C Duncan & Fatcat case study

It might be worth your while having a look at reasonably successful indie artist C Duncan. He produced his album in his Glaswegian flat for £50 apparently, but has had lots of airplay on Radio6 Music, playing festivals etc.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14030527.C_Duncan_recorded_his_album_for___50__Now_it_s_up_for_the_Mercury_Prize/
http://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/interviews/c-duncan-interviewed
https://www.fat-cat.co.uk/press/release/architect

And also the independent label he is on, Fatcat Records, which started as an underground dance record store in 1989....
https://www.fat-cat.co.uk/press/label/fat-cat
https://www.fat-cat.co.uk/home
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FatCat_Records

Worth listening to how they used Soundcloud in this 4 min interview https://soundcloud.com/community/soundcloud-case-study-fat-cat

Making notes/plans

If you make out mind maps/essay plans etc for the topics on the right by applying the topics on the left of the photo should be useful. You're probably not going to get just one area to look at. Always try to understand the impact of these topics on the relationship between the institution and audience. Include the "proliferation of hardware/software" as part of digital technologies.

Next Question

Hi folks

If you could work on the following question please:

Digital technologies and cross media convergence have led to much better levels of distribution and consumption. Discuss.

Here's a wee bit on understanding cross media convergence-

Technological convergence refers to the process where new technology is moving towards single platforms delivering multiple media outputs that can be used to reach audiences, for example, a PS3's primary function is video gaming but you can download and watch movies from Lovefilm.com on it and also watch catch up TV and music videos.

Convergent technology is technology that allows an audience to consume more than one type of media from a single platform.

Lots of aspects of the internet e.g. social networking, YouTube, online editions of newspapers and magazines are convergent but candidates cannot quote the internet as the sole aspect of their answer. Their answer needs to be linked into the media area they are talking about (Film, Music, Magazines, Newspapers, Radio, Video Games). E.g if they were talking about newspapers you could link in to their online editions and talk about how this differs from the traditional paper version and the opportunities it presents or if talking about film, candidates could, for example, point to facebook campaigns advertising a film or viral marketing spread via the internet.

Digital projection is convergent technology because films that are produced digitally have moved away from the physical film medium and can be supplied to theatres in digital format (lower costs for distribution versus higher start up costs for theatres switching to digital technology). As the film is in digital format there are also cost savings as potentially less work needs to be done on the film to get it onto Blu-Ray, DVD, internet trailers etc as no physical conversion needs to take place because the film is already in digital format.

Cross Media Convergence is really a Business Studies term and refers to companies coming together vertically or horizontally (or both). The example often cited in exams is of Working Title making use of its parent company(s) to gain access to bigger stars and a better distribution network for their films.

Synergy basically means working together to achieve an objective that couldn't be achieved independently. Cross-media convergence can help with synergy if companies are wise enough to take advantage of the links they have forged. Disney is an obvious example of a synergistic company from the top down from Film Studio to Kids' TV Channel (where it further plays and promotes its films) to the Disney Store (in the street and online) where your kids can pester you to buy all the merchandise and DVDs/CDs they've seen on the TV/Web or in the cinema.

Articles for the weekend

Hi folks, here's a really useful site with loads of really interesting articles, highly recommend using case study materials from it.\\http://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com

ownership exemplar

Discuss the issues raised by media ownership in the production and exchange of music products in the music industry.

Ownership and its effects on the production and exchange of music has become an increasingly prevalent and important topic within the music industry recently. In order to fully understand, however, one must look at what exactly ownership is and how it varies between major and independent record labels. When an artist signs a record deal with a major label, they are signing over the copyright, and therefore the ownership, of the entirety of the music created by them whilst under contract to the label. This can be seen in the case of Placebo and Virgin's recent contract split - Placebo may have parted ways with Virgin, but Virgin still legally owns all of Placebo's music library until they decide to sell the rights, either back to Placebo or to another record label. However, this model of ownership is not the case for every label; some smaller, independent labels allow the artist a greater amount of creative control over their image, style and music ownership rights.

