At 11:25 on March 10th the music channel WTF TV screened the music video for Rihanna’s song ‘S & M’. They received a complaint stating that the music video was “completely unsuitable for daytime”. OfCom had to consider whether the material raised issues under Rule 1.3 of The Code. Rule 1.3 states that children must be protected by appropriate scheduling from material that is unsuitable for them. Ofcom acknowledges that freedom of expression in the broadcasting environment is extremely important. They also understand that music videos are an artistic and creative medium, which can and do sometimes contain challenging content which some may find offensive. OfCom is of the opinion that broadcasters of music channels carry a responsibility towards a potential child audience, however viewers should expect there to be a wide range of services available. Some of the concerns about music videos, most of which came from parents, include sexually explicit content such as overtly sexual performances from artists or actors. Another concern is nakedness and naked body parts. Rihanna herself raised an argument against this concern stating that music channels were happy to show the music video for Umbrella in which she was ‘full nude’.
After looking at the case, I have come to the conclusion that OfCom’s decision was incorrect. One of the main reasons I think this is the fact that parents are the main group of people who are criticising the television channel. I believe that they hold the responsibility to make sure their children do not view material which they deem to be unsuitable. They should realise that music channels are not explicitly aimed at children and therefore will not take as much precaution to control what is shown and when. They could phone up their tv provider and have the music channels blocked. Also they can have restrictions placed on what content is available on the internet, for example YouTube videos. Furthermore this video only contains a softcore representation of sadomasochism and sexual activity. Themes of bondage and sexual domination and corresponding images were presented in a surreal, colourful and somewhat humorous manner and the video does not depict real or even realistic sadomasochistic practices. The broadcaster considered the images to be ‘cartoon-like over-the-top sequences which were artistic and not dark or seedy. In addition, WTF TV did not attract a child audience. Audience figures collected by OfCom showed that for the month of March 2011, the audience share for WTF TV was 0. In my opinion, if a child did see the video they would not understand the sexual connotations of the song and video.
Monday, 9 July 2012
A0B 6 (Music Press) Regulation
The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) is a voluntary regulatory body for British newspapers and magazines. They are self regulated and because of this they are deemed to be toothless. People think that they don't want to 'bite the hand that feeds' meaning that the newspapers pay for the commission. The PCC is funded by the annual levy which it charges newspapers and magazines. The PCC have a Code of Practice and publications agree to meet the standards of this code. If a publication breaches the code, the first step the PCC would take would be adjudication with due prominence which basically means that members of the PCC decide whether the code has been broken and from there suggest appropriate measures of correction to the publication. The PCC has a 'publish and be damned' policy. This means that they publish whatever they think and worry about the consequences later. The most complaint made to the PCC is accuracy. Other possible areas of complaint covered by the code include opportunity to reply, harassment, intrusion into grief and shock, discrimination and witness payments. Editors will sometimes try to get out of the accusations made against them by stating that the articles are in the interests of the public. The PCC does not possess any actual legal power.
Sunday, 8 July 2012
AOB 5 (Music Video) Distribution and Ownership
Artists on Minor Labels:
Joy Division - Factory Records
Gary Numan - Cooking Vinyl
Marilyn Manson - Cooking Vinyl
Friendly Fires - XL Recordings
Major Labels
Pros:
- Major labels have much more money than any of the indie labels and therefore they will be able to promote an artist and their album well
- Major Labels will have a wide range of connections within the industry that can help an artist to reach their goals
- A major label will be able to secure good deals on manufacturing and advertising
Cons:
- As a major label will have a large number of artists signed to them, a newly signed artist would find themselves fighting for the attention of the record label and may have an album that is not being promoted well and a record label that won't return their calls.
- An artist will have little creative control over their music
- Many people who work for a major label are only in the business for the money and don't actually care about the music, some artists will not like this sort of attitude.
Independent Labels
Pros:
- An indie label will sign an artist because they like their music and will work hard for the artist because they are passionate about what the artist is doing. There won't be the pressure to 'sell out' for chart success that there would be at a bigger label
- An artist is more likely to have a close relationship with the label.
- An artist is more likely to have creative control over their music
Cons:
- There will not be as big of a budget available as there would be at a major label
- The informal nature of an indie label means that things can get confusing
- Althought the small size of an idie label means the close relationship and reative control for the artist, it also means that the label does not have much purchasing power and can't pull as many strings with the press.
Cons:
- There will not be as big of a budget available as there would be at a major label
- The informal nature of an indie label means that things can get confusing
- Althought the small size of an idie label means the close relationship and reative control for the artist, it also means that the label does not have much purchasing power and can't pull as many strings with the press.
