Record Label Research

Record Label Research

XL Recordings is a British independent record label which was inaugurated by Tim Palmer along with Nick Halkes and Richard Russell in 1989.
 The label has brought to the industry many talented artists, such as The White Stripes, Adele, Dizzee Rascal, but more importantly, Vampire Weekend - our chosen artist -.
 I personally believe that XL Recordings is truly suitable for our chosen artist, because the majority of the artists signed to XL Recordings fit the same genre of music as Vampire Weekend, and they are also successful musicians, hence why XL has become one of the most significant independent record labels in the world.

 

" Russell broadened the musical horizons of the label whilst maintaining a credo of working with artists he saw as original and inventive "
The quote above only emphasizes the idea that XL Recordings is appropriate for Vampire Weekend, as our chosen band is genuinely original and unique.

However, there are plenty of other record labels that are suitable for Vampire Weekend.
One of them is surely Epic Records, an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment. At first it was as a jazz imprint, but in 1960 the label broadened to all genres, consequently Epic grew as a label and became better known for giving a chance to new artists and different genres of music.
The label's greatest achievements was the release of the album Thriller by Michael Jackson, in 1982, which sold eighty million copies in international sales, ultimately making it the biggest selling album in history.
Other acknowledged artists within the same genre of music as Vampire Weekend, are signed to Epic Records, these include The Script, Incubus, Modest Mouse, Mudvayne and Shakira.




Founded in 1945, by Irving Green, Berle Adams and Arthur Talmadge. Mercury  Records is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Initially they were focused in classical music, jazz, blues, country music and rock and roll. But the label has broadened to other genres, such as RnB, Grime, Indie, Heavy Metal and Pop. 
Mercury Records operates in the UK as well as in Australia, USA and France. Bringing together talented artists from different cultures. I reckon that the diversity brought by Mercury Records is what makes them one of the biggest Record labels.
Artists similar to Vampire Weekend are signed to Mercury Records, such as Stereophonics, The Killers and Noisettes, all rock/indie bands that have gained recognition and reached UK top charts.

Artist Research

 ARTIST RESEARCH:

Research the branding and the marketing of artists who already fit into your chosen genre.

Incubus

Alternative rock band Incubus, was formed in 1991 in Calabasas, California. 
The band successfully managed to sell over 100,000 copies of their second album S.C.I.E.N.C.E without the support of radio or television exposure. 
This is one of their most admirable achievements, hence the reason why I chose them for this research. Incubus is a truly unique band just like Vampire Weekend.
When they released their third album Make Yourself, they earned mainstream recognition as well as critical acclaim.
Incubus evidently is a band able to evolve and mature in their career. As they have experimented with different instruments and diverse genres of music and ultimately achieved success and critics praise as they have displayed how creative and talented they are.


Like many other rock/indie bands, Incubus did not allow the media industry to exploit their image in order for them to gain success. Their achievements were purely earned by their musical gifts and creativity, by their art. 

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"Classic UK rock delivered with whiskey vocals"

Stereophonics is a Welsh rock band, formed in 1992. The band has achieved mainstream recognition in 1997, with their debut album Word Gets Around, which immediately reached the top six in the UK charts, later followed by them winning an Brit Award for Best New Band. 

Stereophonics

Ever since 1997 the group has been a success, and today they are considered one of Wale's biggest talents.
The band's success was earned as they are a creative and talented group. Their intense & affecting lyrics along with Kelly Jone's husky vocals have made an impact on rock music, and these have given them the success and recognition they worked hard to get. Unlike other artists, Stereophonic's image doesn't draw much attention as they don't rely on it to be a successful band. However they still wear stereotypical rock clothes, such as leather jackets and sunglasses, but that is as far as it gets.


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Research an artist who does not fit into your chosen genre.

Justin Timberlake

Justin Randall Timberlake was first famous for being the lead singer of the boy band 'N Sync which was formed in Florida, 1995. But as it usually happens in the music industry, the band broke up and the lead singer, Timberlake went on in a solo career.

He released his debut solo album 'Justified' in 2002, which sold more than 7 million copies worldwide. In 2006 he released his second album 'FutureSex/ Love sounds' which was just as successful as the first one, reaching UK's top music charts, ultimately winning six Grammy awards, and two Emmy awards.

Like other boy bands and pop/ RnB singers, Justin does use his image to earn success. Ever since he was 'N Sync's lead singer, he has been considered to be an attractive and very well dressed man, he even became a sex symbol.

Ever since he released his latest album 'FutureSex/Love sounds' he has been performing his shows and modelling in his photo shoots wearing a suit and a tie, It connotes elegance and manhood, this has become part of his image, of his style. 

Besides his looks, Justin has showed he is a truly talented man. He doesn't only have excellent vocals and great dancing skills, he also blows away his fans by performing the piano, the guitar and by beatboxing.

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Gorillaz

In 2000 the British music project, Gorillaz was created and it has brought to the music industry a new concept, it launched a new trend: Virtual bands. Where the actual musicians hide their identities behind cartoon characters and genuinely only focus and sell their music.
Their concerts were reviewed as "Awesome, Unique." as they are a mixture of art and music.


British cartoonist who designs the Gorillaz visuals displayed an interesting point of view when referring to the group's image 'If you’re going to pretend to be somebody you’re not – which is the whole point of being a rock star – then why not just invent fake characters and have them do it all for you?'
A virtual band allows the musicians to have freedom, something artists lose as soon as they gain recognition in the mainstream. They have the opportunity to express themselves in their music, be successful without involving their previous identity, allowing them to live their lives like ordinary people.
Their debut album released in 2001 sold over seven million copies, which led to an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most successful virtual band.

"Who else hates digipaks?" (research)

When I searched on Google: "Why would people buy Digipaks?" (because personally, I don't buy digipaks and I don't know a lot of people of my age group that do- except some of my friends who are die-hard fans of Michael Jackson/Led Zeppelin/Lady Gaga) and the first thing that popped up was a thread from a forum on side-line.com entitled Who else hates digipaks?
I thought I would take a look and read through the posts.
I found some reasons for why digipaks may lack popularity...

1. Some people complained that digipaks are "cardboard and wear out" and so they "have to be placed at certain areas in my CD rack so they don't get smashed."
2. Another person comments "(I'm) definitely not a fan", further stating, "typically the little spines that hold the disc in place snap". 
3. Someone inputs "Digipaks are not so cool as they once were." This could possibly be a more mature person commenting on the recent trends of illegal downloading, itunes downloading- rather than the 'older/more outdated' method of buying cds and digipaks.
4. "I like digipaks in my collection. They look good, but that's about it."
Generally, I found on this particular forum, there was a lack of support for digipaks.

However some users on the forum retaliated...
"It can give a different feel to a (album) release." I think this is an interesting comment as it shows the uniqueness a digipak can encompass, and why people buy digipaks, so the extras and the hype of the album maybe. I think digipaks can be related to fan culture and the 'fandom' ideology.

And probably the most balanced post was: "I prefer limited first-run editions, digipaks and unique packaging which to me adds to the mystic of dark/ambient/noise releases. Usually if one waits long enough you can buy the same music in jewel cases once the limited sales items are depleted. By that time it could even be on sale." This user refers to the pricing, commenting on how it is usually more expensive to buy digipaks than CDs, which is why some people may be less forthcoming to buy them.

Then someone, near the end of the thread, posts "wow. this is a lot of getting worked up about digipaks."
And that's when I realised it's quite a sad and boring theme to be cyber-arguing about, and reading, and so I exited the window.