R+P Post 8: possible tracks for the single

As a group we had dozens of ideas for the single we would use. We had to take in many factors when thinking of possibilities such as practicality and pace of the track.

Possible tracks included: 

• Seinabo sey- Hard time
• Zella Day- Ace of hearts
• Jorja smith-Blue lights
• Daughter-Youth

Seinabo Sey- Hard time

Pros of the track: 

• Seinabo Sey is a female artist, this was a pro because we had initially decided Olamide would be one of the main performers in the music video due to her previous experiences
• Reasonably paced meaning we could have shots that vary in length, therefore adding excitment and pace into our video
• The lyrics could potentially have an interesting narrative aspect to the video 

Cons of the track: 

• Lyrics were quite hard to interpret, this meant that our video would have to be more literal instead of conceptual 
• We loved the music video which made it hard to disassociate the two in order to make a unique video

 Zella Day- Ace of hearts

Pros of the track:

•  The song builds up pace and has a clear climax, this would be useful cinematography wise as we could replicate the pace of the song with shots. 
• Interesting lyrics could result in a conceptual music video with some literal elements. For example "Ace of hearts" is meant to represent a person, however we could've had some shots involving cards etc
• Not a very known track without a music video, meaning we wouldn't be influenced it. This also meant we would produce a completely unique video. The fact it isn't mainstream also complies with our criteria. 

Cons of the track:

• The voice didn't match Olamides voice meaning we wouldn't be able to use Olamide as a performer, this means bringing in a different party which could get complicated. 
• Quite a basic theme, this meant our video couldnt be meaningful, this was a huge problem as it contradicted our initial video ideas

Jorja smith- Blue lights

Pros of the track: 

• Quite a strong theme meaning our video could be meaningful as well as conceptual. This was a huge deal as a meaningful video was one of our original goals when we were first given the task 
• Met our criteria in the sense it is not a mainstream song with around only half a million views.
• The vocals matched Olamides voice meaning we could use her as our main performer. This was really good as it meant we wouldn't have to outsource any external performers, thus making the whole project more efficient

Cons of the track: 

• The song isn't as fast as our previous songs and didn't have a major climax. This meant we couldn't be as playful with shot lengths as previously thought. 
• As a group we admired the video that already existed for the video. This means we have to be conscious of each decision to make sure it isn't an exact copy of the current video

Daughter- Youth

Pros of the track: 

• Lyrics can be represented in our video as literal or conceptual. The "openess" of the lyrics meant multiple possibilities 
• Changes pace through out the track meaning the pace of he video could also change, this could result in an exciting video 
•  I genuinely just enjoyed the song as a whole

Cons of the track:

• Quite a well known song with over 95 million views
• We had already seen an outstanding A2 project using this song, this meant it was hard to not be inspired by their ideas.

R+P Post 7: Record Labels of interest

A record label is essential for the success of an artist. It is important for the PR of an artist as it can help an artist achieve maximum exposure. Labels can also play a part in how the artists work is distributed and the reach it will achieve.

A record label of interest for our artist "Virgin EMI". We felt this would reflect our artist well. Despite being a large record label that's associated with big acts such as Justin Beiber and Kanye West, they have also signed smaller artists such as Ella Eyre and MNEK. They also have signed similar artists from the same genre such as Alessia Cara and Seinabo Sey, this means that the record label would be able to pick up our act and give it the reach it needs. thus the label was ideal for our artist.

Logo for "Virgin EMI Records"

                         Virgin EMI supports high key acts such as Kanye West to lesser known talent such as MNEK

Virgin EMI records was founded quite recently however still has a massive reputation and budget. This means it is likely thy will invest in new talent such as our artist. 

R+P Post 6: Current trends in Popular Music

A big trend in music is online streaming. Online streaming has completely taken over the music industry with over 2 trillion songs streamed in 2015 according to Forbes survey. Popular streaming services include Apple Music, Soundcloud and Spotify, with Spotify boasting 40 million active users.

These current trends have meant that less money is flowing through the music industry with only 1 in 4 spotify users paying for their music. Audiences can consume their music illegally too with over 57 million Americans illegally downloading music. This lack of money has resulted in many smaller acts being filtered out from the charts, as a result being signed by a music label is essential to succeed in the industry. Being successful is more than just the music.

BBC Radio 1s Album Sale Chart

BBC Radio 1s Single Sale Chart

Although most of the top selling singles contain mainstream dance music such as "The Chainsmokers" and "DJ Snake", the top single is by Callum Scott who is a small British singer. Also top album sellers include Passenger and Shawne mendes who usually perform slower more meaningful music. Due to these two artists I am confident that our artist will have a place in the current market.

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

As soon as we decided on our track we instantly had a wave of ideas/influences which we hope to use in out music video.

The overall video

For our video we plan to have two main setups. One setup will be in the studio where we film Olamide, our singer, singing the song. Our next set up will be on the streets of London playing out a narrative.

Our narrative follows a boy who is running away from shadows and lights. As he runs away he goes on a journey. during this section we plan on using interesting camera movement with aesthetic shots.

