INDUSTRY: Research

Below is my research on various music industry elements such as product placement, streaming, the big 3, physical resurgence, age ratings, and merchandise. 

PRODUCT PLACEMENT: 

Music videos frequently use product placement as a way to generate funding, as well as being a subtle promotion for brands as they are not disclosed as advertisements. 

Due to the revenue limitations from the impact of Web 2.0 (O'Reilly) and streaming, it is now more common for artists to partner with brands instead of being viewed as "sell-outs" like a few decades ago.  This mutually beneficial partnership allows brands access to the strong artist fanbase, and creates legitimacy for the artist by having corporate backing. 

Some of the most common examples of brand deals are typically music products (e.g. Beats headphones and speakers) or energy drinks. Below are some examples: 

"Chicken Teriyaki" - Rosalia + "Princess Diana" - Nicki Minaj

Possible influences: 

I will try and incorporate brand/product placement in an organic way, but it is not very realistic for my scale to work with a large corporation. I will include branding/sponsorship on social media as this is realistic and reflects the industry online. 

STREAMING: 

Music streaming began in the early 2000s with MP3 pirating websites such as Napster, but after the release of the Apple iPod in 2003, music streaming has now become an integral part of the music industry. 

Rather than individually downloading files, the music is transferred instantaneously on a platform, with the most popular being YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify, Soundcloud, Amazon Music, Deezer, and Tidal. Although not originally a feature, these platforms now allow for downloading of tracks to be listened to when offline, but in a time and space efficient way compared to early music downloading. 

Streaming works through a very low quality music file, with most of the "additional" elements being removed so that the human ear cannot pick up on the differences, explaining the difference in audio quality between physical and streaming. 

However, while music streaming may be more efficient for most users, it does not benefit artists, as many as payed as little as $0.004 per stream, meaning they need to rely on concert, merchandise, and physical music sales instead. Although streaming was initially disregarded by the big 3, as it is not profitable and almost caused an industry collapse due to revenue loss, most artists are now available to listen to online and metrics are now focused on streams rather than physical sales. 

BIG 3: 

Similarly to the film industry's big 5, the music industry has a big 3, or conglomerates with the largest industry market share. The big 3 are Warner Music Group (WMG), Universal Music Group (UMG), and Sony. Labels that are not these or any of their subsidiaries, are known as indies, short for independent. 

1. Warner Music Group

An American conglomerate that achieved $5.9bn revenue in 2023. It operates in over 50 countries and has subsidiaries such as Warner Bros. Records, Parlophone Records, and Atlantic Records. Some of their artist catalogue includes: AC/DC, Kylie Minogue, Beyoncé, Prince, Frank Sinatra, Charli XCX, and Dua Lipa. 

2. Universal Music Group

An American conglomerate that achieved $11bn revenue in 2022. Subsidiaries include Astralwerks, Interscope, Def Jam Recordings, Capitol Music Group, and Republic Records. Some of their catalogue includes: The Weeknd, Lana Del Rey, Miley Cyrus, Metallica, Sting, and Amy Winehouse. 

3. Sony Music 

Sony Music is the record label of the Sony Corporation, showing a clear case of horizontal integration of music artist's and technology. Its subsidiaries include Epic Records, Columbia Records, and J Records. Its artistic catalogue features Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, David Bowie, and Evanescence.

BBFC AGE RATINGS: 

My information was sourced from the BBFC website. 

The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) supervises age restrictions and certifications on visual media products. However, these are voluntary for music video and not mandatory like films. They are currently partnering with the big 3's - Sony, WMG, and UMG - UK subsidiaries to voluntarily submit videos they deem unsuitable for children under the ages of 12 and covers all newly released music videos by UK artists under these labels. 

The age rating is classified under the content information of the video on YouTube, and the classified content is available to be reviewed on the BBFC website. The BBFC considers the following elements in their classifications: bad language, dangerous behaviour presented as safe, drug use, sexual behaviour, nudity, and threatening behaviour or violence. 

Possible influences: 

I don't have any scenes with nudity, substances, or dangerous/violent behaviour which makes my video more appealing to the mainstream. The bar scene shows some alcohol bottles behind but nothing is consumed, and there is no bad language in the video so I think it would be suitable for all ages or rated EA or 6. 

MERCHANDISE: 

Merchandise is originally a way for artists to produce extra passive income, and is more important now due to the lack of revenue from physical music products as it is easier to stream music online (Web 2.0, O'Reilly). This is a key element of the artist's brand as merchandise can help promote their new music and overall image. It also allows for audience members to feel as if they have a stronger connection with the artist (UGT) as they are spending money on clothing items that they will wear, which in turn is a free advertisement for the artist. 

Below are some examples of artist merchandise I analysed: 

All the artists had physical copies of their music available, as well as t-shirts and hoodies. There was some variation with socks, keychains, bags, and tracksuit sets. All kept a theme depending on the album associated and some limited similarities in artist branding. 

Below is the merchandise I created for Olivia Cox. 

For the mockup designs I used the resources on gelato.com. 

I chose to create a t-shirt and hoodie with the front being the logo and the back being the tour dates I have created that are in the same style and include the heart imagery. I did the same for the tote bag as well, as the tour dates create a stronger emotional connections with fans that attended, as well as promoting the new album.

I have also made a water bottle, phone case, and tote bag with the same logo and purple colouring, to allow the younger target audience accessibility to purchase these items. They are also used daily and have a larger marketing reach and utility. 

PHYSICAL RESURGENCE: 

For my Media EPQ I am researching the physical media revival in younger demographics of recent years, and below is a condensed version of my findings.  

Vinyl and cassette are analogue formats, which began disappearing after the CD era of the 90s, and the digitisation created that eventually turned into MP3 pirating and streaming. Events such as Record Store Day - which evidences vinyl releases and promotions - have boosted the popularity of the format. 

Musicweek.com published an article saying that vinyl purchases have grown for a consecutive year in the UK, with 5.9 million units being sold in the UK in 2023 across indie record stores and larger companies such as HMV. This increase in demand is the highest vinyl has reached since 1990, and the CD and cassette markets are growing as well, with 11 million CDs and 100,000 cassette units sold last year. The majority of artists headlining the vinyl chart are mainstream and internationally recognised, with classic releases such as The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, and Fleetwood Mac, as well as current artists such as Olivia Rodrigo and Lana Del Rey making a significant impact with recent albums. 

Through my research, the revival is mostly due to Baudrillard's "Notions of Collecting" and the psychology behind the collection. The digital landscape and streaming platforms allow for more music to be accessed for a very low price, but this does not leave the consumer the satisfaction of collecting. The theory also links to Boyd's nostalgia, and the comfort of childhood linked to an endless pursuit of collecting and emotionally valuing material items. Finally, Reynolds' retromania is the best theoretical comparison to this phenomena, as young people, as well as society overall, are in an age obsessed with the past rather than the future. There is an aesthetic element to record collecting, as well as a cool vintage feel to playing analogue records, which is popular as it allows for a different and more rare musical experience. 

Artists are also pushing physical music merchandise to their fans, as they receive much higher revenue than for streaming. Through exclusive releases and colour schemes of the physical discs, artists are able to incentivise their fans into the purchase, and the fans create a stronger emotional tie to the artist due to the purchasing power impact in a world of free music.