Independent record labels

Cherry Red: This is a London based record label which was set up in 1978. The company started off promoting rock concerts in 1971 and then in 1978, following a boom in independent record labels following the punk rock movement the company began releasing records. The first single released by the company was Bad Hearts by a local punk band called The tights, in June 1978. Early material released by the company included work by The Hollywood Brats, Destroyer All Monsters and The Runaways. The sales of Dead Kennedys album, Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables, put the company in a good position financially and allowed them to develop to the next stage.

They have marketed other smaller record labels including Heartbreak Records and Glaxo Babies.

As of the late 1980s the company has focused on reissuing records for artists such as Latoya Jackson, Marc Bolan and Toyah.

Music released by the company now tends to focus around hip hop and soul.

Warp records:

Founded in Sheffield in 1989 by Steve Beckett and the Rob Mitchell. The first release from the company was by Forgemasters, ‘Track With No Name’, selling only 500 copies. The nest album however, Nightmares on Wax’s Dextrous, charted and sold 30,000 copies. The company has always tended to focus on releasing electronic music and are considered one of the most influential record labels. The labels artists include Grizzly Bear, Maximo Park and Jackson and his computer band. The company have released various compilation of their work, one of their music videos. They have their own online digital music store known as Bleep, launched in 2004.

Epitaph:

Fueled by Ramen:

This label was started by Vinnie Fiorello, the guitarist from Less Than Jake, and John Janick in 1996. Most releases from this label are Punk-Pop and they released early work by Fall Out Boy, Jimmy Eat World and Yellowcard. Artists currently signed to the label Panic! At the Disco. Was founded in 1980 by Brett Gurewitz, the Bad Religion guitarist. The label mainly releases punk albums and in the 1990’s they released tracks from bands such as The Offspring and Rancid. Artist signed to the label today include The Distillers, Dropkick Murphys and Matchbook Romance. The label aims to be artist-friendly.

La Roux Album Cover

This is the album cover to La Roux’s debut album, ‘La Roux’. Like the Little Boots album she is a pop star but is one that is much more creditable as her album has a more dance edge to it. Like a pop star she has used a close up photograph of her and her name is in large white letters. Like a pop star they are selling the album on the artist and what she looks like, although unlike Britney and Christina she isn’t being sold as a ‘girl-next-door’ type but someone with a more rockier edge.

The photograph shows La Roux’s quiff, which the artist has become known for, showing how the album cover is also being used to build on her star image.

With the writing in white it helps the writing stick out from the dark background and it also helps draw attention to the stars name. Like with the Little Boots album, aside from the white the other colours in the album are all dark, again something that sets her apart from other pop stars and gives her a more rockier edge. This is again showing how she is suppose to be a more serious artist compared to other new pop stars.

Avril Lavigne album cover

This is the album cover to Avril Lavigne’s third album. The reason why I’ve decided to look at this album cover was because whilst she is still a pop star, she has slightly more attitude and more of an edge to the others I have looked at so far. Looking at this cover will help me if I choose to market the duo more like an artist similar to Avril Lavigne as apposed to a star more like Britney Spears.

As with the other solo female pop stars album covers the main aspect of this cover is an image of the star. On the right hand side of the cover is an image of her. She is dressed in the way that we would expect her to look, with long blonde hair and slightly punkier clothing then we have seen on the other stars. Like with the Kelly Clarkson cover we would not expect to see the star dressed in glamorous clothing, therefore the album cover is continuing Lavigne’s star image. Although this album cover is more conventionally pop then her other covers, which were darker, she is still dressed in similar ways to her previous covers.

Her name on the cover is not as large as it is on some of the other albums I have looked at, but the image is big enough so that we know who’s cover it is. On the cover she also has a skull and crossbones but there is pink surrounding the skull, which keeps the logo fitting with the idea that she is a edgier pop star then say Britney Spears and Kylie Minogue.

