C2 music

4/03/25

music videos and online media 

do now

1). 2 exams 

2). 70% 

3). 30%

4). to make money 

5). 

why to artist create music videos?

. to make money 

. to entertain the public 

. to become popular 

. show a story for the music 

. to show off an artists image 

. help make the song or artist memorable 

. can help enhance the artists other skills 

. to introduce a new artist of song 

. to convey the meaning of a song 

why do people watch music videos?

. people watch music videos for entertainment 

. as they might like the artist and its out of interest

types of music videos:

1).performance/ narrative - mix

2). cuts between the performance and narrative elements to tell a story within the song such as a man getting involved in gang activities and a man getting involved in a bad relationship 

1). narrative 

2). it explores the life of a stereotypical man , being rude and arrogant and making everyone bow down to him 

3).

4).pop music 

1). narrative 

2).  its a music video empowering black people that they are important and to believe in themselves 

3).

7/03/25

do now -

1). to make money 

2).to promote the song 

3).

4).performance and narrative 

5).lip syncing 

notes:

lyrics - how do they link to the music video?

TLC:

the lyrics link to the story within the music video metaphorically speaking about not going down a bad path within the lyrics " don't go chasing waterfalls" when showing a male go down a root of involving himself in gang activities and dying  and then another narrative with a man in a bad relationship and he starts to not recognise himself and the lyrics literally explain that.

STORMZY:

the lyrics link to the narrative empowering black individuals calling them "black kings" and "black queens" involving themes like " world domination" and giving a overall image that they have had to fight for things and they are no longer scared. overall creating a positive outlook for black individuals. but also show case the bad events black people deal with in life like "hating me for my skin not the courage in my bones"

TAYLOR SWIFT:

the lyrics literally explain she thinks she would progress better in life if she was a man and how easy it is to live life as a male linking to the narrative in which it shows a male. 

what conventions have been used?

TLC:

they have used lip syncing and within the narrative they have told a story and used choreography when it focuses on them singing. 

STORMZY : the music video shows a narrative of animated black individuals being unrealistically powerful to help emphasise his point in that black people are overall strong the music video also highlights key point like including noughts and crosses and the black lives matter protests. and he presents himself as a superhero but overall all the other characters included and superhero's again to help show case that black people are "superhero's" for the little and big things they do in life. 

TAYLOR SWIFT:

the music video emphasises her point on how easy it is to be a male in life showing a males perspective and everyone bowing down and hyping him up for doing little tasks. it highlights a rich snobby male who thinks he is better than everyone ( classic stereotypes) 

the music industry

The uk contributes millions to the economy, it is a massive global media industry

the uk exports a lot of music around the world

due to the changing ways in which we consume music, the industry has faces many challenges recently 

most people now download music or stream it rather then buying physical copies now 

streaming now accounts for 80% of music consumption in the uk 

the technological developments that once threatened the music industry have allowed it to generate revenue in different ways and to extend their reach to different and new audiences.

OWNERSHIP

record labels are companies that make contracts with artists and release their music. record labels usually fund the costs of producing distributing and circulating music 

they will have separate production teams

the big three :

warner music group , universal music group , Sony music

these three are part of major conglomerates and are horizontally integrated

 

TAYLOR SWIFT WEBSITE:

STORMZY 

18/03/25

do now 

1). limited edition , retro 

2). universal music group, Sony , warner 

3). technological changes 

4). SYNERGY: when two platforms or product help sell each other 

5). SUBSIDIARY: a smaller record label that is owned by a larger conglomerate 

independents :

there are also many independent labels. often associated with more alternative acts- indie was traditionally non-mainstream. most of these have to go to the majors to get distributed deals however the major labels still get a cut of profit.

some artists don't sign to get a label at all. they use the internet to promote and distribute their work.

Taylor swift has a record label with universal 

Stormzy has a record label with warner

regulation:

the music industry is not regulated by one single organisation. but their are regulation guidelines in place for music products in Britain. 

The BPI runs the parental advisory scheme which is voluntary, and uses the logo to notify audiences about content that might be offensive or unsuitable for children.

music audiences 

music plays an important role in peoples lives. often tied with identity, particularly associated with youth culture and most people become fans to specific genres at teenage years.

many genres have developed over time pop for example is a very broad genre with mainstream appeal (a big audience) meanwhile genres like rap is a very niche genre and audience. 

star persona 

the image of an artist we see in media is a very careful constructed representation designed to appeal to their target audience , it in not 'real' . this star persona is established using many different elements: music and lyrics , visual imagery , social media posts 

Stormzy has been given a star persona including features of being very supportive and encouraging to his audience but occasionally showing realistic views. he often talks or shows the representation of christianity and black lives matter movements giving him a very optimistic character to his audience and fanbase. stormzy is also shown to give a sense of humour now and then within the media making him stand out as not fake or completely a robot but he shows realism. he highlights struggles and problems of todays society and emphasises people to understand that everyone has flaws 

Taylor swift shows some professionally within the media highlighting key events in her music career and also realism within her posts, she shows casual things she does throughout the day. she addresses any rumours going around. 

