I'm one of the many students interested in the manufacture of "the star" with the use of television and music (pop idol, rock star INXS, etc). While reading the coursebook, eminem came on the television. It made me wonder how much of a "manufacture" eminem is. This is most obvious with his different entites - Marshall Mathers, Slip Shady, and Eminem.The synergy of video and narrative of song is...almost too good. The video and the songs come hand in hand, they say the same story. It made me wonder (in this case, specific to Eminem) what came first - the single? or the video? Does eminem create an idea in his mind for a video, and construct lyrics around it? I would be willing to argue that yes, Eminem probably has a strong video concept before he creates a single; and in this way, with the construction of various music videos and the portayal of the "real" eminem/slim shady/Marshal Mathers in these videos, he has managed to construct an identity. Is eminem his own puppet? How much musical credibility can be sort in cheesy videos of Eminem dressed as a mexican, dancing, informing fans to look out for his new single, wooah, woaah, woah my salsa, look out for my next single it's called my salsa...
In regards to the construction of Eminem - he has also constructed himself upon the idea of a black hip hop artist. In his 2003 Grammy Award Speech, he thanked various black musicians who had musically inspired him - N.W.A,Naughty by Nature, Run DMC, Jay Z. These four musicians/groups in particular show obvious influences - the language and aggression found in N.W.A and Naughty by Nature, the hip hop beat and structure from Run DMC, and politcal commentary (mainly present in Eminem's later works) mixed into hip hop along the likes of Jay Z. Is Eminem just a construction of mixed ideas? And if so, how sincere is he in "representing" ideas, trends, ideas or characters?
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Manufactured Stardom
Our course reader article encouraged me to think about how big a difference there is between the ‘manufactured’ pop stars of reality television and your average ‘self made’ pop star. It easy to forget that the artists we perceive to have made it on their own have also been carefully constructed in order to achieve their celebrity status. Granted they have not been constructed in quite the same way the reality television formats prescribes but they have still been styled into certain moulds in order to achieve their success. As Su Holmes describes, the difference with pop idol shows is that it reveals this process of construction. This begs the question; are these manufactured stars any more manufactured then other pop stars? Reality music shows do show the creation of these stars and reveal the behind the scenes process of achieving stardom. A similar tension exists in the backstage musical which works to demystify the production process at the same time as it creates an effective illusions which encourage the audience to buy into the its fantastical side.
I was also interested by the ‘realness’ associated with the level of audience interactivity in reality pop television. The audience’s feeling of inclusion and ability to have effect seems more real in pop television because it is more immediate. This is interesting because there is also a level of interactivity involved in other pop stars in that the audiences buy in has a great effect for the artists success. The pop television format however makes this buy in more immediately obvious because the audiences ability to vote results in a relatively quick result; someone being voted off.
Kathryn B
I was also interested by the ‘realness’ associated with the level of audience interactivity in reality pop television. The audience’s feeling of inclusion and ability to have effect seems more real in pop television because it is more immediate. This is interesting because there is also a level of interactivity involved in other pop stars in that the audiences buy in has a great effect for the artists success. The pop television format however makes this buy in more immediately obvious because the audiences ability to vote results in a relatively quick result; someone being voted off.
Kathryn B
Self produced media and the ever expanding Internet
Self produced media and the ever expanding Internet
Multimedia platforms, such as the internet, have opened a new wave of music industry: creation, promotion, and distribution. ‘Self produced media’ has been mentioned in the David Corteau article ‘the growth of self-produced media content and the challenge to media studies’. The prediction of this article means that the ‘…big corporate media players will hold sway, but their dominance is likely to erode as new technologies enable small time media producers to create and distribute their own content.’(Corteau, 340) I believe Corteau has identified an interesting point that ‘Self produced media’ will, and is, competing with music companies, on a professional level because of the quantity being produced, and the wide applications, and formats music is now available on.
Technology advances on a daily basis which, in turn advances the ‘self produced’ music into a position as great, as any, corporate company. On the contrary, to Corteau, I believe strongly that ‘self-produced media’ is a negative phenomena on consumers. First off, quantity versus quality, a big corporate music distributor still inherently continues an authority over validating ‘what is a quality’ music product. The star qualities of artists like Ray Charles, Michael Jackson, and Eric Clapton owe their star success to big corporate companies, yet most importantly, the way company’s control, and regulate the music industry with selected artist. The companies control ‘star quality’, or star driven music products, with the association of an attached record label. A record label is like a ‘heart foundation tick’ that guarantees consumer choice in music product. A record label provides a sense of prestige over the many other ‘self-produced’ forms.
It is true, there are large benefits of ‘self-produced media’, via the internet, that accommodates the musician, and produced some worth while music. However, the benefits are temporary when considering that self produced media continues to produce ‘…an especially high percentage of awful content’ (Croteau, 343) and a low percentage of ‘self produced music worth listening to. The platform of distribution, being the internet, will lose the few quality music products in the immense quantity of low quality music available on the internet.
