Marketing - Music

Nirvana were a grunge rock band which hailed from Aberdeen, Seattle in the late 80's early 90's. In September 1991, their release of second studio album 'Nevermind' catapulted them to stardom, and the marketing of the album, released on DGC records was vital to their success. Nirvana's distribution of Nevermind was not huge, they released 45,00 physical copies, with 35,000 of those being shipped to the UK. However, their marketing which allowed them to grow in stature and sell more records was very effective. In an internet-less age, Nirvana had to make the most of TV appearances such as their performances on The Jonathan Ross show in December 1991 and Top of the Pops that same month. On Jonathan Ross, they played Territorial Pissings in a stereotypical anarchist way to subvert from the instructions they had to play lithium, and this caused a furore of 'word of mouth' a large tool which was vital in their marketing and promotion. A further way in which both Geffen and DGC realized was that Nirvana spoke to the youth, who had no voice in modern chart music, and their video for 'Smells like Teen Spirit' is full of various iconography connoting rebellion, such as the popular 'Converse All Star' shoes and the mise-en-scene of a janitor and cheerleaders. Nirvana became highly marketable to the young generation. Today however Nirvana are marketed differently, with iTunes and Spotify being influential in the sales of their music and promotion. Nirvana rights holders have since released the 20th anniversary album, and a greatest hits album, all of which are vital to their continues success, which has thus far led them to selling 30 million plus copies of Nevermind both physically and digitally. Their recent induction into the Rock Hall of fame has proved their long lived success.

Lady Gaga however relies heavily on digital marketing to promote her music. 'Born This Way', released may 2011 on Interscope Records, was heavily distributed, and spawned her hit single of the same title, which remains the highest selling single ever released on iTunes. Lady Gaga has cultivated an audience to allow for greater marketing, through a para-social relationship she has developed via Social Media. Gaga lies highly popular on Social media, with 66 million facebook likes, 42 million followers on twitter, and 5 million YouTube subscribers, and she manages to generate a loyal fan base known as 'Little Monsters'. She regularly retweets tributes they send into her, and in turn creates a bond of loyalty which in theory means that the fans will stay loyal and purchase her music. Similarly to Nirvana, TV appearances are also of vital importance to Lady Gaga's marketing, performances such as Radio 1's Big Weekend in which she emerged from a giant coffin, create a media frenzy and can be said to market her as Nirvana once did, replying on heavy word of mouth promotion. However, she remains a highly marketable figure due to her all-accepting nature and her artistic styles, and in 2013 she featured on the iTunes home page with release of latest album 'Artpop', just as she did with 'Born this Way' in 2011. Lady Gaga is evidence of the huge digital impact that technology can have upon promotion and marketing.

However, rather differently to the above are Oxford experimental/rock band 'Radiohead', who in February 2011 self released their follow up the 2007's 'pay what you want' social experiment 'In Rainbows', 'The King of Limbs'. Radiohead promotion could not have been more different to that of Lady Gaga, as 'The King of Limbs' was self recorded and released, Radiohead were not externally promoted by their label. 'The King of Limbs' was initially released digitally on their website two days before they officially announced the release. Their marketing was very low scale, and on release not physical copies were printed, so the success relied heavily upon their loyal fanbase. However, Radiohead has previously proved that media marketing was not necessary in creating huge sales figures, as whilst 'In Rainbows' sold the least of all their albums, they made the most money due the fact they held 100% of profits. With the only marketing coming from newspapers documenting the social experiment, Radiohead gained free promotion. The release of 'Live from the Basement' which aired live on Sky Arts One in 2011, was temporarily uploaded to their you tube, with  the option of buying it available on iTunes later on. Also their distribution of physical copies month after the initial release, and the chance for hardcore fans to purchase the 'newspaper' edition for $53 meant that Radiohead has successfully self marketed themselves to their fans, and proved that such could be done without dependence on a record label.
Overall it is clear to see that all 3 texts marketed  themselves differently, with Nirvana relying on 'word of mouth' in the early days, it is evident that digital marketing has now boosted their sales along with current artists such as Lady Gaga and the band Radiohead. Whilst it is clear that different ,marketing styles have been successful, it is evident that Radiohead's more reclusive marketing strategy has worked well, in comparison to Lady Gaga's digital presence and Nirvana's modern day presence in the online music services.,

