Image vs Talent in Music Marketing and Success

In today’s society, music controls the way we live our lives. The influence that music has on society has broadened throughout the years and with social media being one of the world’s top priority, the fan base and spectrum for music in general has expanded significantly. Music is used to express feelings, moods, circumstances, experiences, knowledge, and so much more. With this being the case, the lyrics of any song can be interpreted differently by each and every listener. Many song lyrics give positive messages, promoting well-being, whiles others give negative messages, promoting violence, criminal behaviors, sexual contents, and disrespect towards others. With this being said, music reflects what the public demands, and in many cases the negative messages are often times what sells more than those music giving positive messages.

For this paper I decided to analyze the content of lyrics and music videos by hip hop artists. The reason why I decided to use these media outlets is because they contain the powerful images and words preformed in music videos and songs. Music videos help create the visual portrayal of hip hop artist that is used to promote the songs they release. Lyrics within songs are ways artists communicate, for example,

The music industry is made of companies which produce and sell music. The music industry as we know it was solidified in the mid-twentieth century, where records succeeded sheet music as the primary product in the music business. Record companies were established, but did not last very long until the late 1980s when the “Big Six”, a group of multinational corporations consisting of Sony, MCA, WEA, Polygram, EMI, and BMG controlled most of the market. Initially there were five corporations (CBS and RCA (both now belonging to Sony), WEA, EMI, and Polygram) that had emerged in 1978 to own 60 per cent of the market. (Wallis and Malm, 1984, p. 81)

Popular music is often one of the best lenses we have through which to view our own cultural orientation. Many of the artistic and experimental shifts in popular music have mirrored changes in our own society. For instance, the emergence of Elvis Presley as a public figure would signal the start of a sexual revolution and the growth in visibility of a rebellious youth culture. Similarly, the folk and psychedelic music of the 1960s was closely entangled with the Civil Rights, anti-war and social protest movements. In this regard, we can view popular music as an artifact through which to better understand the time and place in which it is produced. In light of this, the state of popular music today may suggest troubling things about our society.

These enthusiasts refer to both members of the group as “‘king(s)’” of the music industry and insist that their music, “‘will never be defeated,’” (cite). Possessing a swarm of mindlessly-loyal fans is the first step in climbing to the top of the music industry; as can be seen with artists such as: Beyonce, Rihanna, and One Direction. The two rockers seem inseparable, unlike groups such as One Direction, confirming that both are focused on making music “to the last syllable of recorded time” (cite). Longevity is a crucial component in the music industry.

With the advances in technology and increase in internet broadband availability (The Broadband Commision, 2014), record labels are being forces to innovate and update their business models (M.Coz & Torres, 2013) to keep up with the latest technology (Solis, 2015). Of these technologies, the move away from physical sales (of music) to Digital sales is the most significant. Digital sales have increased over the last 6 years (as shown in Table 1) in terms of revenues, and this is set to carry on this way in the future (Solis, 2015).

Questioning the correlation of commercial success and true artistry began in the light of mainstream music. Mainstream music has been given a negative connotation due to the supposed lack of originality of the artists. Repetitive chord progressions and meaningless lyrics compose the majority of “mainstream music,” making each song sound like the next . Despite these patterns in music, artists still ventured outside of what was societally normal and created music that was unheard of. Despite the potential risks in being an individual in the music industry, several groups achieved high success and maintain the popularity in the present. Creativity and commercial success can definitely exist alongside one another, and this paper will prove that through the music of the Beatles, the performance styles of David Bowie, and the grunge movement in Seattle which was fueled by Nirvana.