The internet can not particularly validate, license, or guarantee a professional ‘self produced’ product, as record labels can. Additionally, ‘self-produced media’ pragmatically complicates the process of consumption. The standard ‘classic process of consumption’ is when a customer buys a C.D from a record store. The physicality of receiving a professionally packaged product, with record labels as signifiers of its professionalism, and the receipt from the record store, are safety measures taken to ensure a validated ‘quality’ product. However, ‘self produced media’, specifically on the internet, relies on consumer knowledge of search procedures, software, hardware, internet updates, whereas the ‘classic process of consumption’ does not require the consumer to know how record companies select artists, how the record company operates, or whatever else involved of distributing a media text. Corteau has mentioned that ‘…specific (internet) sites or particular fads are not likely to last long on the quickly changing internet. As trends and technology evolve, new formats will appear’ (Croteau, 342) and this ever expanding, and evolving, internet forms: programs, websites, software, hardware will, in turn, require the same evolutionary speed of the consumer to be updated with the knowledge, of new internet forms. In other words, if the internet is always advancing, the consumer must also advance their knowledge in order to fully utilize this platform, the internet, of distribution. The internet requires a minimum amount of knowledge, and training, in order to filter through the self produced spaghetti to find the one meat ball (music product) that is worth tasting.
I think that some of the predictions are correct in assuming the music industry will expand with the aid of ‘self produced media’ and the internet. On the contrary, this expansion only adds to argument that self produced media can not be guaranteed and the platform that it uses can not validate or regulate. The internet platform requires an immense knowledge, or understanding of the platform, in order to fully utilize its potential in distributing aspects. The internet needs more filtering methods, standardization of the platform itself, in terms with creating a fixed platform, in order to create stability in an ever changing multimedia platform such as the internet.
Bibliography:
1. Croteau, David. Critical studies in media commerce. Vol 23, No. 4, October 2006 pp 340-344.
Multimedia platforms, such as the internet, have opened a new wave of music industry: creation, promotion, and distribution. ‘Self produced media’ has been mentioned in the David Corteau article ‘the growth of self-produced media content and the challenge to media studies’. The prediction of this article means that the ‘…big corporate media players will hold sway, but their dominance is likely to erode as new technologies enable small time media producers to create and distribute their own content.’(Corteau, 340) I believe Corteau has identified an interesting point that ‘Self produced media’ will, and is, competing with music companies, on a professional level because of the quantity being produced, and the wide applications, and formats music is now available on.
Technology advances on a daily basis which, in turn advances the ‘self produced’ music into a position as great, as any, corporate company. On the contrary, to Corteau, I believe strongly that ‘self-produced media’ is a negative phenomena on consumers. First off, quantity versus quality, a big corporate music distributor still inherently continues an authority over validating ‘what is a quality’ music product. The star qualities of artists like Ray Charles, Michael Jackson, and Eric Clapton owe their star success to big corporate companies, yet most importantly, the way company’s control, and regulate the music industry with selected artist. The companies control ‘star quality’, or star driven music products, with the association of an attached record label. A record label is like a ‘heart foundation tick’ that guarantees consumer choice in music product. A record label provides a sense of prestige over the many other ‘self-produced’ forms.
It is true, there are large benefits of ‘self-produced media’, via the internet, that accommodates the musician, and produced some worth while music. However, the benefits are temporary when considering that self produced media continues to produce ‘…an especially high percentage of awful content’ (Croteau, 343) and a low percentage of ‘self produced music worth listening to. The platform of distribution, being the internet, will lose the few quality music products in the immense quantity of low quality music available on the internet.
The internet can not particularly validate, license, or guarantee a professional ‘self produced’ product, as record labels can. Additionally, ‘self-produced media’ pragmatically complicates the process of consumption. The standard ‘classic process of consumption’ is when a customer buys a C.D from a record store. The physicality of receiving a professionally packaged product, with record labels as signifiers of its professionalism, and the receipt from the record store, are safety measures taken to ensure a validated ‘quality’ product. However, ‘self produced media’, specifically on the internet, relies on consumer knowledge of search procedures, software, hardware, internet updates, whereas the ‘classic process of consumption’ does not require the consumer to know how record companies select artists, how the record company operates, or whatever else involved of distributing a media text. Corteau has mentioned that ‘…specific (internet) sites or particular fads are not likely to last long on the quickly changing internet. As trends and technology evolve, new formats will appear’ (Croteau, 342) and this ever expanding, and evolving, internet forms: programs, websites, software, hardware will, in turn, require the same evolutionary speed of the consumer to be updated with the knowledge, of new internet forms. In other words, if the internet is always advancing, the consumer must also advance their knowledge in order to fully utilize this platform, the internet, of distribution. The internet requires a minimum amount of knowledge, and training, in order to filter through the self produced spaghetti to find the one meat ball (music product) that is worth tasting.
I think that some of the predictions are correct in assuming the music industry will expand with the aid of ‘self produced media’ and the internet. On the contrary, this expansion only adds to argument that self produced media can not be guaranteed and the platform that it uses can not validate or regulate. The internet platform requires an immense knowledge, or understanding of the platform, in order to fully utilize its potential in distributing aspects. The internet needs more filtering methods, standardization of the platform itself, in terms with creating a fixed platform, in order to create stability in an ever changing multimedia platform such as the internet.
