Uses and Gratifications Theory

The 'Uses and Gratifications Theory' which can also be referred to as the Needs and Gratifications Theory is quite an influential tradition in Media research. In 1974, the theorists, Katz, Blumler and Gurevitch suggested that the media play an active role in choosing and using the different types of media people use. The Theory brings forward that the media user seeks out a source that best suits their needs and focuses on why people use particular media rather than on the content itself. In contrast to the concern of the 'media effects' idea with 'what media does to people', Uses and Gratification tends to highlight 'what people do with media' instead resulting in a more varied set of responses and reactions. Not only can it be applied to music but to all types of media including television and magazines. However, some people have criticised the theory in the past stating that research could be unreliable as reports rely on user's memory rather than actual data as well as people potentially getting too emotionally drawn in perhaps resulting biased results.

The theory has four main principles:

• Diversion: The need to escape from everyday routine and problem to relax.
• Personal Relationships: People use different forms of media to help form relationships and to fulfil their needs for companionship.
• Personal Identity: People often use the media to reassure themselves, to find things out for themselves and to perhaps reinforce personal well being. 
• Surveillance: To find out what's going on around us, finding information through media that might affect us or those around us.

In Relation to Music

- Diversion can prevent boredom and make people relaxed. Perhaps putting on a relaxing album or song in a dark room. 

- When lyrics in certain songs may relate to a personal relationship between two people.

- Personal Identity will allow people's emotions to relation to certain songs. 

- Surveillance of music could help people find out about how other people in the world may live through cultural music.

When researching the Uses and Gratifications Theory, Katz, Blumler and Gurevitch introduced 5 components compromising the model. These were:

1) "The Audience is conceived as active."

2) "In the mass communication process much initiative in linking gratification and media choice lies with the audience member." 

3) "The media compete with other sources of satisfaction."

4) "Methodologically speaking, many of the goals of mass media use can be derived from data supplied by individual audience members themselves."

5) "Value judgements about the  cultural significance of mass communication should be suspended while audience orientations are explored on their own terms." 

Katz, Blumler & Gurevitch (Left to Right)

Music Video Analysis / Switchblade Smiles

Switchblade Smiles by Kasabian was the first single from their 2011 album 'Velociraptor'.  The genre of the band/song would fit into the indie/psychedelic rock genre and in general the video is typical of it's genre. The length of the video is 4 minutes 16 seconds long and it was uploaded to YouTube on the 15th July, 2 months prior to the release of the album. It was produced by renowned filmmaker Charlie Lightening who had previously worked on music videos by Arcade Fire and short documentaries for Liam Gallagher's clothing label 'Pretty Green' and directed by conceptual designer Aitor Throup. Although the majority of the video consists of just black and white editing the contrast of the film has just been lowered significantly which is quite common with videos in the indie/alternative genre although there are some hints of vibrant colour throughout which look quite effective. The video is mainly performance based but rather than the band just performing on a stage throughout, they're performing in front of some form of green screen in order to create a 'white room' effect. The camera rarely stays in one place during the video and there are a wide range of different shots from various angles. 

           

The entire band themselves appear to be wearing completely black clothes in order for them to stand out effectively on the white background. Tom Meighan and Serge Pizzorno, the guitarist/vocals and lead vocalist from the band seem to take centre stage in the video and appear more than the other members. However, this is quite typical for Kasabian as these two members tend to usually feature in Radio or Television interviews and magazine shoots over the rest of the band. Not only is there footage of the band performing in the video but various different shots of the band doing various things that to keep in sync with the music. For example, at several points throughout the songs there is the sound of both Serge and Tom simply singing 'Aaaahhhhhh' for fairly lengthy periods of time and the video matches this with the two members shout the lyric to each other. This is a great way to start the video of a fairly up beat and lively song, foreshadowing what is to come. 

This and other similar parts during the music video also draws attention to the lyrics of the song. As well as close ups of both Serge and Tom lip syncing appearing on various occasions throughout, quite a stand out lyric 'MOVE' fills the screen in bright red writing whenever it sounds in the song. This is very effective in my opinion and the colour makes it really stand out in front of the back drop of just blacks, whites and greys. To match this, the white back drop also turns to red later on in the video. Other videos that include similar conventions are Azealia Banks' hit single '212'. 

