R+P Post 6: Current Trends in Popular Music

According to NME pop and rock are the leading genres in the UK.

















New statistics published by the BPI state:

• Pop records were responsible for more than a third of all album sales in the UK during 2014 at 34.5%
• Rock albums were just as popular making 33.2% of sales

However the last time pop was so popular was back in 1999 as rock overtook pop and became the most popular genre in 2013. 

Popularity of genres such as dance has never risen so high since 2006 with 16.2% of sales. This is due to current leisure trends such as partying, clubbing and raves where dance music dominates the night.

Non digital music
Although CD sales are falling, vinyl records (music pressed into grooves on large, flat, black discs) are one area of physical music sales that's booming. Music shops such as HMV might have done badly business wise but that is because they tried to shift from music sales into video game sales which already had big competitors such as GAME.

YouTube
YouTube has become the world's most popular viewing platform for music and continues to grow. Contributing to this is the proliferation of mobile platforms. Faster streaming capabilities and larger screens mean people can instantly watch a video anywhere at any time. Examples of the most viewed songs on YouTube include Gangam Style by Psy which gained an incredible 2 billion views and Blank Space by Taylor Swift with 1.3 billion views.

Girl Power
Singers such as Adele and Emeli Sande have become famous worldwide as they produce song after song with amazing vocals, gut emotion and deep lyrics. Groups such as the spice girls have been replaced with groups like Little mix, Fifth Harmony and Neon Jungle who have changed the girl band image.

EDM
Electronic dance music, first discovered in the US has revolutionised the music industry as artists such as Harris and Skrillex have come onto the scene.

R+P Post 5: The kind of video I would like to make

I would love to make a music video that fuses two of my current favourite music genres - Edm and RnB. Two recent music videos come to mind when I think about the style I would like to create; Do It Again and Lean On. Here are the lyrics to the two songs.

Here are screenshots from Do It Again including Pia Mia with friends on a car journey (urban scene),

her on a beach dancing (conventional dance scene), and her partying with friends on the beach (social partying hangout place scene).

I would like to make a music video where we have a few outfit changes reflecting an urban street vibe where the singer or singers look trendy in a sporty way but also in a sexy way for mass appeal. This is the trend in current music videos. I would also like to make one with different scenes like a dance scene, solo scene and a sort of party/chilling with friends scene as they change things up and show different aspects of the singer such as their lifestyle while also relaying the message of the song. Sometimes the scenes do not relate to the song's lyrics at all such as lean on because it is mainly a performance video. I want to make a hybrid narrative and performance based music video.

R+P Post 4: Audience groups of interest

Any genre of music especially popular hit songs target a large demographic of the population. Whether it's a single artist or a band, mainstream pop, rock, rnb or edm music appeals to both males and females of a wide age range and different ethnicities. However the introduction of some genres such as edm being later than the introduction of pop means that the appeal of edm is skewed towards younger audiences and the appeal of rock is skewed towards audiences of a particular culture.

EDM
This graph from Nielsen (a media and entertainment website) shows the audience groups of interest towards EDM music from 2014.

The graph states that edm music is mostly consumed by younger people aged 18-24 of white ethnicity. Since festivals and concerts have become increasingly popular in the last decade, the development and popularity of edm music has boomed in areas such as the UK and the US. Usually younger adults participate in these festivals and concerts.

HIP HOP
An article on techcrunch reveals that:
"The global hip-hop community: twenty four million people between the ages of 19-34 from a range of nationalities, ethnic groups and religions. Their collective spending power is $500 billion annually in the US alone"
Hip hop was born out of economically deprived areas of New York but since then the genre has become one of the most consumed music across the world. It is difficult to find solid statistics showing audience groups of interest in RnB and hip hop due to organisations who do not wish to disclose information and technological advancement which has impacted the music industry for example pirating. However this table showing the some of the most popular songs in the charts has been of the rnb and hip hop genre.

The rap and hip hop genre has always stereotypically appealed to male youth of dominantly African ethnicites and American culture. However the rising rnb and rap stars such as Nicki Minaj, Iggy Azalea and Rihanna mean more females now listen to rnb.