The background is plain white which would be something that I would consider as it would be a simple look to reproduce but still allows the cover to look a pop cover.

Systematics album cover

This is the album cover to Systemanias album, ‘I Say Yeh’. Unlike a typical album cover it does not have a picture of the artists face on the cover and it does not have their name on it, although it does have the name of the album on it. This album cover is similar to the bands other covers in a sense because they also do not appear on the front of other albums and is a close up of a body part, for example on another of their albums there is a close up of men's feet in a pair of high heels.

On the cover is a picture of a hand face painting somebody. The shot is in black and white, with only the sponge in red. The words also keep to this colour scheme, with the ‘I Say’ in white and the ‘yeah!’ in red, showing the relationship between the images and the text. Keeping to this colour scheme in both the text and the image is effective as it makes the few things that are in red stand out. This is something that we have considered doing on our own video and on our album cover.

Album Cover- Little Boots (Hands)

This is the album cover to Little Boots debut album ‘Hands’. Although Little Boots is more of an dance act, her album cover has still used many of the same conventions that a pop album cover uses. There is a mid/ close up shot of the artist herself, with her name in large letters at the bottom of the album, with the name of the album written smaller underneath her name.

The artist is dressed in a quirky dress, differentiating her from a pop star. The album cover is constructing her star image as being different to that of a pop star and a more credible and unique artist, highlighted through her clothes.

With the writing in white it helps it stick out from the background, but it is still fitting with the colour scheme used in the rest of the cover, as white is also used to draw the circle and triangle, behind Little Boots. The other colours used in this album cover are dark, which are used to make up the stormy background, which shows dark clouds and thunder bolts. This is also something that sets her apart from other pop stars as is if this was a pop star the background is likely to be brighter, especially for a debut album. This is possibly highlighting how whilst her music still has elements of pop music she is a much more serious artist.

From this album cover we have learnt how not all pop album covers have to use bright ‘poppy’ colours but they do really have to have a picture of the artist on.

Christina Aguilera Album Cover- Hurt

On the front of a pop album you would expect to see a picture of the star and the artists name. This is true of Christina Aguilera, whose album covers all have a picture of her on and her name on the front. With this they are selling the album on what she looks like, and like with her music videos they are trying to build upon her star image that is created both with her music and outside of it. You can also see the evolution of her star image thorough the album covers. On the first album she looks like the typical girl next door, with her blonde hair and with minimal make up on, whilst the next album, ‘Stripped’ is a complete change with her with no top on, long dirty hair and chaps on, whilst the final two albums, ‘Back to Basics’ and ‘Hurt’ are of her with platinum blonde hair and red lipstick and heavy eyeliner on, showing how her transformation.

On the front cover of ‘Hurt’ Christina is sitting in a circus ring. She is trying to show how she has become more theatrical and so has her music. This could be because she is trying to show a complete departure from the music that she has made in the past, but still like her other album she still appears on the front cover. The photograph is taken with a red light shining from behind her, suggesting that the spot light is on her and she is the centre of attention.

The main colour on the album cover is red. The photograph is taken with a red light and there is she has both red lips and red nails. The use of this colour adds drama to the cover and makes the picture seem more theatrical, just like she is trying to portray through the picture.

Looking at these album covers will be helpful when we are creating our own for our video because it has helped us think about the conventions of a album cover for a pop star. The use of one colour is also useful in showing us how a atmosphere can be created through a picture.

   

Album cover- Arctic Monkeys (Whatever People Say I Am Thats What I'm Not)

This is the album cover to Arctic Monkeys first album, ‘Whatever people say I am that’s what I’m not’. Whilst this is not the album of a pop band, they still have a close up of a star on the front cover, although on this album it is not a member of the band on the cover. They have used a picture of a person who represents the sort of audience that this album was targeted at, young working class men.