The editing includes lots of short snappy cuts in certain places especially when the music gets quicker and louder. The camera is only completely still on the odd occasion as the majority of the shots pan or rotate in various different directions. When searching for the Switchblade Smiles video on YouTube, I came across the 'Making Of' video which I found very interesting and helpful  when writing my analysis of the video. 

Codes and Conventions of Music Videos

Camera shots

Generally, a lot of music videos contain a lot of close up shots, particularly of the instruments in which the artists are playing. This can often be to show the emotions of characters in narrative based videos or to please the audience and show the artist/band's face. High angle shots are used too where often the camera is on a crane looking over the stage, getting a wide view of everything on show. Pans and tilts moving from different performers, especially in the case of a band as they often pan from each member of the band. 

Editing

Conventionally of a music video the editing often involves lots of jump cuts and cutting to/from different narratives or angles which is done to keep the audience interested and at ease. Other forms of editing also includes split screens, this shows more than one angle to the video. This also helps attract the viewer's attention. If the music video is narrative based, split screen editing allows it to tell two stories rather than just one. When a video doesn't have as many cuts it can often be because the artist aims to create a mood. This style of editing is much more common in female solo artists music videos who appeal to a wide audience.

Mise-En-Scene

The importance of mise-en-scene tend to depends on what what music it is and what genre the music may fit into. In the indie genre the artist/actors in the video would usually stick to one outfit but in pop videos the artists especially could wear 2-3 or more. Usually in narrative based videos costume changes don't occur. The location also depends on what type of music video it may be. Narrative based videos genuinely tend to include more than one location but performance music videos usually just focus on one setting (the stage). Mise-en-scene can be a significant way of how the artist may be portrayed by different audiences when watching the video. For example, high-key or low-key lighting could represent the different between whether the video/song is quite dark or positive. 

Styles of Music Videos

Music videos can be categorised as there are many different types of music videos that people choose to have. These include:

Performance based - this is where the video focusses on the band or artist playing the music and singing the song. Close up shots of the singer or band allow the audience to feel intimacy with them. Typically, fans of artist's quite like performance based videos as they'd rather see the band/artist themselves. Performance based videos can be made on a fairly cheap budget. An example is Peace with their single 'Follow Baby'. 

Narrative based - Videos that tell a story as the music video progresses. Usually the story being acted out in the video is based on the meaning of the lyrics in the song. These videos are used quite frequently and in various different genres too. There are a number of different theorists of narrative based videos including Todorov who suggested that these types of videos are split up into different parts. The video begins in a state of equilibrium where everything if fine. Then, an inconvenience or problem occurs which has to be solved in order to return to the original state of equilibrium. An example of a narrative based video is Tame Impala with their song 'Mind Mischief'.  

Narrative and Performance based (Hybrid) - Music videos that show the artists performing yet also tells a story simultaneously. These videos give the artist much more freedom as they can practically include what they want. Again, audiences like a mix of both narrative and performance as they get to see the band play as well as there being some sort of storyline to it. An example is the Rolling Stones with their latest song 'Doom and Gloom'. 

Cameo performance based - Videos that the band features in however does not perform. These videos are quite common. Audiences tend to enjoy seeing the artist or band member(s) acting as a character in the video and it can often keep them interesting. An example is 'Suck it and See' by Arctic Monkeys. 

Animation based - The music video is created digitally. With the advancement of technology and CGI, animation based videos have become more and more common. It can be very effective in many cases and the editing can suit the audio very well. This is an example, it's the music video to 'Feels Like We're Only Going Backwards' by Australian modern psychedelic band Tame Impala. 

The Music Industry

The music industry has changed significantly over the years since popular music was first introduced.  Today, it's dominated by three main record labels - Warner, Universal, and Sony. EMI and Independent labels such as Domino Records also account for the the latter. My 'prezi' presentation on the the music industry can be seen below.

How has technology changed the music industry?