Here's the current UK top 40 singles chart

Hopefully my group will be producing a music video for an rnb, edm song meaning we will be targeting a young audience of both genders worldwide.

After questioning a few young people aged between 16-25 about their consumption of music I found out that generally:

• They listen to music for free and only occasionally buy an album
• They listen to music almost everyday
• They listen to music everywhere whether on transport, in the shower or studying

Below is a conversation I had with one member.

R+P Post 3: Music genres that interest me

I love listening to a range of music genres and sub-genres including rock, indie, and punk but right now I am obsessed with EDM and R&B.

Below is a selection of my favourite current EDM songs:

Where are you now - Justin Bieber ft Skrillex

What I like:

• Arty abstract theme
• Very cleverly edited together
• The unique, distinct edm beat and tune
• fast pace of animation

Lean on -Major Lazer & DJ Snake ft MO

What I like:

• The exotic setting and costume
• Urban aesthetic
• Simple catchy dance moves
• Camerwork panning and high angle shots

EDM stands for electronic dance music and is produced largely for nightclubs, raves and festivals. This style of music was initially adopted by the American music industry scene and developed in the 2010s becoming increasingly popular now with many edm songs topping the charts.

The edm genre usually consists of various sub-genres such as house, trance, dub-step and trap music.

Here are my favourite choices out of all the recent R&B song releases.
Can't Feel My Face - The Weeknd

Trap Queen - Fetty Wap

A brief summary on the history of R&B music:
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated as R&B or RnB, is a genre of popular African-American music that originated in the 1940s. R&B music was originally used to describe music that was marketed predominantly to African Americans during the 50s when urban and jazz based music was becoming increasingly popular.  Bands usually consisted of drums, bass piano and vocalists. The lyrics would portray African American history and focus on themes of freedom, aspirations, pains, struggles and relationships. R&B music has developed significantly since and is now very contemporary often combining elements of the EDM music genre. The Weeknd's songs are a great representative of the contemporary R&B genre style.

What I love about these music genres and videos:
Look
Hip hop dance routines/scenes, street look/style, trendy, lifestyle connotations, colourful visuals, scenery, movie-style format, fast paced editing, special effects.

Sound
Deep bass, drum, distinct singer/rapper voice, meaning of lyrics.

Influence
Mainstream popular young artists with large fanbases and influences, songs are heard on the radio, tv, in clubs, clothes shops, restaurants, at social events.

R+P Post 2: Myself as a music consumer

How my music tastes have developed can be narrowed down into 3 tracks. These songs represent the types of music I listened to during the three stages of my life so far.

Childhood

Hips don't lie - Shakira
I first heard this song in year 3 which was a time where I only listened to music that played on the radio in my mum's car as well as the cd's she listened to. I hadn't developed my own music taste and knew nothing about music videos. This was the first music video I had ever seen and the first time I found YouTube. I loved the song as it was so popular and known at the time and all my friends used to sing and dance to it. The sexualising of Shakira's body and that of women in general had an impact on me, I remember thinking it was really mature and strange, I didn't really understand the lyrics either but still listened to it because it was catchy.

Early teens

R U Mine - Arctic Monkeys
Throughout secondary school I met friends who had different music tastes and spending time with them and going out to social events shaped and expanded my music tastes. I became interested in rock and indie genres as well as many others. One band which stands out is Arctic monkeys and R U Mine is one of my favourite songs.

Now

Do It Again - Chris Brown ft Pia Mia
This song represents my love of R&B and hip hop pop songs which I've always loved but only recently gotten back into. Chris Brown is one of my favorite hip hop artists at the moment and I particularly like this song because of its music video which features street fashion, beach dance scene and a fast paced editing style.

Myself as a current music consumer
How/where/when I consume music?

• Laying in bed - on my phone with earphones
• Travelling on transport such as the bus and tube - phone with earphones however if it is a car journey I use speakers
• While doing chores - Youtube on laptop or phone/speakers
• Social events e.g. parties/dinners/raves - speakers/DJ/PC

Who I consume music with?