The photograph is taken in black and white, with simply just this one photograph of the man smoking. This album shows how a cover can be very simple but yet effective, as this photograph suggests what the style of music that is on this album is going to be.

This album was taken from the bands first album, and shows how the covers of a rock bands album is different to that of a pop star. If this would have been a pop stars debut album, there would have undoubtedly be a picture of the star on the front as they would have to launch a pop star on the ‘whole package’ rather then just the music, something that a rock band can do.

Record Companies Research

Universal Music Group is the largest record label in the world. It releases music that is pop, rock, Rap, R&B, Jazz, Classical and Latin. The record label is split into two divisions, recorded music and music publishing. It releases music in 77 countries, controlling nearly 98% of the music market. It also sells and distributes music videos and DVD’s.

The companies sub record labels include Decca Records, Barclay, Island Def Jam Music Group, Polydor Records and Mercury Music.

Artists signed to this label include Lady Gaga, One Republic, Nicki Minaj, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Kayne West and Eminem.

Sony Music Entertainment is the second biggest record label in the world. The company was founded in 1929 under the name American Record Corporation (ARC) and initially released rockabilly music, although now they produce records for many different styles. In 2004 Sony entered into a joint venture with the Bertlsmann Music Group to form, Sony BMG Music, however in 2008 Sony bought out Bertlsmann and the company was again known as Sony Music Entertainment.

Its headquarters are in New York but has offices around the world. The company has a number of sub music labels including Columbia, Epic, J-Records, RCA Records, Nashville, Sony Latin and Zomba.

Acts signed to Sony include Pink, Shakira, Kings of Leon, Susan Boyle, Ke$ha and The Script. They also own the rights to music by Elvis and Micheal Jackson.

Warner Music Group is the third largest record label in the world. It is the worlds only public limited trading major record label. Sub-labels include Atlantic records, Rhino records and Warner Music Nashville. They have managed artists such as Frank Sinatra, The Doors, The Bee Gees The Pixies and Van Morrison. Artists currently signed to Warner Music Group include Jason Marz, 30H!3, The Enemy, Gnarls Barkley and Red Hot Chilli Peppers.



EMI is the only privately owned major music company, after being bought by Terra Firma in 2007. EMI owns recording studios, Abbey Road in London and Capitol Studios in Los Angeles. It is the fourth largest record label in the world.

It has a number of sub-record labels including Angel, Blue Note, EMI Classics, EMI CMG, EMI Records Nashville and Capitol. Artists signed to their label include Lily Allen, Bat For Lashes, Gorillaz, Katy Perry, Snoop Dogg, Thirty Seconds to Mars and Kylie Minogue. They also own the rights to classic albums such as Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie), Revolver (The Beatles), Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band (The Beatles), Dark Side of the Moon (Pink Floyd) and A Rush of Blood To The Head (Coldplay).

Album covers- The Stone Roses (The Stone Roses) and Pink Floyd (Harvest)

 

Features of an album cover: Stars face, name of the band, name of the album, connection between the visuals and lyrics, bands logo and record company logo.

Similarities between The Stone Roses and Harvest: Neither of the covers have pictures of the bands on the front. They are relying on the fans of the band recognising the album without having to actually see a picture of the band. For Pink Floyd not appearing on the cover it adds to the mythical nature of the band, they are a band rarely seen and therefore this album add to that star image. The Stone Roses cover is because they were a new band with very little budget. These albums are from bands who are different stages of their career. Both of the covers could suggest something about the music that you are going to hear. They are covers you would expect to see a rock band use rather then a hip hop or pop star use.

　

　The Stone Roses (The Stone Roses)　

Images: Green and white paint splats and lemons. They have kept the album cover simple and have possibly used the quirky feature like the lemons as a way of getting the album noticed rather then having the band on the front cover. The red white and blue is a reference to the French flag, symbolizing the French Unrest in 1968, showing that the band were interested in their being a deeper meaning to their music.