Bibliography:
1. Croteau, David. Critical studies in media commerce. Vol 23, No. 4, October 2006 pp 340-344.
The Visual Song
I was thinking about the idea of 'liveness' and it got me thinking about the construction of liveness in recordings. It seems like the idea of synesthesia is crucial to this process, and the idea of instrumental elements as 'tactile' sensations is inherently used in music and naturally lends itself to transference in music videos.
For example, taking examples from rock/pop music:
Tinny vocals - indicate a feeling of distance and mediation, perhaps through a radio or a phone, and immediately signifies nostalgia or melancholy.
Hi-hat heavy rhythm track - immediately gives a sense of the music existing in more of a 'suspended vacuum', almost like being underwater.
Fingers across strings - the sliding effect during a rest when the guitarist's hand moves up or down the fret.
Rests - especially before choruses or sections, in modern pop-rock signifies a band member or a protagonist or someone 'jumping'
Half time drums - signifies slow motion, but also the idea of flying or being suspended in mid-air.
Breathing sounds - obviously, idea of singer being very close to the mic and very much 'present', but also seems to 'flatten' the message, in the sense that whatever the lyrics are saying are immediately directed to you personally vs. an audience of many people.
Obviously, there are other things such as reverb which immediately indicate a sense of space, but I just thought it was interesting how there are certain image associations already attached to music either because they are naturally how the sounds are made, or because we've become accustomed to those image-audio pairings over time.
An example of how these image-audio connections are maximised in thecreation of music is the phenomenon of 'One Man Band With Laptop'. That is, musicians who do everything on the computer themselves, or even if they record many of the instruments themselves, they try to provide the illusion of having a full band and a sense of liveness. If you are interested, check out Radical Face, Electric President or Get Cape Wear Cape Fly.
Dennis
ID:3977394
For example, taking examples from rock/pop music:
Tinny vocals - indicate a feeling of distance and mediation, perhaps through a radio or a phone, and immediately signifies nostalgia or melancholy.
Hi-hat heavy rhythm track - immediately gives a sense of the music existing in more of a 'suspended vacuum', almost like being underwater.
Fingers across strings - the sliding effect during a rest when the guitarist's hand moves up or down the fret.
Rests - especially before choruses or sections, in modern pop-rock signifies a band member or a protagonist or someone 'jumping'
Half time drums - signifies slow motion, but also the idea of flying or being suspended in mid-air.
Breathing sounds - obviously, idea of singer being very close to the mic and very much 'present', but also seems to 'flatten' the message, in the sense that whatever the lyrics are saying are immediately directed to you personally vs. an audience of many people.
Obviously, there are other things such as reverb which immediately indicate a sense of space, but I just thought it was interesting how there are certain image associations already attached to music either because they are naturally how the sounds are made, or because we've become accustomed to those image-audio pairings over time.
An example of how these image-audio connections are maximised in thecreation of music is the phenomenon of 'One Man Band With Laptop'. That is, musicians who do everything on the computer themselves, or even if they record many of the instruments themselves, they try to provide the illusion of having a full band and a sense of liveness. If you are interested, check out Radical Face, Electric President or Get Cape Wear Cape Fly.
Dennis
ID:3977394
hip hop/graffiti
In the 1970’s, the hip hop culture began to emerge in the Bronx, New York, that initiated the hip hop influence all over the globe. Hip hop includes a number of elements, not just a lyrical influence, and these also include dee jaying, graffiti, and dancing mainly break dancing. Originally hip hop was seen as a form of musical and artistic expression of the impoverished afro Americans, and the hip hop style was therefore related to this social group. The idea of graffiti emerged as part of the hip hop culture soon after, and this was seen also as an artistic impression of the hip hop culture from a visual sense, as groups from these impoverished social groups came together and constructed mural works relating to their expressions of their thoughts and emotions of their reality. Graffiti is not so much seen as representative of the hip hop culture in more recent times, but the artistic and visual aesthetics of the hip hop scene often include the “tagging” and mural elements into the hip hop songs, music videos and other media elements involved with producing hip hop and its culture.
Randy Jackson - Caught red-handed in the age of digital sampling
I was driving to work a couple of days ago when a story came up on the radio about American Idol judge Randy Jackson. Many viewers over the years have had their suspicions that he sits on the fence, but this DJ cued an audio clip which combined samples of him saying "that was a good performance dawg!" and other general comments over and over again. As a viewer, after I heard the 15th utterance in a slightly different tone with different background noise and from a different season, I must admit I was starting to feel convinced. It seems that radio stations have engaged in some sort of vendetta against Idol shows, in an attempt to expose the manufacturing machine - Howard Stern's attempt to keep Sanjaya in the most recent idol show being a case in point. I thought this was a fascinating cross-over between two weeks lectures in class - the way the DJ harnessed morphing and digital sampling to make his argument about the constructed nature of the idol shows. Where an average viewer might be distracted by the glitz of the show week after week, Ryan Seacrest, and the thrill of seeing their state's mayor shown in the TV final, this technology allowed the DJ to cut through all of that construction. I do acknowledge that this montage could well be biased and subjective, but he made a strong argument none the less!
