Copyright Permission

After deciding upon our chosen musical track, we need to ask the record label for Copyright Permission in order for us to be permitted to post our eventual non profitable music video onto social media, such as YouTube.

Here is a screenshot of my email I wrote and sent to Sony Music, as Columbia Records is a subsidiary label.

Our Chosen Record Labels

We decided to chose two record labels to sign our artist with.

Young Turks 

We chose Young Turks for various reasons, mentioned in the previous blog post.

Working with an Independent British record label will mean that they know how to introduce the British public to a new artist, they know how to best promote them and market them. A lot of their artist, whilst slightly older than ours, promote to a similar target audience as we intend to and so in the future their support can help us.



When creating our digipak, we plan to include a song where we have worked with FKA Twigs as often in the music industry when trying to promote a new artist, record labels will have them perform collaborations with well known, previously established artists; so they they can use their fanbase to promote us.




This is what we intend to do as this is a well known music marketing strategy, which could create synergy - something Iggy Azealia and Rita Ora did with their song Black Widow. Their song reached the top 10 music charts in various countries around the world, was featured on popular video game, Just Dance 2015 and was certified platinum in five different countries.

Odd Internet

Odd Internet is an independent record label we created in order to help us gain exclusive promotion and marketing for our artist.

Gaining this idea from Odd Future Records, we released a good idea it would be for us to create. Dedicated to initially solely promoting Lia Tamera, we could grow this record label and eventually sign other artists. It's also a good way for our artist to work with other artists, make collaborations and gain connections throughout the music industry; which is crucial especially being a new artist and furthering her career.

This record label would be a subsidiary of Beggars Group, the company that founds Young Turks. They own and distribute a variety of record labels in the UK such as Rough Trade Records and XL Recordings; which means that through cross media convergence, our artist could possibly work with artists and groups such as The Libertines, M.I.A, and Peaches.

XL Recordings sign artists that link back to Young Turks such as The xx and FKA Twigs, but not only that but they also sign Tyler the Creator; who was our inspiration for creating our own dependent record label.

Choosing A Record Label

When creating an artist, it's important that you study a range of record labels and weigh out the pros and cons of each before choosing which one suits your artist best.

1. Universal Music Group (UMG)
2. Sony Music Entertainment (Sony)
3. Warner Music Group (WMG)

These are the 'Big Three' major music record labels which dominate the music industry as they have signed the majority of artists and groups that are in the current music charts. Whilst they would be best for promoting our artist, we think that they might overlook her, especially being a new artist.

We decided to focus our attention on UK record labels/companies. According to Guardian, these were the top ten biggest British record labels in 2014:

1. Hyperdub (Dubstep) - Burial
2. Marshall Teller Records (Various) - The Vaccines
3. PMR Records (Indie) - Disclosure
4. Death Waltz Recording Company (Various Metal, film soundtrack based) - John Carpenter
5. National Anthem (Various) - HAIM
6. Soundway (Global, African, Asian, Caribbean and Latin) - Ibibio Sound Machine
7. Lucky Me (New Electronic Hip Hop, Pop, Rock, Underground Dance) - Cashmere Cat
8. Pink Mist (Varies from Pop Rock to Math-Rock to Sludge Metal) - Pulled Apart By Horses
9. Young Turks (Indietronica, Indie Pop) - The xx, FKA Twigs, SBTRKT
10. Type Records (Techno, Experimental) - Yellow Swans

After studying these different record labels, we felt that Young Turks would be the best for our artist to sign to. Managing only a handful of artists means that they'll be able to give Lia Tamera equal attention and support when she releases her debut album and digipak.

Their artists have gained international fame, such as FKA Twigs, whose EP's gained critical acclaim this year. Collaborating with an artist such as herself would help our artist in terms of marketing and promotion. 

Young Turks we feel will be able to promote Lia Tamera well, alongside BBC Introducing as they've proven this with their artist's music being seen, used and heard in various places. The xx's music has been used in many episodes of E4's Misfits, a British TV show, which won a BAFTA. Having the opportunity to do this would allow our artist to been seen on a larger scale and promote cross media convergence and hopefully synergy.

Institutional Research

When creating an artist or band, it's important to think about who can promote them, manage them and produce their music the best. With so many record labels across the own, some major, some independent it's important to consider who our artist would be signed to and why.