Text: Bold Gold text in the centre, dominating the cover. This could have been done to replace the image of the band, if they are not on the cover at least we know their name.

Relationship between the text and the image: There is both lemons in the text and the image. There is also the relationship between the text and the image because both the text and images are what we possibly expect to see from a rock band. The lemons used in the text and the image also link back to the use of the French flag on the cover. The lemons were used by the people involved in the riots in France, in particular Paris, as a way of protecting themselves from the tear gas. By using symbols that have a stronger more meaningful message it helps assert that they are an indie band.

Functions: In the sleeve of the album cover there is pictures of the band in black and white and they are performing. This could be to reinforce the fact that they are a rock band, who play all their own music. The album sleeve also serves the function of telling us who wrote the songs, produced them, played on them, sung them etc. The fact that the name of the band is big on the album cover could be to replace the fact there is no picture of the band and to get us familiar with the name. The unction of the back of the case is to tell you the name of the songs, helpful if you know the band for one particular song and are looking for it on that album.

Iconography:

There is a union jack on the inside of the cover, signifying that this is a British band. This could also be playing on the traditions of other rock bands such as The Rolling Stones, who also use the Union Jack iconography.

Kelly Clarkson album cover- All I Ever Wanted

This is Kelly Clarkson’s album cover. The reason that I’ve decided to look at this album cover is because she is a young pop star, which is what our band are. There are very few female duo pop acts but by looking at solo female pop stars we will get a better idea as to the style of album cover we should create as the albums of a solo female and a female duo is likely to be similar as they are both singing the same genre of music and both trying to attract the same target audience.

This album cover is fairly simple. Like we have seen with the other covers Clarkson features on the cover, with the image dominating the cover. In the image she is wearing fairly casual clothes. This would be something that we would be more likely to do for our cover, mainly because of the budget we have to shoot for our cover. The relaxed costume on the front cover fits in with Kelly Clarkson’s star image because she is not known for looking overly glamorous and she isn’t known for having front covers which are particularly artistic or overly original, tending to stick to simple album covers.

This album cover also features her name on the cover, rather bold and large so that we instantly know whose album this is. The name has proved to be a key feature on the cover of a pop album, meaning that when it comes to creating our album cover we need to have a bold title.

This cover also uses simple block colour in the background. This style would be something that we would consider because it would be a simple look to achieve but would still look effective and still make the album distinctively pop. Colour has also proved key on our cover.

Kylie Minogue Album cover- X

 This is the album cover to Kylie Minogue’s album X. We looked at this album cover because we wanted to look at how pop stars were represented on their album covers, as this is the genre that our video would fit into. As you would expect on this album cover there is a close up of the artist and her name. This is similar to other albums by Kylie Minogue, although of which have a photograph of her and her name as the biggest writing on the album cover, bigger then that of the albums title if it even includes the title at all. This is because they are relying on selling the album on the name of the already well established artist who can be recognised by her first name only. When creating our album cover we feel it is important to have the artists face on it as this is typically what would be expected from a pop band.

Although the background is black there is still a lot of block bold colour on this album cover, suggesting that pop album need to be colourful to play on the market that they are being targeted at, young women. The red line used in the image also matches the red on her nails and lips. This is something that we will take into consideration when creating our album cover.

In this album there is some relationship between the image and the writing as the writing uses the same colours as her name and the way the colour has been used in the image and the writing is similar.

Britney Spears Album Cover- Circus

Like with the other front covers we have looked at for pop stars, the front of Britney Spears albums all fit to what we would expect to see from an album cover, with her face and name appearing on the cover of the album. Again they could be selling the album on the strength pf what she looks like. Like with Christina’s albums the album covers depict how her image has changed. On the first she, like Christina, looks like a typical girl next door, but as the albums progress her looks begin to change.
 