American Idol
American Idol is a singing competition for normal people like you and I. Shows like American Idols are very interesting because instead of showing the illusion of being a pop star, it shows the process of a normal group of people just like everyday you and I become stars. Shows like American Idol are sucessful due to many reasons, and one of the main reasons are because the audience can relate to the competitors, and then believe that this can happen to them as well. The audience feel attatched because it is not a one off show, the process of becoming a star wasn't show within the hour, but a whole season, therefore the audience become attatched to the competitors so you get cases like little girls crying for Sajaya Manekar.
I agree that the audience are well aware of these discourses, how the show is packaged to make them attatched so that they will watch the show every week, purchase the soundtracks and support the show.
I agree that the audience are well aware of these discourses, how the show is packaged to make them attatched so that they will watch the show every week, purchase the soundtracks and support the show.
Gender stereotypes in MTVs
The representations of genders in the media has been stereotyped therefore it is an inevitable fact that the same stereotpyes are followed by the music industry, the album covers, photos, and especially Music Videos. It is obvious that women are nearly always represented in a sexual way, they are usually dressed near nothing outfits dancing in Provocatively and sometimes dancing around men. This doesn’t matter weather if it’s the singer or just backup dancers, the more the camera shot focuses on the girl, the more provocative her performance is. In the majority of the Music Videos men are represented in a totally different way. Usually with power, the dominant gender, they usually have women dancing around them dressed in sexy outfits. Because music videos are usually only five minutes, narratives usually not the main aspect to focus on, therefore a lot of the times it is just people dancing around the singer. Most of the Beyonce Music Videos in particular emphasises on her sexuality, although people say that Beyonce is a good role model for women because she doesn’t advertise stick model figures like many other celebrities, but then in another way she is helping the media emphasise on the stereotype of the female gender as sex objects. Her music videos, especially the songs where she sings with other male singers sometimes shows her dancing around the male singer.
Gender stereotypes in MTVs
The representations of genders in the media has been stereotyped therefore it is an inevitable fact that the same stereotpyes are followed by the music industry, the album covers, photos, and especially Music Videos. It is obvious that women are nearly always represented in a sexual way, they are usually dressed near nothing outfits dancing in Provocatively and sometimes dancing around men. This doesn’t matter weather if it’s the singer or just backup dancers, the more the camera shot focuses on the girl, the more provocative her performance is. In the majority of the Music Videos men are represented in a totally different way. Usually with power, the dominant gender, they usually have women dancing around them dressed in sexy outfits. Because music videos are usually only five minutes, narratives usually not the main aspect to focus on, therefore a lot of the times it is just people dancing around the singer. Most of the Beyonce Music Videos in particular emphasises on her sexuality, although people say that Beyonce is a good role model for women because she doesn’t advertise stick model figures like many other celebrities, but then in another way she is helping the media emphasise on the stereotype of the female gender as sex objects. Her music videos, especially the songs where she sings with other male singers sometimes shows her dancing around the male singer.
Ipod mania
Technology plays a big part of the music industry nowadays because of the popularity of mp3 players, especially apple ipods. You see people walk around with white earphones nowadays, the first reaction of what people assume is interesting. Normally people would assume that the person is lisening to his or her mp3 player, not walkman or discman anymore, it would be very abnormal for that person to pull out something other than an mp3 player. Also, if the person was listening with white earphones, then immediately people would assume that the mp3 player they are listening to is an apple ipod. Although other mp3 players or gadgets such as sony psp come with white earphones, people's first reaction would be ipods. Ipods kind of determines you in the social life sometimes, not that you have to have an ipod to be cool, but having an ipod means that you have taste to a certain level. This doesn't mean that you have to be rich to own an ipod, ipod comes in all sorts of different types like shuffle, nano which replaced ipod mini and the most expensive, ipod videos. It is not necessary to show your ipod or mp3 player, just by looking at the earphones, people can already determine a lot of things. Especially the songs in your ipod determines what kind of person you are, the songs can tell a lot about a person.
Gender stereotypes in MTVs
The representations of genders in the media has been stereotyped therefore it is an inevitable fact that the same stereotpyes are followed by the music industry, the album covers, photos, and especially Music Videos. It is obvious that women are nearly always represented in a sexual way, they are usually dressed near nothing outfits dancing in Provocatively and sometimes dancing around men. This doesn’t matter weather if it’s the singer or just backup dancers, the more the camera shot focuses on the girl, the more provocative her performance is. In the majority of the Music Videos men are represented in a totally different way. Usually with power, the dominant gender, they usually have women dancing around them dressed in sexy outfits. Because music videos are usually only five minutes, narratives usually not the main aspect to focus on, therefore a lot of the times it is just people dancing around the singer. Most of the Beyonce Music Videos in particular emphasises on her sexuality, although people say that Beyonce is a good role model for women because she doesn’t advertise stick model figures like many other celebrities, but then in another way she is helping the media emphasise on the stereotype of the female gender as sex objects. Her music videos, especially the songs where she sings with other male singers sometimes shows her dancing around the male singer.
