Friday 17 April 2015
Critical Investigation Final Draft
“..artists
could use the same technology to promote and distribute their own music, thus
cutting out two of the important functions of a record company. In this new
world, there would be no place for physical records; instead music would live
as data on people’s computers."[1]
To what extent has the British Music Industry changed
in recent years, focusing particularly on Radiohead and Hozier.
As with any industry, change is unforeseeable; change in
popularity (which can determine and be determined by many other factors such as
online views and money in the industry), technology, the internet, and
countless other factors can have an endless effect. The British Music Industry
is no exception. The landscape in which the BMI thrives has changed an
incalculable amount of times; however, it is still successful: bringing in total
revenue of “£730 million”[2] in 2013. To represent this
change, this essay will be carrying out an in-depth analysis of a music video
from both Radiohead and Hozier. These two artists were chosen due to the
difference in music genres: Radiohead being more alternative and experimental
with technology; and Hozier sounding more soulful and bluesy. Both cover
thought-provoking topics of today’s society: The song and the music video of
Radiohead's ‘Lotus Flower’ channelling their thoughts about the zeitgeist
of today; and Hozier's ‘Take Me To Church’ talks about the loss of a
lover, whereas the music video covers the issue of homosexuality in Russia.
With the introduction of New Media, what is viewed as the “old industry”[3] can be seen as declining
and “Once that does finally die, which it will, something else will happen”[4]. Thom Yorke's opinion can
be seen as, perhaps, controversial. But, as shown further on in this
investigation, it is what is to be expected. In continuation, the trend that
the BMI has shown has been irregular from its boom to its ultimate demise due
many factors as explored throughout the essay and this will show that, to a
certain extent, the industry has changed greatly.
The main text this essay will be focusing on in this essay is
Radiohead's Lotus Flower[5]. Lotus Flower was
self-released by Radiohead in 2011 and is their latest music video to date. The
video itself has gained more than 30 million views on YouTube, whilst Radiohead
has 318 thousand subscribers on their channel. Having formed as a band in 1985,
Radiohead would first-hand see changes happening to the industry.
Radiohead rose to worldwide success a few months after the release of Pablo
Honey; Radiohead's first studio album. The band's popularity grew in the UK
with the release of their second album: The Bends. In the early stages of the
band, Radiohead signed a six-album recording contract with major label EMI. The
last album part of the contract was in 2003 with 'Hail to the Thief'. Following
this, Radiohead have self-released two more albums (their 7th and 8th): 'In
Rainbows' and 'The King of Limbs' in 2007 and 2011 respectively.
We are introduced to the video of Lotus Flower with a medium shot
of Thom Yorke (Radiohead's singer and lead man) convulsing and flailing his
arms. This action is very surprising to the audience, but, as the video
progresses, the audience starts to get used to actions such as these. This can
be linked to Medhurst’s theory of stereotypes; just having basic knowledge
about the band brings a stereotype of abnormality with it, acting almost as
shorthand. It can be connoted that, after the initial reaction, Yorke seems to
be letting the music flow through him as to present another side to the music.
A mixture of medium shots, with differing angles, blended with close-ups of
Yorke's face and longer, further-out shots add a sense of variety to the almost
monotonous video. The use of black and white for the entire video also adds to
this feeling as a lack of colour gives a sense of dreariness. The first 50
seconds of the video has very low-key lighting with only filler light being
used to illuminate the background. A lack of light in the foreground almost
creates a silhouette of Yorke. The simplicity in this composition reflects the
music as only bass and drums are being heard.
At times, what is heard can be considered parallel to what is
seen on-screen, however, there are points where the audience again
questions whether this is parallel or contrapuntal. An example of the song
being parallel to what is occurring on-screen is when Yorke's actions can be
seen to mirror that of the lyrics: "I will shape myself into your
pocket"[6],
Yorke puts his hands into his pockets while still bouncing around to the beat
of the song. "Invisible, do what you want, do what you want"[7], Yorke is now thrusting in
the direction of the camera symbolising that you should do what you want.
"I will shrink and I will disappear"[8], he now slowly crouches.
There are little typical generic conventions of a music video
here. This could be on purpose as Radiohead may be trying to almost parody
music videos as a whole by Yorke flailing about on screen. However, it is
thought that Yorke is letting the music engulf him as the meaning behind the
lyrics may be about "losing yourself in music and the senses"[9]. An argument can be made
that Yorke is physically representing the views of parts of society that go
against the social conformities of today. This opinion of not conforming to the
mainstream and challenging the status-quo is consistent with Radiohead. This
can be linked to the theory of hegemony, where power is kept within the elite
through manipulation of the media. An audience consisting of late-teen to
mid-thirties can be applied to this text. Late-teens as they may be able to
relate to what can be seen as a rebellious tendency from the lyrics.
Mid-thirties as this audience would have been fans when Radiohead was in its
infancy in the mid-nineties. These audiences tend to consist more of males than
females. Also, the main psychographic group for this text would be an aspirer.
