The New York based Disruptor Records is labelled as a joint venture with Sony. Adam Alpert (The Chainsmoker's manager) says partnering with Doug Morris (Sony Music Entertainment CEO) and Sony Music will allow Disruptor to develop new opportunities for its artists.
Disruptor Records will sign artists and take a long-term stance in developing them by using direct artist-to-fan communication channels. Further, the deal provides for Disruptor to also take advantage of traditional record label marketing capabilities by partnering with other labels within the Sony family on an artist-by-artist basis, according to Alpert. The team at Disruptor Records use forward-thinking, progressive marketing methods revolving around genuine, non-commercialized promotion.
Artists Disruptor Records have signed include:
The Chainsmokers
XYLO
Life of Dillon
Lost Kings
Vanic
Jocelyn Alice
To be a successful record label in this day and age it is vital that the team keep up with the times, especially when trying to achieve their goal of creating a direct artist-to-fan communication channel. Therefore Disruptor Records and the artists they support can be found on most social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Sound Cloud, YouTube and Spotify.
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, Inc., the United States division of Sony Corporation. It was founded in 1887, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company.Columbia Records is the oldest surviving brand name in the recorded sound business. Columbia Records have also set themselves up on most social media accounts, as have the artists they have signed.
Artists currently signed to Columbia Records include but are not limited to:
The American born DJ duo consist of Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall. They each graduated from prestigious North-Eastern Universities, enjoy a good burger, and have been rejected from many of the venues they now play at and pride themselves on being regular, down-to-Earth kind of guys despite their success.
The duo had a hit in two countries with their 2014 single "#Selfie", which peaked No. 16 on the US 'Billboard Hot 100' and No. 11 on the '
UK Singles Chart". Andrew and Alex had noticed how the word selfie had become a trend and they wanted to take advantage of it. They made a demo of a song containing monologue from a female clubber about taking good selfies. Several singles such as 'Roses' and 'Don't Let Me Down' became top-ten singles on the 'Hot 100' in the USA. They released their debut EP, Bouquet, in October 2015. Their single 'Closer', featuring vocals from Halsey became their first number-one single on both the '
Billboard Hot 100' and the 'UK Singles Chart'. They signed with Disruptor Records, a joint venture label with Sony Music Entertainment by their manager Adam Alpert, in April 2015.
The thing that separates these two men from the rest is their unsettling and uncanny ability to discover and create trends.They find the parts of things that people actually care about, whatever they may be, and focus on creating and improving those parts.
Genre
When researching The Chainsmoker's genre it occurred to me that artists can often fit into many different genres due to the ever increasing list of categories and sounds being created on new, innovative technology. The Chainsmokers would fit into these genres:
Electro house - Form of house music. Electro house is characterized by a prominent bassline and/or kick drum and a tempo between 125 and 135 beats per minute.
Progressive house - Subgenre of house music. The progressive house style emerged in the early 1990s. It initially developed in the UK as a natural progression of American and European house music of the late 1980s. The word "progressive" was first used widely in the 1970s to differentiate experimental forms of rock music from mainstream styles. Such music attempted to explore alternate approaches to rock music production.Some acts also attempted to elevate the aesthetic values of rock music by incorporating features associated with classical instrumental music. This led to a style of music called progressive rock, which has been described as "the most self-consciously arty branch of rock". The same definition can be used for 'progressive house'.
Electronic dance music - (EDM) is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres produced largely for nightclubs, raves, and festivals. Produced for playback by disc jockeys (DJs), EDM is generally used in the context of a live mix, where a DJ creates a seamless selection of tracks by segueing from one recording to the next.
Before the summer break our group decided to create a music video for 'New York City'. When researching the genre for this particular song we discovered it fell into the EDM category. We then looked into related artists and found that Knife Party, Nero and Sub-Focus were all part of the EDM family. By analysing other music video from artists that are featured in the same genre as my chosen artist, The Chainsmokers, then my group can include some of the typical conventions of these videos, such as camera angles and shots. By using these conventions it will also help us point our promotional products in the right direction for our target audience as they will undoubtedly have similar fans.
Because none of my previous deconstructions have released a magazine advertisement, I have decided to deconstruct an entire digipak collection from an artist which I know has released one.
Focus Group
"I love the album but I think that because the album is called 'Lights' it could have been a lot more interesting/bright with the use of different coloured lights all over the album covers and magazine advertisement. The theme just seems a bit too dark for something that is named 'Lights'."
"I like how minimalistic the album cover and magazine advertisement is. It isn't pretentious or trying too hard to attract an audience due to the fact this was Ellie's first album to be produced. She also looks really down to Earth with little make-up or expensive clothing. This helps us, as the audience, to connect with her as a normal human instead of some megastar."