Audience Response-Lost

Lost is a hybrid drama, first aired on ABC in 2005, directed by JJ.Abrams. One way in which Lost fans have responded to Lost is through the creation of fan forums such as 'Lostpedia'. 'Lostpedia' is an online fan forum in which episodes are thoroughly dissected, and a more active audience discusses the narrative plots and respond to events in episodes of 'Lost'. Similarly to the creation of the Madmen fan forum 'theorangecouch.com', Lost's fans can engage with one another, and debate narrative plots and character plots. This also applies to the social interaction strand of the Blumler & Katz model, of which a gratification if to be able to enjoy discussion with others about Lost. As a reult of its success, Lost has also cultivated a market for it to sell merchandise, ranging from T-Shirts to Mugs, and also sell the Scores written by Michael Giacchino. YouTube also harbors a huge amount of Lost videos, which reference the events in an episode and discuss character development, to dissecting every enigma code and trying to predict future episode's narratives.In response to Lost, Lost was awarded 4 Emmy awards and 1 Golden Globe, highlighting its commercial success and emphatic response. However Lost has been criticized heavily for its over use of enigma codes, which often so un-answered for many seasons, and as a result, Lost's viewing ratings dipped during the 3/4th season due to an audience becoming impatient and bored with the drawn out narrative. 

Peaky Blinder Audience Appeal - Use of Film Stars

Peaky Blinders is a BBC 2 drama series set in post WW1 1919 England, directed by Steven Knight. One way in which Peaky Blinders is constructed to appeal to a wide audience if through its use of famous film stars. Tommy, the main protagonist, is played by Cillian Murphy (Inception, 28 Days Later), whilst Inspector Campbell is played by Sam Neil (Jurassic Park II & III). The inclusion of famous actors appeals to a main stream audience as they are highly recognizable, and in turn a mainstream audience will be more likely to watch the show due to they fact they feel they can trust the acting will be successful. It can also appeals to fans of the actors, Cillain Murphy in particular is viewing as an attractive actor to females, thus meaning they will be more inclined to watch the show as its use of famous film-stars such as Murphy may gratify their sexual arousal (Blumler and Katz theory) to a certain extent. It is also not foreign for famous actors to have dedicated fan bases, and in casting the likes of Neil, Helen McCrory, and Murphy it will appeal to them.

TV - Appeal
Lost - Ensemble Cast, Use of Score, Non Linear Narrative/Enigma Codes
Peaky Blinders - Breaking of Regional Stereotypes, Historical Info, Use of Film Stars
Madmen - Lack of Exposition, Complex Character Representations, Aesthetic/Cultural Enjoyment 



TV - Response
Lost - Overuse of Enigma Codes, LostPedia, Dragging on too long
Madmen - Critical Acclaim, Merchandise.Madmen Tour, Misrepresentation of Women (Ms.Magazine)
Peaky Blinders - Watered down Boardwalk Empire, Bad acting regarding accents, too short

Film - Genre
Fishtank - Diegetic Sound, Iconography, Linear slow pace narrative
Sin City - Use of low key lighting, Cynical Protagonists, Capes/Super Strength (Comic Book C)
District 9 - Body Horror (Homage), Futuristic Technology, Documentary Conv (Breaking 4th wall)

Film - Representation
Fishtank - Women dependent on males and manipulated by males. Males: Cynical, twisted and necessary for family balance.
Sin City - Women: Femme Fetale, use sexuality to gain men/power. Men: Cynical, driven by women
District 9 - Women: Completely dependent on males. Tania in every scene is mourning the loss of Wikus and is surrounded by typical iconography. Man: Violence obsessed (Koobus Venter) Power Obsessed/Corrupt (Piet Schmidt)

Music - Marketing/Digital Marketing
Nirvana - Marketed via TOTP/J ROSS/Music Videos. Touring
Lady Gaga - Social Media. 66 FB L, 42 TF, 5 YS. iTunes Fest. BTW Ball. Parasocial relationship.
Radiohead - via Website, no public promotion. Released KOL on iTunes, 'Live from the Basement', sold Newspaper edition, digital release 2 days early, physical copies.