21/03/25

TLC waterfalls 

do now 

1).niche 

2). star persona 

3). technological advances 

4). personal identity , social interaction 

5). buy merchandise, go to their concerts , fan accounts 

TLC had more of a rock and roll image compared to most girl bands of the time.in the press they where honest with their realistic struggles which are represented in their songs.they have more of a fusion in their music genres.

waterfalls is an episodic song; several different scenes are depicted in the lyrics . each plot line unfolds a cautionary tale. the first scene and first verse is a mother and son relationship in which the son sells drugs and goes down a bad math just to make some money. his greed is his waterfall leading to his own death. the second scene follows the story of a different man with a different waterfall which is physical desires leading into him getting HIV. the 'three letters' 

media language

waterfalls blends three music video genres: performance , narrative and conceptual. there are two clear narratives with the characters and situations directly relate to the lyrics.

there is some clear illustration of the lyrics ( images showing the literal meaning of the words). there is typical conventions of music videos . direct address , dancing , cutting to music. there are more abstract elements- the band members appear like water spirits , liquid versions of themselves. there is also landscape imagery effects used to make people look like ghosts. the use of cgi adds an almost supernatural effect to the music video. 

mise-en-scene 

first verse:

the inner-city set locations have connotations of ghetto and the costume ( baggy clothes caps sunglasses) all give connotations of dangerousness and an urban environment. 

second verse: it includes iconography of romance like silk stockings , large mirrors, these swiftly become threatening and horrific to show symptoms of the disease. 

special effects: 

they are used to take the gritty realism in the music video and present it in a more magical manor 

for example the opening shot makes it look like we are falling from space.the SFX make HIV look more magical more than like a sexually transmitted disease 

context:

many R&B videos focus on romantic narratives and often hip hop videos feature men celebrating their achieved wealth through crime. waterfalls references these conventions by showing temptations of both sex and crime.its overall message isn't glamourised but warned. 

in the 1990's there was a lot of public concern and coverage of the songs issues.

TLC where the second biggest girlband after spice girls but TLC was far more socially aware rather then glamourising the damaging lifestyles. 

representation: 

age is represented quite stereotypically in the music video, a lot of young adults are shown with a variety of wealth and shown as being impulsive - stereotypical representations of age 

gender- it is quite stereotypical in this music video when representing  

the band themselves are represented as almost supernatural beings. but include costume within the hip hop genre .

social issues: representes

25/03/25

Taylor swift the man 

do now 

1). narrative , performance 

2).

3).clear illustration of lyrics , direct address 

4).expressionistic

5). representation of gender , social issues , age

conventions : this music video does break the typical conventions as it doesn't include any lip syncing or performance within it or showings of the artist.

MES: it has a linear narrative and follows the mans typical daily activities and various locations like the subway, the office , the park - meant to represent where woman would experience sexism. the man is also shown to be wealthy as he is in luxury locations as well like a yacht 

the man could be described as the false hero and Taylor swift is also shown as the hero as she is the director and it presents her to have power 

she uses intertextuality in the music video ( referencing to another piece of media) - for example wolf of wall street , and the tennis racket references john McEnroe - broke his tennis racket in an outburst , and the wall references her other albums 

clothing codes and props: fancy suits , women in bikinis including props of champaign cigars help represent wealth 

colour pallets: the colour pallet varies depending on the scene it includes sunny colourful schemes and dark and gloomy ones for example in the subway 

gesture codes and facial expressions : him clapping at his employees faces - represents his lack of care but investment with getting more money. giving stereotypical powerful men.

context

how is men, women , Taylor swift and inequality represented in this music video??

men: represented as powerful , money hungry and self centred within this music video , they have been shown to be arrogant and bossy to others of lower status and have stereotypical conventions to show misogyny and hyper masculinity ego driven. 

women: have been overly sexualised within the music video as they are shown to be in bikinis and small outfits and are overall objectified a lot to suit to the ' mans' wants. desperate and submissive. 

Taylor : presented as powerful as she is the director and also the 'man' she is in control but she is also seen as good and supportive when she compliments the female tennis supporter actor but disses the male actor 

28/03/25

Stormzy: superheros 

do now-

1). no lip syncing or performance 

2).wolf of wall street , her other albums 

3).MES

4).false hero

5).gender

overview; song was released in December 13th 2019 but the video was released September 9th 2020 when it was shown in school classrooms in London at the start of the term when kids were back due to the pandemic. the video was directed by a British film maker Taz Tron Felix , the video was dedicated to Chadwick Boseman following his death as there was a text honoured to him at the end .in 2020 he had donated £500000 to the black heart foundation to provide educational scholarships for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and pledged to donate 10 mill over the next decade to help combat racial inequality in the uk. 