I consume music mainly by myself because I have my own personal playlist I like to listen to on my phone however I do share my music with friends who have similar tastes in genre on public transport or on a car journey. It would likely be without my mum around because she doesn't like listening to trending mainstream music.

Why I listen to music?

• Mostly when I'm on transport I have a bit of thinking time so I like to sort out my thoughts or daydream while listening to music - it sets a nice mood for me personally and is a form of escapism.
• It's fun and nice getting ready to music before going out as it sets an upbeat/groovy atmosphere. It can be relaxing for early mornings or it livens up my afternoons and evenings
• I also listen to music for personal identity as some singers are role models to me whether in fashion or attitude and I like to watch their music videos for inspiration which sticks in my mind if I just listen to the song again.

R+P Post 1: My A2 group

For my A2 music video project I will be working with Thakshana Yogeswaran(9179), Monica Aghadiuno (9365) and Godgift Emesi (9044).
(from left to right)

Being in a group of four means the group is nicely balanced with an even number of opinions on everything. We are all very individual, creative and have our own strengths.


Strengths

• we're committed and enthusiastic
• we're team players
• we all have vision and like to come up with and discuss our ideas even if they're not similar
• though we may disagree on ideas we all talk it out and come to a decision
• Gift is a dancer and good at coordinating outfits
• Monica is great at camera work and visualising scenes for songs
• Thakshana is very practical and arty with abstract concepts and camerwork
• I'm good at visualising the look of the music video and stage set-ups

Our plans
We plan to have frequent meetings every week with definite set meetings on Mondays and Fridays. This gives us four days to do anything we decided to on Monday and the weekend to think about what we've discussed on Friday in order to feedback on Monday.
If we find we're falling behind we have Tuesday till Thursday to decide on any emergency meetings.
We plan to set up a group chat on Whatsapp to update each other on decisions, meetings and to generally work on our project as a team. Having this group chat has proved very useful so far as we all use social media everyday. We remind group members of anything they've forgotten and ask each other for opinions on things like songs and video effects. It's a very easy and efficient app to use.

 

1. Did you enjoy the main workshop shoot day? What role(s) did you take and what did you learn? What were your best bits and why?

Despite a long day of sweat and hard work, the workshop day was very informative and so much fun. Getting the role of Hayley Williams was exciting and being on set (both performing and helping) with professional staff and equipment was a new experience worth every minute.

Performing onstage

Everyone performed in groups of 4, I was grouped with Thakshana (guitarist), Mario (drummer) and Amy (bass).
Left - Mario drumming                 Centre - Thakshana rocking out         Right - Filming my CUs

Being in front of the lights (which made it quite hot to be singing and dancing under) and also in front of the camera took time for me to get used to. However with the support of our fellow classmates and expert advice from the crew (who often cheered us on loudly). I got quite comfortable on stage after shooting the first few set-ups.

                                 
I learnt that it was better to not care about how I looked on camera and best to sing with passion as well as aim to exaggerate my moves in order to get the best effect on screen. Actions such as dramatic hair whips and evil 'mean girl' glares looked best on camera when I just felt the emotion of the song and sang. Trying to remember exactly how to copy one of Hayley's moves or facial expressions just ended up with me looking more unnatural than when I just went with the flow of the song or put my own twist on a few things. This was part of the advice I'd learnt from Tasha (dance teacher) and Jasmine (co-director).

Of course there were key moves that all the band's members had to learn and some were done greatly but some set-ups took a few shots to perfect.

Helping on set

I learnt quite a lot backstage. Having my make-up done by a pro artist was great and cheering my friends who were then performing felt equally great. I also learnt what cable-bashing was and saw a portable dolly being used by the cameraman (Jack) who sat on a chair being pulled/pushed along by another fellow classmate. For a few set-ups I was in charge of the clapper board.






Here's a time lapse of the shoot day which shows how the Seward Studio was set up, the equipment we used and what roles everyone took on-stage and helped to stand in for onset.