Some in music journalism have made the argument that artists who are the product of reality-show competitions can’t be taken seriously because they’ve ‘gained success overnight’ and haven’t ‘paid their dues.’ What do you think of that

There have been multiple artists’ who have transcended and revolutionized rock n’ roll music in a social and economic phenomena. Throughout the late twentieth century, musicians’ astonished crowds and critics with their lyrical and melodic tunes: which led to a rise of prominence for rock in American culture. Many teens and adults round role models or shining examples that spoke for them, and filled their struggled lives with a sense of hope and relief. With super-stardom comes the inevitable aspects of monumental fame, extensive wealth, and pragmatic pleasures and sensations; on the other side of the spectrum, come the prolonged pressures to have a continuous amount of success and the tolls that touring take on the body. Along with that, comes

New social divides originate from the look that people want to articulate, an image that is projected from the vogue, images which may coincide with a certain way of life. It was revealed in a recent academic journal that listening to certain genre of music can influence the way we consume (Na 2013). Therefore the performers of these genres and other forms of media have some bearing on the way we look and act. Making us feel like we could be that one step closer to the standard of living we desire and giving us a sense of belonging.

In order to facilitate the exhausting of young girls pockets it is crucial to obtain the approval of their protective parents. In the Beatles anthology, John Lennon recalls their manager Peter Epstein advising them to stop swearing and smoking on stage and to ditch the casual attire in favor of bowlcuts and matching suits. Such tactic is used to make them more relatable and to please the demands of the different age demographics in their audiences during the conservative 60's. To ensure such, it is important to construct profiles that will keep the public aspect of their careers impeccably organized. In the Beatles, “Paul was the cute one, George was the quiet one, Ringo was the funny one and John was the smart one.” Earlier this year, some of Syco’s (One Direction’s record management) documents were leaked in which it is evident that they, like the Beatles, had a constructed marketed image. According to the document, Harry Styles was the “adorably slow” one , Louis Tomlinson was the “funny” one, Liam Payne was the “caring” one, Niall Horan was the “cute” one and Zayn Malik was the “player”one. . Such profile constructs are vital in establishing a connection between the band and the fanbase that creates the illusion that the fans know their idols beyond the boundaries erected by

People are often taught that when they have a dream, they shouldn’t allow anyone or anything get in their way of achieving it. And while ambition is a good quality to have, there are some cases where people lose sight of their goals and become more focused on their power or fame. In today’s world, popular culture has taken over our society, giving celebrities, particularly those in the music industry, almost unlimited amounts of power. Although many people use their determination and stardom to help others, there is a point where power and ambition becomes too much, and that is when someone starts to have the mindset that he or she is more important than other people.

In this article, Peterson and Berger show how the organization of the popular music industry affects the music that America hears.

Over the past decade, the use of CDs has been replaced with online streaming and retailing. This has eliminated much of the record companies revenues as they were used to making most of their profit off of distribution and promotion of physical copies of artists albums (Niemen). This has caused for a major shift and remodeling of major players in the music industries business models. Companies such Sony, Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group have started to completely rethink the way they conduct business (Forbes). In the past record labels were not only responsible for production, distribution and promotion of an artist and his/her music, but they also acted as a bank (Forbes), funding the artists tours and recording sessions. Recently, these music giants have been moving towards becoming more of a modular network organization. What this means is that they are less occupied with the nitty gritty, and more focused on what they do best which is distribution and promotion. This also allows for more freedom of creativity for the artist as well as fairer split of profits (Forbes). This adaption of new business models clearly shows the versatility of the music industry in adapting to new times and technologies.

The evolution of the music industry follows the familiar pattern of digitization. Innovation began with the introduction of the vinyl record, transitioned from the cassette tape to the compact disc and landed us in an era of digital downloads. The emergence of music streaming services like Spotify has progressed the industry even further, giving consumers the ability to access music on demand using download-free online platforms. Spotify faces criticism from artists as a result of the overlap of creativity and commerce. They argue that business activities corrupt creativity, transforming it into a tool for profitability rather than an outlet for expression. Artists insist that Spotify deters album sales, favors established artists and fails to support them financially. However, Spotify was created for consumers. It delivers an accessible alternative to purchasing and downloading music. The interplay between creativity and commerce is changing the nature of the music industry. Spotify has adapted to this change, providing a platform that supports both artists and consumers. Through analysis of the market, artist’s revenue, record labels and consumers, I will argue that artists should accept the evolution of the industry and support Spotify.