Group: The Music Industry - Contextual Research

LB:Who runs the record labels?

Often a record label is also a publishing company that manages brands and trademarks. The biggest record label currently is Universal Music Group which is part of EMI's recorded music division absorbed into UMG.

What is involved in a record deal?

A record deal also known as a "recording contract" is a legal agreement between a label and an artist (or group.) This involves the artist creating music which the label then promote and sell. They are only allowed to record for that label exclusively, however artists are able to guest appear in music with permission from their label.

How are musicians promoted? Outline different types of marketing strategies/tools.

Different types of genres and musicians would be treated different in the music industry. Different genres have different target audiences, and the biggest part of marketing for music is achieveing and reaching your target audience.

There is a genral stigma attatched to the Pop/Boyband Industry, in which the artists are told exactly what they are needed to do, wether this is constantly appear on TV spots/radio shows or publicity stunts. They are there too make people as aware of them as they can. For example. Successful boy band "One Direction" have been criticised for replicating stunts which have previously been seen by older bands such as "N-Sync". Everything they do is monitered giving them the chance to be seen and loved by all.

However independant companies with a more alternative and not mainstream genre will be treated in a different way too get their product out to there target audience e.g. a rock fan would not expect to see their favourite band on a kids channel.
 

JP: Who is responsible for making branding/marketing decisions?   

The record label is usually resposible for the branding and marketing decisions however the artist sometime has some input in these decisions.

Why is a music video so significant?

Music videos are an important platform in the music industry, giving artists the opportunity to present the image they want to portray to their public through other formats. Music Videos are often considered as important as the song itself and are the tool used by promoters to sell the song of the artist.
Music videos can popularise unknown artists and become viral, reaching a wider audience that the music alone would not be able to reach. Since the increase of music television and web 2.0, artists need to use a variety of different media forms to reach the widest audience possible and music videos are one of the main formats for this.

What is the production process of a music video?

The production process of a promotional music video is made up of pre-production, filming, importing footage, editing, post-production and exporting the video.

Pre-production is the planning of the video involves organisation of all aspects of the video such as ideas, location, camera, actors, storyboarding, lighting and organising people.

The planned video is then filmed and the footage is imported into editing software.

  The raw footage is then edited into a finished piece, cutting shots together and creating continuity and organisation within the video

Post production involves any adjustments of the footage such as the colour and lighting balance and any visual or special effects

After post-production the video is exported to an appropriate destination