Initial shot ideas

One of our very first ideas was to have most of the music video in black and white possibly having a "colour splash" where the colours of blue and red are isolated. An example of this can be seen below.

A "colour splash" seen with fairy lights

Building on the lights idea, we also wanted to explore glow in the dark elements with our studio shots. We also considered having a "slow shutter speed" effect with lights. This was inspired by Sia's video for "Soon will come" as seen below

Glow in the dark and "slow shutter speed" effect

Further building on the ideas of lights we considered having shots that involve shadows for our narrative aspect. We wanted our character to be running from something and shadows seemed like a good idea. This idea was mainly inspired by the video for "Scar-face" by Jaden smith but can also be seen in the video for "Soon will come" by Sia

Shadows seen in Jaden Smiths video

Shadows seen in Sia's video

We also had many ideas with expressing the lyrics of the song through inventive ways. for example we liked the idea of some of the lyrics being signed. This was inspired by the videos for "You need me, I don't need you" by Ed sheeran and "Big girls cry" by Sia as seen by the GIFs below.

Sigh language seen in Ed sheerans video

extract from Sias video

R+P Post 4: Audience groups of interest

Identifying a target audience is key in the development of an artist. This is because we need to tailor the product to fit the needs of the target audience, the target audience is thought about with each creative choice made.

Below is a slide containing a few possible target audiences for our artist.

R+P Post 3: Music genres that interest me

I listen to a mix of all types of music depending on my mood, surroundings and the song itself. Types of music I particularly enjoy is acoustic pop, Hip hop and electronic.

Acoustic pop

Although I usually enjoy upbeat pop music I like acoustic pop which is usually much slower and laid back.

One of the main reasons I like acoustic pop is it has a very relaxing effect and feels more "pure" then electronic music. Because of this relaxing/pure feel to the music I listen to acoustic pop more than upbeat music which you have to be more present.

My favourite artist for acoustic pop has to be Ed Sheeran as he has a very unique style which I enjoy and his songs are very sweet. Examples of his work are "Give me Love" and "A-Team"

I also enjoy acoustic covers of popular pop songs such as "Wings" by Birdy

Hip Hop 

I originally didn't like hip-hop when I was younger as I found it almost "aggressive" however recently I've begun to appreciate it a bit more as a lot of my friends play it regularly. Hip-Hop music is great with either as the main focus or just as background music but I only occasionally listen to it by myself as I feel hip-hop requires a specific mood.

Examples of Hip-Hop I enjoy include A$AP Rocky, Young Lean and Childish Gambino.

Electronic

Electronic music has always interested me since a young age. I've always liked it because it has a very unique sound to it and is often popular music to dance to. Electronic music covers a large range of music ranging from fast paced music to chill ambient sounds, this means that despite the current mood there will be a song to match. 

Examples of electronic music I like are Mura Masa, Flume and DJ snake.#

R+P Post 2: Myself as a music consumer

When/ where do I consume music?

• travelling, either by car, public transport or walking
• whilst doing work 
• at social gatherings with friends
• on drives with friends 
• Usually in the morning before school 

Who do i consume music with? 

• Usually by myself
• With friends if we're at a gathering or in the car
• The genre of music depends on who I'm with, usually its either upbeat or chill depending on the groups current mood

How do i consume music

• Spotify is used the majority of the time as people can play their individual playlists on most devices including other peoples phones/laptops
• If with a group then the phone is hooked up to a speaker
• However if by myself i listen with earphones

Why do I consume music

• listening to music is a fun thing to do with friends 
• a way of passing time, especially when doing work or at a bus stop
• helps set the mood, for example if we're going out or just chilling
• puts me have a more calm perspective of the world
• helps with creativity 

What does music mean to me

Childhood: 

This track was played a lot and was quite popular during primary school. I remember watching the movie and being amazed by how they could dance and sing at the same time. The movie itself would play constantly either on TV or in school during Golden time so it feels really nostalgic to listen to the song again.


Early Teens:

I used to love this song during my early teens, I remember the first time it was played i found the use of synth really confusing as I had just never heard of synth before. From this song sprung I love of electro-pop during my early teens and occasionally now. I was so obsessed with electro pop i bought my own stylophone in a feeble attempt to create my own.


Now:

This track means a lot to me because since my early teens my music taste has drastically change. Now i quite like chill music whereas before i used to find it depressing. I now like songs about topics i didn't even consider at a such a young age. However despite this flume reminds me of the times I used to be obsessed with electro pop and I can confidently say that my younger self would like the song. Thus it feels like a track that my past, present and future self will still like despite changes in overall music taste. 

Conclusion

Through this activity I have learnt that music taste is a constantly changing thing that occurs in everyone. I thought about why music taste changes over time as we grow as people.  It also made me think how industries adapt to the constantly changing target market. Overall by analysing my own tastes I have a greater insight on the industry. This will in turn benefit my project as I can think about marketing my product with the audiences changing interests in mind.