live performances
I think that concerts are a very interesting subject to discuss about because it links to something mentioned in class like how live performances are in fact mediated and modified in some way. There are all sorts of issues that are worth talking about when it comes to concerts, topics such as what aspects the audience focus on and how much they tend to ignore or forget about. When “concerts” becomes a discussion, people usually think of live performances, unplugged, like as if it’s a chance for them to determine if their idols are talented. The fact that in concerts artists would have to sing live, a lot of aspects such as dancing and lighting are added in to divert the audience so if a mistake is made, it wouldn’t be that obvious because the focus is not only on the singing. What I mean by how the audience are blinded is that when they see a good performance, they only see the singer singing, they do not consider the backup singers although they know their existence. The backup singers are there to enhance the quality of the performance for a better result, this is a type of mediation because it is not the direct voice that the audience is hearing, it is the artist’s and the backup singers together. Although the audience realise how much work is needed to be put into a concert for it to be successful like for example marketing, organisation, special effects (light , smoke and so on), choreography, backup dancers/singers rehearsals and the list goes on and on, but the audience seem to praise the artist/singer/celebrity of the concert. Even on the special shows such as behind the scenes, the focus is on the artist, and when the artist acknowledges the crew, the results are that the audience think their idols have a good personality because they appreciate people working for him, no matter what happens, the attention always revolves around the singer.
ipod vs. vinyl
My sister had a party a week or so ago and asked if she could borrow my ipod to hook up to the speakers in the living room. I later found it in a pool of beer. I still get this twinge of pain whenever I think about it, but I suspect that this is more related to the cost of replacing it (she is sooo paying) than the loss of the actual object. In contrast, there is an ongoing feud in my family over who stole my mother’s Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers record (the one where you can undo the zipper on the cover). We all have our suspicions as to who the guilty party is but they are yet to confess, and the finger-pointing has been going on for well over a decade. Mum’s attachment to this record has nothing to do with its actual monetary value; it’s something that she remembers wanting, buying, playing, and of course zipping and unzipping. The pleasure of those experiences is somehow imbued in the record itself- having it to look at or simply to keep somewhere would serve not only to evoke these memories but also somehow to preserve them.
To me, records lend themselves to romanticisation (or fetishisation) far more than an ipod and the music collected on it does. They are physically substantial and offer visual as well as aural stimulation- as with Sticky Fingers, the cover art is often a big part of the record as a whole. They seem a slightly more human technology, perhaps because they are so easily damaged. A record that skips at a particular moment in a song- because that’s the moment of a drumbeat that everyone in the room stamps their feet to- becomes personalised through the slight failure of the technology, and its owner’s use of it becomes imprinted onto the object itself. While, as I have very recently found out, ipods do get damaged (they can’t swim) the songs and albums held on them will remain preserved on the computer they were loaded from (and probably also the file-sharing network they were downloaded from). Records also have a certain nostalgic value: although there remains a reasonably stable market for vinyl, as a popular technology they have been taken over by CDs and now mp3s.
Some things never change however- I’ve noticed that same compulsive sorting in music collectors regardless of format. My mother will spend a Sunday afternoon removing, dusting and re-alphabetizing her records; my sister will sit at the computer creating playlist after playlist, each named after a particular mood; and I once had a flatmate who, as soon as the power was turned on in our new flat, sat in the hallway arranging her CDs into a bookcase. It was actually quite a complex and ongoing process as she sorted them into categories and had to rearrange the whole thing whenever she thought of one that would enable her to better group her collection (for example, “corporate rock” or “90’s mistakes”). When I asked why she spent her time doing this and not say, making her bed up so she had a place to sleep that night, she openly admitted that as she judged people by what music they listened to, she wanted to openly display her colours in case others did also. Which brings me onto a particularly modern malaise- “playlist anxiety”. Apparently this is the fear one feels that one’s ipod collection might not be up to scratch should it ever be played publicly. Personally, I have a fear of the shuffle button. My ipod was playing in the car on a recent trip with a group of friends and when Hanson suddenly came on I found my self doing a lot of explaining, which no one believed a word of anyway. It was a 90's mistake okay, please don't judge me.
To me, records lend themselves to romanticisation (or fetishisation) far more than an ipod and the music collected on it does. They are physically substantial and offer visual as well as aural stimulation- as with Sticky Fingers, the cover art is often a big part of the record as a whole. They seem a slightly more human technology, perhaps because they are so easily damaged. A record that skips at a particular moment in a song- because that’s the moment of a drumbeat that everyone in the room stamps their feet to- becomes personalised through the slight failure of the technology, and its owner’s use of it becomes imprinted onto the object itself. While, as I have very recently found out, ipods do get damaged (they can’t swim) the songs and albums held on them will remain preserved on the computer they were loaded from (and probably also the file-sharing network they were downloaded from). Records also have a certain nostalgic value: although there remains a reasonably stable market for vinyl, as a popular technology they have been taken over by CDs and now mp3s.
