Research: Censorship in music videos

Censorship is the act of altering words, statements or visuals in order to conform with and abide by the rules and laws of society. Censorship could be done in several ways which are, by editing,censoring, banning or restricting. This enables a safer viewing experience to the viewer and censorship allows a wider range of audiences from different age groups can enjoy and watch music videos.

Explicit content v.s. Lyrics

 Explicit content is the actual music video and visuals being censored. It is the visuals that the audience can see that can be offensive or not suitable to a younger audience.



Explicit lyrics however, is only the wording that could cause offensive to the audience. The words and phrases that are used by the artist/band that may be found offensive or just not suitable for a younger audience, only to mature and older audiences.

What gets censored in music videos:

• Violence

• Offensive language/Lyrics

• Nudity

• Sexual nature

• Homosexuality

• Religion

• Racism

• Race

• Drug abuse

• Controversy to the press (politics)

Other types of censorship...

• Culture
• Class
• True events
• Corrupt the young

Advantages:

• Protects children, as they are easily influenced and may copy.
• Protects emotional/physical reaction.
• Promotes a politically correct world.
• Prevents disrespect in individuals or community.
• Shields social morals.
• Restricts vulgarity and obscenity.
• Restricts violence as this may be easily imitated.

Disadvantages:

• Decrease in views.
• Artist is restricted.
• Freedom of speech is compromised.
• Restricts idea/creativity.
• Compromise entertainment.
• Create a 'hype' which may make people want to create a music video that is explicit.
• Control industry, there is no freedom.
• How to differentiate what's harmful? We live in a diverse society.
• Blocks legitimate criticism, e.g. Kanye West's "Diamonds from Sierra Leone".
• Individual taste.

Overall by researching into censorship its clear that this is a significant part in the production of a music video. This needs to be considered because this is how the public is protected which is why artist's should abide by this in order to not get any of their music video's or lyrics censored. The song I am planning to use may have some harmful lyrics but not too harsh also  I will not be making a music video which may have to be censored. Although, this bring controversy I would prefer to keep my music video suitable for all audiences. 

Research: Audience idetification

Audiences are a group of people who are targeted to create a product in which to appeal to them. Audiences are often splint into different categories based on their occupation and class. This allows the process of creating a specific video for a specific target audience in mind easier. Categorizing audiences is essentially a way of targeting the specific audience for a music video.

The audience is divided by their demographics:

• race
• gender
• age
• income bracket
• location
• hobbies & interests

A: Top Management, Bankers, Lawyers, Doctors and other Professionals

B: Middle Management, Teachers, many "Creative" e.g. graphic designers etc.

C1: Office Supervisors, Junior Managers, Nurses, Specialist Clerical Staff etc.
C2: Skilled Workers, Tradespersons (White Collar)
D: Semi-Skilled and Unskilled Manual Workers (Blue Collar)
E: Unemployed, Students, Pensioners, Casual Workers

Different genres have different audiences.

Different artist of different genres all have their own specific target audience in which they aim their products specifically to target.

This Justin Bieber video is an example of how different genres target different audiences, they are from a pop genre of music. Firstly, the song name ‘’bby’’ relates to a young audience as it is telling them to make the most of their young lives. This is also reflected in the film as we see him having a lot of fun such as dancing and also partying.  In addition, the fast pace music along with the random teenage extras in the background is also an indication and reminder of who this video is targeted at and hopes to appeal to.

Adele is British artist from a soul genre of music who creates deep, meaningful music as a product to appeal to her audience in hope they can relate to her. Adele targets more of an older target audience compared to Justin Bieber due to her age and life experiences. She sings about her life with meaning in hope to create a sympathetic response amongst the audience in order to form a relationship with them whilst appealing to them. The music used in her videos such as someone like you is slow hence the target audience compared to one of one direction videos which are all mostly fast and upbeat

Audiences all have different reactions to products given to them, this is how Audience reactions are measured.

Audience engagement – This is the description of how an audience interacts with different media text. Different people will tend to react in different ways to the same text.

Audience expectations – These are the expectations an audience may have on an audience and their music, For example audiences expect certain aspects in a music video to be met from different genres.

Audience Foreknowledge – This is the background information the audience know about the music artist and their song/video.

Audience identification – This is how an audience is able to relate to an artist.

Audience placement – This is how the media producers use a variety of different techniques in order to target a particular target audience and make them feel a sense of importance by making the music specially ‘for them’.

