R+P Post 6: Current Trends in Popular Music

The digital music economy has grown massively over the last few years due to the increased use of streaming services such as YouTube, Spotify and iTunes. According to a report by UK Music, these  services have increased in value from £168 million in 2014 to £251 million in 2015. Additionally the report contains a graph showing the percentage of people aged 15+ years old who are using different platforms to listen to music.

This graph shows that in 2016, YouTube was a bigger platform than physical CDs, proving just how relevant digital music consumption is. Most of the platforms are digital and I expect that the number streaming services will increase in the future. 

Below is the Live iTunes chart on Sunday 15th October 2017. I have added annotations to show the genre of each of the songs in the top 10 to see if there is a trend. 

By finding out the genres of each of the songs, I noticed that most of the tracks are in the Pop genre. The top 2 songs are both in the Latin genre, a genre that has become more popular in recent months due to the massive success of the song Despacito by Luis Fonsi ft. Daddy Yankee. Justin Beiber's remix helped the song to reach number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, a first for a primarily Spanish song since 1996. Since this, many more remixes of Spanish songs or partially Spanish songs have featured in the charts. 

From this research I have learnt that online services and digital media are an important part of music marketing and distribution. Additionally, from looking at current genre trends, there are many options we can look at for our project. For instance we could look at doing a pop or hip hop song as they are featured in the charts and therefore there is an audience for these genres. Alternatively we could look at other genres such as contemporary R&B or Rock as there is a gap in the market for these genres. 

R+P Post 5: The kind of video I would like to make

The video I would like to make would be very stylised and would have a very strong colour scheme and lighting choices. For example, I would like to have either a monochromatic colour scheme or really unsaturated video with a blue/grey tint. Below I have gathered screenshots of music videos with the grading that I would like to have.

These screenshots are from a variety of genres including electronic/house, pop, R&B and alternative/indie songs. Therefore this grading style could be possible for any genre we end up choosing. Also I feel that the colours help to reflect the meaning behind the song.

Another aspect I would like to have is bold lighting choices, such as strobe lighting, glares and back lighting (to create silhouettes). Below are some gifs to help illustrate my ideas. 

I would like my video to have a narrative that audiences can connect with and that moves them. Below are a few of the videos that contain narrative which I find to be emotionally touching and they make me feel something when I watch them.

Overall, I would like to make a video that conveys the meaning and emotion behind the music and the lyrics as to me that is the most important aspect of a song. I would like to do this through the use of grading, lighting and narrative.

R+P Post 4: Audience groups of interest

I feel that the biggest audience group of music consumers are teenagers/young adults. According to a research survey from 2016, 82% of 13-15 year olds agree that music is important to them as well as 72% of 16-24 year olds. There isn't a big difference between the ages of 24-64 year olds, suggesting that music is listened to by all ages but the genre of music may vary by age.

Additionally, due to the development of technology, most people now access music via the internet, through sites such as YouTube, or streaming services like Spotify. Below is a bar chart from the survey showing the percentage of people in different age groups who use YouTube for music consumption. 

YouTube usage for music bar chart

This chart shows that nearly all 16-24 year olds use YouTube to listen to music, making it a massive platform for releasing music. This age demographic seems to be the most accessible and also the most interested in music (along with younger teenagers).

I asked people aged 16-34 about what genre of music they listen to most. Below is a pie chart showing the results.

From my audience feedback I can see that Hip Hop is the most popular genre, closely followed by RnB and Pop. Therefore these would be good options for our track as they would target the largest demographic of music consumers.

R+P Post 3: Music genres that interest me

The genres of music that appeal to me the most are Pop (e.g Ed Sheeran, Kelly Clarkson), Rock (e.g All Time Low, Fall Out Boy) and Hip Hop (e.g Eminem, Logic, Ludacris). Each of these genres have a really distinct sound and style to them. For example, hip hop is usually characterised by rapping and a very strong rhythmic element. Hip hop songs are typically quite fast paced and upbeat which is good for breakdancing - a feature also associated with hip hop.  Pop music is quite varied. It is more mainstream and tends to be the genre of music featured on the charts. Additionally it's commonly combined with other genres to create sub-genres such as pop rock or pop folk.

Below are some mood boards and bullet points to show the stylistic elements from each of the genres I like. 

Pop

• Bright colours
• High key lighting
• Bold costumes/clothing and props
• Partying, music and drinking
• Most songs about love/relationships

Rock

• Darker, grungier colours
• Live performance
• Big focus on instruments and playing them in videos
• Casual, every day clothing

Hip Hop

• Quite unsaturated, low key lighting
• Idea of gangs and brotherhood
• Urban streets, estates, underground car parks, clubs
• Big flashy jewellery
• Hoodies, hats/caps, sunglasses

I believe that these we would be able to use these genres for our project as they are widely recognised  and well-liked genres. Additionally I feel like a dancing element could be included in these genres which appeals to me as I like dancing so it would be nice to include it in our video in some way. 

R+P Post 2: Myself as a music consumer

I love listening to music and I listen to it everyday, either in the car on the way to school, at school in free periods or at home to relax. I usually listen to music alone through my headphones but sometimes when I am with my friends we listen to songs together because it creates a fun atmosphere and we can all enjoy ourselves. We also go to concerts together which makes it not only an enjoyable but also a social experience as we spend time with a group of other people who like the same music. I also share song recommendations with my friends and get some recommendations in return which helps to broaden the range of music I listen to. 

