How do record labels promote releases?

Methods of promotion for a new album:

• TV/radio interviews and live performances
• Airplay on radio stations and music channels
• Gigs/ tours/ festivals - oral advertising
• TV adverts
• Web advertising
• Posters
• Billboards
• Artists website
• Magazine interviews and features
• Merchandise

We will be producing a poster to promote our artist and their album as part of an ancillary task, therefore I analysed some existing products to understand the conventions of artists posters...

The Vines...

• Visuals relate to text as an image of vines is used to reflect and reinforce the bands name.
• The image is taken from part of the album cover, which creates cohesion across the platforms and allows easy recognition of the album for the audience.
• There is a green colour scheme, which has connotations of natural, organic, not manufactured and also fresh. This suggests the band do not wish to be seen as another manufactured band and instead have a more back to basics and home grown feel to their music.
• Positive lexis is used throughout the cover as a persuasive technique, such as "hit" "exclusive" and "bonus". This makes the audience feel as though they are getting something special. We could use this technique when producing our own album cover, including positive quotes about Jose Vanders from others such as 'one of the most exciting things to happen to British music since Amy Winehouse'. This would appeal to those who are fans of Amy Winehouse as they are being promised something similar and also fans of famous blogger Perez Hilton, as his followers are likely to check out her music if he likes it.
• The advert is at an angle which makes it appear more eye catching and not so symmetrical and manufactured, reflecting the bands desired image. It could also link to the fact vines grow wildly and not often in straight lines.
• Conventions such as the record label appear both on the album and the advert. This could appeal to people who have enjoyed the music of other artists on that label, as they will expect something similar.
• There is a clear release date on the advert, which is important as people are likely to spend a short amount of time reading such an advert which they may spot in a shop window or bus stop as they are passing. We will ensure that a clear release date is visible on our album cover to avoid any confusion for the audience.

Florence and the Machine...

• The main image of the advert is the album cover. This will allow easy recognition for people between the two and when finding the album in a store. We will use parts of our album cover on our poster, as well as possible snap shots from the video to create cohesion throughout.
• Florence and the Machine's signature font it used for their name. This font is used on their website, album cover, single covers and all promotional material to allow easy identification and to help build her brand.
• The main image is framed by the rest of the advert using a linear design, which makes the album cover the main focus.
• Cohesion is created through the use of the same flowers on the advert as are used in the album cover. This makes the whole thing flow.
• There is a green and blue colour scheme to the advert which has connotations of natural, fresh, organic and not manufactured. This reflects her individual and non-conformist image.
• The pair of lungs around her neck relates to the album title "Lungs" as well as developing the artists quirky image. It suggests she has a big pair of lungs, therefore a big voice, which is clear from her music.
• There is a very natural feel to the advert and album cover, due to the colour scheme as well as the use flowers and birds in imagery.
• Florence never looks directly at the camera in promotional images, which contrasts with conventions as the majority of artists do in order to connect with the audience. Although, the way she is looking away appears endearing.
• Minimal text is used on the advert for simplicity and quick reading which is desirable of an advert. In our ancillary task, we will use minimal text on our poster for the same effect.
• There are common conventions used on the advert such as the record label, release date and artists website all of which we will include on our own.

Ellie Goulding...

• There are strong relationships between the text and the visuals on the advert and album cover, as a gold colour scheme is used which is a play on her name "Goulding". Also, the lights in her hair in the main image link with the album title "Lights".
• In the main image, Ellie appears to be glowing, which could have connotations of her being a new star.
• Positive quotes from reviewers are used on the advert to create a positive vibe about her music and persuade the audience to listen to and purchase it.
• She has a relaxed facial expression on the album cover with minimal make up and styling. This makes her appear as a young, fresh faced, natural girl. Not the typical manufactured popstar with a cheesy grin.
• The majority of the advert is filled with just Ellie's face, which suggests she is being sold as the brand rather than creating a brand around her.
• The font appears glowing to stand out from the imagery and is aesthetically pleasing and harmonious due to the E's and the G's being the same shape.

Revolutionary Methods Of Promotion

Cheryl Cole

• Cheryl's record label Polydor have launched a new Facebook and poster campaign to promote her new album "Messy Little Raindrops". The campaign launched on 25th October with 114 poster locations across the UK. It relies on outdoor posters attracting passers by to Cheryl Cole's Facebook page, in order to promote her album.
• Katherine Levy writes: "Smartphone users are encouraged to "check-in" at which ever advertisement they are close to, to be entered into a draw to win two tickets, travel and accommodation to a live X Factor show. Users will then receive a Facebook update shared on their Facebook wall announcing that they have entered the competition".
• This revolutionary form of advertising being tested by Polydor aims to raise awareness of the album through alerting user's social networking friends of its release. Social networking is widely used these days, therefore the potential of this form of advertising could be huge, with millions being signed up to the sites across the world, therefore giving global exposure too.
• The draw involved in the campaign cleverly embraces Cheryl's current popularity on The X Factor, as well as the popularity of the show itself, both targeting Cheryl Cole fans and X Factor fans, increasing her potential target audience.
• This campaign allows the audience to "actively engage with the ad and help spread the message across their network", rather than experiencing the "one-dimensional experience" of outdoor advertising.

