Record Group”, which in turn is controlled by a music group.
Artists “signed” or under contract with these labels are more likely to be successful due to the contacts and facilities at the major label’s disposal, however there is a cost. Their contracts are a lot more controlling and constricting as compared to smaller indie labels. Major labels focus on the aspect of making record sales and usually consider artists as mere commodities.
Independent
Record companies not under the big four are generally considered as independent/indie, no matter the size or complexity. They are usually started by an artist or band putting out their own material using smaller-scale methods of marketing and promotion, such as handing out CDs at performances, posting fliers around the locality or internet. Benefits for indie labels;
1. Income- Income from concert ticket purchase and sales of promotional merchandise are spread between less people.
2. Step to Major Deal- Indie labels can be used as a platform for attaining bigger deals. Indie artists and labels can sometimes be signed to major labels. Major labels now pay more attention to genres which were previously practiced underground i.e. Hip-Hop and Latin.
3. Artist Control- Indie artists retain control and profit from their own careers without total submission to a superior.
4. Strengthen Local Economy- Since indie labels start of locally, equipment and employees are also acquired locally. As they become more successful and expand outside their regional borders, they import money. Therefore, indie labels indirectly help they community’s economic base.
Problems for Indies
Although the success of indie labels is much more rewarding, there are many barriers to the achievement of this.
1. Advertisement Competition- Adverts are dominated by entertainment and leisure products from business giants. Indie products have difficulty competing for attention.
2. Access to Popular Media- The conglomerates which control music groups also control television networks, radio stations, magazines, publishing companies and popular websites. Because of this, most music and videos that reach the masses are owned by the conglomerates.
3. Retail Store Consolidation- Retail stores are increasingly becoming owned by larger companies, as opposed to previous privately owned stores which make it more difficult for indie labels to have their products sold by them. Also, the larger music groups buy out entire shop floors, racks and bins for their artists at a time, making each individual slot more expensive and scarce which makes it even more difficult for indie labels to acquire a slot.
The Internet
The internet is increasingly becoming more and more helpful to indie artist, label and major label interests alike. It serves as an ideal medium for advertising and promotion as well as becoming a solution for the increasing consolidation prices of retail outlets. Although this can be seen as a ray of hope for indie artist breakthrough, there are still some pitfalls.
The internet, as vast as it is, still has dominant sites owned by conglomerates which provide audiences with their own material. Indie artists that promote and distribute their own material, therefore, become so common that it is easy for them to become insignificant.
The upside for the indie labels, however, is that although major labels focus on the genres they expect to sell, indie artists can continue to satisfy the wants of the less mainstream listeners with passion, diversity, vitality and creativity.
UK Television Music Stations
Owner/ Station
Viacom/ MTV, MTV2, MTV Base, MTV Dance, MTV HITS, VH1, VH1 Classic, VH2, TMF.EMAP/ KISS, Q, Kerrang!, Smash Hits, The Hits, Magic.
BSKYB/ Scuzz, Bliss, Flaunt.
Chart Show Channels/ The Vault, Chart Show TV, Bliss
Video Interactive TV/ Channel AKA
GWR/ Classic FM
Zee TV/ Zee Music
Station/ Genre or Target audience
VH1/ Rock and Pop- for 24-44 year-olds
Q/ Rock- Designed for people who read the magazine Q.
Scuzz/ Hardcore Rock
Channel AKA/ Urban (Hip-Hop, Garage, Grime etc)-Underground
Flaunt/ Pop and R&B- Feminine
Box/ Across the Board
MTV Base/ Urban- Commercial
Classic FM/ Classical
Kerrang!/ Heavy Rock
Smash Hits/ Pop
MTV/ Hits from all genres
Showing posts with label Subject Matter Research. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Subject Matter Research. Show all posts
Friday, 16 April 2010
Monday, 23 November 2009
Domestic Violence Stories
To get a real insight into what it is like to be in a relationship that suffers from domestic violence, we need to read stories from people that have actually been through it.
The following are two stories from Amelia and Danna that we have found on the internet. We have highlighted the abuse endured to get a feeling of what goes on.
