Audience Research: Questionnaire & Results

Questionnaire

View more documents from paperchain.

I sent these questionnaires to 10 of my "friends" on Facebook, who I know are fans of Indie music, and they replied to me within a week.
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.

Production Schedule and Minutes of Meeting form

Production

View more documents from paperchain.

Meeting

View more documents from paperchain.

Music Video Analysis

Jessie J - Do it Like a Dude

Feminism can be found in many modern music videos, each artist explores it in a different way. This video caught my attention for many reasons, and it is indeed relevant to our project.
It can be seen that both the song "Do it Like a Dude" and the whole concept of its video were made with the purpose to empower women, to evoke equality between men and women. Different interpretations can be given to this video. Although the purpose behind this may be positive, I personally believe that the message conveyed here is not positive at all. In fact, it is implied that for a woman to be strong, she has to be like a man,  she has to become one. This is portrayed through the use of mise-en-scene, where the females are wearing men's clothes and acting like stereotypical manly men. The lyrics emphasize the visuals:

" I can do it like a brother, I can do it like a dude, We can do it like the mandem (...) Boom Boom, pull me a beer, no pretty drinks, I'm a guy out here. "

 I personally disagree with the whole concept of media texts - especially music videos - encouraging women to be consumerists, to conform to stereotypical beauty standards. However I don't agree with the message conveyed in Jessie J's video either.

Making of music video 'Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa'

We have taken many pictures of the whole process of producing our music video. Including pictures of our actors.

Aurelio Miranda as the cruel scientist.

                         Before                                                     After: Lab Coat. Glasses.

Us Filming.

Green Screen Studio

Shanti explaining the next scene to our actress, and Dunia waiting by the camera to film.

Shannae plays the role of the young female model, who is exploited by the Media.

Before:

Barefoot. No Make Up. Plain Clothes. Striped Top - prison like -,  No Jewellery. This is at the very beginning of our video, where the model is still natural and about to go through a make over.

Drawing lines in her face as well as in her body, to portray that she is being forced to go through plastic surgery to have the stereotypical perfect body.

After:

High Heels. Short dress. Make Up. Jewellery. Hair Styled. This is the result of the scientist's 'experiments', this is only displayed at the end of our video, when she has given up and conformed to stereotypes.

What happened on friday...

19/11/10

Our actress didn't show up, therefore we couldnt get much done. We did try and tempt/beg/bribe drama students to be in our video, and we thought we had someone we could use, but then she ran away when she saw the cage...
Anyway, we have all our props and people (!) and we have booked the studio ready for filming on...
Wednesday 24/11/10 at 2pm.
And we are going to get this amazing music video done!

Teamwork

Today some of us lacked some team spirit. We were supposed to start filming today and finish the rest of the filming on Friday. Unfortunately some of us did not turn up or get in contact so we had to do something else to be productive. As the actress dis not come either we could not start alone. Instead of just being annoyed or angry we went to book all the equipment(Lighting,Camera,Tripod) some props(lab coat and safety glasses) and the drama studio for this Friday. We also printed out the Storyboard and made sure that we have all the props we need for Friday. Let's just hope that this Friday will bring a better result.

“When a team outgrows individual performance and learns team confidence, excellence becomes a reality.” Joe Paterno
“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”
Henry Ford

Artist Research

Researching the branding and marketing of artists who already fit into our chosen genre:

“Indie/Alternative Rock”...

Arctic Monkeys

Arctic Monkeys are an alternative rock band formed in 2002, UK. Arctic Monkeys are heralded as one of the first acts to come to public attention via the Internet (fan-based sites rather than from the band), with commentators suggesting they represented the possibility of a change in the way in which new bands are promoted and marketed. Arctic Monkeys have used Myspace to push themselves into the public eye, and it resulted in the band getting signed to "Domino" in June 2005, after they refused to change their songs to suit the industry and resisted signing to a record label for some time. Their fans also helped to promote the bands music, by recording the songs at gigs and giving out demo CDs. Also, Mark Bull filmed the band's performances and made the music video to "Fake Tales of San Francisco" releasing it on his website and therefore giving the Arctic Monkeys further exposure. Overall though, Arctic Monkeys relied on the "word-of-mouth" technique to boost their popularity, through the internet, their fans, and their tours and media coverage.