Most of the time I listen to music on my laptop through Spotify or YouTube but I also use my iPod when I am at school or travelling. I love to dance so music has always been a big part of my life. In a similar way to dancing, I find that music can act as a distraction which is one of the main reasons I listen to it. I also listen to music for entertainment and to motivate me when doing my homework.

My music taste has definitely progressed as I have gotten older because it means something different to me now then when I was little. 

Childhood
The Pussycat Dolls were one of my favourite girl groups as a child and I remember wanting to grow up to be in a band like them. A lot of my music was of the pop genre when I was little as it would be what I would hear on the radio. I chose this song because it is the first song I remember singing and dancing to wherever I went and it brings back so many childhood memories of me singing at home and even on holidays. I was about 6 or 7 years old so I didn't really understand what the song was about, I just liked to rhythm of the song as it was upbeat and easy to dance to. 

Early Teens

I listened to Michael Jackson a lot through my childhood as my parents would always play his songs at home. I became really interested in his music when I was around 13 as I finally watched the movie 'Michael Jackson: This is It' which is a documentary filmed during his tour rehearsals before he died. I remember idolising Michael Jackson because not only was he a great performer but I felt that he was so talented when it came to song writing. Even though I love all of his songs, my favourite is Smooth Criminal because I love the lyrics, the music and the performance. It was also the first Michael Jackson music video I ever watched.

Now

Currently I listen to a range of music genres because to me right now the most important aspect of a song is the lyrics and the message behind it. This song is Ooh by Jon Bellion featuring Christianne Jensen. I love this song because it is really calming and I feel that the lyrics are so well written. I am a fan of other songs by this artist too after a friend recommended them to me. Jon Bellion isn't a massive global name but recently I have been listening to less mainstream music because I've found it tends to be more meaningful. Escapism is one of the main reasons I listen to music so I love to listen to songs that I can emotionally connect to as they tend to help me relax. 

Music theory plays a huge part of music consumption. The Uses and Gratifications theory helps to explain the reasons why people enjoy listening to music. The Diversion section of the theory shows that people listen to music to escape from their daily problems. Music can act as an emotional release, especially if the song is meaningful. Escapism, as I mentioned before, is one of the reasons I listen to music. This links to the Personal Identity and also to the Personal Relationships sections of the theory as it suggests people listen to music that is relatable to them. The surveillance aspect of the theory suggests that media (in this case music) is used to find out what is around us and how it connects with the modern world. Although this cannot be directly linked to music consumption, music is a big part of modern culture and can be considered a social activity shared between friends. Additionally some songs are written about global events to raise awareness, for example Sia's song 'The Greatest' is said about the Orlando Nightclub Shooting .

Personally I would like to create a music video that can be easily relatable but also meaningful because I see songs as a way of conveying how you feel inside in a creative way. This would also mean that our audience can feel more connected with the song and hopefully the artist as well. I would also like for our artist's image to be less mainstream and instead more independent. 

R+P Post 1: My A2 Group

For this project I am in Group 1 with Sian Richefond and Laith Lyster. I am really happy with my group as I think we all will work well together as we all bring something different to the group. Sian and I both have a dancing background but I feel Sian is really good at the performance and creative aspect such as choreography and composition whereas I feel I am better suited to directing/planning and making sure things run smoothly. Laith is best at the technical side of things like setting up and using all of the equipment. I feel that we can all learn a lot from each other throughout the project. 

As a group we have planned to meet at least three times a week for meetings to discuss the project so far and try to make as much progress as possible for everything to be ready on time. Additionally we have a Whatsapp group chat which makes it easier for us to contact each other outside of school. I am looking forward to working on this project with my group as I think it will be a lot of fun. 

Laith (left), Sian (right) and myself (centre)

Evaluation Q1: Did you enjoy the main workshop shoot day? What roles did you take? What were your best bits and why?

I had a really good time on the main workshop shoot day and I learnt lots of new things. The shoot itself was very successful as we didn't have to redo numerous takes. The atmosphere on the day was really positive and everyone involved was very energetic and supportive making the whole experience a lot more enjoyable. 

Below is a time lapse video from the day showing the set and the different lighting set ups used on the day.

On the day I had a few roles which ranged from performing in front of the camera to helping behind the scenes. My performance role was as Flower Dress Sydney. I had a few lines to lip-sync but most of my scenes consisted of acting and portraying a character. I didn't have much experience performing or acting so it was a slight challenge but after our rehearsals and as the day went on I became a lot more comfortable performing in front of a camera and have definitely improved my performance skills. Additionally I got to take part in a lot of fun shots that included fake snow and powder paint. 

Below are some screenshots of my scenes in the video.

A few of my shots in the video

Behind the scenes I got the opportunity to work alongside the crew and experience what it would be like on to work on a set. I got to use the clapperboard for some of the shots which I enjoyed. We also got shown the lighting set up at the top of the studio and our technician Emma explained how the set ups worked and how they could be changed in case one of us had to change the lighting set up for a shot. 

Me using the clapperboard

I also helped our performance directer Jasmine work along side Sian (who played the band Sydney) so that we could help each other when acting as Syndey. When Sian performed I stood behind the camera in order to help her feel more comfortable. This benefited both of us as we performed better when we sang with each other as it was much easier to let go and have fun.

Practicing movements/dancing with Jasmine and Sian

  The best bits of the day included:

• Participating with my friends as we had a lot of fun together and it made the day a lot more enjoyable
• Learning new skills and getting the opportunity to work with the crew
• Getting my hair and make up done by the professional make up artists

Me getting my hair and make-up done

Working with friends