The Internet, the group we took inspiration from, are signed to two record labels:

• Columbia Records
• Odd Future Records

Columbia Records:

Columbia Records is an American record label which is owned by Sony Music Entertainment, one of the 'Big Three' music labels across the world. Founded in 1887, it's headquarters are in New York City and they sign artists of many different genres. Some of their well known artists include:

• Adele (Soul/Pop)
• Beyoncé (R&B/Pop)
• Calvin Harris (EDM)
• Daft Punk (Electronic/House)
• Earl Sweatshirt (Hip Hop)
• J Cole (Hip Hop)
• One Direction (Pop/Rock)
• The Script (Pop Rock/Soft Rock)

The majority of their artists focus on pop music which strays away from the kind of music The Internet and our artist wishes to make; however they do manage artists and bands who wish to create an alternative sound.

Having plenty of funding means that being signed to this record label allows Lia Tamera to get promoted very well and gives her plenty of opportunity; however being signed to a record label so big means that she might often get overlooked and her personal wishes on her music, concept and overall sound won't be taken into account.

Odd Future Records:

Odd Future Records is an independent recording company founded by Tyler the Creator, a member of the Hip Hop collective Odd Future, in 2011. With it's parent company being Sony Music Entertainment, it is a subsidiary record label company. Created as a means to solely release music from Odd Future, which at the time include the members from The Internet, it focuses on a niche market of music genres:

• Hip Hop
• Alternative Hip Hop
• R&B
• Neo Soul
• Hardcore Punk

This record label better suits the musical tastes of The Internet and therefore our artist too. With only a handful of artists and groups signed to this label, it means that our artist, Lia Tamera, would be able to produce music that fits to her style.

However, being an independent label means that they wouldn't get the funding to promote and market Lia Tamera as an artist as well as a major music label company could. She would, on the positive side, have her opinions heard and valued as often independent music companies care more about the music they produce rather than how much sales they make. 

Location Mood Board

We created this mood board which shows the various locations we intend to film in; Camber Sands, Camden and in London Underground tube stations.

Despite not having a narrative, we wanted to film in contrasting locations so we chose to film in the urban location of Camden Town which has a lot of bright, colourful murals, lakes and markets. This location is full of people and is quite a busy place.

Camber Sands is the complete opposite being a quiet, isolated beach which would give the video a complete different feel. The music genre and concept that we are going for best suits this location, however after looking at similar music videos we realised that most music videos don't film in just one location they have several.

Whilst the music video is conceptual, we didn't want to jump from one location to another; so we thought it'd be best to film in London Underground as it could be used to transition between locations fluidly. The only downfall to filming here is that we won't know the conditions of the setting until we arrive, it could be extremely busy which would make filming impossible or it could be empty which would be ideal.

Conventions of Genre: Trip Hop

Trip Hop is a genre of electronic music that originated in early 1990's England after stemming from Acid House music. With influences of Soul, Funk, Jazz, R&B, Dubstep and House music, Trip Hop music can be extremely experimental especially as the 'Trip' element is drug related and often music created under this genre attempts to recreate the feeling one is under the influence of drugs, colloquially known as 'on a trip' through the use of the lyrics, beat and tempo.

Known for it's melancholy sound, this genre tends to be female dominant.

Conventions of Genre: Neo Soul

Neo Soul is a genre of music that emerged from contemporary R&B and soul. Being distinguished by its less conventional sound, there was a significant growth in audience during the mid to late 1990's, before eventually it became tailored for a niche audience. Influenced by jazz, funk, hip hop and african music; Neo Soul is distinguished by its conscious driven lyrics and being dominated by female artists, such as The Internet's front woman: Syd tha Kid, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Teedra Moses and more recently Frank Ocean. 

Conventions of Music Videos:

• Consistent theme that runs throughout, can be metaphorical or conceptual; e.g Alicia Keys' Unthinkable, which depicts the arguably controversial theme of interracial couples. Set in various decades ranging from the 1950's to the present, the consciously driven lyrics are reflected in the music video which shows the stigma of the past and the present; and how Alicia Keys' wishes to challenge these stereotypes. 