"I really love how the light flows through her blonde hair, I think it makes Goulding look really ethereal and attractive. I also really enjoy how you can look at the photograph and know it has deeper meaning to the artist and metaphorical links can be made with the lyrics/experiences of the artist. This helps the audience believe that the music does really matter to Ellie and that she is not just another artist churned up by the record label to make money."
Lessons to be Learnt
Highly important to include all of the conventions of a typical album cover artwork, e.g. album title.
Complex designs with in-depth meanings can be effective when understood by the audience.
Important to think about how you want the audience to perceive the artist and their values shown through their music. How can my artist's personality be shown through the promotional materials.
Brand recognition is vital so it is a good idea to use familiar themes, symbols and images that connect your promotional materials to the artist and themselves. It might be worth using the same font as in your music video and the album artwork.
Can be useful to use the same image for all three promotional materials as it gives the campaign a sense of continuity."
If we chose to superimpose text or logos onto the image we are using, it is important to think about the colour choice of the image and the text, e.g. will they go? It is also important to think about the positioning of the text, will it be obscured by the colours of the image or will the text block key aspects of the image?
Sigma: Life - Digipak and Magazine Advertisement Deconstruction
Focus Group
"I love the fact that the illustrations can be linked to the songs, album title and the meaning behind the whole production. It shows depth and makes me believe that the artists have worked as hard as they say they have through interviews and I want to support artists who work for their success."
"I do like the artwork of the album but considering nearly all of Sigma's music videos are bright and just full of electric energy, as are their songs, I think the black was a bad choice even if it does help highlight the detail of the illustrations."
"I think that dance music is quite modern and often EDM artists use pictures with crisp, sharp lines that project the modern use of technology to create outstanding beats. The fact Sigma (being on of the most influential dance duos of late) have gone for a classic style of what reminds me of an almost indie/alternative album cover is slightly confusing but endearing at the same time and shows that they want to be unique from other artists from the same scene."
Lessons to be Learnt
Highly important to include all of the conventions of a typical album cover artwork, e.g. album title.
Complex designs with in-depth meanings can be effective when understood by the audience.
Important to think about how you want the audience to perceive the artist and their values shown through their music. How can my artist's personality be shown through the promotional materials.
Brand recognition is vital so it is a good idea to use familiar themes, symbols and images that connect your promotional materials to the artist and themselves. It might be worth using the same font as in your music video and the album artwork.
If we chose to superimpose text or logos onto the image we are using, it is important to think about the colour choice of the image and the text, e.g. will they go? It is also important to think about the positioning of the text, will it be obscured by the colours of the image or will the text block key aspects of the image?
Sigma are an English drum and bass DJ and record production duo consisting of Cameron 'Cam' Edwards and Joseph 'Joe' Lenzie. The pair met at Leeds University at drum and bass nights in 2006. Cam worked in a local record store, Tribe Records, while Joe was an aspiring DJ at local hip-hop events. Once they had completed their time at Leeds University they relocated to London and became a three-piece with Cam's school friend, Ben Mauerhoff, being signed under DJ Fresh's Breakbeat Kaos. However, the long distances took their toll - Cam and Ben were based in Surrey, whereas Joe was based in Hertfordshire. They could not get all there members into the Harpenden (Hertfordshire) studio, thus leading to Ben's decision to leave. In December of 2008 Cam and Joe formed their own record label, 'Life Recordings' (so called because according to Joe, the industry demanded that their work be their life and this was the only way to make it big and successful). Their 2010 collaboration with DJ Fresh - 'Lassitude' - peaked at number 98 on the UK Singles Chart. Their single 'Nobody to Love'topped the UK Singles Chart, becoming their first UK number one. Their follow-up single 'Changing' featuring Paloma Faith also reached number one.
3 Beat Records
3 Beat Productions is an independent British record label. 3 Beat Music was founded as a dance music record shop in 1989 by John Barlow, Dave Nicholl, Phil Southall, Phil Beddard and Hywell Williams who were only students at the time. It started its journey as a second hand record stall in Quiggins, Liverpool, but later moved to a more permanent location on Wood Street. This is where the shop won numerous awards, including Music Week's 'Independent Record Shop of the Year'. In 2002, the record shop expanded and moved to Slater Street (above, right picture). As of 2009, the record shop changed ownership and is now no longer part of the 3 Beat group. Its new owners (ex-employees of 3 Beat) wanted to keep a connection to the history of the shop whilst also showing that it had evolved, so changed the name to '3B Records'.
Business quickly boomed, leading to the birth of the 3 Beat record label when customers started bringing in demo tapes to the shop. The first release was 'Compulsiony' Zenana (later became K-Klass). Many became massive chart hits and things built up from there. 3 Beat also set up the now legendary G-Love night club, which quickly became one of the best night clubs in the country, bringing huge names to Liverpool for the first time. On the last Thursday of every month, queues would stretch outside the door, as clubbers came from as far afield as London and Glasgow to embrace the G-Love. In 1991 the night club was voted 'Best Club Night' by Mixmag.