he subverts music video conventions as it doesn't include the artist preforming the song , it is entirely a narrative based, with stormzy featuring as a character leading to a young boy on a typical hero's journey. the lyrics narrate the story throughout the music video 

media language:

colour scheme, gives of a tone of hope and optimism and positivity throughout the music video. subverts conventions of grime and subverts the typical conventions of his other music videos

stormzy is presented as the hero role , the donor and the helper and the other characters are seen as proppian heroes - he helps them become heroes.

intertextuality: he references naughts and crosses , toy story via buzz lightyear and the matrix in the magical power sense. he also references other artists like little Simz 

iconography : visual code - masks symbolise global pandemic , and the signs and symbols represent the black lives matter protests.  this is all used in the video as its associated with black empowerment and optimism for all these young black members in society. and the fact that they have the power to change the world 

clothing- everyone throughout the video is wearing sports attire or rather dark and tight clothes - represents equality of stereotypical "street wear"

lighting - light has been used in many ways in the music video , to represent the light within everyone or to show stormzy empowering everyone by giving them his light within him. 

context:

representation:

stormzy- represented as supportive , inspirational , a black role model , he presents education to a route for empowerment. 

men - seem as creative , academic but the young individual at the start is seen as vulnerable but changed by the end 

Tuesday 1st April 2025

industry and audience 

1). no lip syncing or appearance of artist

2).naughts and crosses , matrix

3).colour scheme

4).

RECEPTION THEORY:

taylor swift- 

preferred reading for a female audience to feel empowered by the feminist message which would be a campaign for gender equality.the representations in the video are also mocking stereotypes of men for entertainment purposes. a more oppositional reading would be the male audience feeling as if these representations are not true and misrepresenting them as a social group 

stormzy-

preferred reading for the young black audience to feel empowered and stand up against racial inequality 

oppositional - an older white audience may not understand the issues present and feel as if its unfair or unrealistic. 

websites and socials 

1).to help promote a new album or tour 

2) to sell merchandise

3).to direct fans to social media - when you sign up to receive websites in the bottom corner you have the choice to be navigated to all her other socials where you can see all her posts and uploads.

4) to help promote their brand 

5). to let fans communicate with each other  

HOMEWORK-

TLC waterfalls expresses the time it was made in many ways throughout its characteristics in the music video. For example we can see the use of very minimalistic editing and CGI and a outdated editing appearance overall being due to the time it was produced , the 90’s lacked the quality technology modern society has so basic elements of editing is shown like the transitions from places , translucent look of the characters in the narrative and editing of the artists to look like water creatures.TLC also includes a hip-hop style to the audience in the music video which at the time of the production was a very common genre of style in performance so was used a lot in the music video. Meanwhile another example would be throughout the music video the narrative included, the narrative includes key social situations within the 90’s such as the use of the representation of drugs and the emphasis of HIV within the music video , TLC has done this to highlight the key social situations in their society and had influenced the way in which it was made.

4/04/25

websites and socials 

do now-

1). hyperlink 

2). star persona 

3). entertainment 

4).personal identity , entertainment 

5). preferred , negotiated , oppositional 

to help promote a new album or tour :

stormzy- within his website there is a designated page to his tours showing all his times and locations

Taylor - as soon as you go on the homepage Taylor shows her new releases and offers a hyper link to download as she has just finished her tour - its important for them to have this to reach a bigger target audience and to ensure fans can access and buy possible tickets

its a place to sell merchandise:

Taylor offers a dedicated section to buying stuff labelled " shop now" as it is important to ensure she makes a profit and to allow fan to be able to access her music and others things she offers incase they would like to buy them  

stormzy - when on the home page there is a dedicated section called "merch" it is important stormzy puts emphasis on this to allow his audience to be able to access the merch that he sales with ease 

to direct fans to social media:

Taylor when you scroll down to sign up for updates it offers hyperlinks to all her other platforms- this is important as it allows her fans to access her other platforms finding her other content 

stormzy - his social media links are all offered when 

USES AND GRATIFICATIONS THEORY 

taylor swift website - 

information - fans can access the website and be given information such as release dates , what she is selling or where to access other projects 

entertainment- fans can access her music videos and songs giving them a sense of entertainment 

social interaction - fans are brought to her social media platforms allowing them to interact with one another and engage in social interaction 

personal identity - people can relate to her messages in albums and the website 

stormzy website 

information - he offers tour dates , merch information and collaborations 

personal identity - he has a lot of images and representation of ethnic groups making his audience feel a sense of relatability in a way 

SOCIAL MEDIA 

promoting new songs 

post about key events in their lives 

show hints of new upcoming projects 

support and repost things about social events or other artists 

responding to any controversy 

engage with fans 

highlighting achievements 

1). artists can use their social media profile to promote themselves or any achievements they may have faced , any key events or new projects coming up or just day to day activities they do . they can express these to his fans 

2). artists can use tweets by tweeting something engaging to their target audience attracting them to reply of repost the tweet giving their audience more engagement with their account

3). a pinned tweet is when a tweet posted is pinned to the very top of the users profile so anyone can see it when they check their profile - artists might use it to help promote or share something to a bigger audience 

4). a profile picture can allow a user to upload a photo that expresses themselves or their likes.