The Pussycat Dolls - Top of the World

Here is our chosen song:

New Track and Idea :)

After being split into our group, Nisha and I finally agreed on a song choice.

We decided to go for The Pussycat Dolls - On Top of The World.

After listening to this track we came up with the inspiration to shoot a bit of our footage in New York City as we are both going there in the half term and it seems to fit with the lyrics very well.

I have realised just how much more we are into this project now that we are doing a music genre we like and a song we will not get sick of. After pitching our idea to the class and getting a lot of positive feedback from it, I am feeling a lot more confident about going ahead with the project with just the two of us.

Ahhh im so excited, lets hope this is the beginning of amazing things to come :)

DYM MYSPACE FEEDBACK

Very good Myspace research, Loren. You clearly show conventions of pages and purpose. You should link the web page examples to your blog, and also add some detailed semiotic analysis to your notes.

New Group

After coming to the conclusion that our groups hearts were not fully in the project and that we were not working to our full potential as a group we decided to split up into two smaller groups, Nisha and Me and Jack and Shaun. I think as me and Nisha have similar music tastes it will be easier for us to choose a song and as we are a lot closer as friends i feel we can interact with each other a lot more and really speak the truth.

After we decided to split our group i immediately went away and had a browse around for some songs. I blogged them up on the group blog and told Nisha to have a look. After looking at my range of songs she also came up with a few that she thought would be good.

Together we came up with a short list of songs which were:

The Pussycat Dolls - On Top Of The World

Ciara - Pucker Up

Lady Gaga - Sillyboy

Out of these 3 songs we were going to pick our final song. After some discussion we both agreed that the Lady Gaga song would not be beneficial to do as she already has a distinct image and to break away from this may be hard. So we each allocated ourselves a song and decided to come up with a treatment for it.

Overall i think we are working well together and it seems like our similar taste in music is really helping this process of picking a song a lot easier and therefore making the project move a lot faster than it was before. Also as we are both doing a song we like, we are both keen to do work involved with it and are constantly discussing it, showing our excitement. Anyway my treatment of Ciara- Pucker Up is on the group blog. Hopefully we can decide on a song by tomorrow :)

Effectiveness of Different Album Covers

Different album covers are created for different purposes therefore making them effective in different ways. Personally i believe that all album covers that are created are effective as they all work to the strengths of the artists however certain onces are more effective than others due to them being more focussed on their target audience or being more mysterious to make the audience want to learn more. Here are an example of a few album covers which have caught my attention at being effective:

Madonna - Celebration

This album is both a greatest hits album and an album containing her new singles. It therefore draws on the greatest hits element in the front cover using an iconic image of her from when she was younger. Fans of hers would recognise this and therefore feel nostalgic and want to buy the album. However she has put an effect on the image to make it seem very like pop art. It therefore grabs the audiences attention as it makes it a very striking, distinctive image, and even people who are not her fans end up wanting to know more. This also gives the image a modern twist therefore combining both new and old perfectly, exactly what the album has done. This therefore is a very effective album as it both sells the album to the audience using nostalgic images and bright, eye catching colours and also gives a sense of what the album is about from just looking at the front cover. A very clever idea.

Paramore - Riot

This album cover focuses on the idea of doodling and therefore giving it a very unprofessional look. All over the front it black biro with the words 'Riot' scribbled all over it. From this the audience know that the name of the album is 'Riot', however they do not know who it is by. At second glance, however, the audience can notice that one of the scribbles actually says 'Paramore' therefore giving away the name of the band. The fact that the cover draws on the notion of being self made makes it eye catching and different. Also it is outrageous showing off the personality of the band. The fact that the title of the band is camouflaged in amongst the rest of the doodles makes the audience curious and therefore spend a long time looking at the cover, enticing them to buy it more. This album cover is effective because of the general unprofessional feel of the cover which is very unusual and therefore makes it stand out from the crowd.