The Pigeon Detectives

This English band was formed in 2002, and has also exploited Myspace's networking genius to gain exposure. Although probably not as recognised as Arctic Monkeys, The Pigeon Detectives have been quite successful. They supported Dirty Pretty Things whilst they toured in spring 2006. In early November 2006 they supported fellow Leeds band Kaiser Chiefs, who are known to be fans of the band, on a number of occasions around Europe. The Pigeon Detectives have relied heavily on their performances, at festivals, and being the supporting band for bigger Indie bands such as the Kaiser Chiefs, to gain them recognition.

 The Yeah Yeah Yeahs

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000.

Alongside performing headlining tours across the world, the band has supported artists such as Björk, The White Stripes, The Strokes, Liars, and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. The band became one of the first western rock acts to play in China when they headlined the Modern Sky Festival in Beijing in 2007.

The main difference, I think between English Indie bands and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs is that they have a lead female vocalist and her clothing style attracts attention on stage.

They seem like a “hands-on” band, Karen (lead vocalist) co-directed and all three band members were featured in the video for the group's "Hologram World" video. They also seem to be playing the festival circuits in the UK, playing at Glastonbury Festival 2009.

They are very well known, especially in the UK actually.

They are not a conventional Indie band as seen in the UK and USA, but I think this works in their favour as they stand out by being original and different.

Researching the branding and marketing of artists who are from a different genre…

Slipknot

Slipknot is an American heavy metal band formed in 1995. Slipknot are known largely by their attention-grabbing image, aggressive music style and their energetic and chaotic live shows. As of May 2010 Slipknot has sold over 14 million records worldwide. The band has released one live album and four DVDs, this shows us that their marketing technique relies heavily on the image they put across to the audience and it also depends on their performances on stage.

The band is known for its attention-grabbing image; the members wear matching uniforms, have unique masks respectively and have aliases which are simply numbers. Vocalist Taylor had this to say when questioned about the masks in 2002: "it's our way of becoming more intimate with the music. It's a way for us to become unconscious of who we are and what we do outside of music. It's a way for us to kind of crawl inside it and be able to use it.”

Slipknot has been the subject of many controversies throughout their career, both for their image and their music. The lyrical content of some of Slipknot's songs has been linked to several violent and criminal incidents.

So by this we can see that Slipknot has gained maximum exposure through their own styling, using the masks for example, an image that many people who may not be fans of the band will consequently still recognise. Also, the controversy may have gained them some exposure, just as it did Marilyn Manson. We can see here that Slipknot is advertising for a niche market of consumers who will relate to their image, and their songs.  

                                                                                  Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera is an example of a pop star whose image was completely marketed by the music industry. She even admitted herself that she was displeased with her lack of input in her music and image. After parting from her management, Aguilera took creative control over her second studio album, Stripped (2002). The album's second single, "Beautiful," was a commercial success and helped the album's commercial performance amidst controversy over Aguilera's image.

The constant theme in Aguilera's music and lyrics is love, although she has written on other subjects including spirituality, female empowerment, and grief.

Christina Aguilera has also used various products and endorsement deals in which to boost her recognition. Throughout her career Aguilera has endorsed several brands, including Skechers, Mercedes-Benz, Verizon Wireless, and soft drink giants Coca-Cola in 2001, and Pepsi in 2006. This is a usual pathway that pop singers will undertake in order to receive more exposure.

Aguilera's fourth studio album Bionic (2010), which incorporated aspects of R&B, electropop, and synthpop, was met with mixed reviews and poor sales.