Even more success came when 3 Beat began managing dance trio 'Dario-G'. 3 Beat co-produced their massive hits 'Sunchyme' "Carnival de Paris" and "Voices" across two years (1997-1998). These three songs went on to become huge successes for the artist and gave the record label a boost any label would dream for.
- "Sunchyme" reached number two on the UK chart. It was kept off the top slot by Elton John - "Candle in the Wind"- a tribute to Princess Diana, released soon after her death in 1997.
- "Carnival de Paris" climbed to number five on the UK chart and was selected as the theme tune for the World Cup in 1998.
- "Voices" was chosen to be used on the soundtrack of Danny Boyle's "The Beach" starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
In 2007 the label was reborn as 3 Beat Productions building up a hugely talented roster of artists. With the likes of Martin Solveig, Skepta, Alexandra Stan. And after twenty years of dance music they had their first UK number 1 in 2011 with Sak Noel "Loca People".
Nobody To Love
I know you're tired of loving, of loving
With nobody to love, nobody, nobody
So just grab somebody, no leaving this party
With nobody to love, nobody, nobody (x4)
Synopsis
This music video is a 'concept' music video, featuring two girls on a road trip through Cape Town,
South Africa. This idea can be linked to the record label's own journey, from humble beginnings to successfully singing world-renowned dance acts. The fact that the music video was filmed in Cape Town with lots of people who actually live and work there featured - this shows how Sigma has expanded worldwide due to 3 Beat's growth and success.Therefore, the label's requirements of an artist in this case may be to reinforce the label's success and growth.
Mise-en-scène
When watching this music video and trying to establish what emotions Sigma were trying evoke, I found out that the music video was shot in Cape Town, South Africa. It features two girls on a road trip where they try to find someone or something to love. Often in dance music videos there is little to discuss in terms of mise-en-scène because they feature one main character(s) who tell a story through dance. There are often lots of establishing shots as emotion can also be felt through the scenery in which the actors dance in. Despite this there are a few objects worth mentioning. It is not the objects themselves but the way they are framed that help establish ideas of freedom. Lots of people go on road trips to have fun, be free and 'find themselves'. Objects such as flares, sparklers and open-top cars are all commonly used within different types of media to aid characters that need to escape the drama of their everyday life, by being aesthetically pleasing. For example, fireworks could be used to show the escape from a dramatic lifestyle and could be linked to ideas of celebration, new beginnings (like New Year's Eve) and rebirth, such as a small town record shop growing into a huge record label with a host of talented artists. The car itself could have a deeper meaning as well. The car itself looks reminiscent of 1950s America, e.g. Elvis Presley era, so could be again linked with the birth of something (in this case the birth of rock n' roll and supposed 'rebellion' from the expectations of society placed on teenager). The car is also light blue and when exploring connotations that link with this colour, peace and tranquillity arise. This would link to the idea of feeling free and peaceful as they explore Cape Town trying to find 'someone to love'.
A dream catcher is also featured multiple times throughout the video.
Dream catchers are believed, by American Indians, to give its owner good dreams. A dreamcatcher is a round wooden hoop that contains a loose string web with a hole in the centre, and feathers hanging from the webbing. Nice dreams travel through the hole into the sleeper’s mind, while the bad ones, as well as nightmares, are trapped inside the web permanently. The relevance this object has to the concept of the music video is that it is supposed to emit happiness and the whole song/video is about finding someone to love/enjoying life - which make humans happy.
Costume & Make-Up
Due to Cape Town's hot climate, the girls in the video are wearing standard summer clothes for the scenes filmed inside. For example, denim shorts and a flimsy top to keep themselves cool whilst exploring and dancing in the different locations within the music video. Lots of the clothing worn by the girls also have aztec patterns on them; this relates to the dream catcher metaphor. The girls are often seen to be wearing bikinis instead of underwear due to the fact that many of the scenes within the music video are shot on a beach, where they dance and jump in the water on the shore.
At 1:38 there is a mid-shot of a native boy holding an axe, about to chop some wood. He is wearing plain clothes (red vest top with navy blue shorts). The boy looks to come from a poor/simple background, lacking prosperity; this can be inferred by the fact he is having to chop wood and also because he has some kind of animal skin drying in the background - activities common in third world countries because they rely on natural resources for fuel/shelter. So for this reason, it is strange that he is wearing red Converse (an expensive trainer brand). Children from poor backgrounds in Africa often cannot afford shoes and so make their own out of scrap materials they find lying around. Therefore, his costume does not entirely conform to the normality of his origin.
