Semiotic Analysis

• At the beginning of the video we see Kid Cudi turn a record player on and the music starts. This implies that the song is the diegetic sound that is heard by everyone at the part in the video.
• Immediately, the whole scene is moving in slow motion, apart from Kid Cudi himself. This may be done to reflect the alcohol and drug use described in the lyrics of the song. This gives the idea that he is under the influence of drugs and alcohol and everything around him is moving at a strange pace.
• We also see Drake in the video, a huge global star. However, Drake does not feature in the song. This highlights Kid Cudi's superstar status as he is seen to be in the presence of other stars.
• Everyone around Kid Cudi is enjoying the party going on. This reflects the 'pursuit of happiness' that Cudi is trying to achieve and he may be suggesting that this is achievable through this lifestyle.
• In the verses, where Cudi begins to discuss the negative elements of this lifestyle, we see an even slower and more subdued video. People around do not appear to be enjoying themselves as much as they did during the chorus. However, once the chorus returns, along with the upbeat sound, the enjoyment also returns.
• At the very end of the video, Kid Cudi enters the bathroom and sees himself clearly drunk and not in a good state. His shocked reaction to the way his drunk self is acting may be shown to be a realisation that this life may not be beneficial to him.

Inspirations & What I Want to Make

Music Videos

One music video that I found particularly inspirational is the performance video for "Quintana" by Travis Scott. There are a number of reasons why I like the style of this video.

One thing I like is the dark shots filmed in HD in a studio. I like that they are shots taken of only the artist performing the song. This combined with the dark background, and the various costumes is very appealing to me and definitely something I would like to use and incorporate in my video.

These HD studio shots are used alongside what appear to be VHS shots on location. The contrast that this create brings further attention to both parts of the video.

*Please note: the video contains explicit content*

Another video I took a lot of inspiration from was that of "I'm Leanin'" by Meek Mill, again featuring Travis Scott. Below are some parts of the video and particular effects that I would like to recreate.











The use of UV lights and paints on a dark background in the video created a glow effect and brought detail to particular part of the costume and set. This effect is something that I will definitely use as it builds the theme and mood of the slightly disturbing performance video. 

Another effect in the video that I liked was the use of a filter in order to create a double image of what is shown on the screen, as shown below. This further adds to the disturbing nature of the video.

One thing done throughout music videos is a crossover of multiple transparent shots layered on top of each other. One example is shown below, where this element is used in a narrative video as a means of telling the story of the main character.

Artists

Kanye West in one artist who I find particularly influential for a number of reasons. Firstly, his artistic talent, combined with his arrogant attitude mean that he breaks stereotypes through his music, clothing and behaviour. This is something I look up to.






Websites

I like the layout of the website of The 1975 as there is no real set format. It does not separate the different art forms displayed by the band. This makes it seem like more of an artistic blog as opposed to a promotional website. However, this 'mishmash' is held together by the black and white theme.

Another website that I like is Kanye West's which is shown above. One thing that I am really attracted to is the minimalistic but also 'in your face' approach. As soon as you open the website a film begins to play immediately. Below this is information about his tour. This lack of information or real format is very striking and leaves a strong impression of the website and the artist himself.

Changes

Since joining with my group, we noticed that we all had very different ideas in terms of the genres that we wanted to explore, whilst still having similar ideas for the style of music video that we wanted to create.

For this reason, it is unlikely that I will be able to make a video for one of the tracks that I have named above and in my previous post. However, we have agreed to incorporate ideas from each member of the group, and settle somewhere in the middle.

Suitable Tracks

 Ideally, I would like to use this track for my music video, as it is one of my favourite songs and would work really well with my video idea. However, my inability to find a clean version of the song may mean that I cannot use it.

Alternatively, I could use this track, by Ab-Soul and SZA. It has a slightly less mellow feel but a similar tempo and could still definitely work with my idea.

Finally, if I cannot use either of the above tracks, I can use Terrorist Threats by Ab-Soul. I think it will still work for the idea I want to create but I believe the others will be more suitable.

Genres of Interest

Hip Hop/Rap

This is one very broad genre for me but probably my favourite genre.

One hip hop "sub genre" that appeals to me is the shown below.

Travis Scott is one of my favourite artists within the genre, whose music varies a lot. The example shown is a more mellow hip hop sub genre with an element of trance through the mutliple voices and backing track.



UK rap and grime is also very important to me, as it is more relatable as it is closer to home than US rap. One very influential artist within this genre is Skepta whose work is below.




This is just one, more alternative example of UK rap. The 8 bit sound throughout adds a further level of nostalgia to the track.

Pop

In general I do not like most chart pop, but I like some pop songs. One combination that can work well is pop and rap, as shown below with "Looking for you" by Justin Bieber featuring Migos.

This combination of pop singing and rapping, with an upbeat backing track with strong bass works well for me.