Technology is one of the greatest developments of our time and has made a significant impact on the music industry in a number of different ways. Before digital media was introduced, fans of music  visited record stores and browsed through a great variety of albums and singles, these forms of music were great quality but some might say they lacked the ability of easy transformation for personal use. Towards the beginning of the 1990's, Walkmen and CD Players were the answer to many people's problems, they allowed people to listen to music on-the-go. During this period, car manufacturers also began to install CD and cassette players into cars to enable people to listen music whilst travelling in the car, etc. The contrast between the ways in which music can be accessed today in comparison to 20 years ago is quite large. Some of the ways people listen to music today include streaming websites such as Grooveshark, Soundcloud, Spotify (These websites allow users to stream for free but offer certain premium features that must be paid for), Vimeo and YouTube, digital downloads (either from iTunes/Amazon or illegally), CD format or even Vinyl records. Without a doubt in the past decade or so specifically, technology has changed the way we buy, listen to or even music itself.

Not only has the music itself changed with the advancement of technologies but the way artist's and record labels promote and market new albums and tours, etc. The internet alone has allowed artists to set up websites where fans can purchase tickets, merchandise or find out more on the band. Social networking websites such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter are great ways for bands and artists to promote upcoming albums and tours with many often creating a good following/fan base on these websites. On Facebook, videos and images can be uploaded which would benefit musicians a considerable amount as they can share their latest music videos or posters with their online fans. Arctic Monkeys are a great example of a band who's success is partly thanks to the Internet. The first few songs they released were put on the Internet which if anything kick-started their career as more and more people continued to find and enjoy the songs. Today, they're one of the biggest bands in the Country, headlining festivals each year including Coachella and Glastonbury.

The Consumption of Music

The way music is consumed by audiences today has changed significantly in the last few decades with the introduction of the Internet and music television. In the past, options were very limited and people would have to go to local record stores and purchase the Vinyl, CD, or Cassette but with the advancement of technology and the Internet, fans of music have access to their favourite artist's work without even having to leave their home through MP3 downloading via iTunes and online e-Marketing websites including Amazon and Play.com. Alternatively, many people just consider music as a service rather than an actual product and access it through free online services including Spotify and YouTube.

In the video below, EMI executive discusses how he believes music will in fact just become a service rather than a commodity.

Although these two services and similar ones are completely legal, some people like to actually own the music but choose not to pay for it resulting in illegally downloading it. As it has become the natural thing to do for some, many don't even believe they're committing an offence when they download music without paying for it. A large majority including myself prefer to pay for music for a number of reasons. Not only are you not committing an offence, I believe that if you're a fan of a band/artist and enjoy the music they make for you to listen, it's only fair to repay them, especially for new and upcoming bands who need to make as many sales as they can. For much bigger recording artists, losing out on sales to illegal downloads is not as much of a problem as they make the majority of their money from touring and merchandise yet it is still a significant problem with the music industry that shouldn't be ignored.

Events to have happened in the music industry in the past suggest that the audiences of popular
music like to be introduced to something completely new and different. When The Beatles released their album 'St Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band' in 1967, the album was widely hailed as the best pop record to date and coincided remarkably with the mass popularity in stereo recordings. Similarly, 15 years later, when MTV aired the first ever music video, Michael Jackson's 'Thriller', it resulted in a smash world hit. Some could say the 21st Century's equivalent is South Korean 'PSY''s world famous 'Gangnam Style' hit. Where an outrageous song fit with an even more outrageous video brokered into the most viewed and liked video on YouTube becoming the first to reach 1 billion hits.

Record Store Day

Record Store Day was originally founded in American in 2007 by Eric Levin, Michael Kurtz, Carrie Colliton, Amy Dorfman, Don Van Cleave and Brian Poehner. Over the past seven years, it has developed into an international event where a growing number of record collectors and independent records stores participate in each year as well hundreds of new limited edition vinyl being released from various different artists. 

The main purpose of Record Store Day is the to celebrate the art of music by bringing music lovers together from various different places across the world. From the artists point view it is also a great way for them to promote new releases through limited vinyl and CD digipack releases, etc exclusive to that day. Over 200 record stores just across the UK take part in RSD with some of the larger ones having upcoming bands and musicians performing in-store for the waiting customers. This year, the RSD is set to be held on Saturday 20th April, the official ambassador is solo artist, ex-member of The White Stripes and the man in charge of the Third Man Records label, Jack White. Some of the bands and artists releasing limited edition records this year include David Bowie, Peace, Tame Impala, Small Faces and Brian Jonestown Massacre. Below is a video of this years ambassador Jack White talking about Record Store Day and what vinyl means to him.