Oasis- Definately Maybe

With this being their debut album they wanted to sell the band to the audience and get them well known. However unlike many other artists, they have done this in a very quirky way which catches the audiences attention. They have placed all band members on the cover but in a situation which seems fairly normal and everyday. They are all watching TV and relaxing, with glasses of wine in what looks like a typically british living room, with one of them playing guitar. It creates an image for them of being typically british lads, being fairly lazy and loving the TV. The british audience will draw on this fact as they will see the situation as being recognisable and will therefore take a closer look at the album. They have put the 'Oasis' signiture font at the top of the album, big enough for the audience to notice it but not too big for the attention to be drawn away from the band. I think this cover is effective because it draws on the right balance for being quirky and yet still selling the band for a debut album. The audience can recognise the band, build up and image for them but yet still not feel bored by the image.

Pussycat Dolls Album Cover Deconstruction

Pussycat Dolls - Doll Domination

Front

• One main image - Long Shot, slightly low angle
• On motorbikes on a road
• Posed in a powerful way - emphasising 'domination'
• Background is lots of famous landmarks - silhouetted and faded
• Each bike has the initial of their first names - fans will know their names and therefore recognise this
• Road is painted with different names of cities - taking over the world and enforcing 'domination'
• Girls are central and biggest thing on the cover - selling them as they are most important
• Dominant colours are nautical - showing power and sexiness
• Pussycat Dolls logo at the top of the album between the two words of the title - shows importance of them and are selling them as a band
• Bold but simple font - focus on the image and band logo rather than the font
• White font on red banner continuing the nautical theme
• Directly addressing the camera - flirting with the camera and enticing people to buy the album
• Title acts as a headline for the image and anchors it well - small in comparison
• Very little clothes - provocative nature and iconic sexy image of the band
• Midriff's on show - showing off their dancers body and using it to sell the album
• Nicole Scherzinger in the middle showing she is the most important
• It is a cover where girls aspire to be like them and men fantasise over them - using their sexuality and perfection to sell the album
• Typical 'perfect' girl group image with hair blowing, full makeup, perfect bodies, fashionable clothing - mainstream

Back

• Black, red and white are main colours - connect back and front and are nautical theme again
• Song numbers are in red and titles in black distinguishing between the numbers and titles of the song
• The titles of the songs are in bold and any collaborations are in lower case - importance of title over collaboration artists
• Main image is central and takes up most of the space - band are the most important things and will sell the album
• Main image is of the band posing on a bar - long shot and slight low angle
• Very little, sexy clothing - iconic of the band and using their perfect bodies and sexiness to sell the album and promote the band image
• Posing in flexible positions - iconic of the band and drawing on the dancers side of the band in order to sell it
• Nicole Scherzinger is central showing she is the most important
• Same road is used in the image showing a link between the back and front covers
• Directly addressing the camera again - enticing in the audience
• Using the fact that girls will want to be like them and guys will want to be with them in order to promote the artist
• Bar code on the right hand side
• Bold and simplistic font - does not draw attention away from the main feature, the band
• Fashionably clothed, full makeup, perfect hair, perfect bodies - typical mainstream girl group
• Institutional information is small in comparison to the other information - insignificant in comparison to the band as that is what is selling the album

Spine

• Name of the band
• Title of the album
• Both take a central position as these are the most important things as that is what audiences will look for when looking for albums that have been stacked away
• Same bold, simple font tying it in with the covers
• Same cream background used tying it in with the covers
• Serial number and record label in smaller font at either end - not as important but still needed on the spine
• Very simplistic compared to the rest of the album cover - just tells basic information as it is needed to do the job quickly

Album Covers Research

What are the typical features of an album cover?

• Name of the artist - dominates
• Name of the album
• One main shot of the artist/band on the front cover
• A colour scheme/theme connecting back and front cover
• Song list on the back
• An image on the back cover relating to the one on the front in some way - once again usually of the artist
• Bar code on back cover
• Colour scheme used throughout relating to the image artists or title of the album
• Name of the executive producers, managers and record labels on the back
• Logos of companies which helped with the album on the back - institutional information
• Links to the band/artist websites on back
• Logo of the band -typeface - visual motif
• Stickets promoting the album on front
• Parental advisory warnings on front
• Style of packaging - front, back and spine
• Price labels and offers
• Debut albums create an image
• Later albums are more fan based
• Greatest hits use nostalgia to sell

How would you categorise album covers?

• Genre
• Gender
• Era
• How famous the artist is e.g. debut
• Number of previous albums
• Types of album
• Style
• Record label
• Packaging
• Tone of album
• Target audience
• Band or solo artist

What are the purposes of album covers?