Music - Internet
Nirvana - Longevity owed to internet. IG,T,FB pages in tribute to Nirvana. 20th anniversary, greatest hits, remastered copies.
Lady Gaga - Use of social media, sells records by making fans believe in relationship with her. Also marketed her music through
Radiohead - Released KOL via Website post In Rainbows. First released digitally, then released video via Internet. Sell merch via website, without website they couldn't distribute as well.


Music - Industry Impact
Nirvana - Created the teenage every mans rock star in Kurt, created a new genre, and emphasized importance of being ambitious when starting with a small fan-base, as they did with Geffen.
Lady Gaga - Brought back the world famous 'Popstar', emphasized how much social media can be worth to success.
Radiohead - Emphasized that records can be released without a label, and brought experimental music to the main stream

To what extent are stars and/or celebrities important to the promotion of your three main texts?

To what extent are stars and/or celebrities important to the promotion of your three main texts? 

'Nevermind' is an album by 90's Grunge band Nirvana, released on September 1991, on DGC records. Consisting of Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, and Kris Novoselic, Nirvana heralded from the sleepy town of Aberdeen in Seattle. Kurt Cobain (Lead Guitarist and Vocalist) was catapulted to fame in the early 1990's when Nevermind managed to top the Billboard top 200 Charts in January 2002, Knocking Michael Jackson off the top spot. Cobain, an unkempt unassuming star, became a widely regarded figure head for rebellion and anarchy, most prominent in a generation of teenagers who under-represented in the music industry with the dominance of glam rock bands and flamboyant stars. Cobain importance in the promotion of 'Nevermind' is evident through his legacy and influence upon his fans. Performances in which Cobain pulled publicity stunts such as on the Jonathan Ross show and Top of the Pops in December 1991, widely publicized the band and marketed the highly profitable image Cobain and his band projected. Taking influence from Punk in his favourable scruffy clothes and messy appearance, DGC projected sales of 250,000 upon launch of 'Nevermind', which was grossly underestimated, and to this day 'Nevermind' has sold over 30 million copies, aided by the introduction of digital marketing platforms such as iTunes and Spotify. The absence of such digital marketing technology in the 1990's meant that Cobain's TV Performances and interviews had to make an impact on the music industry, and in a atmosphere where the objectification and degradation of women was rife, Cobain held strong feminist attitudes. It can be argued that modern day sales of Nirvana records are heavily due Cobain's creation of the genre Grunge, which is emulated by many groups today, and 'Nevermind' has continued to retain its ability to be relevant to audiences today.
Cobain's marketable image of being attractive and highly influential has had an undeniable influence upon the promotion of 'Nevermind' till to this day.