Diana Vickers

• Upcoming artist Diana Vickers has embraced the new possibilities of technology by doing regular Ustream chats with her fans. This involves a live web chat, where fans can instantly post their messages and questions to Diana for her to comment on and answer. This gives a sense of closeness between the artist and fans, as though they are chatting to a friend.
• As well as pleasing her fans by interacting with them, Diana also uses this opportunity to plug upcoming album/single releases and tour dates, often doing Ustream chats when a big announcement or release has just occurred. She recently made a live announcement on Ustream of what her new single would be. This makes her fans feel a sense of exclusivity and appreciation, as well as pulling in more viewers to the channel.
• Diana's record label also run regular competitions through her Facebook page, such as the recent design a t-shirt competition to promote her latest single "My Wicked Heart". Another example includes winning a trip to watch her rehearsing her X Factor performance. Competitions like this offer a more active experience for her fans, allowing them to feel involved with her promotion and making them feel appreciated by offering these exclusive opportunities to them.

Website Analysis

Website Analysis (Diana Vickers)

View more documents from Hitchin Girls School.

Website Analysis (Katy Perry)

View more documents from Hitchin Girls School.

Website Analysis (Florence and The Machine)

View more documents from Hitchin Girls School.

Having a "niche"?

Having a "niche" means developing a very specific style and branding which is breaks away from the norm and is slightly unconventional. Artists are often trying to find "niches", which are "gaps in the market" and chances for them to bring something new to the music industry, in hope it will be accepted well and appreciated by the masses. A good example of an artist who found a "niche" is Lady Gaga. Her eccentric and controversial ways revolutionised the face of music in 2010, with her rapidly transforming from an unconventional "weirdo" to a global phenomenon.

It was Lady Gaga's desire to be different that led to her becoming such a sensation. She says how "I always loved rock and pop and theater. When I discovered Queen and David Bowie is when it really came together for me and I realised I could do all three" and "It's not all about the music. It's about the performance, the attitude, the look; it's everything." The "niche" she was trying to break into could have ended in disaster, with many frowning upon her exhibitionist ways, however her eccentric ways also earned her millions of loyal fans. Gaga has gone on to achieve global success, winning numerous awards such as Grammys and Brits, as well as storming the charts worldwide. She achieved a number 1 album in the UK, where it was certified four-times platinum.

Lady Gaga has not only developed a new style of music, but also a culture. Her controversial style and performances have resulted in her being a constant "hot topic" in the media. Her music videos, such as Telephone, are often criticised for being too racy, due to her exhibitionist nature, however Gaga's star image is all about pushing boundaries and being eccentric. Another controversial act performed by Gaga was her dress at the Brit awards in 2010, where she sported a dress made entirely of meat in support of gay soldiers.

Lady Gaga's carefree, ambitious, unconventional and influential ways are summarised by the quote "I'm just trying to change the world one sequin at a time."

The online revolution

• Lily Allen is an English recording artist who built up a fan base and gained recognition for her music through the social networking site MySpace. After leaving school to concentrate on musical composition and performance. She created a number of demo songs, and towards the end of 2005, set up a profile on MySpace, where she made some of her recordings public.
• Allen signed a record deal with Regal Recordings as her popularity grew, with tens of thousands of views on her MySpace page.
• The demos posted on her page attracted thousands of listeners, and her saleability was proved by the fact 500 limited edition vinyl singles of "LDN" were released and were being re-sold for as much as £40. Allen also produced two mixtapes in order to promote her work.
• As her number of MySpace friends and views continued to escalate, music magazine "The Observer Music Monthly" took interest in her and published an article about her and her success through MySpace in March 2006. Two months later, Allen recieved her first real mainstream coverage after featuring in the magazine's cover story.
• Due to having already created her own rebellious teen image, built up a fan base and produced her own sound in her music, she was allowed much more creative control when producing her album, rather than being forced into working with mainstream producers who may have disregarded her already established "niche" and tried to change her.
• These days it is becoming more and more common for artists to be signed by record labels once they have already produced their own album and created a brand for themselves, as this makes less work for the record label.
• Similar to Lily Allen, Jose Vanders has set up a MySpace page on which she broadcasts the music she has produced in order to build up her fan base, which would make her a more appealing artist to a record label.
• Lily Allen's songs were downloaded from MySpace 19 million times and as of 9th February 2009, she had 448,000 MySpace friends.
• As well as just broadcasting her music, Allen would blog about her life and the controversies surrounding her. This gave her fans something extra than just her music, making her page even more interesting.
• Lily Allen went on to have huge success, winning many awards and achieving great record sales.
• By January 2009 her debut album "Alright, still" had sold 960,000 copies in the United Kingdom and 520,000 copies in the United States.
• Her second album "It's Not Me, It's You" debuted at number 1 in the UK Albums Chart.
• Lily Allen has proved how much of an impact the online revolution has had on the music industry, with artists no longer needing record labels from day one in order to become successful. It shows how strong online promotion can be, suggesting traditional methods are a waste of money due to sites such as MySpace being free to broadcast on.
• As proved here, the online revolution has also allowed artists to build a fan base, an image and their own sound before even reaching the stage of obtaining a record deal. By proving their popularity to the label, in cases like this it often allows the artist much more creative control over their music, rather than being moulded by the record label.