Like Christina she also had an album that was set in a circus. On her album ‘Circus’, there is a mid shot of Britney Spears wearing a frilly pink dress. Around the edge of the album cover there is blue stars and the writing and backdrop makes the album look theatrical. There is a lot of soft colours used in this album cover, from the gold on the backdrop, the light pink on her dress and the light blue in the stars, the only really bright colour is the red in the writing, which means that her name stands out, selling the album more off of who the star is then what is actually on the album and what the album is about.

  

Final Cut express

Final Cut Express is the programme that we are going to use to edit together the video.

The benefits of using this programme is that it is simple to use, which will make it easier for us when it comes to editing our video. It is easy to duplicate shots and put in and out points, so that we can select the parts of each clip that we want to use without difficulty.

The programme also makes it easy for us to put effects on certain shots, something that is going to be useful for our video as we plan to use many effects, so that the video is in keeping with the song and the previous Rogue Traders video to ‘Voodoo Child’.

The programme also allows us to put the videos into different ‘bins’, which will help us organise the many shots that we are likely after shooting.

The programme also allows us to export the video easily when it is finally finished, meaning we are able to up load the video to our blogs and other internet sites.

There is also a number of tutorials on youtube.com which will mean there is an outlet for us to find out how to use the programme if we become stuck.

Oasis-Dont look back in anger

Screen grab showing how the edge of the shot has been blurred
in Dont Look Back in Anger

This is the video for the 1996 Oasis song, Don’t Look Back in Anger, form the album (What‘s the story) morning glory? This video was directed by Nigel Dick, who has also worked on the Guns and Roses videos Sweet Child of Mine, Paradise City and Welcome to the Jungle. He has also worked with the band on their videos for other singles including, Rock and Roll Star, Wonderwall and Champagne Supernova. Using the same director for some of their videos means that there are some similarities in the bands music videos. This is particularly true for the videos to Wonderwall and Don’t look back in anger as they both create the feel that they have been shot on old film as the edge of the shots are blurred. Another similarity between the two videos include that both opening shots are mid-long shots of lone objects, for example in Don’t look back in anger it is a chair and in Wonderwall (below rigt) it is a box.







In this video there is some relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, with references to beds and summer there is shots of the band laying on beds and of Liam Gallagher surrounded by bright yellow flowers, clearly implying summer. These shots do not necessarily help reinforce the lyrics to the song, nor do they amplify or contradict them but they do however help illustrate what the lyrics are saying. There is also a relationship between the music and the lyrics as there is reoccurring images of guitars and drums, reminding us that this is a rock band, who play their own music. As with most rock bands they are performing in their video, something you would expect of this genre of music. This is shown in there other videos including ones for Wonderwall.

Genre iconography in Wonderwall video.



Genre iconography in Dont Look Back in Anger.

 

In this video there is a reference to voyeurism, although not in the way that we would normally expect to see it in a music video. Instead of us there being a sense that some one is being watched in a sexual way, how Goodwin implies it is normally used in music videos, in this video it is a man who is being watched and instead of the technique being used to make the video seem sexy, it is being used to show that the band is being watched because they are doing something wrong. With the lead singer, Noel Gallagher, looking back at the camera it complies with the image of them having an attitude, something you would expect from a rock band. It also suggests that the band are cocky, an attitude that we expect from them.

Throughout this video there is a lot of use of iconography. In the 1990s the band were synonymous with the Brit Pop scene and this is shown throughout this video. The iconography is mainly centred around British icons, something you would expect from this genre of music. There is a small union jack at the start of the video, a black taxi and a stately home, all things that recognisably British. The fact that Noel Gallagher, lead singer, is wearing a pair of round coloured glasses like John Lennon, a member of The Beatles, another band who were part of an earlier British music movement, the British Invasion in the 1960s, shows another reference to British culture and the bands own admiration for Lennon. The lyrics also mention John Lennon as they say “I’m gonna start a revolution from my bed”, referencing John Lennon’s bed protest in 1969.

John Lennon wearing the round glasses.