Another aspect of ownership which has effected the production, and certainly the exchange, of music is the idea of Web 2.0. This broad based idea applies to the widening access people now have to the internet and all the benefits, and problems, it can cause in regards to music ownership, particularly for the institutions within the music industry. The idea of Web 2.0 is that people are able to access more music more quickly. This can't be a bad thing, right? Unfortunately, in many respects it is, at least for the issue of ownership within the music industry. People are beginning to demand music everywhere, all the time, and many expect to get this for free. In January 2016, Spotify revealed that it had passed 100 million active users, and while this might seem like a great number, only 25 million users actually pay for Spotify's Premium service, leaving 75 million un-paying 'freemium' tier users. Artists and record labels alike have attacked and even boycotted the 'unlimited' music streaming service over the issue of being compensated fairly for the tracks over which they have right of ownership. Adele, Taylor Swift and Prince are just examples of artists who have taken the fight against Spotify - a fight which they say is for the "up and coming artist...for the future of the music industry." The issue of ownership is especially prevalent within the streaming industry, and artists and record labels will no longer stand for it.

An interesting aspect of music ownership within the Big Three is the idea of "integration". Horizontal Integration allows for the merging of direct competitors within the music industry - for example, the merging of EMI into Sony Music is an immensely significant aspect of horizontal integration which effects the idea of ownership within the industry. Sony Music is now the largest music publisher in the world, claiming ownership of over 2 million songs - Sony's existing 750,000 copyrights and EMI's 1.5 million, including the Estate of Michael Jackson. Many fans of the merge would argue that it allows for a greater choice for consumers in regards to music exchange and, therefore, the expansion of the music industry. However, many critics of this move would argue that this cannibalization means that the a greater market share is going to a smaller number of companies (3) and, thus, it is more difficult for independent labels to compete.

Lateral integration is arguably integral (pardon the pun) for the music industry's survival as it links the ownership of one song - whether it be under the original artist's ownership or under a major record label's ownership - and places it in many different mediums e.g. Film, Video-Games, TV etc. One arguably revolutionary tool has made it easier than ever for artists to engage their ownership of their tracks in lateral integration - that tool is known as Sync Licencing, a feature which CD Baby has recently introduced. This allows smaller, more independent artists to laterally integrate and licence their music for use in video games, movies, YouTube videos and so on. This marks a turning point within the independent music industry - it gives independent artists a greater degree of control over what they do with the ownership rights they have over their music, and allows them to take full advantage of the tools available to record label conglomerates like The Big Three.

One more recent issue surrounding the idea of ownership within the music industry is the emergence of so-called "360-degree" record deals. This is a record deal that hands over permission and responsibility to the label for all aspects of marketing, merchandise, touring, music ownership etc. The catch-all clause of the 360-degree deal is that the artist is essentially giving the label a financial interest in everything else that the artist does in the entertainment business. This is a double-edged sword for many artists, and many may choose not to accept these deals. However, the 360-degree record deal does exist, it is growing and it is having a massive effect on the idea of ownership - not only of music, but on every aspect of an artist's revenue stream. This is a major break away from the ideas of yore when an artist would sign many contracts with many different companies and labels for publishing, distribution, marketing etc. Indeed, acts like the Pussycat Dolls and Paramore are rumoured to have signed to 360-degree record deals, proving their popularity amongst artists.

Synergy, the act of releasing cross-medium promotional material to support music products, is an integral part of music ownership and exchange. This can include the release of music videos, for example. However, one has to wonder whether cross-promotional synergy is for the elite, major record labels and artists only. It only makes sense that the major record labels have the budget and connections to do this with ease. However, I believe that it is a falsity to say that synergy is for the elite. With the widening access that comes with the idea of Web 2.0, it has become easier than ever for smaller, independent labels and artists to pick up a camera and start filming their own music video, which they have complete creative control over, as opposed to the artists under contract with any of the Big Three.

The issue of ownership also affects the production process from within the record labels as well as the external issues of the exchange of music products. It is important to note that there are a number of positives to being under the ownership of a Big Three record label. These directly impact the production of the artist's album. Most prominently these include access to a greater quality recording studio resulting in higher quality, more polished music recordings. Simply put, the Big Three have better connections and budgets than independent labels, and are behind the most music sales in the industry. It might be a case of selling one's soul, but if production value, marketing and 'making it' is all you care about, it might be worth it.