How different bands/artists have promoted their albums specifically to their target audiences

Justin Bieber is a teenage American pop star, who has a global following and a target audience primarily of young and teenage girls. He has promoted his album "My World" in a number of ways.

• Justin has done album signings all over the world, including in London, where he was greeted by thousands of screaming girls. This has proved to be a very effective promotional method, as it allows his fans to meet their idol, as well as boosting sales of his new album through people purchasing it to be signed.
• It is obvious from his merchandise site that Justin's target audience is girls, due to there being a specific "girls" section of the site with 27 pieces of clothing, compared to the 4 t-shirts available which are aimed at boys. The majority of designs include Justin Bieber's name and an image of him to act as a promotional tool when worn, developing his brand and making him easily recognisable to the public. Special merchandise is released to promote a single or and album, for example, a new t-shirt has just been released including the album title "My World" and some existing products include songs lyrics such as "Me and You" which would have been produced in order to promote his single. Merchandise has become a very powerful tool of promotion, as when worn it gives the artist exposure to the public, as well as allowing fans to enjoy wearing clothing showing off their idol and feel part of the Justin Bieber phenomenon.
• Justin has a number of social networking sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, which allow him to connect with him fans on a more personal level and make them feel like one of his friends. This has become very popular with celebrites and artists, with their publicists or record labels setting them up for them to interact and build relations with their fans as well as promote upcoming releases.
• Due to his target audience of young girls and teenagers being very technological these days, possessing mobile phones and iPods at young ages, mobile and MP3 downloads of his tracks are available on his website. This shows that his record label are keeping up with the "digital revolution", rather than allowing it to impact them negatively. The fact his tracks can be downloaded to such portable devices, makes it easier for awareness of his music to be raised, as one of his tracks may be heard as a ring tone or someone may see someone else listening to it and be inquisitive.
• Bieber is made appealing to his target audience in images, both promotional and on his album cover by his youthful and stylish dress sense. He is often dressed in hoodies, checked shirts, jeans and high top trainers, which teenage girls are likely to find attractive and it makes him more relatable as it portrays him as an average teenager.

Branding

• Tinchy Stryder has developed an extensive brand for promotion called "Star In The Hood". This continually expanding brand includes a wide range of merchandise from hoodies and t-shirts to caps which incorporate the iconic "Star In The Hood" logo associated with Tinchy Stryder, rather than the use of his actual name. This makes the audience feel as though they are buying into the brand surrounding him and as though they are a part of it, like a community.
• This is an identity Tinchy has built for himself and is now known and recognised for. This is an example of star iconography, as it is a common feature throughout his work. He wears "Star In The Hood" clothing on his album cover "Catch 22", in his music videos and the logo is used throughout his website, as well as the website actually being named http://www.starinthehood.net/. This gives a sense of cohesion throughout his different levels of promotion, which is effective as it clearly establishes an artists brand.
• We could use continuity like this in our ancillary tasks by using consistent fonts on the album cover and advert. We could also feature the main image of the album cover on the advert for our artist, to make the album easily recognisable to the audience in shops. This has been done successfully by existing artists such as Florence and The Machine and Ellie Goulding.

Goodwin's theory

The following points outline Goodwin's theory:

• There's a relationship between the music and the visuals (illuminating, amplifying or contradicting the music). Editing speed may match music tempo.
• Certain music genres may have their own style of music videos and iconic features eg. live stage performances in indie and heavy rock.
• Record companies demand lots of close up shots of the main artist/vocalist.
• The artist may develop their own star iconography both in and out of their videos which becomes their star image over time eg. Lady Gaga.
• They are likely to reference voyeurism, especially in the treatment of women but also in terms of systems of looking eg. screens within screens, cameras etc.
• There are likely to be intertextual references, either to other music videos or to films and TV texts. Intertextual references are when a text references another text.

I watched three music videos and related them to Goodwin's theory.