Some things never change however- I’ve noticed that same compulsive sorting in music collectors regardless of format. My mother will spend a Sunday afternoon removing, dusting and re-alphabetizing her records; my sister will sit at the computer creating playlist after playlist, each named after a particular mood; and I once had a flatmate who, as soon as the power was turned on in our new flat, sat in the hallway arranging her CDs into a bookcase. It was actually quite a complex and ongoing process as she sorted them into categories and had to rearrange the whole thing whenever she thought of one that would enable her to better group her collection (for example, “corporate rock” or “90’s mistakes”). When I asked why she spent her time doing this and not say, making her bed up so she had a place to sleep that night, she openly admitted that as she judged people by what music they listened to, she wanted to openly display her colours in case others did also. Which brings me onto a particularly modern malaise- “playlist anxiety”. Apparently this is the fear one feels that one’s ipod collection might not be up to scratch should it ever be played publicly. Personally, I have a fear of the shuffle button. My ipod was playing in the car on a recent trip with a group of friends and when Hanson suddenly came on I found my self doing a lot of explaining, which no one believed a word of anyway. It was a 90's mistake okay, please don't judge me.
last post to wrap things up
hey everyone, what a semester it has been fulled with fun and excitement blah blah blah
Well it was a nice conclusion yesterday to finish it off with an insight with the pop idol world. What I liked about it is that it was a final look at how the music world is accessible by the common person because anyone anywhere it's the ultimate style of morphing one's image, nobody one day and superstar the next by people voting. it's similar but different tan what was shown in wild style. regular people using the music to free themselves from their world but it's different because they are copying other stars, it's karaoke with decent prize money at the end.
The morphing of the person is more interesting than the singing themselves as the person is taken through their paces, we see them walk up to the judges not knowing a thing about them but then become more important then the majority of the world's leaders by the end for the viewers. Majority of them in my view are playing characters as it's a chance to be a different person, being more likable so the audience will vote for them. A good point is that clothing changes from the rags they walked in with to designer clothes as part of this morphing process to put them above the common masses, to be truly our idol, a person we look up to as they came out to be a shining star.
This is a great signifier for the sing of the end of the course as it is an audio and visual change of not just a music style or an image but a person's life for the fame and fortune is for the taking more than a sound and a life style but a dream is in play here from the thousands that take a chance and sing (badly) one person stands out, not as a rebel nor protester like other people we have discussed so far in the course but as a social name made about the music with no negative light shwn about i (hence the lack of bad news and good ratings) a style of morphing that isn't it's own sub culture but like all music is accepted int he main stream.
thank you all for a fun semester and reading
cheers
simonL
Well it was a nice conclusion yesterday to finish it off with an insight with the pop idol world. What I liked about it is that it was a final look at how the music world is accessible by the common person because anyone anywhere it's the ultimate style of morphing one's image, nobody one day and superstar the next by people voting. it's similar but different tan what was shown in wild style. regular people using the music to free themselves from their world but it's different because they are copying other stars, it's karaoke with decent prize money at the end.
The morphing of the person is more interesting than the singing themselves as the person is taken through their paces, we see them walk up to the judges not knowing a thing about them but then become more important then the majority of the world's leaders by the end for the viewers. Majority of them in my view are playing characters as it's a chance to be a different person, being more likable so the audience will vote for them. A good point is that clothing changes from the rags they walked in with to designer clothes as part of this morphing process to put them above the common masses, to be truly our idol, a person we look up to as they came out to be a shining star.
This is a great signifier for the sing of the end of the course as it is an audio and visual change of not just a music style or an image but a person's life for the fame and fortune is for the taking more than a sound and a life style but a dream is in play here from the thousands that take a chance and sing (badly) one person stands out, not as a rebel nor protester like other people we have discussed so far in the course but as a social name made about the music with no negative light shwn about i (hence the lack of bad news and good ratings) a style of morphing that isn't it's own sub culture but like all music is accepted int he main stream.
thank you all for a fun semester and reading
cheers
simonL
“Imagine a country where more people vote for a pop idol than for their next President”
In today’s lecture, Nabeel mentioned American Dreamz – a movie which satires American Idol, and American society in general. The film manages to encapsulate the major debates in
“American Dreamz” is seen as the primary way to reach out to or effect
Through the above aspects, “American Dreamz” raises debates about the importance placed on American Idol and its authenticity. Hugh Grant’s desire for “freaks” is an obvious parody of the bad singers featured throughout Idol’s televised auditions. “American Dreamz” is not about talent, but ratings; could the same be said for American Idol? These humiliating auditions have become part of what American Idol is known for, and definitely pull in ratings. The idol franchise has even gone so far to include special episodes featuring only the bad singers from the auditions. I find such auditions too excruciating to watch, and quite irrelevant to what the show appears to be about. If the show is about finding talent, why go to such an effort to humiliate those who don’t have it?
Then there is the debate of the prominence of the Idol franchise in society, which is well summed up by the film’s tagline “Imagine a country where more people vote for a pop idol than for their next President”. While this is not true in real world, the film shows there is the potential for this to happen. “American Dreamz” is shown to be a kind of unstoppable force viewed around the world – even by terrorists in tents in the
“American Dreamz” exposes the power that reality shows such as American Idol have in society and shows how they can force change in people, and in the world.
The Video Game Genre
Video game music has come a long way from the monotonous, recurring sounds of games like Pacman and Mario. Nowadays it seems to be in a genre of its own far from digitised sound of an old Nintendo or Sega.