AOB 5 Distribution and Ownership (Music Press)
NME is owned and distributed by IPC Media, which is in turn owned by Time Inc. At the top of the chain is Time Warner which owns all of these companies. As of mid-2010, Time Warner was the second biggest media and entertainment conglomerate and the worlds largest media conglomerate. Time Warner has many subsidiaries such as New Line Cinema, Time Inc., HBO, Turner Broadcasting System, The CW Television Network, TheWB.com, Warner Bros., Kids' WB, Cartoon Network,Boomerang, Adult Swim, CNN, DC Comics, Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios and Castle Rock Entertainment.
Other magazines that IPC publish:
Amateur Gardening
Rugby World
Golf Monthly
Nuts
What Digital Camera
World Soccer
Yachting Monthly
Handout
- 1991: America Online formed, immediately became one of America's major Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
- 1995: bought out CompuServe, later Netscape became a subsidiary of AOL
- Warner Brothers was one of the five major film studios which dominated Hollywood
- As the system began to collapse, Warner expanded into music and television to create a corporation known as Warner Communications
- 1989: Waner Communication merged with Time Incorporated
- 1996 - Time Warner underwent another merger with Turner Broadcasting which owned CNN and TCM.
- AOL's merger with Time Warner was seen as the ideal combination of technology (AOL) and content (Time Warner)
BBC News
- Together AOL and Time Warner would form "The world's first fully integrated media and communications company for the internet century"
- It was supposedly a merger of equals, however Steve Case of AOL was clearly the senior partner as he embraced Gerald Levin, chairman of Gerald Levin, in front of crowds of excited reporters.
- AOL may have built a large audience of internet users but they proved to be fickle as the years went by
- Time Warner had a collection of old media companies but they struggled to adapt to the online world
- It was Google, not AOL, which changed the world
Why would the audience buy the NME when they could just look at the NME website?
The website requires an internet connection and not everybody has a smartphone to look at the website on the go and some may not even have internet connection at home. Also some people simply prefer to read a standard magazine than a computer or phone screen. The magazine and the website cater to different needs. This is because, unlike magazines like Grazia, there is very little crossover between people who buy the magazine and look at the website.
Other magazines that IPC publish:
Amateur Gardening
Rugby World
Golf Monthly
Nuts
What Digital Camera
World Soccer
Yachting Monthly
Handout
- 1991: America Online formed, immediately became one of America's major Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
- 1995: bought out CompuServe, later Netscape became a subsidiary of AOL
- Warner Brothers was one of the five major film studios which dominated Hollywood
- As the system began to collapse, Warner expanded into music and television to create a corporation known as Warner Communications
- 1989: Waner Communication merged with Time Incorporated
- 1996 - Time Warner underwent another merger with Turner Broadcasting which owned CNN and TCM.
- AOL's merger with Time Warner was seen as the ideal combination of technology (AOL) and content (Time Warner)
BBC News
- Together AOL and Time Warner would form "The world's first fully integrated media and communications company for the internet century"
- It was supposedly a merger of equals, however Steve Case of AOL was clearly the senior partner as he embraced Gerald Levin, chairman of Gerald Levin, in front of crowds of excited reporters.
- AOL may have built a large audience of internet users but they proved to be fickle as the years went by
- Time Warner had a collection of old media companies but they struggled to adapt to the online world
- It was Google, not AOL, which changed the world
Why would the audience buy the NME when they could just look at the NME website?
The website requires an internet connection and not everybody has a smartphone to look at the website on the go and some may not even have internet connection at home. Also some people simply prefer to read a standard magazine than a computer or phone screen. The magazine and the website cater to different needs. This is because, unlike magazines like Grazia, there is very little crossover between people who buy the magazine and look at the website.
Saturday, 7 July 2012
A0B4: Beyonce Representation
How and why is Beyonce represented in her music videos?