Conversely, 'Born This Way' is Lady Gaga's thirst studio album, released on Interscope records in May 2011, and 'Born This Way's promotion could not be more different to Nirvana's 'Nevermind'. Lady Gaga is and was arguably one of the biggest popstars at the time of 'Born This Way's release, and is a pioneer of using digital promotion and social media to sell records and build marketability. Lady Gaga currently has 66 Million Facebook likes, 45 Million Twitter followers, and 5 Million YouTube followers, and interacts with her fans through forming a parasocial relationship. Lady Gaga is highly appreciative of her fans support for her, regularly re-tweeting Lady Gaga tattoos, pictures taken at her concerts, and fan artwork. Through this interaction on her social media sides she manages to form a relationship in which the fan believes is 2-way, building a bigger bond between herself and her fans, thus increasing sales and forming a loyal fan base who attend her all-continent spanning world tours, such as the 'Born This Way Ball'. Her twitter, currently valued at around $30 million, was one third of her annual $90 earnings in 2011, proving how influential her 'star' status is to her promotion and revenue. By referring to her fans as 'Little Monsters' and herself as 'Mother Monster', she hypothetically assumes the mother role and guardian of her fans, who due to her all-accepting, pro-individuality nature, look up to her and see her as a role model, which in turn results in an extremely loyal fan base.
Her use of social media and digital marketing is undeniable, and iTunes has been an important factor in her promotion. She has appeared at the iTunes festival in 2011, and 'Born This Way' was promoted on the front page of the iTunes store, which is viewed by thousands per day. 
Her use of music videos have also been influential in the promotion of her records. 'Born This Way', 'Judas', 'Marry the Night', 'You & I' and 'Edge of Glory' were accompanied by short film esque videos, in which Gaga appears in her typical flamboyant, artistically inspired way, consequently creating a media discussion and publicity regarding her unique videos. 
It is fair to argue Lady Gaga's 'star' image has been incredibly important in her promotion and marketing, and the construction of her characters and exploitation of digital technology has invaluably maximized her record sales and her marketable image.

In great contrast is Radiohead. 'The King of Limbs', released in February 2011, was self-released, and was greatly received by Radiohead Loyal Fan base. The importance of a 'Star' or 'Celebrity' has arguably not been as important as with Lady Gaga and to an extend Nirvana, however Radioheads reputation of constructing experimental, niche records has been the determining factor in ensuring their success. In comparison to 'Nevermind' and 'Born this Way's pop constructed songs, Radiohead's unique genre has led them to release records to appease their own fan base, and provide music with an alternative to over saturated chart music. Coming off the back of 2008's 'In Nude', 'The King of Limbs' was released digitally via the bands website in February 2011, a few days before the official release date. This cleverly increased digital sales, as the loyal fan base could purchase 'The King of Limbs' initially, and then be sold the following collectors edition 'Newspaper' edition released after the digital release. Releasing without a record label has allowed Radiohead to be less dependent and puppeteer-ed by a record company, allowing them to more freely distribute their records the way the see fit. Radiohead made 100% profit from digital sales, and proved that the lack of a 'celebrity' or 'star' does not lead to poor promotion or sales. 
'Live from the Basement' was shown upon various international channels, including Sky Arts 1, and was later released on Blu-ray, promoted via the bands website and formats such as iTunes, in which it retailed for £8.99. 
'Lotus Flower' remains the one and only single released from 'The King of Limbs', and its artistic niche nature appeased Radiohead's loyal fan base, and due to previous successes in 'OK Computer' and 'In Rainbows', did not require the huge media promotion as did Lady Gaga due to the already established media acclaim and fan base. The latter was released in a 'pay what you want' experiment, in which digitally released on the band website, allowed fans to pay what you want, which surprisingly lead them to sell more than any previous record.
Regarding the lack of celebrity factor in Radiohead, their established reputation of one of the great English bands of the last 20 years led them to self-promoting and taking advantage of various marketing formats such as their website and 'Live from the Basement'.
In conclusion it is clear that all three texts are promoted in very different ways, Lady Gaga's celebrity image has been important to the marketing of her records but so has Radiohead's introverted more artistically styled niche lack of dependence upon record labels. Nirvana can be compared to Lady Gaga through their publicity stunts and controversial performances, however allbeit in different era's, and the modern day celebrity status of Kurt Cobain has been important in their sustained success.

A2 Question - Section B Discuss the audience appeal of your 3 main texts.

A2 Question - Section B

Discuss the audience appeal of your 3 main texts.