2. What have you learnt from participating in each prelim tasks 1,2,3 and 5?

Task 1 - The Audition Video

The audition video was slightly awkward to shoot at first and took my team a few takes to start feeling comfortable enough to sing along in a large classroom with just the three of us (me, Thakshana and Iggy). However we blasted Misery Business out and just improvised since we didn't want to prepare anything beforehand and felt like an improvised audition was more natural.

Here is the video. None of us minded what role we would be given but all of us had fun rocking out to Paramore, looking forward to the shoot days. Although it was quite hard to lip sync when I hadn't fully learnt the lyrics which showed up clearly on camera.

Task 2: Learn and practice your performance

It was very important for me to learn my lines and practice my moves as not only does Hayley have multiple key moves in the video but her facial expressions are very emotionally and physically dramatic (a common trait in pop punk music). I had to be slightly wild. I learnt that warming up was one of the key activities essential before performing in order to avoid injuries as hair whips can really stiffen your neck the day after.

Task 3: Help to plan and organise your costume

Here is Hayley's outfit.

My outfit included a red (with white) tank top, black miniskirt, yellow & black tights and black converses. This was a mixture of my own skirt, someone else's top, hand-made tights and borrowed shoes. I did not end up needing to buy anything as everyone brought in what they could meaning everyone shared and could pick what suited them the most.

Task 5: Editing
I learnt from this task that editing a music video took more time and effort than I had thought we would need. I learnt that we needed to grade every shot using ProcAmp, edit in various flashes using the Luma Corrector and place effects such as flips on a few shots. We also played with speeding up shots and slow-mo shots. It was hard work but satisfying after we had finished.

3. Are you pleased with the footage and your finished edit? Is it how you expected it to look? What works really well and what would you change?

Our finished remake edit:

I'm really happy with the footage we got as there were multiple shots of the same set-ups which allowed me to have my pick of which shot I wanted to edit and put onto the video track. It also meant we had varied angles and frames to choose from in order to get the best possible match to the actual video by Paramore. I edited in a pair with Thakshana.

The finished edit took me and Thakshana a long time due to both of us being perfectionists (and maybe also procrastinators). However we tried our best to stick to our edit schedule.

I was quite pleased with the footage we got as my group always made an effort while performing and we definitely 'broke out of our shells' by the end of the day with Mario having to wear guy liner and and Thakshana playing her guitar while lying down on the floor.

What worked really well in our remake video

• The flashes
• The CUs
• The bleached out frames
• The flips
• The slow-mos and sped up shots

What didn't work so well were

• The guitar 'hitting my face scene' and hair whips

I felt this scene needed to be re-shot as the timing is off and I wasn't close enough to Thakshana. We only did one take since we were behind schedule which annoyed me as it was an important scene and would not have taken long to re-shoot. However we also had to be careful no one got hurt.

• Thakshana's knee slide

This was not as dramatic but again we were limited physically as knee slides were quite painful however i feel like there could have been more camera movement to help.

• The drum kick at the end which we couldn't actually do

I feel like this was a major scene as it is quite chaotic in the actual music video so I felt our ending lacked impact because of this limitation. Although i felt we replaced it well during editing.

4. How do you think your prelim experience will impact on your approach to next term's music video coursework?

Behind the scenes on the shoot day showing how what each of us got up to behind the camera and our love for the project as well as our support for our fellow classmates.

I think my prelim experience was awesome and would definitely prepare me for next term's music video coursework in every aspect.

1. I would be prepared to take on any role having had the experience of playing Hayley Williams and remember the advice I got from professional people.

2. I know who I would like to work with and who I work best with which is an important aspect when trying to create a project.

3. I will be prepared for the editing as I am familiar with how long it takes to edit a music video as well as the various functions I have learnt how to use on Premier.

4. Watching Jack film everyone on the shoot day gave me valuable insight into how to work the camera and get cool frames and varied camera movement.

5. Planning for the shoot day and casting is essential as even with an edit schedule we were running late. Also next term's music video might require help from non-media students meaning we need to be organised.