As is evident, the issue of ownership is an interesting, diverse issue which is central to the survival and core of the music industry. It has had rippling effects on both the production and exchange of music products within the industry and is an issue that will no doubt continue to be as controversial, as relevant and as important in the years to come.

Convergence, synergy and marketing

Hi folks

The next question I want you to focus on is:

"Cross-media convergence and synergy are vital to the successful marketing of music products to audiences in the music industry". Discuss the extent to which you agree with this statement.

You need to develop an argument here- is this always true?
What I would suggest doing here is looking at a number of artists' marketing campaign (either successful or unsuccessful ones) and seeing how they employed cross-media convergence and synergy. Is it necessary to employ these strategies in order to market properly?
Is synergy really only available to those on or a subsidiary of a major label?
Look at the release of Radiohead's new album- did they employ these solely/not at all/or in tandem with a range of other marketing strategies?
Look at the release of Beyonce's new material, or the Life of Pablo, or Skepta's new album etc?
Try to evaluate how successful they have been and why, along with the impact upon audiences.
Are there any new shifts and trends in marketing behaviours? What about Madonna's attempt at using every social media platform under the sun? Are audiences sceptical of some types of marketing?
Push\pull marketing, viral marketing, traditional methods, windowing, gamification etc....

EXAMINER'S ADVICE, GENERAL:

The question provided suitable differentiation of candidate responses; it allowed candidates to use their case study material to formulate an argument that responded to the question. The question provoked a range of responses from candidates many of whom were able to discuss the role of cross-media convergence and synergy in the marketing of media products. The best answers were able to create a debate around the necessity of cross-media convergence and synergy in engaging appropriate audiences; strong candidates were frequently able to draw contrasts between strategies used by mainstream and independent producers and the ways that these built mass or niche target markets.

The best answers tended to come from candidates who had been well prepared with detailed, contemporary case studies and were able to select relevant material from these to respond to the question. Many candidates were able to build their own experiences as consumers into their responses and were able to contextualise these through wider understanding of the relationships between producers and audiences. More candidates are able to show awareness of the trends and strategies that categorise the contemporary media landscape. Lesser achieving candidates often misunderstood what was meant by cross-media convergence and synergy or got the two terms confused, others struggled to define the terms at times.

The highest achieving candidates used focussed textual exemplification from their case studies to create a debate centred around the relative strengths of distribution practices and marketing strategies offered by institutions to engage with appropriate target audiences. Strong candidates were also frequently able to draw contrasts between mainstream and independent producers, and/or mass audience/niche audience targeting. More candidates were able to show awareness of the trends and strategies that categorise the contemporary media landscape, which included the continued transformation of older industry practice in the digital and online age.

Strong responses from candidates displayed a wide range of relevant and contemporary examples of marketing and cross-media convergence and synergy in their chosen area and could discuss these examples with confidence. Those candidates that fared less well used a ‘saturation approach’ to address the question, writing all they could remember, rather than addressing the set question.

In these cases, candidates struggled to deliver knowledge and understanding of marketing campaigns in relation to the media area studied. This resulted in ‘all I know’ essays, where marketing knowledge was limited to the odd reference to poster, trailer, online marketing and consequently could not address the question set. Centres are reminded that they need to teach all areas of the required specification to candidates.

Where centres had only prepared a limited case study, candidates did not have enough evidence to make a persuasive response to the question set. Also there was a neglect of the role of the audience by some candidates who tended to focus on a potted history of the institution and not address the key concepts being examined. It is advised that centres ensure appropriate preparation for this section by covering audience in the same depth as institutions. At the same time centres should not ‘over-teach’ audience theory – ‘hypodermic needle’ or ‘uses and gratifications’, instead centres should focus on the audience as a consumer, a market or as a targeted group.

