MAJOR AND MINOR RECORD LABELS

RECORD LABEL

What is a record label?

A record label is a music industry that provides money the artist or the band to make music.

What does a record label do?

•  They produce, manufacture and distribute records for the artist
• They sign artists
• They manage bands and artists
• They scout talent and develop new artists
• They market and promote music video
• Copyright protection

Two types of record label

Major

The big 3 record labels are;

• Sony BMG
• Universal Music Group
• Warner Music Group

Can at anyone time represent 75%of the music sold within a year.

Minor/Independent

A smaller record label that operates without the funding of the big four. Many artists begin their career with minor labels. Generally allows more artistic freedom and control.

Universal takeover

In September of 2012 Universal took over EMI and its subsidiaries. this included them taking over the contract of Bastille.

The album 4th single "Pompeii" gained the band 2nd place on the singles chart.

So what is the difference between the Major/Minor? Research one of the following to trace their record label history compared to their success.

Bon Iver

Arctic Monkeys

Ryan Adams

The White Stripes

Arcade Fire

Kings of Leon

A brief history of the artist

Details about the record label they have been on. Why do you think they were signed to this/these labels?

Details about how the band have been marketed over the course of their career. E.g. Did their image/representation change over the course of their career? Why do you think this is?

CROSS MEDIA CASE STUDY

I created a media case study on pink to see how and artist and their music is advertised and how and artist image is used to promote their music to fans.

I did this so that I can get a better knowledge on how to advertise my band and what image I want my band to have. This will help me get my music to its target audience faster.

THE CULTURE INDUSTRY

What is the culture industry?

Theorist like Ardono and Horkheimer have argued that  the music industry is a culture industry. Everything in the media from T.V shows, to films, to music to magazines are all part of the culture industry because they are all produced in a standardised manner.

According to Ardono and Horkheimer, the culture industry is the name given to the media industry that produces artists in a standardised way. The industry takes an artist and turns them into what they want them to be based on how much the industry thinks they will appeal to the audience, their appearance and how much money they will make from the artist. They take the originality out of an artist and turn them into commodities.

Audiences are so passive that they are also part of the culture industry. They don't question why the artist are the same and shows like the X faxtor, the voice and Britain's got talent have made audiences believe that artists are surpose to look and act in a certain way. They then dismiss and artist or band that is different. 

An example of artist that are very much in to the culture industry is JLS. They started off on X factor ad through their journey in X factor they changed from the original boy band they are to the unoriginal west life type of boy band. The music industry are only interested in money and they only think of how they can sell the band and make money form them.

Pseudo individuality shows how the culture industry have changed the personality and the originality of  artist over the years and how they claim to be original but are not, they are just in different eras. For example, West life, Take that, JLS, One direction,etc.

A band that has not been manipulated by the culture industry is DAUGHTER

They are an Indie folk band from UK and they are not interested in how much money they can make as an artist but how much they are inspiring their fans and their fans opinion of the music they make. 

They are not influenced by the culture Industry to the extent of a band like JLS. JLS is a band that is interested in how they can make money from other things in the culture industry by selling the artist and not their music.   

After their transformation in X factor, JLS is now being sold as an artist on things like condoms, etc.  Unlike JLS, Daughter didn't start out on X factor but started out with Elena Tonra as a solo artist and then became a trio band when Remi and Igor joined the group. They released their first album by them selves (not by a record label) and later released a send album later that year (although artist led communion records). They started out original and stayed original and to an extent not influenced by the Culture Industry because they are not into selling their appearance but selling their music to their fans.