Audiences

I carried out a survey to find out more detail about the trends of different types of people regarding what music they consume and how they consume it.

I asked a 17 year old male, whose preference was towards hip hop and rap music. His favourite artists are Schoolboy Q, Joey Badass and Ab-Soul; all fairly recent artists who fall under this category. Finally, his music consumption was mostly through streaming music on his smartphone using the Soundcloud app.

I also spoke to a 50 year old female who had very different habits. Her favourite genres were old school R&B and 80s soul. She had a preference towards much older artists than those chosen by the previous, much younger interviewee. Her favourite artists were Luther Vandross, Michael Jackson, Barry White and Prince. She mostly listens to music on the radio in the car and at home. She also, sometimes, streams the music through her iPad.

This, therefore, shows how different generations have very different tastes and habits. It appears that younger music consumers prefer newer artists and their tastes are always changing as music changes. This is contrasted by older listeners, who prefer to listen to older artists that they have listened to for years, maybe as a means of reminiscing or keeping in touch with their roots.

Furthermore, the methods used to consume music are very different. Older listeners appear to prefer using more traditional methods such as radio, whereas the youth have preference towards the use of smartphones and the internet to stream music. Having said this, as technology develops and becomes easier to use, older users begin to use these methods.

Record Labels

Domino Recording Company is an independent record label founded in South West London in 1993 and has since grown to a label with over 60 artists who mostly make indie pop and rock.

Dramatico Entertainment is a record label, founded in the early 2000s, whose portfolio mostly consists of talented indie singers. They also work with a number of other independent labels across various territories.

Cooking Vinyl was established in 1986 and is one of Europe's biggest independent labels. Their artist 'The Prodigy' had the UK's biggest selling independent record in 2009. The label were also nominated for the AIM Independent Label of the Year Award in 2014.

Some artist prefer to work alone, and instead release their songs and albums without a record label. One act who did this were Krept and Konan, who, in late 2013, achieved a Guinness World Record for the Highest Charting UK Album by an unsigned act, at number 19. They managed this through releasing singles on their YouTube channel, before the album was sold on iTunes and various other online platforms, as well as in stores.

What is Selling Well

Over times, trends have developed in what people buy and the genres and artists that dominate the market, in terms of sales.

As shown on the chart to the left, pop and rock have consistently dominated the market with a consistent combined share of around 60% over the last 5 years, however, this statistic is true, even prior to this period.

Dance music, despite having a fall in recent years, has risen in sales recently, with the exposure of a number of new artists and DJs who have boosted the genre in its standing in the UK and worldwide.

R&B has, in the last 5 years, almost halved in number of sales made. This could be due to the the number of former and up and coming R&B artists who, instead, opt to make pop music instead.

Current Trends & Gaps in the Market

UK top 10 singles

Shown above is the top 10 tracks of the Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart. It is evident that there is a mix of genres and types of artist however there are also some trends. In the top 5 there is only one bang performance from 'The Script.' This is something that can be picked up on, as the key to finding a gap in the market may be to make a video for a band, as opposed to single performer.

One trend in the top 10 that can be picked up on is the large number of collaborations and features that have been successful. This may be because people want to see and hear their favourite artist working together on singles.

In terms of genre, there is a strong abundance of pop and dance singles in the top 10. This could potentially mean a gap in the market for other genres such as rap, rock or indie.

UK top 10 albums

In the top 10 album chart there is more of a mix of the types of artists present with both male and female singers and bands. There is a difference, however, in that there are not a lot of albums from DJs. this may be because they are more popular for their singles as opposed to albums.

Again, in terms of genres there are still a lot of pop, dance and even indie and acoustic albums present. This could, again, be evidence of a gap present for rap albums.

Me As a Music Consumer

Music is a huge part of my life, and I surround myself by it whenever I have the opportunity. I listen to music through many different sources and hardware, in a number of scenarios.

When I am at home, in the evenings I listen using Spotify or Youtube on my iPad, through high quality speakers. I enjoy this, as the quality of the speakers allows me to immerse myself in the music and these apps give me a huge database of songs to listen to, so there are no limits.

I also listen to music through headphones, as a means of entertaining myself when I am travelling, normally on foot or using public transport. This allows me to enjoy the journey and pass the time I spend travelling with ease. Being away from home, I listen through my phone.

For me, however, music is much more than just the songs I listen to. I like to know about the lives of the artists I listen to in order to further understand the context of their music. Furthermore, I follow the other art forms that go in synergy with the genres I listen to, such as the fashion trends that follow the artists and genres.

I also highly value the social aspect of music.

Important Songs

One track that meant a lot to me through my early teenage years was Kanye West - Gorgeous, due to the general flow and instrumental of the song. This song was constantly playing on my iPod for a long period.

This is one song that means a lot to me today, mostly due to the high energy instrumental of the song.