The personalised soundtracks in games have become so prevalent that concerts are playing a video game’s music and even soundtracks of games (Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas being an example) are being released. However video game music has taken a huge step due to technological progression.
When the gaming platform was starting to emerge the digitised music played in the background was simply a recurring sound immersing the player in a virtual reality. However, comparing that same intention today with video games it is a lot more plausible with the realistic graphics and hi-tech sound. Nowadays, video game soundtracks mostly tend to emulate movie soundtracks more-so than the video game genre due to more realistic features that elevate a video game into a ‘controllable film’.
On the other hand, video game music has also been a platform for mainstream music. Take, for example, the racing car game Need for Speed where singles of pop artists are playing rather than music specifically created for the game. By doing so, the gaming platform has also been a source of marketing as well as a new genre.
The personalised soundtracks in games have become so prevalent that concerts are playing a video game’s music and even soundtracks of games (Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas being an example) are being released. However video game music has taken a huge step due to technological progression.
When the gaming platform was starting to emerge the digitised music played in the background was simply a recurring sound immersing the player in a virtual reality. However, comparing that same intention today with video games it is a lot more plausible with the realistic graphics and hi-tech sound. Nowadays, video game soundtracks mostly tend to emulate movie soundtracks more-so than the video game genre due to more realistic features that elevate a video game into a ‘controllable film’.
On the other hand, video game music has also been a platform for mainstream music. Take, for example, the racing car game Need for Speed where singles of pop artists are playing rather than music specifically created for the game. By doing so, the gaming platform has also been a source of marketing as well as a new genre.
Music Videos are Everywhere
As modern technology evolves we are seeing more music on ‘screens’. CD Walkmans and mobile phones are turning into mini TV’s, a car radio into both a visual and audio sound system and the internet as a force of unlimited capability enabling any user to acquire and consume any text to see.
We have the internet, the gateway of viral marketing, with such things as Apple’s iTunes where, more recently, the iTunes Store has started selling music videos for use on iPods. We usually see music videos intended to promote the sale of music recordings. Nowadays due to technology a music video played on an Apple iPod is promoting the sale of not just music recordings but of Apple products and software as well.
Furthermore we have blogging, a new phenomenon, where music videos can be added in HTML code and the video streaming on it. Websites such as YouTube, iFilm, MySpace and Google Video add to the limitless potential of the music video. With the accessibility of the internet anyone can make and upload a music video of themselves. As technology evolves music videos evolve too.
We have the internet, the gateway of viral marketing, with such things as Apple’s iTunes where, more recently, the iTunes Store has started selling music videos for use on iPods. We usually see music videos intended to promote the sale of music recordings. Nowadays due to technology a music video played on an Apple iPod is promoting the sale of not just music recordings but of Apple products and software as well.
Furthermore we have blogging, a new phenomenon, where music videos can be added in HTML code and the video streaming on it. Websites such as YouTube, iFilm, MySpace and Google Video add to the limitless potential of the music video. With the accessibility of the internet anyone can make and upload a music video of themselves. As technology evolves music videos evolve too.
iPod nation
I did not truly understand how the iPod had become a cultural phenomenon until a couple weeks ago. Maybe bit late to join the iPod nation. After having dinner with a couple of friends we had a half hour discussion about music which centered upon the iPod. Almost everyone at the table owned an iPod, and the ones who didn’t either planned to purchase one or were seriously considering it. It was unusual for my friends from a technological nation (Korea/Japan) owned one. The funny thing is that no one had really bought anything from the iTunes Music Store all they really had to worry about was getting non restricted music from one iPod to another, and there was near universal disregard for how the iPod synchronizes with a computer, and in specific how such synchronization is only one way, and with only one computer. But the world is changing, technology is changing, and people are changing. We’ve always shared music with our friends. Tape players let us make copies. CD burners let us make exact duplicates. Portable music players let us convert something we had that was not very portable into something incredibly portable, something easily sharable. And the internet allowed us to expand our communal scope to a vast degree.
Opera, war and destruction
When Friday night came round, there I was at Berkeley’s with my popcorn and a few token friends to enjoy a bit of a Keira purv over Verbinski’s new pirates flick. While I cannot recommend the film, it did make me think of the relation between opera and war on screen.
In the final moments of the film there is a scene where Lord Beckett (Tom Hollander) walks down the stairs of his ship as it is shot apart around him in an acknowledgment of his final defeat. This is played out in slow motion with pieces of wood flying about him to an operatic score, giving it an emotional and awe inspiring impression. While the scene was undeniably corny and cliché, I was left wondering why this was the case.
This is not the first time an operatic score has been used to accompany a scene of warfare and destruction, other examples including The Lord of the Rings and Saving Private Ryan immediately coming to mind. Within TLOTR: The Return of the King, this takes place when Faramir charges the defenses on the river he had recently retreated from and in the final moments of Saving Private Ryan when Captain Miller is dying.
Why use opera?
Opera is an incredibly dramatic form of art which lends itself to the extreme of pain and suffering which is war. It is never relaxed or nihilistic, being relatively extreme in nature, always straining its performers to the utmost edges of their vocal ranges.
