Research: Music video Genres

What is a music genre?
In the music industry there are many different music genres in which a song or a video follows. Music genres are categories in which a song/video will be placed into depending on the conventions of the genre. For example up beat music mainly falls into the house genre. In addition, there are many different genre of music which fall into one which then creates a sub-genre. There is a wide variety because different audiences listen to different music so it is expected that there are options.
 

List of different music genres in the industry:

• Rock
• Jazz
• Musical
• POP
• R&B
• Country
• Gospel
• Soul
• Classical
• Hip-Hop
• Blues
• Cultural
• Alternative
• Indie
• Rap
• House
• Trap
• Grime
• EDM
• Electronic
• Reggae
• Bashment
• Techno
• Afro-beats
• Garage

There are also hybrids or sub genres which consists of two genre sounds merging together for example indie pop means the typical Indie genre of slow the songs being slow may seem much more upbeat due to the Pop genre mixing with this.

Mainstream and Niche Genres:
Mainstream genres are usually Pop as this is what the majority of the masses listen to. This includes, Katy Perry, Meghan Trainer, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, One Direction and Little Mix. However, Niche genres are usually Indie or Jazz as these are not popular amongst the masses including artists such as, Arctic Monkeys, Oasis and Owls.

Examples of music genres

Pop

The type of music video has to have the characteristics of the genre it belongs to. The ‘Pop’ genre for instance aims to appeal to the general audience rather than a particular sub-culture or ideology. An emphasis on recording, production and technology over live performance. Moreover, a tendency to reflect existing trends rather than progressive developments. These are some of the factors that determine the characteristics of the ‘Pop’ genre. 

Rihanna's music video is a performance based music video and it uses the use of lighting to emphasis this as there are a lot of bright flashing colours used to reinforce a club night. This is done to entice the audience to want to watch more. The club locations which are used in a lot of Rihanna's pop videos are used in order to create a sense of normality for the audience as they themselves could go to a night club and party like her. This allows them to be able to relate more to the video as they are locations which are used in their lives. This music video follows the conventions of a music video as the editing is in time with the fast pace song, along with the visuals make the video visually stylish to the audience.

Rap

In rap videos generally artists prefer to show realism which is the difference between hip-hop and rap. They mainly show conventional iconography such as drugs, money and women to relate to their hardcore lyric.  

wiz khalifa for example likes to show his hometown. In this video they use a urban location. This is effective as it helps build to their gangster imagine. The visuals in the music video are also very effective as it matches the beat of the song. This allows it to have a greater effect upon the audience. Furthermore, with the video being a narrative based this allows it to create entertainment for the audience. 

Rock

Indie rock bands and any other type of rock band would usually use a lot of performance in their music videos and less narrative because a lot of these artists play music for themselves and not

the industry. This is unlike the majority of pop artists that are treated like a product specifically to make money through sells of electronic music to a big target audience.

Foo Fighter’s All My Life video is almost completely performance apart from the a few establishing shots at the start. They have managed to maintain video excitement by using a fisheye lens on the camera and changing the back drop on stage

RnB
The promotion of the lavish lifestyle through being in love, partying etc. usually being around the theme of , lust and passion which usually apply to females. The main focus is a love story with a narrative rather than concept based performances. The music video tends to fulfil the lyrics through visuals.
Target Audience: Females, 12-25, all ethnic backgrounds.

Grime

Low budget filming and the promotion of the lack of necessities as this is what artist's usually rap about. Typically, showing a 'squad' of boys to represent gangs in communities alongside ghetto themes. The most popular characteristic is rapping about the struggle in living life with a lack of money. This attracts the target audience as they tend to be able to relate to the artist's music as they may be going through the same issues.Target Audience: Males, ages between 16-25, from a black ethnic background usually, however, white artists such as "skepta" have become increasingly popular in this genre.

The importance of following generic conventions in music videos.

It is essential to follow generic conventions in music video. The reasons are as follows:

• To satisfy and please the target audience. The target audience of the specific genre expects a conventional music video that they can relate to. If generic conventions are not used then the target audience could be lost.
• By following the generic conventions, the music video could appeal to a larger audience which would enhance the fan base and therefore would have a larger target audience.
• Could make the music video more popular. There would be an increase in the number of views on the internet such as on YouTube or social networking websites.
• A successful music video that follows the generic conventions demonstrates the prestige of the industry. It would make sure that they make money and profits from the music video.

 

Conclusion
this research of identifying and analysing some of the conventions of each music genre has helped me with the planning stage of this music video. This is because I now know what kind of micro-elements and concepts make up a genre and also how to make the music video relate to the genre whilst appealing to the target audience. I believe I'm a lot confident now in identifying a music video then matching them to the genre of music they are from.