The following are two stories from Amelia and Danna that we have found on the internet. We have highlighted the abuse endured to get a feeling of what goes on.
Sunday, 22 November 2009
Subject Matter Conclusion
Domestic Violence is any type of ongoing violence that takes place within an intimate or family-type relationship. This can include forced marriage and so-called 'honour crimes'. Domestic violence is more then just unprovoked physical violence, there are many other signs such as verbal abuse, lying to you (like having an affair), and even isolation like monitoring your telephone calls and telling you were you can and can’t go.
There are many different theories as to the causes of domestic violence. These include psychological theories that consider personality traits and mental characteristics of the offender, as well as social theories which consider external factors in the offender's environment, such as family structure, stress, social learning. Social learning refers to learning through observation, for example when growing up if the attacker was in a family environment which suffered from domestic violence, that may be the only experience they have of family life and imitate it within their own families. As with many phenomena regarding human experience, no single approach appears to cover all cases. Other factors associated with domestic violence include heavy alcohol consumption and side effects of drug addiction.
From personal accounts, we found that domestic violence is all about power and control. The victim completely looses their self-esteem and therefore may feel as if it is their fault. “He made me feel so bad about myself… that I believed I deserved that kind of treatment…” (Amelia’s story). They try to control every aspect of the persons life with fear, like Danna explains, “I would be locked in it for days and the hardest part is that there wasn't even a lock on the door, I was so afraid to leave the room I may as well have been locked in it, only leaving to ask permission to go to the toilet.” This shows that the attacker had so much control that he wouldn’t even have to forcefully isolate his victim in one room with a lock, he had instilled so much fear in his victim that she was terrified of the consequences if she left. This begins to explain why some victims find it hard to leave a violent relationship, because if they are so afraid to leave a room that isn’t locked how they are supposed to leave the whole relationship. Statistics from Humphreys & Thiara, (2002) showed that 60% of women that finally left did so because they felt that their or their children would have been killed if they stayed. Also it isn’t generally an irrational fear of being killed because on average two women a week are murdered by their violent partner or ex-partner (Povey, 2005; Home Office, 1999; Department of Health, 2005.)
In terms of representation issues, statistics shows 89 per cent of victims are women and women under the age of 30 are at considerably greater risk than those over the age of 40 years (British Crime Survey, Walby & Allen, 2004). With regards to ethnicity and social class there isn’t much evidence that provides a difference of statistics within the groups, therefore this information provides the idea that we should use a young female victim.
From looking at other music videos which theme around domestic violence we see how they choose to express the issue. Because domestic violence is a serious problem we need to take on the issue delicately whilst making a impact on the audience. A really good shot I noticed in both Eve- Love is blind (1999) and Ashanti- Rain on me (2003), is the mirror shot were the girl is like fixing her makeup in the mirror and the camera is focused on the mirror therefore we can see her reflection and her facial expressions -If done right it can be very effective. Another key technique I saw, was instead to showing physical violence which can be disturbing or if not done professionally can look “comical”, show a shadow of violence which can imply the abuse but not show it directly.
Our research into domestic violence has given us a broader understanding of domestic violence in the UK, which in turn will help us produce a music video with a realistic outlook on domestic violence situations.
By Ameera Tayabali
There are many different theories as to the causes of domestic violence. These include psychological theories that consider personality traits and mental characteristics of the offender, as well as social theories which consider external factors in the offender's environment, such as family structure, stress, social learning. Social learning refers to learning through observation, for example when growing up if the attacker was in a family environment which suffered from domestic violence, that may be the only experience they have of family life and imitate it within their own families. As with many phenomena regarding human experience, no single approach appears to cover all cases. Other factors associated with domestic violence include heavy alcohol consumption and side effects of drug addiction.