There is still a tendency to teach case study material which is out of date, for example, Working Title – Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Notting Hill (1999), Bridget Jones Dairies (2001). There are so many other choices to study with candidates, which will empower them to perform better in the examination. Centres should be careful with anecdotal evidence – examples from or regarding YouTube, Facebook, Apps and games consoles need to be grounded within specific arguments relating to media texts – the general use of these online technologies without context should be avoided. 

Music Industry
Yet again the music industry proved to be a popular area for study. The best answers were able to contextualise factual knowledge within an argument, with good use of detailed examples. The majority of music industry case studies focused on comparing a major and an independent, with Domino coming up often. On the whole the case studies were prepared well with the candidates exploring the fact that Major labels are part of conglomerates who get to utilise synergy in a host of ways, with examples coming from artists being used in films, through to TV (X-factor & Syco, BBC and The Voice) and promotion through print outlets like NME and Kerrang music publications.

Candidates were able to argue that bigger companies are more reliant on cross-media campaigns and synergy, but independent companies often use a number of creative alternatives. These were best discussed when linked to individual artists/tracks and detailed knowledge of individual campaigns was in evidence. Some candidates concentrated on issues of distribution, discussing music formats, downloading and piracy as key areas, but often these were not contextualised by the demands of the question.

The most able candidates were able to show a good understanding of marketing practices in the online age and could contrast the practices of a media conglomerates, predominantly Universal and Sony and EMI in comparison with ‘indie’ labels, such as Domino, Jalapeno, XL and Rough Trade record labels. Candidates could effectively discuss the practices used by major record companies to maximise reach and profits, providing exemplification of vertical and horizontal integration, which were vital to such media institutions. Most of the answers seen looked at Sony and Universal music and offered contrast with a range of independent companies such as Rough Trade, Domino, Ghostbox and Finders Keepers records. The question was designed to provide opportunities for candidates to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of digital distribution, marketing practices and audience consumption.
Discussion of independents' use of Web 2.0 as a distribution and marketing tool was sometimes naive, suggesting that any band could become successful this way, irrespective of the financial investment required. Some candidates need to clarify their knowledge of third party companies such as Apple and their relationship with music institutions and audiences.

Candidates should be careful in solely relying on Spotify as a case study and on the discussion of illegal downloading, because candidates answers could not specifically discuss the how a media company could market a product and such approaches restricted candidates understanding of the symbiosis between institution and audience. 

Ownership advice and structure

The last question was Discuss the issues raised by media ownership in the production and exchange of music products in the music industry.

Whilst the focus of the question is OWNERSHIP, it is how this impacts upon the methods of production and exchange (sales, streaming, merchandising, piracy, downloads etc).

Introduction to ownership, what it is and how it has been changed in recent years. Oligopoly vs independence. Conglomerates. Has the playing field been levelled through web 2.0 or is this a misconception? Big 4 has recently become Big 3. Good for consumer/producer?

Areas to discuss:
horizontal/vertical integration/lateral integration and the benefits for large labels in terms of mass production and exchange. Has it led to more choice or a shrinking of the market. Cannibalisation? 
Can independent labels compete?

Synergy- is this only accessible to large labels? How does this affect production and exchange and access to consumption of product?

Mass audience vs Niche Audience... Long-tail? Is the long tail a myth?
360 deals-pros/cons http://www.musicindie.com/news/1270
http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2013/07/02/threesixty/
Are there advantages/disadvantages in terms of producing and exchanging products by being an independent/subsidiary/big label? What about piracy, copyright, rights management, DRM and artistic freedom?

Is it possible to achieve a global reach without being a part of a major label? How so/not?

What does the future hold?

Conclusions

You need to support your argument with a range of major/independent examples and use media terminology throughout.