1) Florence and The Machine- Dog Days Are Over

• The pace of the editing increases in the chorus, with faster cuts between shots when the tempo speeds up.
• There is lip synching and dancing which is typical of such a music video.
• Camparisions can be drawn between this video and a Kate Bush video.
• There is a strong relationship between the music and visuals such as clapping, explosions, drum playing and dancing in time with the beat of the song.
• Florence has built up a quirky and individual image which is used to market her music which is called her star iconography. This is reflected throughout her video through her clothes, makeup and the concept.
• Close up shots are used of the artists face throughout the video.

2) Rihanna- Don't Stop The Music

• The editing matches the tempo of the music.
• There is evident pop iconography used such as lip synching and dancing (against a wall and in a club).
• Close up shots of Rihanna are used throughout, as well as a variety of shot types and angles.
• Voyeurism is used through the use of mirrors.
• The music matches the visuals eg. clapping in time with the beat of the song.

3) The Vines- Winning Days

• There is indie iconography of a live performance.
• The visuals mathc the lyrics as well as the music, such as when "days are over" is sung there is an image of burning wood which suggests destruction and death. Also, the video is set in winter when nothing grows suggesting the end.

Analysing Existing Album Covers

• A candy theme is used throughout the cover, with the candy floss cloud in the main image as well as in the typography with sweet lace and candy cane styles being used. This has childish, playful, sweet and innocent connotations to it.
• A blue sky can be seen in the image, which has idyllic connotations. Although, the fact the typography of the album title "Teenage Dream" appears to be dripping suggests a not so perfect world, possibly relating to the trials and tribulations experienced during teenage life.
• The predominant colour of the typography is red, which has connotations of love, passion and danger, as well as being a colour which will be an eye grabber to the audience when seen on store shelves. The typography is further enhanced by a blue outline, which contrasts with the red.
• Katy is looking at the camera in the main image, which will enable a connection with the audience, however her expression is quite vacant and sexy rather than the typical cheesy pop star grin seen on album covers. This reflects her quirkiness and individuality.
• The fact Katy is posing naked in the main picture is ironic as it contrasts with the sweet theme of the cover, tainting her innocent image and revealing her mischievous nature to the audience. This could appeal to the male audience, although the image is not really provocative as it is softened by the surrounding candy floss.
• Katy Perry has mass appeal, however is likely to appeal most to the female teenage audience due to the title including the word "teenage" and the girly colour scheme and candy concept.
  
  
• This complex and abstract cover is endearing and unique.
• The random mish mash of objects, locations and animals has a quirky and cooky appeal to it, which is the identity Eliza has created and is using to market both herself and her music. Our artist Jose Vanders is of a similar style to Eliza, being a bit cooky and producing easy listen music. We could use this idea of collating different images to create a new one when producing our digipak.
• The bright and vibrant colours are aesthetically pleasing to the audience and also portray the artist as fun and exciting.
• Eliza's youth is reflected through the way she is dressed as well as the concept of the cover. She is dressed in shorts and trainers, allowing her to relate to her young target audience.
• The way Eliza appears to be hanging off of a building in the image portrays her as playful and fun.
• The cartoon effect used in the cover is designed to be quirky, however also has childish connotations and could suggest that she lives in a fantasy world.
• The decision to include iconic English landmarks in the main image such as London Bridge, Stone Henge and Big Ben has patriotic connotations to it and relates to the idea of her being a home-grown talent, which usually appeals more to the national audience due to having more of a connection with the artist. We plan to use images relating to train stations on the front cover of our digipak for Jose Vanders, which relates to the lyrics in our video "Faces Going Places". We may take influence from Eliza's cover and use an iconic London station on it to achieve this home-grown feel too, due to Jose being British.

• In this striking album cover, Rihanna's strong star image is used to create the branding. Her heavy make up, punk-style hair, leather clothing and Gothic jewellery creates a Gothic and bad girl image, a very different style to Rihanna's previous album covers, indicating a shift in her musical style.
• The use of black and white colouring adds to the hardness of her image, making her look appear more extreme.
• The unconventional pose adopted by Rihanna conveys attitude, building on the rebellious star image the record label are trying to create for her. Her direct eye contact with the camera and expressionless face appears quite ominous.
• The extent of Rihanna being the brand herself is proven by the fact her whole name is not even used on the album cover, as it would be typically, with her simply being referred to as "R". This also links in with the album title "Rated R", having dual meaning. The album title features quite discreetly in the bottom right corner, with Rihanna's striking image being the main focus of the product.
• The typography of the "R" again adds to the rebellious star image, appearing to be scratched into the page.
• This album is more likely to appeal to an older audience, probably late teens and young adults, opposed to her earlier music appealing more to the younger audience due to her previously innocent image. This is due to young girls probably being alienated by this strong, rebellious new star image Rihanna has adopted, appearing more threatening than "the girl next door".