From personal accounts, we found that domestic violence is all about power and control. The victim completely looses their self-esteem and therefore may feel as if it is their fault. “He made me feel so bad about myself… that I believed I deserved that kind of treatment…” (Amelia’s story). They try to control every aspect of the persons life with fear, like Danna explains, “I would be locked in it for days and the hardest part is that there wasn't even a lock on the door, I was so afraid to leave the room I may as well have been locked in it, only leaving to ask permission to go to the toilet.” This shows that the attacker had so much control that he wouldn’t even have to forcefully isolate his victim in one room with a lock, he had instilled so much fear in his victim that she was terrified of the consequences if she left. This begins to explain why some victims find it hard to leave a violent relationship, because if they are so afraid to leave a room that isn’t locked how they are supposed to leave the whole relationship. Statistics from Humphreys & Thiara, (2002) showed that 60% of women that finally left did so because they felt that their or their children would have been killed if they stayed. Also it isn’t generally an irrational fear of being killed because on average two women a week are murdered by their violent partner or ex-partner (Povey, 2005; Home Office, 1999; Department of Health, 2005.)
In terms of representation issues, statistics shows 89 per cent of victims are women and women under the age of 30 are at considerably greater risk than those over the age of 40 years (British Crime Survey, Walby & Allen, 2004). With regards to ethnicity and social class there isn’t much evidence that provides a difference of statistics within the groups, therefore this information provides the idea that we should use a young female victim.
From looking at other music videos which theme around domestic violence we see how they choose to express the issue. Because domestic violence is a serious problem we need to take on the issue delicately whilst making a impact on the audience. A really good shot I noticed in both Eve- Love is blind (1999) and Ashanti- Rain on me (2003), is the mirror shot were the girl is like fixing her makeup in the mirror and the camera is focused on the mirror therefore we can see her reflection and her facial expressions -If done right it can be very effective. Another key technique I saw, was instead to showing physical violence which can be disturbing or if not done professionally can look “comical”, show a shadow of violence which can imply the abuse but not show it directly.
Our research into domestic violence has given us a broader understanding of domestic violence in the UK, which in turn will help us produce a music video with a realistic outlook on domestic violence situations.
By Ameera Tayabali
Saturday, 14 November 2009
Signs of Domestic Abuse
• Destructive criticism and verbal abuse:
shouting/mocking/accusing/name calling/verbally threatening
• Pressure tactics:
sulking, threatening to withhold money, disconnect the telephone, take the car away, commit suicide, take the children away, report you to welfare agencies unless you comply with his demands regarding bringing up the children, lying to your friends and family about you, telling you that you have no choice in any decisions.
• Disrespect:
persistently putting you down in front of other people, not listening or responding when you talk, interrupting your telephone calls, taking money from your purse without asking, refusing to help with childcare or housework.
• Breaking trust:
lying to you, withholding information from you, being jealous, having other relationships, breaking promises and shared agreements.
• Isolation:
monitoring or blocking your telephone calls, telling you where you can and cannot go, preventing you from seeing friends and relatives.
• Harassment:
following you, checking up on you, opening your mail, repeatedly checking to see who has telephoned you, embarrassing you in public.
• Threats:
making angry gestures, using physical size to intimidate, shouting you down, destroying your possessions, breaking things, punching walls, wielding a knife or a gun, threatening to kill or harm you and the children.
• Sexual violence:
using force, threats or intimidation to make you perform sexual acts, having sex with you when you don't want to have sex, any degrading treatment based on your sexual orientation.
• Physical violence:
punching, slapping, hitting, biting, pinching, kicking, pulling hair out, pushing, shoving, burning, strangling.
• Denial:
saying the abuse doesn't happen, saying you caused the abusive behaviour, being publicly gentle and patient, crying and begging for forgiveness, saying it will never happen again.
References from
http://www.womensaid.org.uk/domestic-violence-articles.asp?section=00010001002200410001&itemid=1272
shouting/mocking/accusing/name calling/verbally threatening
• Pressure tactics:
sulking, threatening to withhold money, disconnect the telephone, take the car away, commit suicide, take the children away, report you to welfare agencies unless you comply with his demands regarding bringing up the children, lying to your friends and family about you, telling you that you have no choice in any decisions.
• Disrespect:
persistently putting you down in front of other people, not listening or responding when you talk, interrupting your telephone calls, taking money from your purse without asking, refusing to help with childcare or housework.
• Breaking trust:
lying to you, withholding information from you, being jealous, having other relationships, breaking promises and shared agreements.