Examiner advice:

The question has been approached by candidates in a number of different ways. Some candidates chose to examine a media area with a range of examples of ownership, whilst others focused on a single institution and the range of products produced across different media. The most frequently occurring method was to compare two or three different companies, usually a mainstream and an independent media company. Where candidates were focused on the set question and were able to discuss the impact of media ownership on a range of products they found themselves able to articulate a discussion of the contemporary media in relation to ownership. Those who took this approach were able to discuss the forms of ownerships and discuss differences between mainstream, conglomerate led institutions and independent smaller scale companies. Within these responses candidates could quite rightly discuss the impact of horizontal and vertical integration and cross media ownership. As a result candidates got to grips with the range of products and services available, the importance of an institution’s scale and size in relation to its marketing, distribution and its access to local and global markets, and to an extent, how the online age and changing technologies have affected opportunities in the areas outlined above. Lesser performing candidates had little to say on media ownership, many appeared under prepared and could simply describe ownership without any form of discourse on the question set, omitting the use of key evaluation skills. At the bottom end there were many brief responses to question two (or no response offered at all to the question) and at times there appeared to be a common misconception of what was meant by media ownership.

Most candidates’ responses focused on film and music. The strongest responses were derived from detailed case studies of specific institutions with examples of particular texts/artists to illustrate institutional practice, particularly where the case studies offered contrast. The best responses were well focused on the question and were able to shape their case study material accordingly. Many weaker candidates simply presented pre-prepared answers which regurgitated learned material with little actual consideration of the question set - this particularly appeared to be the case where issues of piracy were discussed without any real sense of how this had an impact on the range of products offered by institutions.
Too many candidates are still offering historical accounts of their chosen industries or companies. Equally problematic are the number of candidates focusing on texts rather relationships between institutions and audiences. A significant number of centres are using examples that are no longer contemporary; This Is England (2006) was a common example. 

Task for Weekend 6 May

Hi folks,

As I mentioned this morning, I want you to go back over your Music Industry blogs and include case studies and information from your own research, my handouts, my twitter feed, this blog and the ideas raised in class, as next week we will start to structure these into plans and essays. As I said before, by all means discuss your habits and behaviours, your own favourite bands and artists, or even your own/friends' bands.

If you haven't already done so, look at the 3 posts on this blog from March which deal with the Music Industry, including a Revision Booklet. You were meant to do this weeks ago, but it's still not too late!!


Could you also please have a go at creating an essay plan with your ideas, info, argument and terminology on the question below-

Discuss the issues raised by media ownership in the production and exchange of music products in the music industry.

Remember, construct an argument, use a good range of examples and media terminology.



If you put everything onto your music blog, it makes it easy for me to help you and edit your responses, rather than print out essays.

Thanks and have a good weekend!

PPQ 2

"Evaluate the role of digital technologies in the marketing and consumption of products in the Music Industry."

Hi folks, this is the next PPQ I would like you to focus on. Use the handouts I gave you, along with my Twitter account and your own ideas to make notes on how Indie and Major record labels/artists have used new technologies to market their products; how audiences can engage with that marketing; and how digital technology has affected the models and patterns of consumption with music audiences. If you could do this for Friday 29 April please. Thanks.

Evaluation and Hand-in

0. In the evaluation the following seven questions must be addressed:
   1.In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products.
   2.How does your media product represent particular social groups?
   3.What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
   4.Who would be the audience for your media product?
   5.How did you attract/address your audience? 
   6.What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
1. 7.Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product? 
   
   Your evaluation needs to use multimedia, such as YouTube, Emaze, Prezi, Wix, Slideshare etc. I highly recommend making a video for each question- you could use a variety of those software to present your ideas and then use screen record on QuickTime and talk over the video. This makes 20% of your mark.
   
   You should show a close to finished version to your desired audience, get feedback and make any changes necessary.
   
   I want your video to be finished for Wednesday 27 April, along with all of research and planning complete on blogs, as I will be marking that 80% then. 
2. 
   Your evaluations must be finished for Wednesday 4 May and all of thes dates are non-negotiable. Your timekeeping and punctuality constitute part of your marks. If you need any help just ask.

PPQ

Hi folks, this question is to be done and typed for Thursday 14 April:

The increase in hardware and content in the music industry has had a significant impact on producers and audiences in recent times. Discuss.

Music Industry Task

Folks, please begin reading the Music Industry posts in order from 1-3 as a starting point for this module.

