Summarise what you have learned about the state of the music industry in 2012: RESEARCH

Over the last 10 years, the music industry has changed drastically regarding Production, Exchange and Exhibition. 10 years ago the productions of recording music videos were a lot harder than is today. They would be recorded in a professional studio and then put onto computers, which cost money. Nowadays, people have their own home studios and music is produced quicker. Posters and radios were traditionally used for distribution whereas nowadays artists have their own social network such as Twitter and Facebook and special connections with radio stations. In addition, the younger generation may illegally download the artist’s songs from YouTube or vevo and some may even legally download the songs to help support the artist. 10 years ago, people would generally buy CD’s, tapes, vinyl or even burn CD’s and now people sell and buy mix tapes, illegal/legal downloading and making profits through merchandising.

Audiences are targeted by music videos by the way the video is put across and represented towards the public. The clothing of the women in the videos, providing that they are dressed provocatively appeal to the male audience and how the male artists are dressed to appeal to both male and female audiences as men want to dress like the artist on TV so that they too can appeal to females. They send off a sexual pleasure in making the audience want to continue watching their video. However, there is more to a music video than the clothing. I believe the appeal of a music video is the actual music and whether the words connect with the video. There are some video’s that are made simply for a sexual pleasure, but those are the less known artists such as Maino and Wocka Flocka Flame. Other artists such as Lady Gaga make songs and videos for their own benefit as she has the attitude were she doesn’t care about what people think of her, she also seems to appeal to quiet a wide range of people such as lesbian chic and porn chic that both appeal to the male gaze, she’s controversial. The short film she made with her video ‘’ Telephone” makes it enjoyable for her fans and then allows it to become a viral music video. Product placement for artists are really good as it promotes the music video as well as the product, for example in Lady Gaga’s video “Telephone” the phone she uses has the Virgin media sign on it, there were Pepsi cans in her hair.

Music videos are very important to the music industry because they’re in a sense what the public thrive off of. Listening to the same song on the radio doesn’t have the same guilty pleasure as it does when watching it on YouTube or on a music channel. Its also important because it’s another way that the public can know what the artist looks like now and also what trends they can follow just by watching the video. It’s also another source that brings in more money for the artist.

There are four major labels left which consists of Sony, Universal Studios, Warner Brothers and EMI.