All actors are wearing minimal make-up and jewellery due to the fact the video is very physical. Therefore it would not be practical to wear huge amounts of make-up because it would wear off from the heat and jewellery is not appropriate to wear when involving yourself in physical activities.
Key Shots, Camera Movements and Edits
The first interesting shot I want to discuss is at 2:11. I thought this shot was nice because the red colouring from the flare in which the girl is holding have illuminated the walkway of the woods. For a video of such brightness/energy this shot makes a nice change by filming it in almost complete darkness, besides the light from the flare. Despite how dark this shot actually is, the video has still managed to keep an uplifting feel and a theme of feeling free and alive. The way that the shadows in the surrounding wood move and run in the opposite way to the angle of the girl makes for an interesting sequence and versatile visuals.
The second key shot comes in at 2.25, when the girls have changed locations to a small boat/club house on the rivers shore. I thought the way that the long-shot cuts immediately closer to the girls as they get closer to the piers edge was interesting as it shows that the gap between the lives of them and the audience is small, as the song is about finding someone you love and often people who fall in love are close. The moment they jump into the water also makes for a nice shot because shots that have one major statement moment are often aesthetically pleasing to the audience.
The final interesting moment of the music video starts at 3.11 and finishes at 3:21. This sequence of lots of different people dancing to the same song shows that people of all genders and races etc. can love one another, which is the whole purpose of the song - spreading love. This relates back to Andrew Goodwin's theory of how there is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. The lyrics can be represented with images (either illustrative, amplifying or contradicting). In this case the characters dancing to the same song represent the love humans feels towards one another despite their background.
Focus Group
"I like how free-spirited this music video is - all the bright colours help add to this effect as well. It makes you feel happy whilst watching it, which is the purpose of this upbeat music genre. Despite this I think that the video lacks locations. For such a well known and popular song it is surprising that there are only a few locations - after a while I got a bit bored and felt it was a bit repetitive."
"I love this music video because it makes me want to dance, and considering the genre is EDM/dance music, I'd say the promotional video has done its job sufficiently."
"I really like the fact that there are South African people featured in the music video plus the standard pretty model girls because it adds variety to the music video and shows off the traditions/people of the location that has been chosen to feature in the music video. I also love how energetic the music video is and there is not a boring part - even when the actors are sitting down!"
Lessons to be Learnt
It is well worth considering incorporating elements that are symbolic into the video.
People tend to enjoy videos which reveal a deeper meaning.
Tone/concept of song needs to match mise-en-scène.
Bulk of music video consists of long-shots and close-ups, so these would be good to include when it comes to filming my own music video as they seem to be popular and effective.
It is a good idea to combine some aspects of the visuals with the lyrics of the audio as it helps highlight the concept of the song and makes the employed metaphors easier to grasp.
It can be important for elements of the video to be relatable to the target audience; be that the protagonist or the setting.
Not breaking the fourth wall and having no lip-syncing. can help give the video a very natural sense, as if there was no script to follow and the director was just filming ordinary people doing what they want to do.
This digipak is again for the 'Collapse 2.0' single that Zeds Dead released in 2015. This song is a remix of the original song by Zeds Dead (feat. Memorecks) 'Collapse', which is featured on their first album 'Somewhere Else' - released in 2014. 'Collapse 2.0' was also released on a 'Somewhere Else Remixes' album so I shall be deconstructing all three album covers.
Moving onto the deconstruction of the album cover from which the original song 'Collapse' comes from.
Deconstruction of the 'Somewhere Else Remixes' album cover:
Focus Group
"I love all of these album/single covers. I particularly love the gothic cartoon vibe they give off and the fact that only Zeds Dead have this going for them, no other artist has this style. It really helps with brand recognition because people will look at this style and remember Zeds Dead for it, thus increasing their following."
"I think the fact that there is a meaning to the illustrations on the album covers of Zeds Dead shows that they really take their emotions and put them into not only their tracks but also their promotional products. Helps the consumer really connect with the artist, which can form a bond and lead to them investing in their work and career, which is something all artists would like."
"I like that fact that the boys haven't just taken a photograph from one of their music videos, like most EDM artists tend to do. They have been unique in the sense that they have created their own image and established their own style that really grips the viewer."
Lessons to be Learnt
Highly important to include all of the conventions of a typical album cover artwork, e.g. album title.
Complex designs with in-depth meanings can be effective when understood by the audience.
Important to think about how you want the audience to perceive the artist and their values shown through their music. How can my artist's personality be shown through the promotional materials.
Brand recognition is vital so it is a good idea to use familiar themes, symbols and images that connect your promotional materials to the artist and themselves. It might be worth using the same font as in your music video and the album artwork.
If we chose to superimpose text or logos onto the image we are using, it is important to think about the colour choice of the image and the text, e.g. will they go? It is also important to think about the positioning of the text, will it be obscured by the colours of the image or will the text block key aspects of the image?