What you need to do is make notes, or indeed create a music industry blog/site/emaze etc
and for each of these areas
consumption
production
distribution
marketing
sales
piracy
ownership
convergence & synergy
technological hardware and software

You need to have specific case study information for each of these areas. I recommend that you compare and contrast how major labels and artists Vs independent labels and artists approach these areas.

Spend time each day researching each one of these and making notes (I would recommend spending at least 2 days at 1.5 hours per day per topic) over the next 2.5 weeks. Whenever we come back we'll begin to look at essay and structural approaches.

Music Industry 3

Death of the Longtail
https://musicindustryblog.wordpress.com/2014/03/04/the-death-of-the-long-tail/

Streaming Music Revenue Passes Downloads At Warner Music Group For 1st Time;
http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2015/05/streaming-music-revenue-passes-downloads-at-warner-music-group-for-1st-time.html

"All models are better than piracy" > WMG boss warns rivals not to do away with freemium streaming
http://musically.com/2015/05/12/wmg-boss-freemium-at-the-stake/

"It won’t make people magically pay $9.99 a month" > Killing Freemium is the Worst Thing for Artists
https://medium.com/cuepoint/killing-freemium-is-the-worst-thing-for-artists-5c1b022bad78

The vinyl chart: album sales saviour or celebration of a small success?
http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/apr/13/the-vinyl-chart-album-sales-saviour-or-celebration-of-a-small-success?CMP=share_btn_tw

Record Store Day.. Who really wins?
https://medium.com/cuepoint/the-toxicity-of-perception-8d4f151246e6

Streaming and Beyond: Apple Will Lead the Way to the Next Music Experience
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ellevate/streaming-and-beyond-appl_b_6996898.html?


How much do musicians really make from Spotify, iTunes and YouTube?
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/apr/03/how-much-musicians-make-spotify-itunes-youtube?CMP=twt_gu

Streaming, a "goldmine for acquiring huge fan bases"
http://blog.midem.com/2015/03/interview-nick-parry-streaming-services-goldmine-acquiring-huge-fanbases/#.VVM-x159RBV

94% of Radio 1’s most-played songs in 2014 were major label releases
http://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/94-of-radio-1s-most-played-songs-in-2014-were-major-label-releases/

Streaming Report Card 2014
https://musicindustryblog.wordpress.com/2014/12/19/streaming-report-card-2014/

Music Industry 2

AS Level Media Studies - Audiences and Institutions (Music) - Revision Booklet from Marcio Sargento

MUSIC INDUSTRY 1

The second part of your exam focuses in on the Music Industry.

The areas you need to cover are consumption, production, distribution, marketing, sales, piracy, ownership, convergence, synergy, technological hardware and software. Ultimately you are trying to understand the ways in which the internet and technology has impacted upon the music industry across all of those areas in the last number of years.

Production - making the music product: writing, recording, mixing, etc. (If discussing this in an exam, issues relating to funding for production and the technologies that now enable artists to have home studios, etc. are all relevant).

Distribution - Getting the product/music to the audience, physically or digitally (release strategies are part of this).

Marketing - Often seen as part of the distribution process, this is about reaching an audience and promoting a product. (Consider the traditional forms of promotion, the more innovative approaches using online media, and also, cross media promotion and synergy as part of marketing).

Exchange - point at which the audience consumes or interacts with the music/product. Consider the wide range of ways in which this can happen now.

Independent – artist or label that is not managed by/owned by a Big 3 music group or large media conglomerate.  For example, Adele with XL or Dr Rubberfunk with Jalepeno Records

Major label – The Big 3: Sony, Universal, Warner https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_label

Mass Audience – Large audience, covering a wide range of demographics, for example Leona Lewis (with Syco records – a Sony label) targeting an international audience.

Niche Audience – Smaller, more specialised audience, for example Dr Rubberfunk appeals to a niche audience and particularly those who are into funk or nu jazz genres of music.

Media Ownership – Who owns the music/media involved? What is the institutional structure? Who has creative control? Who dominates/has power in the music industry?

Conglomerate – Usually refers to huge organisations that own many smaller companies, often across different industries.  For example, Sony corporation who own a range of media and technology companies and are one of the 6 biggest media conglomerates (globally) – Sony Music group is one section of the Sony conglomerate.