'John Lennon glasses' worn in Wonderwall.

'Bed In' refered to in song

Throughout the video for ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ there is a number of close ups of the singer, Noel Gallagher, and his brother Liam, who is the bands front man. There are both shots of them on their own and together, playing on the relationship of the brothers, something that is sometimes focused on in the press. The reason that they have done this is possibly because, as Goodwin tells us, there is often a demand on the part of the record company for lots of close ups.



Kate Bush Album Cover

This is the video to Kate Bush's album the red shoes. This cover with the single image of the shoes, the artist name and name of the album is something that we would consider for our artist. We liked the idea of using shoes on our album cover as they are something that we want as a running theme throughout our video and would therefore be something that we would consider then using on our album cover in the future.

On this album cover there is a relationship between the text and the image used as the album is caused 'The Red Shoes' and there is a pair of red shoes on the album cover. The problem with not using an artists face on the album cover is that the CD may not be recognised as quickly as if they were, this is ok for an established artist like Kate Bush, but when it comes to a new artist you are likely to have their face on it so that we get to know them and so that a 'star-image is built up of the artist'.

Florence and the Machine- Rabbit Heart (Raise it up)

Florence + The Machine - Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)

This is the video to Florence and the Machines single ‘Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up), from their debut album Lungs. The video was directed by Tom Beard and Tabitha Denholm. The pair have also directed other videos for the band including ‘Cosmic Lover’ and ‘You Got the Love’. The video for ‘Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)’ is most similar to the original video to ‘Dog Days are Over’, also directed by Beard and Denholm, with both the videos shot in similar locations and with the lead singer, Florence Welsh being surrounded by a number of colourful characters. Both the videos have a vintage feel to them and one that is quite intimate with the lead singer, which has been aided by the use of close ups. The image that has been created of the lead singer in the videos is something that has been carried over outside of the videos and therefore building a star image. With the help of the videos we would now expect to see big performances from the band, similar to the ones portrayed in the video. The white dress that she is wearing in the video to ‘Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)’, is something that is we would also expect to see in her performances as she often performs in white dresses. Her red hair is also becoming a trademark of hers and the close ups in this video help highlight this.

Close up in Dog Days Are Over, showing how she is surrounded by people in her videos.

Close up in 'Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up), showing how she is surrounded by people.



Wone of her many stage performances in white dresses.



The white dress in the video.

There is a relationship between both the visuals and the lyrics, particularly at the start when she sings “looking glass so shiny and new”, she is looking through something that is shiny and new, and as the song says “how quickly the glamour fades”, the object also disappears from view, symbolising that she is now seeing this work for real. There is also a reference between the music and the visuals as we see a harpist playing and also hear him on the soundtrack. The harp is something that features in a number of her videos and performances also, notably her show at the 2010 BRIT awards.

"Looking glass so shiny and new"

Harp used in the video.

Harp used in the performance at the BRITS.

Close up in 'Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)'

Close up used in 'Cosmic Love'

 One inter-textual reference is that of religion and offerings. She is giving herself up for slaughter, hence why she is put in a white coffin and left to float in a lake, like a story we would expect in the bible or other religious books. The main inter-textual reference is that of Alice and Wonderland. In the lyrics she sings about “the looking glass”, something associated with the Alice in Wonderland novel and film, as Alice falls through the looking glass. The other reference to Alice in Wonderland is that she appears to be at the mad hatter tea party in the video. She is playing the role of Alice, giving her some vulnerability.

Mad Hatter's tea party in 'Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)'

Mad Hatter's tea party in Alice in Wonderland



According to Goodwin there is a demand on the part of the record company for lots of close ups of the main artist or vocalist to sustain the establish star-text as a way of the music video assisting in the sale of the single and album. This is the case in this video as there are a number of close ups of the lead singer, which show her as we would expect to see her, performing with bright red hair. Similar close ups are also used in her videos for ‘Cosmic Love’.