This is what I found out...
Q1. The majority of people expected a level of creativity and randomness from an Indie music video whereas themes like humour and band involvement were least expected. From these results I can see quite clearly that people have high expectations concerning the originality and uniqueness of indie music videos, this does emphasise the need for our music video to be full of interesting visuals etc and also randomness which is something our video is aswell. From attempting to make a music video, and plan for a music video, I can say that it is very fun but actually really difficult because absolutely anything goes. I mean this in the sense that no idea is too big or too small, too off topic or boring because with indie music you are granted that sort of interpretation which I think is reflected in the answer to this first question: creativity and randomness. And this is an expectation whereby there is no measurement of success because it is totally subjective and there are a range of indie fans who will like and dislike the finished product. I thought that it was strange that band involvement was least expected, but I guess it just reinforces that the main focus of these videos are sometimes the concepts rather than the actual band members themselves.
Q2. 8/10 people agreed with the statement: indie bands tend to be male dominated. This is probably the outcome I expected from this question, but I wanted to ask it nevertheless because I think it's crucial to understanding why Indie bands are successful. This statement is something I have seriously overlooked in my past as an indie fan- and by carelessly ignoring the lack of females in this industry I am now really inquisitive to know why. I'm not going to go into anymore detail because when I interviewed two people in depth, I found a really great answer to this question, which I will explore in another post.
Q3. When asked what appeals to them most about Indie music, the results were spread equally amongst the available answers, however the theme Style is the most popular by one vote. The theme of style (fashion) in relation to indie music is something that keeps cropping up as I explore this genre of music. It seems to be a very influencial and significant part of this music movement/indie culture. I think, when you put it in the simplest terms, the indie fashion is used as a tool in social groupings- it stems from the idea of being in a "click" and representing what music you listen to, your ideologies, what kind of friends you have and what you do in your spare time, all through the individuals styling choices, which appears quite important to this music and offers that certain individual a sense of involvment, guidance and protection.
Q4. This was an interesting question for me, as I really didn't expect the result I got. Most people thought that to make an indie band better there should be more instrumental emphasis within music videos. So this goes against the concept and visual narrative structures we see in some indie videos. Similarly I was suprised when no one thought that the styling should be different or more interesting to make an indie band stand out of a crowd where individuals are always striving for originality. The second most popular choice was the inclusion of different cultures, and I think this would make it easier for these bands to reach out to other audiences and gain more mainstream success.
Q5. I can honestly say this question was thrown into the mix partly because I ran out of questions to ask. However, I found that from the results, I can actually analyse a lot. So, it was a 50/50 split between those that would dance to indie music and those that would not, but it's crucial to remember that all participants who answered are indie music fans, on some level. This result is interesting because we could derive from it that although indie music is respected amongst the fans, it is enjoyed and used in different ways. Half of the participants said they wouldn't dance to this music, is it because they think R&B is better to dance to, or do they simply not really dance at all? Is indie music for them a pathway to relaxation or chilling out music they bung on their ipod when they are tired? There seems to be a certain limitation with indie music and its ability to connect with everybody. By contrast, the other half of the bunch said they would gladly dance to indie music... does this make them better fans, more hardcore fans maybe? I'm not sure.
Q6. I asked this question because in my opinion I think that indie music isn't very easy listening because of the strong concepts and kind of repetitiveness of the music, which makes it complicated to distinguish what a good indie track is, what an OK track is, and what a bad track is. 8/10 people thought that indie music is easy-listening, in general. First I'm going to define easy listening: A style of music involving simple and laid-back melodies. Ok, but indie music branches into different levels of intensity. For example "the XX-Islands" is a really laid-back track, doesn't cause you to think too much, it doesn't consume your head with loud noise or complicated lyrics, however "Kings of Leon- Use somebody" and "I say I love you" are both tracks with strong sounds and especially, "I say I love you" which has a high tempo which couldn't really be regarded as easy listening at all. So the point I was trying to make with this question is that it is very difficult to classify indie music because there is such a variety and diversity when it comes to all the bands and the different sounds they are going for. And Indie music is derived from rock and punk and electronic music anyway, so I dont think it can really be easy listening unless it crosses over with blues, pop or folk. Bon Iver is a good example of a band who produces a combination of indie and folk music, and this music can be described as easy-listening, but I think it has a haunting and mysterious undertone to it.
Q7. I like this question because it shows indie fans being critical of their favourite music genre, for example 6/10 people admitted that indie music can be boring at times. I think this is a valid and truthful assumption to make, on my part anyway, because of the "copy-cat" aspect to it and the idea that these bands strive for originality and independence from mainstream music, but when all bands are doing that, then they all become unified, and therefore generic as a result. It's quite ironic actually. However, I bet there are many indie bands out there and they are very niche and not as exposed (and therefore manipulated by the music industry) so it is quite special to find bands like these.
Q8. Unfortuantely, this question like question number 5, was included on impulse and the rush to create a decent questionnaire to send off on facebook. However I think I can now see that by creating these questions instinctively I have allowed myself to evaluate their meaning as I evaluate the results, simultaneously. Now, the obvious answer to this would be 'no, you wouldnt normally see naked licentious women on the cover of an indie album because you are far more likely to see artistic creative imagery, not a male manipulated sexualised fantasy, which one could argue you more likely see on R&B album covers.' And this viewpoint which I've created is reflected in the results for this question, with only one participant voting against the majority who said they expect artistic imagery for the cover art. I've realised that artistic imagery can also incorporate the image or exploitation of the female body, but I think that if featured on an indie album's cover art, it would be to expose a message of that expoitation or to simply be controversial or mocking of other genres.
Q9. Moving on, a high % of people believe that indie bands promote the "geek" stereotype positively. I believe this has to do with how much people, maybe a certain type of person who may perceive themselves as a bit of an outsider or "geek-nerd", can relate to the music and find people to look up to that are like themselves. Just as I think the music of Marilyn Manson appeals to an audience who want to rebel and want a different sort of person to look up to enables people to become more confident, or controversially it can be misinterpreted and end badly. But Indie music shares that sort of freedom of expression and personal/individual interpretation and brings about people for fans to admire that don't necessarily look airbrushed to perfection by the industry or society.
Q10. Lastly, 6/10 people believe that indie music can branch into different genres. Which is nice as it offers yet more diversify and more people can enjoy this type of cohesion.
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