Oligopoly – Domination by a few companies, for example the Big 3 dominate the music recording industry making it harder for independents to compete. (monopoly = domination by one, duopoly = domination by two).

Horizontal Integration - Where direct competitors within the same industry merge.  This reduces competition and costs.  Consider the number of record labels that come under the Sony Music Group now.  All the Big 3 are horizontally integrated within the music industry.

Horizontal integration can also be across a range of media industries within a media conglomerate. So, as described above, Sony music group is horizontally integrated as it has many record labels dealing with the production of music (between them they cover a large part of the market).

Lateral Integration - own companies across a range of media and other industries. Sony Corporation is a large media conglomerate who is laterally integrated across a range of media indusries, for example film, music and video games as well as producing media hardware, etc. If you put all of Sony's media companies together then they can be seen to be a dominant institution in global media (one of the 6 biggest media conglomerates).

Vertical integration - Where a company has a stake in production, distribution and exhibition.  Reduces costs and gives complete access to audiences without need to go elsewhere.  I.e. Sony is vertically integrated as has the capability to carryout the whole process from finding/developing talent all the way through to providing live music streaming services to audiences. Jalepeno records are not vertically integrated (they do deals with separate company Kudos for distribution, etc.).

Synergy - Where spin off products and services are created on the back of a successful music track, e.g. music videos.  Often involves companies, products or services coming together for mutual benefit and cross-promotion. 

Cross Media Convergence - This is always a tricky term and it is useful to consider it in relation to both technological convergence and synergy rather than in isolation. Cross media convergence can be understood as different media industries or media companies coming together, often this is to create more opportunities for promotion (including cross promotion and synergy) or to create new revenue streams.  The Beatles Rock Band and BBC's The Voice to demonstrate cross media convergence.  Music videos are also examples of this.  Cross media convergence can also be understood in terms of many forms of media all being accessible from one platform - you can see the overlap with technological convergence here.  There are an increasing number of websites that converge different media. For example, Facebook enables you to watch music videos, listen to Soundcloud clips, read music reviews, interact with the artist/band, play games/widgets relating to an artist, etc.

Technological Convergence - The process by which a range of media platforms are integrated within a single piece of media technology, e.g. a smartphone (used to need a number of different devices to access/use all the different types of media that you can now access/use with a Smartphone).

Proliferation of hardware & content - increasing numbers of new media devices are created which create opportunities for new media content (music, music videos, music apps, music TV, music films, music podcasts, viodcasts, social networking, etc.)

360 degree deal - Artist treated as a whole brand and all possible revenue streams (not just music) are exploited. 
http://www.musicindie.com/news/1270
http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2013/07/02/threesixty/

Meda platform - The technology (hardware or software - so includes websites/applications) that gives you access to media. 

Digital Aggregation - Digital aggregators (such as The Orchard or PIAS Digital) act as distributors in the online world, supplying downloads from labels and artists to online retailers (such as iTunes, Napster etc).



 

G322 INSTITUTIONS AND AUDIENCES past questions from Hélène Galdin-O'Shea 

Planning Tasks

Hi folks,
You now need to start having a look at the logistics of your film. The following things have to be done before you begin to film-

1. Actor research- who is needed, what should they look like, how should they act, dialogue, accent, movement

2. Costume research

3. Location recce and research

4. Setting research

5. Props research

6. You need to draw up a shooting schedule and diary. It may also be worth looking at things like weather forecasts for you film days. It will need to contain who needs to be there, equipment needed, storyboards and scripts for scenes, advice for actors, costume and props needed, travel details, timetables etc- all to help you manage your time and roles efficiently so that shooting goes smoothly. Everyone should contribute to and be able to access this information.

7. Allocation of roles and responsibilities- you need to outline and understand your role and duties in the group; try to use each others' area of strength and expertise

Task Checklist

Hi Folks, below is a checklist of steps that each individual and group needs to go through before the commencement into the making of your actual film. You get marked for all of these stages and the more detailed analysis and reflection you can provide, the higher your marks are going to be.

