task 2

1. Lauren Rosenfeld

2.  The purpose of a music video is to sell the song and to
make it memorable for the audience. It also gives the
audience a better understanding of the song, as there is
a narrative to go with the lyrics. A music video also
makes the audience aware of what the musician looks
like and gives the artist publicity. Another purpose is to
entertain the audience. If a music video is entertaining,
it may become popular and possibly go viral. This then
increases album sales, as a memorable visual leaves a
lasting effect on an audience and gaining an artist a
larger audience. Therefore, the main purpose of a
music video is to serve as promotion for the artist and
the record label. For example, two of the most popular
videos of 2016 both raking in over 600m views already
are Zayn ‘pillow talk’ and Rihanna ‘work’. These both
feature explicit content. This shows that songs that
feature some form of exposure prove to be popular and
sell more albums, as both videos feature half naked
women dancing/kissing men as shown by the
screenshots.
http://www.vevo.com/watch/zayn/PILLOWTALK
/USRV81501126
http://www.vevo.com/watch/rihanna/Work-
(Explicit)/QM5FT1690012

3.  A music video will use several close ups
of the artist, to make them into a star. The
artist will then become more well known
due to the audience knowing what they
look like and will gain a following and an
audience will want to idolise them and be
a loyal audience. They may also focus on
their clothing and try to be like/act like
them. This is seen in Beyoncé's ‘hold up
'music video. This is also seen in Taylor
Swifts ‘bad blood’, where many close ups
of the artist can be seen. By using close
ups, facial expressions are also
portrayed.
http://www.vevo.com/watch/beyonce/Hold-
Up/USSM21601316
http://www.vevo.com/watch/taylor-swift/Bad-
Blood/USCJY1531563

4.  Music videos will also promote the record label. If
people like the artist, then usually the record company
logo will appear at the end of the music video. Then,
the audience can view other artists from the same
record label. Artists from other labels can also
collaborate with each other. An example of this is the
collaboration between Eminem (shady records) and
Rihanna (Roc nation) for the song 'love the way you
lie'. Artists that are less well known can also work with
more well known artists to become more popular. An
example of this collaboration is between several
artists Ty Dolla Sign, Lil Wayne, Imagine Dragons,
Wiz Khalifa and less well known artist Logic for the
song ‘sucker for pain’. This large collaboration
between artists means more recognition for the artists
and record label, as there is a larger chance of
someone liking one of the artists and/or going to see
the movie ‘Suicide Squad’ and downloading the song
after.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uelHwf8o7_U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-59jGD4WrmE

5.  Many artists release their songs in parts. For example,
Troye Sivan’s blue neighbourhood trilogy. Here, he
released three different music videos for three different
songs every month and when all three videos provide a
larger story. Releasing a product across several
platforms, will in turn create a larger profit for the record
company. This is known as synergy. Album sales also
depend on how visually pleasing the song and music
video is. If a music video is entertaining, then it is more
likely to be popular and if a song is popular, then album
sales will increase as more people may listen to and like
the song. However, there can also be a negative side to
the release of a music video, as researchers have
claimed that due to the release of music videos, album
sales have reduced. The claim is that not having videos
on YouTube increased sales by "on average 10,000
units per week for top albums. Although, music videos
still provide good publicity for the artist, gaining millions
of views per music video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5
xCMF7jsDJI

6.  One artist that has released several products
across different platforms is Eminem. First off,
Eminem started off as just a rapper/singer. He
then starred in a movie called 8 mile, which also
came with a soundtrack. The rapper voiced the
video game 50 Cent: Bulletproof and guest
starred on the Comedy Central television show
Crank Yankers and a Web cartoon, The Slim
Shady Show. Eminem also released an
autobiography, The Way I Am, which was
published in 2008. Revealing his struggles with
poverty, drugs, fame, heartbreak and
depression, and including stories of his rise to
fame.

7.  There are many reasons why people use synergy.
These include increasing brand identity. If a brand is
released across more than one platform, then there is a
larger chance of popularity and increasing the
audience. For example, being on more than one
platform means that someone that does not use one
platform, but uses another are more likely to see
something from the artist. A larger audience also
increases loyalty to the product and in turn makes more
money for the company.

8.  Ludacris, also successfully branched out into the film industry, along with a successful singing
career, having won Grammy awards. He has starred in several recent Fast and Furious films (six
and seven), having performed on the soundtrack in the earlier movies. Therefore, here synergy has
been successful for Ludacris, as he has become more well known due to being seen on different
platforms, especially in a large budget franchise like Fast and Furious. However, synergy can be
unsuccessful for some. In 2002, after the success of NSYNC, several members tried to branch out
into the film industry, many of them failing, including Lance Bass and Joey Fatone, starring in many
minor roles, in unsuccessful films and TV shows. In this case, synergy can have a negative effect on
the brand identity of an individual, as if they appear in a failed movie/TV show, they may appear as
a joke to the public, in turn destroying their brand identity that was created in the beginning of their
career (during NSYNC). Mariah Carey was also unsuccessful in trying to get into the film industry.
Carey starred in feature film Glitter (2001), with a budget of $22,000,000, and only grossing just
over $4,000,000, after receiving abysmal reviews. Again, Carey damaged her brand identity by
trying to synergise.