Being an established band, the music videos of Radiohead may be
expected to be of a high budget. This, however, may not be the case for 'Lotus
Flower' as there not much happening in the video itself. A video of the lead
man 'dancing' doesn't typically cost hundreds of thousands of pounds. Compared
to the U.S. music video for 'High and Dry'[10] (also by Radiohead),
Lotus Flower is thought of as very simplistic. Just a quick glance at 'High And
Dry's' video tells the audience that a substantially larger budget
was used. This could suggest that the music video medium itself is declining. This
may be due to the rise of new media as newer and more sophisticated
technologies have allowed artists in the British Music Industry to branch out
when promoting themselves and their music. Websites and services such as
Soundcloud and YouTube allows artists to "record music, build
websites, crowd-fund, upload music videos, create and sell a variety of
merchandise and, most importantly, release and promote their music online"[11]. With
Bandcamp, artists can set their own prices, with the
"pay-what-you-want model being a popular option"[12]. With all these
developments, music videos are now not seen as the most important form of
promotion. In an era before the internet, where the likes of 'MTV' and 'Top Of
The Pops' dictated how successful a band was going to be, the music video was
seen as the best marketing tool. Now, where a fan can listen to and download an
artist’s music in a click of a button, services such as Amazon and iTunes are
used instead of the record shops of yesteryear. The next step would be making
music available for free and legally. Thom Yorke seems to have
already thought of this as he told the world that his new solo-album "was
currently only available through a legitimate, paid BitTorrent file"[13] in 2014.
The next video this essay will be focusing on is up-and-coming
artist: Hozier. "Take Me To Church"[14] has seen
critical acclaim with 62 million views on YouTube as well as Hozier
having 224 thousand channel subscribers. Releasing his debut EP in 2013 and his
debut self-titled album globally in October 2014, Hozier is signed to Island
Records. The video starts off with cutting between a close-up of a fire; a
man franticly trying to bury a locked box; and another man riding a bicycle to
come and meet the first man. It is established quickly that these two are the
protagonists of the text. Typically, Todorov's narrative theory could be
applied to the text; however, there is no new-equilibrium here, only
equilibrium then dis-equilibrium (the text ends here). The two male
protagonists are shown passionately kissing, which, in turn, creates an action
code showing that the issue of homosexuality is involved with the narrative.
Later on, a locked chest is unearthed and thrown into the fire shown at the
beginning. The use of foreshadowing with the fire creates a non-linear
narrative which draws the audience in even more. Linking to Propp's narrative
theory, the villain of the text is the gang on the hunt for two protagonists.
Growing up in Ireland, Hozier is familiar with a "cultural landscape that
is blatantly homophobic"[15]. This served as a basis
for creating a "strong statement about the institutional homophobia in
Putin's Russia"[16]. The video is showing the
representation of homosexuals in Russia; where it is against the law. A
connotation can be made that Hozier wanted to show an accurate representation
of what is happening to those who are gay (i.e. brutally beaten). This also
reflects back onto the society in Russia and the mediation of homosexuality in
the news. The ideology of multiculturalism is being promoted here as
Hozier wants to encourage social and political change within Russia and
anywhere else where these views are held. He wants to educate and inform the
masses about this big issue. The text is again in black and white. This
adds certain grittiness to the text which mirrors the location of Russia well.
In the climactic parts of the song, a fast-paced editing style is used.
The popularity of the music video in the earlier decades was, on the other hand unparalleled. This was also supported by television music programs. The likes of "Top Of The Pops"[17] and Later...With Jools Holland significantly aided artists. The programme may have seemed controversial in its time as it is widely known that the artist(s) were lip-syncing along to the studio track. All of this occurred in front of a studio audience. The show can be seen as one enormous music video; an advertisement for the band and their new song. The year reflects the types of music shown as today's Top of the Pops would sound relatively similar throughout the programme. At the time of this episode, it was thought that if a band is seen on TOTP, then they have made it to the higher stages of stardom. A UK-based bands main goal would be to get onto the show as this would guarantee sales. However, as new media was introduced and technology developed increasingly, there became more methods of advertising and informing the audience of the 'new album' or 'new single'. This included online advertising using social media (Twitter has aided tremendously) and making the music available through online means. This has reduced the need for the music video and is not regarded as the best way to show audiences new music any more, thus significantly changing the landscape for the industry. Consequently, budgets have decreased dramatically for music videos, except for the established, world-known bands/artists, which have not much need for them.
In continuation, there has been a dramatic change in the
distribution of music over the last two decades; where vinyl and CDs were once
the main source of income for labels, it is now digital and online sales that
triumph. This is seen throughout with online services such as iTunes and Amazon
music. This then delves into the world of piracy, which is at the forefront of
problems in the British Music Industry. Piracy has been steadily increasing in
recent years with the rise of new media, starting all the way back with Napster
and YouTube. In recent years, services such as Soundcloud and Spotify allow the
user to effortlessly stream music via computers and smartphones. This has
created a system in which the audience can receive the product, but without acknowledgement
for the artist. This is seen greatly with Spotify; where the artist receives a
fraction of what they would receive with every play.