The Audiences reactions in relation to theorist and their Theory’s?

Hebdige’s Theory – Links with Audience engagement

·     Factors such as social background can lead to different readings of the same song by people which are not port of one ‘mass culture’

Dyer Theory – Links with Audience identification

·     Stars are manufactured by their record company to appeal to a specific genre of audience by manipulating them into thinking they are given true art but instead an artificial image produced to mark money.

Goodwin’s Theory – Audience expectations

·     Products are created and made to follow a conventional music product in order to appeal to a specific target audience.

Conclusion

This research post of audience identification has helped me be able to perform a more detailed and precise identification of my target audience based on the genre of my music and my star. Identifying the audience is seen as one of the most important stages in the music industry as targeting the wrong audience will lead to failure to appeal to them and a loss of sales.

Research: Subcultures

Subcultres are groups who are united through common values, systems and tastes. These are split up into specific groups such as clothes, music politics etc. They tend to go against popular mainstream culture. As hebdige suggests, subcultures create their own smaller culture and do not conform with the majority of people and rebel against common values and systems.

Some subcultures are based on general stereotypes such as skinheads being white, bald, white males.

Punks tend to listen to Rock

Queers tend to listen to Pop

Skinheads tend to listen to Reggae 

Bikers tend to listen to Rock

Hipsters tend to listen to Indie 

Subcultures are a large part of the music industry in which they grow out of mainstream genres such as Rock. The 'Rock' genre is favoured by the punk subculture as they can relate to the type of music by who they are and how the represent themselves. Subcultures play a significant role in music and shouldn't be ignored as they have a unique nature and they offer a different perspective in the music industry.

Subcultures are generally categories in several points

Conformity and rebellion

They do not like conformity, they prefer to rebel against common values and systems.

Attitude to capitalism and consumerism

They don’t follow capitalism, they follow their own set of rules and behaviour conduct put in place.

Tend to be consumerist however, consume goods which tend to be relevant to their lifestyles.

Tribal/gang rivalry with other groups in society.

 Don’t tend to mix with other groups as they don’t like it.
Stereotype of disliking certain groups of people/races.

Traditional ideas or stereotype

Have traditional beliefs of their own in the way they should live their lives. 
True subculture followers, do not take upon ideas of stereotypes.

Music Interest

 Niche, depends solely on the subculture group. For example, Rockers subculture will listen to rock music.

What did McCracken say?

·         Mainstream cultures and subcultures just go to show that the post-modern world is full of diversity

·         Looking at the different values and ideologies of subcultures, we are unable to say they all come from one culture.

The Birmingham School

It assumes that all subcultures come from one subculture and is the result of reaction and rejection to the mainstream culture.

What did Hebdige say?

Subcultures are groups which form a resistance against the mainstream culture. Hebdige believes that if you resist then it becomes a culture.

Popular music – social background can lead to different readings of the same song. People are not part of one mass culture.

Subcultures and historical times in relation to music

Many people of modern day argue that cultural music taste all depend on the historical time and structure of social economic and political change. For example, rock may have been very popular in the early 90’s but nowadays we can all say the likes of pop, hip-hi, rap have taken over to form a more mainstream cultural genre.

In the 1950's Rock and Rollers and beatniks were the main subcultures in society. In the 1960's surfers, rude-boys, mods, hippies and bikers had emerged. In the 1970's there had been skinheads, soul boys, rastas, glow rockers, funkers and punks. In the 1980's heavy metal, goths and the hip hop culture.. The 1990's and beyond can be described as not following a distinct culture.

The industry and target audience.

The music industry finds shows such as the X Factor to recruit future stars. This is the development process, where stars are created to meet the audience’s needs and desires. The audience are also given a choice of who they like and what they choose to consume as they are giving the powers to vote off certain ‘’potential stars’’. The music industry will then change and implement the stars star image then promote and market the winners to the audience in hope to make money from them.

Then
Now

Current day in relation to Dyer’s theory

Richard Dyer believes in order to become a star, you will first need to become a commodity, someone that people want to buy. Stars represent a shared cultural attitudes and values. They will promote that to the audience and if liked the audience will then feel attached and apart of the star. This is when the rise to stardom slowly begins as fans will often imitate stars performance, behavior and style in order to get closer to them.