Refer to your 3 main texts in your answer

Madmen

Mad Men is a drama set within a 1950's advertising agency, realistically portraying societies controversial values, personal struggles, and stylistic values. One way in which Madmen would appeal to a preferred active audience is through its high cinematography and aesthetic value. Madmen creator Matthew Weiner placed huge importance on the realistically replicating the fashion and artistic styles during the 1950's and gratified a cine literate audience who took a preferred reading through providing intrinsic cultural and aesthetic enjoyment, linking to Blumler and Kats 'Uses and Gratifications' model. In one scene we see Don return home to his Wife Megan, who is lying in an accurately styles 1950's esque bedroom, complete with accurate period specific decor and furniture, along with both Don and Megan sporting period specific items of clothing, accurately representing the fashion values and aesthetic values at the time. 

A further was Madmen appeals to its active audience is through its Lack of exposition. The lack of Exposition is specifically appealing to an active audience, who would seek to actively decode narrative plots. Through is rare use of a Score, cleverly constructed and inter-twining plot lines, and heavy reliance on Diegetic sound, Madmen is highly appealing to an active audience who would seek to be challenged in their viewing. One example of Madmen's lack of exposition in its narrative would be when Don visits Joan to tell her sleeping with the Jaguar Executive is not necessary, however we are challenged to actively decode whether Don is doing this in foresight of a successful pitch so he could potentially take the full credit, or whether he genuinely cares about Joan's wellbeing.

The complex representation of characters in Madmen's narrative is a further convention which would appeal to a preferred active audience. Particularly in the representations of Joan, Megan, and Peggy, we can apply Blumler and Katz Integration gratification, particularly gaining an insight and empathy for other circumstances, and could further allow an active audience to personally identify and associate with the characters. In Joan we are realistically presented with the common society role of women in the 1950's, she is dependant on using her looks to gain power and appease the main dominated industry of advertising, and is unable to gain respect and is reduced to selling herself to the Jaguar Executive to aid Don in his Jaguar pitch. In Megan, we see a woman who is determined to shrugg Don's grasp upon her, and although defying his orders by going to a job interview, id objectified by the interviewers. Lastly, Peggy's complex battle with her confidence eventually results in her losing the dependence on Don and the male dominated office environment, becoming an independent woman, which in the 1950's was uncommon.

Lost

Lost is a drama/sci-fi/adventure hybrid in which a group of protagonists are stranded upon an mysterious island as a result of a plane crash. Lost is encoded to appeal to a passive audience, one way in which it appeals to such an audience is through its Ensemble Cast. Linking to Blumler and Katz's 'Personal Identity' strand, Lost's ensemble cast allows a passive audience to personaly identify with wide audiences representing various ethnicity's, social groups and character roles. Losts Ensemble Cast also links to Propp's Character Roles theory,  which encourage a passive viewing through its relatively common and non complex character roles. In Jack we have the dominant confident hero esque protagonist and Kate acting as the 'Helper', working with Jack and projecting a confident assertive role. Hurley, is an over-weight teenager who is often disrespected by his peers, and Michael and Wait are a dysfunctional Father and Son, who's father/son dynamic is bad and allows a passive audience to easily relate and seek a gratification of relatability.

A further way in which Lost appeals to its passive audience is through its hybridity. Lost combines drama, sci-fi, and adventure, widening its audience and increasing its chance of appeal as it caters for most audiences. Blumler and Katz's Entertainment theory applies here, as an audience is able to achieve escapism and entertainment though its hybrid narrative. For example, in one scene we seen Sawyer confront a mysterious Polar Bear which is residing on a tropical island, appealing to its sci/fi audience, and previously we see an example of its Drama genre conventions in the father/son dynamic between Wait and Michael, in which they disagree with each other. 

Finally, Lost's use of a Score is highly encouraging of passive viewing, and through providing this high exposition the score is able to encourage and mould the audience's responses. The heavy appeal lost has to a passive audience is aided by the score, which doesn't require the passive audience to decode the narrative, instead alludes to the way in which an audience should receive a scene and its response. Complying with Blumler and Katz's relaxations strand of its uses and gratifications, the score decodes for the audience and encourage passive viewing, in contrast to madmen which rarely feature a score and instead encourage an active viewing. An example of a core in Lost is seen in a scene in which we see Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Charlie and Sajid come to a standstill after becoming suspicious of a situation; we then hear a high pitched note implying the sense of approaching danger.