In conclusion, as outlined by the points in this essay, the music
industry has had a seismic shift in recent years. It is no longer reminiscent
of what it was and has changed and adapted due to third-party factors such as
YouTube and New and Digital Media. Due to the impact of New Media, the
popularity of the music video has dramatically decreased and is now a tool of
only the mega-stars of today. This change may have been unprecedented by some,
due to the social and historical purposes found (as explored with “Top of the
Pops”), but social media has now become the norm as a means of advertising and
promoting an artist, as seen with the likes of Facebook and Twitter. The music
industry has changed to a great extent, and this can be seen with the easy up-rise
of new artists such as Hozier. His music was only well-known in Ireland before
it was shared heavily online and played on American Radio. The same can be said
for Radiohead as their main source of promotion is online media, as well as
basic advertising such as billboards and TV advertisements.
2,312
words
Bibliography:
Works Cited:
Academic Texts:
- Kolesnik, A. "Popular
Culture And History: Representations Of The Past In British Popular Music
Of The 2000s." Popular Culture And History: Representations Of The
Past In British Popular Music Of The 2000s. National Research University
Higher School of Economics, 10 May 2014. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
Magazines:
- Budd, C. "Changes in the
Music Industry: From Labels to Laptops." English And Media. Media
Magazine, 1 Dec. 2010. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. <http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/mmagpast/MM34_Change_music1.html>.
- Hendry, S. "Music and
Politics." English And Media. Media Magazine, 1 Apr. 2011. Web. 15
Dec. 2014. <http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/mmagpast/MM36_Collab_Music_Politics.html>.
- Hobbs, M. "From the
Unforgettable Fire to Arcade Fire." English And Media. Media
Magazine, 1 Feb. 2011. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/mmagpast/MM35_Cultural_Arcade.html>.
Moving Image Texts:
Internet Articles:
- Aitkenhead, D. "Plan B: 'I
Love Directing. But Does My Art Change Lives? I Don't Think It Does'"
The Guardian. The Guardian, 7 June 2012. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/jun/07/plan-b-love-directing-art-lives>.
- Andrews, C. "Has the Digital
Revolution Really Changed the Music Industry? | Factor." Factor.
Factor, 22 Sept. 2014. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. <http://www.factor-tech.com/connected-world/8125-has-the-digital-revolution-really-changed-the-music-industry/>.
- Dredge, S. "Thom Yorke Calls
Spotify 'the Last Desperate Fart of a Dying Corpse'" The Guardian, 7
Oct. 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2014 <http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/oct/07/spotify-thom-yorke-dying-corpse>.
- NME Blog. "NME Blogs | Did
Radiohead's 'In Rainbows' Honesty Box Actually Damage The Music
Industry?" NME.COM. NME, 15 Oct. 2012. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/did-radioheads-in-rainbows-honesty-box-actually-damage-the-music-industry>.
- Lewis L. "Radiohead, 'The
King Of Limbs' - First Listen." NME, 18 Feb 2011.
<http://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/radiohead-the-king-of-limbs-first-listen#LrFXuhDasc8Fd8kB.99>
- Perry, K. "Plan B: The
Rapper Turned Director on Ill Manors, Class War and Why He Doesn't Want to
Be a Politician." GQ. GQ, 8 June 2012. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/entertainment/articles/2012-06/08/plan-b-interview-ill-manors>.
- Taylor, G. "A Digital Revolution
Transforming the Music Industry." - Capgemini. Financial Times, 13
May 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2014.
<http://capgemini.ft.com/consumerisation-of-it/a-digital-revolution-transforming-the-music-industry_a-29-69.html>.
- Travis, B. "Thom Yorke Wants
You to Torrent His New Album." GQ. GQ, 29 Sept. 2014. Web. 15 Dec.
2014.
<http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/entertainment/articles/2014-09/29/thom-yorke-tomorrow-modern-boxes-review>.
Books consulted:
- Rogers, J. The Death And Life Of
The Music Industry In The Digital Age. Bloomsbury Academic, 2013. Print.
- Storey, J., ed. Cultural Theory
and Popular Culture: A Reader. 3rd ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited,
2006. Print.
- Wikstrom, P. The Music Industry:
Music In The Cloud. Cambridge: Polity, 2010. Print.
- Storey, J. (2010). Cultural
studies and the study of popular cultures theories and methods (3rd ed.).
Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
[2] BPI Surveys, 2014
[3] Dredge, S, The Guardian, 2013
[4] Ibid
[5] Radiohead - Lotus Flower from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfOa1a8hYP8
[6] Lyrics for Lotus Flower from
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/radiohead/lotusflower.html
[10] Radiohead - High And Dry
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BciOfJsqh7M
[11] Andrews, C, Factor, 2014
[12] Ibid
[13] Travis, B, GQ, 2014
[14] Hozier - Take Me To Church
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYSVMgRr6pw
[15] Shepherd, J, NYMag, 2014
[16] Ibid
[17] Episode of Top Of The Pops from
1978 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5ZutqF5utA
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