• Isolation:
monitoring or blocking your telephone calls, telling you where you can and cannot go, preventing you from seeing friends and relatives.
• Harassment:
following you, checking up on you, opening your mail, repeatedly checking to see who has telephoned you, embarrassing you in public.
• Threats:
making angry gestures, using physical size to intimidate, shouting you down, destroying your possessions, breaking things, punching walls, wielding a knife or a gun, threatening to kill or harm you and the children.
• Sexual violence:
using force, threats or intimidation to make you perform sexual acts, having sex with you when you don't want to have sex, any degrading treatment based on your sexual orientation.
• Physical violence:
punching, slapping, hitting, biting, pinching, kicking, pulling hair out, pushing, shoving, burning, strangling.
• Denial:
saying the abuse doesn't happen, saying you caused the abusive behaviour, being publicly gentle and patient, crying and begging for forgiveness, saying it will never happen again.
References from
http://www.womensaid.org.uk/domestic-violence-articles.asp?section=00010001002200410001&itemid=1272
What is domestic violence?
Domestic violence is physical, sexual, psychological or financial violence that takes place within an intimate or family-type relationship and that forms a pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour. This can include forced marriage and so-called 'honour crimes'. Domestic violence may include a range of abusive behaviours, not all of which are in themselves inherently 'violent'.
Domestic Violence Statistics (UK)
Gender
- 89 per cent of victims are women. (British Crime Survey, Walby & Allen, 2004)
- 1 in 4 women may experience violence in their relationships with men (Women's Aid Federation [England] report, 1992)
- 11% of women compared to 1% of men reported frightening threats (British Crime Survey, Walby & Allen, 2004)
Age
- Women under the age of 30 are at considerably greater risk than those over the age of 40 years. (British Crime Survey, Walby & Allen, 2004)
- Ethnicity
- Home Office Research Study 191 found that, among women, risks of domestic violence do not differ significantly by ethnic origin: about 4% of women of all ethnic groups said that they had been a victim of domestic violence in 1995.
Disability
- 3% of women living in refuges were disabled during the year 1997/98, according to a research report detailing a Women's Aid survey of that period (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2002).
Social Class
- can occur within any class, but risk increases in situations of poverty.
Fear of being killed
In a study of 200 women's experiences of domestic violence it was found that 60% of the women had left because they feared that they or their children would be killed by the perpetrator (Humphreys & Thiara, 2002).
Homicide
On average, two women a week are killed by a violent partner or ex-partner. This constitutes nearly 40% of all female homicide victims. (Povey, (ed.), 2005; Home Office, 1999; Department of Health, 2005.)
- 89 per cent of victims are women. (British Crime Survey, Walby & Allen, 2004)
- 1 in 4 women may experience violence in their relationships with men (Women's Aid Federation [England] report, 1992)
- 11% of women compared to 1% of men reported frightening threats (British Crime Survey, Walby & Allen, 2004)
Age
- Women under the age of 30 are at considerably greater risk than those over the age of 40 years. (British Crime Survey, Walby & Allen, 2004)
- Ethnicity
- Home Office Research Study 191 found that, among women, risks of domestic violence do not differ significantly by ethnic origin: about 4% of women of all ethnic groups said that they had been a victim of domestic violence in 1995.
Disability
- 3% of women living in refuges were disabled during the year 1997/98, according to a research report detailing a Women's Aid survey of that period (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2002).
Social Class
- can occur within any class, but risk increases in situations of poverty.
Fear of being killed
In a study of 200 women's experiences of domestic violence it was found that 60% of the women had left because they feared that they or their children would be killed by the perpetrator (Humphreys & Thiara, 2002).
Homicide
On average, two women a week are killed by a violent partner or ex-partner. This constitutes nearly 40% of all female homicide victims. (Povey, (ed.), 2005; Home Office, 1999; Department of Health, 2005.)
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Trantula Performance
The following video is clip of the band performing in Harrow, before we began working with them. This gave us an idea about the bands stage performance and their unique sound.
No More - TARANTULA!
Harrow Live - Travellers Studio 15th May 2009
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