It is able to elicit extreme emotion from its listener, heightening the intensity and ghastliness of a story of death and destruction. This use of opera effectively removes an audience from within the narrative, forcing them to step back and see the horror and scale of destruction taking place. In this way it tries to shock the audience, to force them into an almost anti-war stance in a way no other genre of music would find possible.
At the same time this combination is in a sense working against what has just been argued, connoting ideas of the nobility and immortality of the characters actions on screen. In this manner it is glorifying warfare and exalting the concept of giving ones life for a cause, the operatic music becoming a form of a requiem for the dead.
Both opera and warfare poses incredible histories with mankind, yet, are completely different in nature. In merging them together within a film, the epitome of culture and depths of human degradation and despair are brought into contrast with one another. Through this clash of culture and violence, of something pure and something acknowledged to be dark and filthy, the western viewer is in a sense polluted as well. Audiences are both haunted and touched by the conflicting emotions they experience, leading some of them to act upon those ideas and issues this combination has forced them to consider, such as the evil and pointless nature of war.
In the final moments of the film there is a scene where Lord Beckett (Tom Hollander) walks down the stairs of his ship as it is shot apart around him in an acknowledgment of his final defeat. This is played out in slow motion with pieces of wood flying about him to an operatic score, giving it an emotional and awe inspiring impression. While the scene was undeniably corny and cliché, I was left wondering why this was the case.
This is not the first time an operatic score has been used to accompany a scene of warfare and destruction, other examples including The Lord of the Rings and Saving Private Ryan immediately coming to mind. Within TLOTR: The Return of the King, this takes place when Faramir charges the defenses on the river he had recently retreated from and in the final moments of Saving Private Ryan when Captain Miller is dying.
Why use opera?
Opera is an incredibly dramatic form of art which lends itself to the extreme of pain and suffering which is war. It is never relaxed or nihilistic, being relatively extreme in nature, always straining its performers to the utmost edges of their vocal ranges.
It is able to elicit extreme emotion from its listener, heightening the intensity and ghastliness of a story of death and destruction. This use of opera effectively removes an audience from within the narrative, forcing them to step back and see the horror and scale of destruction taking place. In this way it tries to shock the audience, to force them into an almost anti-war stance in a way no other genre of music would find possible.
At the same time this combination is in a sense working against what has just been argued, connoting ideas of the nobility and immortality of the characters actions on screen. In this manner it is glorifying warfare and exalting the concept of giving ones life for a cause, the operatic music becoming a form of a requiem for the dead.
Both opera and warfare poses incredible histories with mankind, yet, are completely different in nature. In merging them together within a film, the epitome of culture and depths of human degradation and despair are brought into contrast with one another. Through this clash of culture and violence, of something pure and something acknowledged to be dark and filthy, the western viewer is in a sense polluted as well. Audiences are both haunted and touched by the conflicting emotions they experience, leading some of them to act upon those ideas and issues this combination has forced them to consider, such as the evil and pointless nature of war.
Controversy Is Genre Specific
Upon reflection of some of the texts we’ve covered in this course, I’ve come to the realisation that the impact of controversy created by bands or musicians, is entirely specific to the genre in which they belong. Punk rock for example, from its conception in the 1970’s; specifically aimed to create controversy and offend conservative society, whether that be through its music, fashion or anarchic ideologies. Because controversy has become an expected convention of the genre; the public reaction towards punk rock has somewhat diminished since the ‘70’s, as has attitudes towards The Sex Pistols performance of ‘God Save the Queen.’ In today’s society it has become considerably tolerated that punk bands should actively oppose authoritarian positions, such as that of President George Bush and his decision to go to war with Iraq; as is illustrated with the release of punk compilation CD’s ‘Rock Against Bush.’
However, the creation of controversy is not an expected convention of all genres and hence can create a public outcry when it occurs; as is evident within the documentary Shut Up and Sing, based on the all-girl, country group The Dixie Chicks. Shut Up and Sing follows the events which unfolded after group member Natalie Maines made a statement at a concert, in which she expressed her shame that President Bush came from Texas; also her home state. This comment caused the group to be labelled as traitors, not only to their President and the USA, but also in some respects to the country genre in which they’re based; with it’s conventional themes of hard work and heart break. Because Maines’ comment was considered so controversial to American society, despite The Dixie Chicks punk counterparts actively protesting the President on a regular basis, it must be concluded that the reaction to musically based controversy is specific to the genre from which its formed.
However, the creation of controversy is not an expected convention of all genres and hence can create a public outcry when it occurs; as is evident within the documentary Shut Up and Sing, based on the all-girl, country group The Dixie Chicks. Shut Up and Sing follows the events which unfolded after group member Natalie Maines made a statement at a concert, in which she expressed her shame that President Bush came from Texas; also her home state. This comment caused the group to be labelled as traitors, not only to their President and the USA, but also in some respects to the country genre in which they’re based; with it’s conventional themes of hard work and heart break. Because Maines’ comment was considered so controversial to American society, despite The Dixie Chicks punk counterparts actively protesting the President on a regular basis, it must be concluded that the reaction to musically based controversy is specific to the genre from which its formed.
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