Stars are represent 'shared cultural values' and attitudes and will promote a certain ideology. Fans who agree that a set of values will support the star. Fans will then imitate stars in an  aspirational effort to get 'closer' to the glamorous, fantasy lifestyle they appear to have - this may take the form of 'dressing up', imitating performances, adopting behaviour etc. 

The audiences play a very important with the music industry. For one, they are the sole reason why artists become mainstream/known or even make any revenue from their music.

The audience determine what artists are relevant by the songs the make and how well they connect with them which is out of the industries control.

Conclusion

In my music video I would be aiming to target popular mainstream culture and not a particular sub-culture. This is because targeting a sub-culture would limit the success of my music video and it would not appeal to a wider audience. I would want my music video to be viewed by a larger audience rather than a limited audience.

Research: Popular music theory

What is popular culture?

Popular culture is the understanding of fashion ideas and attitudes of the mainstream culture in society which has an influence upon us the audience. These influences and ideas are produced through the mass media and able to the audience through cultural products. These cultural products vary from Music, art, film, fashion, television and radio.Popular culture describe the lifestyle and tastes of the majority of young people. It is consumed by non-elite and non-bourgeoisie groups such as the working class. The focus and ideas are mainly targeted at the mainstream culture. They have been influenced by mass media and are products of the early 20’s. An example being Britney Spears.

Antonio Gramsci and the theory of Hegemony

Hegemony is the leadership or dominance especially by one country of social group. The term hegemony describes domination of a culturally diverse society by the ruling class who manipulate our culture till this present day. The control of the media can influence things such as what gets aired or cancelled and the degree to which as television station covers or does not cover certain news stories. Results in the audience to all think the same and not challenging the culturally dominant ideologies. This had been challenged through people being able to self-publish music, videos etc. Rather than being under the control of mainstream co corporations and this increases the independence of individuals within the music industry as well.

Frankfurt School

Popular music is the end product of a production line where everything sounds similar. An industry that exploits the mass population for profit and social control in the hope that they accept a certain ideology about the world they are living in.  The music industry promotes absorption, everything about these pop start becomes a commodity, they are clothes, image, like and dislikes etc. Which implies that the pop stars lifestyles has been bought into.

Theodor Adorno

Adorno argues that Capitalists fed people with the products of a ‘culture industry’ which he believed was the opposite of True Art. All music products are commodities to be sold to an audience who believe they are consuming true emotion. Popular music is usually divided into genres of music such as Rock, Pop, Rap, Heavy Metal and Reggae etc. However, all popular music is standardised which are interchangeable from one song to another, and they all sing about the same types of lifestyle. The effects of standardisation are often hidden by ‘frills’ that are put within a song to disguise that it sounds the same. Distinguishes between popular music and serious music. Serious music, ( classical and avant-garde) plays to the pleasures of the imagination offering engagement, popular music makes everyone think the same. ‘Popular music’ is conveyed as being false, unnatural and immature. Whereas ‘Serious music ‘ is deep, meaningful and natural.

Birmingham School

Birmingham School was a cultural theory. One of the most famous and influential forms of cultural studies initially under the influence of cultural Marxism, emerged with the centre for contemporary cultural studies in Birmingham. Considered as a more modern school of throughout that challenged some of what the ‘Frankfurt School’ and Adorno suggested about ‘Popular Culture’ They evaluated the effects and interpretations of popular culture representations on their audience. Audiences are not as passive as suggested, there is some engagement by the consumers about what they like and don’t like. The Birmingham school went against ‘Hemogens’ and defended the right of individuals to have more of a mouth-piece in their preference.

Hebdige (Richard)

Hebdige suggests that Adorno’s ideas are very pessimistic and dismissive of mass audiences as passive and easily manipulated. Consumption is an active process in which different audiences have different readings into the same cultural products. The audience are free to resist the power of large products to consume. Often then the audience constructing themselves as distinct from mainstream culture to subcultures. Major companies will try and cater for this too and create products that subcultures will consume. The audiences then have to decide whether to consume these products or whether to resist them further. Audiences are therefore more active in popular culture consumption.

Conclusion

It is important to understand a theory because it allows people to acknowledge the reasons why things happen in society.All the theories about Popular Culture are unique in their own aspect and offers  a broad viewpoint. However the Birmingham school is most appealing as it suggest that consumers have more of a say in what they prefer which I believe is true. Moreover, it is more of a modern theory that has developed further the other theories.