9.  Modern music videos feature a number of women provocatively
dressed and enticing men with their attention directed to their
assets. This is known as the male gaze and is typically used in
today's music videos. The male gaze is the way in which visual
arts depict the world and women from a masculine point of view,
presenting women as objects of male pleasure. Several artists
have done this, including Miley Cyrus and Meek Mill with women
dancing provocatively next to a stripper pole women are dressed
in tight clothing, showing off their assets. he camera seems to be
zooming in on the dancer’s rear end in each scene while she is
dancing. This camera angle also emphasizes her assets. The
audience does not find out who the woman is because their
attention is directed towards her assets.The male gaze is a
subject of controversy between men and women. As even though
male artists include objectified women, female artists also depict
themselves as objects of pleasure for men. However, several
music videos that have used the male gaze have gained millions
of views and gained more album sales. This is because sex sells.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My2FRPA3Gf8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8fNkMZ3thI

10.  There are several negative effects of the male gaze being portrayed throughout
the media industry. Firstly, it perpetuates gender inequality, as it portrays set roles
for both men and women. Men are seen as dominant of woman, as they act and
dress sexually, which can influence younger generations. By seeing the
objectification and dehumanization of women, younger people, who are prone to
being manipulated by the media and what they see, may start to believe that this
is normal behaviour and condone it. Therefore, they may start to believe that it
okay to treat women like objects, possibly leading to sexual harassment, as they
have seen this done to women in the media, and now believe that they should
start to act the same. Another negative effect of the male gaze is that, as the
public are told to believe that this is normal behaviour, it establishes a set of ideas
that women should act, dress and behave this way, contributing to negative self
esteem and body image, of both men and women.

11.  Representation in music videos is how the
artist/band is portrayed, it is the reconstruction of
reality. In these videos aspects of reality are
changed to suit current trends in society and to
make money or get people interested in the
products they’re selling. The world shown is a
construction and not the real world is shown. To
do this media producers use stereotypes
because the audience easily understands what
is trying to be portrayed. For example, in 50
Cent’s music video Candy Shop, sex and wealth
are portrayed throughout. This may be his reality,
however it is not for most people. Another
example is Dr. Dre ‘still DRE’, where Dr. Dre and
Snoop Dogg are surrounded by provocatively
dressed women.
http://www.vevo.com/watch/dr-dre/Still-D-R-
E/USUV70702309
http://www.vevo.com/watch/50-cent/Candy-
Shop/USIV20500034

12.  Women are often represented in a negative light, as
sexual objects for men and are there for the
pleasure of men. This is known as the male gaze.
Whereas, men are seen as masculine, sexualized
and dominant. These are commonly seen in rap/hip
hop music videos e.g. Snoop Dogg. Examples of
representation and male gaze are both seen in the
music video 'blurred lines' by Robin Thicke. Here,
women are objectified and seen as objects for men.
In the uncensored version, women are naked, and
even in the clean version, women are provocatively
dressed in white (symbolising purity) revealing
clothes for men. However, the men are still dressed
the same.
http://www.vevo.com/watch/robi
n-thicke/Blurred-Lines-
(Unrated-
Version)/USUV71300526

13.  A large amount of media audiences consist of teenagers, who are particularly
vulnerable to the violence, various stereotypes and representations promoted by the
media. This is because the state of mind of young people is in the process of
development. The representation of women is mainly seen as negative, with women
being put into one of three roles in the media. Firstly, women are portrayed as sexual
objects, acting submissive towards men and where beauty is being prioritised over
education and intelligence. Women are also portrayed as perfect models. Although
very often "Photoshop-edited", women are portrayed as beautiful and perfect, while
stressing the importance of being slim. This consequently leads to "promotion of
anorexia", in younger generations, which is undesirable and dangerous. Lastly,
women are portrayed as mothers. In many advertisements, it is solely the woman
who takes care of the family and household. This creates an ideology that women
should stay at home and not pursue careers. These representations can have
several negative effects, as many girls idolise models and feel the need to mirror
their bodies. These women are bad role models for girls and may be seen as
responsible for the increased number of girls with eating disorders.

14.  Music artists used to spend millions of dollars creating music
videos. Examples of these include Michael Jackson’s ‘scream’,
which cost $7m and Madonna ‘die another day’, which cost $6.1m.
Over the years, all aspects of media have changed and evolved
depending on trends, interests and what’s popular and exciting for
the audience. When comparing music videos from past to present
there are significant differences and it shows how much they have
evolved over the last 20-30 years. Past music videos would be
high production and focus on other things rather than sex and
money(which most music videos show nowadays). Music videos
nowadays may also follow a simple narrative, which is easy for a
younger age group to follow. Another reason for the change, is
because the recording industry is losing money due to many
people illegally downloading music rather than buying a
song/album legally. The screenshots shows one music video from
the past and one from the present. As you can see, the one from
the past, focuses more on the music rather than being
oversexualised like the music video from Ariana Grande's is.