I have looked at four of Beyonce’s music videos and I have noticed that Beyonce takes on different personas for each of her music videos, which are chosen depending on the theme of the song. In Single Ladies, her persona is confident and saucy. This is because the song is essentially her saying ‘look what you could have had’ to an ex. This is strengthened by the simplicity of the video. Because there is nothing in the background, the focus is entirely on Beyonce and to a lesser degree the backing dancers. This would appeal to her fans because it is likely that they are watching the video just to see Beyonce. On the other hand, in Halo Beyonce is portrayed as being innocent and gentle. This reflects the theme of the song which is being in love. The video is a lot slower-paced than some of the other videos and it portrays Beyonce as very elegant and well-cultured. In Crazy in Love she has a promiscuous and seductive persona. Again, this reflects the theme of the song. In this case the theme is a woman being so in love that she acts out of character. In Telephone Beyonce’s persona was probably chosen for her so she would be more like Lady Gaga, who has a very unique style. She also creates different personas for her videos but they often have similarities i.e most of them wear abnormal clothing and dance sexually in the videos. Lady Gaga creates this personas in order to differentiate herself from other artists and to appeal to as many people as she can across the world. Just like Lady Gaga, and many other artists, by taking on a variety of different personas in her videos Beyonce appeals to a wide range of people. It also grants them some kind of longevity. Other artists have also used this technique, such as Madonna who has often taken on radical changes to her persona. Another way in which Beyonce represents herself is through her alter-ego ‘Sasha Fierce’ who was ‘born’ when Beyonce did Crazy in Love. When the car explodes with Beyonce inside and then she appears next to Jay-Z, it is meant to be the ‘death’ of beyonce and the ‘birth’ of Sasha Fierce. According to Beyonce, Sasha Fierce is the more fun, sexual and aggressive side of her. By having a alter-ego, Beyonce is able to act sexy and seductive when on stage and in her music videos to appeal to her fans but can leave all of that behind when she goes home. It also means that Beyonce can ‘kill’ off Sasha Fierce or any of the other personas she has created and still be left with ‘Beyonce’.
If the ‘Effects Theory’ is to be believed then girls around the world would dress and act like Beyonce does in her music videos. Her videos also appeal to the needs mentioned in the ‘Uses and Gratifications Theory’. As lots of people listen to her music, personal relationships can be formed by talking about her music and lifestyle. Similarly to the ‘Effects Theory’ people may try replicate Beyonce’s dancing and the personas which she shows in her videos in order to form their own personal identity. Also, as Beyonce is an attractive women, people may watch her videos as a means of diversion.
I have looked at four of Beyonce’s music videos and I have noticed that Beyonce takes on different personas for each of her music videos, which are chosen depending on the theme of the song. In Single Ladies, her persona is confident and saucy. This is because the song is essentially her saying ‘look what you could have had’ to an ex. This is strengthened by the simplicity of the video. Because there is nothing in the background, the focus is entirely on Beyonce and to a lesser degree the backing dancers. This would appeal to her fans because it is likely that they are watching the video just to see Beyonce. On the other hand, in Halo Beyonce is portrayed as being innocent and gentle. This reflects the theme of the song which is being in love. The video is a lot slower-paced than some of the other videos and it portrays Beyonce as very elegant and well-cultured. In Crazy in Love she has a promiscuous and seductive persona. Again, this reflects the theme of the song. In this case the theme is a woman being so in love that she acts out of character. In Telephone Beyonce’s persona was probably chosen for her so she would be more like Lady Gaga, who has a very unique style. She also creates different personas for her videos but they often have similarities i.e most of them wear abnormal clothing and dance sexually in the videos. Lady Gaga creates this personas in order to differentiate herself from other artists and to appeal to as many people as she can across the world. Just like Lady Gaga, and many other artists, by taking on a variety of different personas in her videos Beyonce appeals to a wide range of people. It also grants them some kind of longevity. Other artists have also used this technique, such as Madonna who has often taken on radical changes to her persona. Another way in which Beyonce represents herself is through her alter-ego ‘Sasha Fierce’ who was ‘born’ when Beyonce did Crazy in Love. When the car explodes with Beyonce inside and then she appears next to Jay-Z, it is meant to be the ‘death’ of beyonce and the ‘birth’ of Sasha Fierce. According to Beyonce, Sasha Fierce is the more fun, sexual and aggressive side of her. By having a alter-ego, Beyonce is able to act sexy and seductive when on stage and in her music videos to appeal to her fans but can leave all of that behind when she goes home. It also means that Beyonce can ‘kill’ off Sasha Fierce or any of the other personas she has created and still be left with ‘Beyonce’.
If the ‘Effects Theory’ is to be believed then girls around the world would dress and act like Beyonce does in her music videos. Her videos also appeal to the needs mentioned in the ‘Uses and Gratifications Theory’. As lots of people listen to her music, personal relationships can be formed by talking about her music and lifestyle. Similarly to the ‘Effects Theory’ people may try replicate Beyonce’s dancing and the personas which she shows in her videos in order to form their own personal identity. Also, as Beyonce is an attractive women, people may watch her videos as a means of diversion.
Friday, 6 July 2012
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