• Current social themes referenced that are often unspoken about or referred to as taboo; e.g Frank Ocean's Swim Good has lyrics that connote a man who attempts suicide after many failed relationships. The sensitive topic of suicide is touched upon which adds realism to both the song and music video. 

Conventions of Genre: Contemporary R&B

Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines Rhythm and Blues, Soul and Funk along with Pop and Hip Hop. Stemming from Northern America, this is very much a Westernised musical genre. Dance inspired beats are witnessed accompanying this musical genre which has origins of the late 1970's, towards the end of the Disco era - coined by Michael Jackson. Some current well known contemporary R&B artists include: Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Rihanna and Jason Derulo.

In Contemporary R&B, there are many conventions witnessed in music videos of this genre, which may vary but tend to include the same things.


Men's Fashion:

• Minimal/Lack of clothing - Male R&B artists are often topless in order to flaunt their physique, but also because their target audience is often young women and teenage girls. They want their audience to associate their music with their body which enables them to sell vast quantities of music. This is mainly seen in R&B artists who feature heavy elements of dance within their songs and/or music videos: such as Jason Derulo and Chris Brown. Male contemporary R&B artists will also include various amounts of women who tend to be dressed in promiscuous clothing as this appeals to the less dominant part of their target audience, young males. 

• Expensive Jewellery - Seen wearing an array of expensive jewellery has connotations of wealth, which is important for male R&B artists to display, as this shows that they are capable of making money and this appeals to their younger hedonistic target audience. 

Women's Fashion:

• Minimal/Lack of clothing - Similar to male R&B artists, women tend to wear minimal clothing during their music videos. Seen as a way of selling their sexuality in order to sell records, a well known topic of discussion and stimulus behind many media theories, women are seen as objects of desire; which targets their male based audience. Many women in this industry have fought against this objectification and shown that they don't need to shed their clothing to sell records. However, some R&B artists like Beyoncé have proven that it possible to do both and that there should be neither a 'right' or 'wrong' way to appeal to an audience.

• Expensive Jewellery - As a way to challenge traditional conventions of the R&B genre, female artists are now seen wearing their own extensive jewellery; as often it was the male artists who were able to flaunt their wealth, not the women. If seen in any at all, women in R&B music videos would always be reduced to wearing the jewellery of men, suggesting that they are objects and are owned. As a way to challenge this, female R&B artists are now proving that they are successful on their own right, without men, and this is proven in the array of jewellery they are seen in. 

Types of songs:

• Slow songs - Often showcasing feelings of deep emotion such as heartbreak or disloyalty, these music videos often follow a narrative. Shot in sepia tones or grayscale, this helps convey the sad emotion the artist wishes to get across. Sometimes symbolic imagery is used to suggest deep thinking, seen in Drakes' Take Care. In these videos, if sung by a male artist, he might have a featuring female artist of the same genre to help soften the tone and overall feel of the song as they sing the hook or chorus. Natural lighting is used to create a sense of realism, as the main focus of these music videos is to show a realistic scenario that the consumer can believe, relate and buy into. 

• Fast songs - The complete contrast, fast paced songs usually depict the R&B artist having a good time at a party and often include lyrics that reference alcohol, drugs, cars, sex and money. This is a prime example of hedonism and this is something that both male and female R&B artists feature in order to entice their younger audience. Full of bright, artificial lighting, these music videos will depict the artist and their entourage having a good time which in turn makes the consumer want to feel something similar, this is seen in Rihanna's Work music video.

Andrew Goodwins' Theory: Music Videos

Andrew Goodwin, an operatic tenor, invented several theories about music videos concerning what they include and how they are portrayed to an audience. 

1. Music videos more often than not tend to include a demonstration of typical genre characteristics

By this Goodwin means that music videos unknowingly or not display stereotypical characteristics that represent their chosen music genre; most likely to enforce the music genre and make it clear to the audience. For example, many pop music videos contain bright colours whilst many of the people are seen to be having a good time. Country music videos tend to feature denim, cowboy boots, tractors, line dancing and the artist performing to a crowd of people in a back garden/barn type of setting. Hip Hop/Rap/R&B music videos feature objectified women dancing in skimpy clothing, alcohol, drugs, money and materialistic items such as cars, jewellery. 