1. THE PITCH- we need you to pitch your idea to me and the class, so you are going to have to summarise your idea as briefly as possible.

2. THE TREATMENT- this is a more detailed version of the idea in essay form and acts as a bridge between your pitch and your screenplay. (these will be distributed to the class for feedback)

3. THE STORYBOARDS- these should be carefully drawn with detail. Look at some really famous ones here http://screencrush.com/movie-storyboards/

4. THE ANIMATIC- take photos of the individual storyboards and turn these into a short video in Final Cut to be published to Youtube.

5. THE SCREENPLAY- have a look at the screenplay for the Social Network http://flash.sonypictures.com/video/movies/thesocialnetwork/awards/thesocialnetwork_screenplay.pdf and try to put into practice the codes and conventions used (these will be distributed to the class for feedback). You could sign up for a free trial of script formatting software such as CELTX https://www.celtx.com

Once you have these done, your group will present your pitch, treatment, animatic and screenplay to the class. It may also be an idea to have prepared a questionnaire for the class to give you any suggestions or constructive feedback.

These will begin on Monday 8 February and constitute part of your marks. They will be filmed and embedded on your blogs.

via GIPHY

More tasks

Hi Folks

Some more things for you to work on:

 1. Look at the target audience for the film and how each film attracted their target audience.

2. What type of company distributes your chosen films?

3. How have social groups been represented in these films and how does this relate to the target audience?

4. What are audience expectations for these films?

5. Try and present your findings in an interesting digital format (video-log, Glogster, Prezi, Wordle, Soundcloud, Slideshare, Blogger, Charts, Graphs, Questionnaires etc).

** Also, please ensure that you have analysed the title sequence of 2 films, making a note of all of the timings of director, actors, roles etc etc**

WORK DUE FOR MONDAY 18 JANUARY

Hi Folks

As you are on Work Experience next week, it is important that you continue to do research, otherwise you will be very far behind.

Now that you have chosen your genre, you need to analyse what the codes and conventions (or the set rules that your type of film follows so that the audience is quickly able to identify the type of film they are watching) of your genre are.

Once you have this done, begin to analyse in terms of 
1 titles
2 music
3 shot types
4 mise en scene
5 recurring themes and character types
 and whether each film follows or challenges the codes and conventions for this genre. If you are working in a group, choose 5 DIFFERENT films to analyse.

THIS TASK IS TO BE COMPLETED FOR MONDAY 18 JANUARY. THANKS!

Main Task

It's very useful to have a look at http://ocrmediastudies.weebly.com/coursework-with-levels.html to get a sense of expectations and mark bands before you begin.

The brief:

Video 
Preliminary exercise: Continuity task involving filming and editing a character opening a door, crossing a room and sitting down in a chair opposite another character, with whom she/he then exchanges a couple of lines of dialogue. This task should demonstrate match on action, shot/reverse shot and the 180-degree rule. 
Main task: the titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes. 
All video and audio material must be original, produced by the candidate(s), with the exception of music or audio effects from a copyright-free source. Both preliminary and main tasks may be done individually or as a group. Maximum four members to a group. 

Full Specifciation: http://www.ocr.org.uk/images/81037-specification.pdf

There are 20 marks available for research and planning your project. The tasks detailed below will help you maximise your marks for this area:

1.You will give a detailed analysis of the codes and conventions of the chosen genre/sub-genre you have picked (this MUST NOT be a copy and paste exercise).

2. I would suggest that you would then choose a minimum of FIVE films to analyse in terms of titles, music, shot types, mise en scene and whether this film follows or challenges the codes and conventions for this genre. If you are working in a group, choose 5 DIFFERENT films to analyse.

3. Look at the target audience for the film and how each film attracted their target audience.

3. What type of company distributes your chosen films?

4. How have social groups been represented in these films and how does this relate to the target audience?

5. What are audience expectations for these films?

6. Try and present your findings in an interesting digital format (video-log, Glogster, Prezi, Wordle, Soundcloud, Slideshare, Blogger, Charts, Graphs, Questionnaires etc).