Peaky Blinders

Peaky Blinders is a BBC2 drama set post 1918 (WW1), based on a real events involving a Birmingham gang of criminals called the Peaky Blinders. One which in which Peaky Blinders appeals to a very wide audience is its casting of familiar film stars. This appeals to an audience who can be drawn in by the appeal of watching a know actor such as Sam Neil (Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park III) or Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later, Inception). In particular casting of Cillain Murphy, it can be argues that is provides a gratifications on aesthetic appreciation as Murphy is acknowledges for his attractive personality, which in turn increases the appeal Peaky Blinders has upon a specific audience.

A futher way in which Peaky Blinders appeals to its audience is through its Historical Value. Its historical context encourages active viewing, and allows an understanding and appreciation of an audience who is familiar with post WW1 history, and allows an audience who is not familiar to decode the narrative to self educate and learn (Blumler and Katz). An example is present in one scene in which Tommy is discussing a deal with corrupt Inspector Campbell, with the latter mentioning Tommy's sister slept with a Communist. This allows a historically educated audience to realise the negative connotations which surrounded communism post WW1, and an active audience to seek a gratification of self learning. Also in the scene, Tommy states after the proposal of a handshake from Inspector Campbell "Why should i shake the hand of a man who didn't fight for his country?". This again proposes an opportunity for an active audience to decode the historical context and understand the bitterness Tommy feels towards anyone who did not join him in fighting in WW1.

The use of a modern day soundtrack is a further convention implemented by Steven Knight to appeal to its audience. The use of a soundtrack encourages a passive viewing, and is something we see implemented in lost used to allow a passive audience to easily decode a sequence. 'The White Stripes' are a current Rock duo, and by adding this relevant soundtrack, an audiences appeal is widened due to the commonly known popular tracks. An example of a soundtrack being used to encourage a passive reading is before we see Tommy spearheading a mass incineration of pictures of the King,  'Hardest Button to Button' is played and its upbeat tempo allows an audience to easily decode the upcoming sequence and allows an easy passive viewing; in contrast to madmen which challenges an audience to understand the moods within a score without the help of a soundtrack setting to tone.

How global is the appeal of your three main texts? Nirvana & Radiohead

How global is the appeal of your three main texts?

Nirvana released their second studio album 'Nevermind' in 1992. Nirvana were a Grunge band, drawing musical influences from Punk, Pop and Heavy Metal, thus widening their appeal. The use of digital technology affected the global success of Nirvana, and in the early 90's Nirvana were heavily reliant on formats such as Radio, Word of Mouth, Magazines and Television to gain popularity. In December 1991, Nirvana were scheduled to play their new single 'Lithium', however decided to play the heavily punk influenced 'Territorial Pissings'. Similarly in 1991, Nirvana deliberately mimed 'Smells like Teen Spirit' on Top of the Pops in an attempt to project their anti-establishment ethos. Pulling such publicity stunts skyrocketed global sales of their album, and earned them huge publicity in an age extremely different to today's age of iTunes and MP3's.

In 2011, London based experimental band 'Radiohead' released their eighth studio album 'The King Of Limbs'. Their website has been of great importance to Radiohead in the promotion and popularity of 'The King of Limbs' as with their previous 2009 release 'In Rainbows' which was released independently, after their 7 year contract expiry with EMI. 'In Rainbows' was primarily exclusively released on their website in a 'Pay What You Want' experiment, which earned them the most Gross Revenue of all of their releases, due not having to pay a cut to EMI. The 'In Rainbows' box set, released after the initial experiment, sold 100,000 copies, notably less than their other releases however it was redundant due to the huge global success the band had already achieved, and the high publicity and revenue generated. 'In Rainbows' success' paved the way for 'The King of Limbs', which was similarly promoted through their website and produced without the medium of a record label.