Our chosen music genre is hip hop soul, which is good as it gives us the freedom to float between two distinct music genres. We're able to break away from stereotypes and typical conventions as we aren't pigeon holing ourselves in one well known and listened to style. Paired with a strong concept such as ours, gives us the chance to allow our music video to stand out. 

2. There are frequent references to the notion of looking and the voyeuristic treatment of the female body

Goodwin states that in music videos often the artist and/or group are portrayed seductively and enticingly through the use of certain camera angles, props and/or direct eye contact. 

Voyeurism is 'the sexual interest in or practice of spying on people engaged in intimate behaviour'. Whilst this isn't made evident in most music videos, the use of mirrors, cameras and TV screens subconsciously stimulate the idea of voyeuristic behaviour to the audience. Voyeurism is commonly used nowadays in the music industry to sell an artists' music through sex appeal, a key example of this is Miley Cyrus' Wrecking Ball which created a lot of controversy in 2013. 

By doing this it makes the audience view the artist with a 'male gaze' which is a concept created by a feminist film critique  Laura Mulvey in which visual arts are structured around a masculine viewer. This encourages the audience to view the artist/group (most often female) as someone or even something, to be spied on, which therefore lessens their view of women in general. 

We intend to break away from this common convention of music videos starring females. Whilst I believe there is nothing wrong with owning your own sex appeal and using it to promote and further your career; I also believe it's not something to rely on and there are other ways to advertise and market music in the industry. 

3. There is a succinct relationship between music and visuals

By this Goodwin means that in a music video, the relationship between the music and the visual representation is clear and evidently expressed. Whether this means that the visuals match the music or that they contradict them, it's clear for the audience to interpret. For example, this is seen in the music video for Cocaine by The Internet; the electronic synthesised beat reflects the lights and the atmosphere of the funfair/circus setting.

This is seen in a lot of rap/hip hop music videos, when it's common to see rappers in videos with scantily clad women, cars and money which goes hand in hand with the lyrics of their songs which often describes the lifestyle they're able to life and the privileges they're also able to gain.

We intend to stick to this theory in our music video as we want our music video to have a conceptual theme throughout, rather than stick to a narrative storyline.

4. The record label which the artist is assigned to tends to have certain demands. They often include the need for several close ups of the artist and their artist will have a visual style which recurs across their work

This is done in order to not only promote the artist, but also to emphasise their image and sell this to their target audience. Artists who develop their style and hone their individual image are far more recognisable and therefore are able to sell their music faster, easier and better than those who constantly change their style/image. The use of close ups also allow the artist to break the fourth wall by directly addressing the audience during parts of the music video; this allows the audience to feel directly involved.

Pop artists such as Lady Gaga have a well known style/image, which is what propelled her into fame with her unusual sense of style and controversial clothing choices; such as her meat dress worn at the 2010 MTV Music Awards.

We intend to stick to this theory, as seen in my Artist Style Moodboard, we have a clear style that we want our artist to have and get across in the music video. This allows our artist to become more easily recognisable and this sense of style/image is something we hope to reflect in our digipak; so that they have a direct relationship with each other.

5. There is often intertextual references

Artists often use intertextual references to not only promote both their own music video, but also the piece of media that they chose to reference, such as films, TV shows and other music videos. They also do this because audience members often enjoy being part of the joke when they know and understand when things are referenced.

This is seen in music videos such as Destiny Child's Independent Women, where they referenced the film Charlie's Angels. This not only promoted the film, but also Destiny Child as a group; which helped market them as a unit.

We hope to include at least one intertextual reference in the music video, however we're not sure what it'll be, but hopefully it'll link to the music video and the song.

Post Summer Holidays

As we've come back from the summer holidays; we looked at our ideas and what we we've created so far. Looking back at this we've decided to change some of our ideas and improve some of them.

We've decided to change our music video type from narrative to conceptual as we feel that we'll be able to create and deliver a stronger music video if we stick to a conceptual, visually pleasing music video. This type fits Under Control better than a narrative choice, as it could prove to be too difficult to produce a narrative storyline to this type of song.

We've also decided to film in slightly different locations that we feel will fit this new conceptual theme better; we feel that Camden and London Underground will create a larger contrast in visual and will help our music video stay memorable.

After honing our ideas, we've decided to make more detailed mood boards that reflect our ideas for the music video and our inspirations when it comes to artist style, location and other music video aesthetics.