• To sell the artist
• To promote the artist
• Catch the audience's attention to sell the product
• Encourage people to buy the artists music
• To create and image/brand/identity for the artist and their music - distinctive
• Get people talking about the artist and their music
• To make more money for the artist
• To show off the artists music to the audience
• To show off the producer of the album
• To show off the genre of the music
• To create a target audience
• To sell the institutional identity

Myspace and Artist Website Deconstructions

Dizzee Rascal's Website

• Uses his new album font
• Pastal coloured theme in a wide variety of colours showing his craziness
• Lots of advertising of his new album encouraging fans to order it
• Gives links to websites you can buy his album from again encouraging the audience to buy it
• Links to his blog so his fans can keep up to date with him
• Allows fans to contact him in order to gain contact
• Allows fans to download wallpapers etc therefore marketing him as a brand
• Centered around his new album
• List of his dates down the right hand side encouraging fans to buy tickets and advertising them
• Main page is all latest news items about him so people can keep up to date with him and encourage them to view everything about him
• Links to view photos of him
• Link to a special page with all his records advertising them to the public and encouraging people to buy them
• Link to his own TV show DirteeStank TV which allows fans to watch him personally as he lives his life like reality TV which gives them a personal insight
• Gives a link to his myspace page to allow them to work together to market him
• Very wacky and fun which represents him

Christina Aguilera's Website

• Candy pink stripy pink background
• Pop art theme which is bright and eye catching and exciting for the audience
• Gives the latest news about Christina allowing fans to stay up to date
• Shows tour dates encouraging fans to buy tickets
• Advertises various products by her therefore using her and her music to market her other products etc her radio station and perfume
• Advertises her greatest hits album encouraging fans to buy it
• Allows fans to join her mailing list therefore becoming more personally involved with Christina Aguilera
• Gives links to her calender, press and news allowing fans to keep up to date with her
• Gives the audience a link to her music allowing them to listen to it and encourage them to buy it
• Link to her biography so they can learn more about her
• Gives the audience links to ringtones allowing them to download them therefore marketing her
• Loud and eccentric style which represents her
• Quite feminine using the pink but yet not too feminine which shows her personality
• Main image is of her kissing a pink panther looking glamourous which shows off her fun and flirty but yet stylish side
• Gives links to photos of her showing off her image to fans
• There is a forum where fans can discuss and give feedback on Christina Aguilera therefore making it a more personal experience
• Link to her store which sells her merchandise therefore marketing her other products and encouraging the audience to buy them
• Shows all the different charities which Christina Aguilera supports therefore giving a good impression to fans and encouraging them to take part too

Katy Perry's Myspace

• Red and green background showing off her different side as these two colours arent normally seen together
• Banner at the top of the page advertising her new album, new single available to download and buy, her store, her new video and her latest tour date therefore encouraging fans to buy all of her things and marketing her
• Allows people to listen to her latest singles and up and coming releases and therefore would encourage people to buy them when they are released
• Shows her blog posts keeping the audience up to date with her latest stories
• Advertising her main website with the enticement of a free song when you visit it
• Allows fans to add her as a friend/message her etc therefore making the fan base more intimate
• Gives links to pictures and videos of Katy Perry
• Shows her tour dates encouraging fans to buy tickets to go and see her
• Has a link enabling fans to vote for her at the MTV EMA's making fans feel inclined to do it
• Gives fans a number which they can call/text and leave Katy Perry a message making it more personal and allowing them to get involved
• Allows fans to sign up to her mailing list
• Has her 'Waking Up In Vegas' video on it in order for fans to view it for free and therefore advertising it
• Links to her twitter page therefore encouraging people to get more involved with her
• News stories about Katy are there allowing fans to keep up to date with her
• Clips of her past videos are also available to watch and therefore sell her previous singles
• Allows fans to get Katy Perry ringtones
• Very personal as there is a 'Things to Know' list and 'Influences' list therefore making fans feel closer to her and therefore more comfortable
• People can post comments on her wall giving her feedback or talk amongst each other about her therefore making it a more personal and interactive experience
• Lots of close up shots of Katy Perry to sell her to the audience

The Black Eyed Peas' Myspace

DYM HW FEEDBACK

Loren - the extended deadline for posting your marketing research has passed. You are missing your wikipedia case study research notes. Please post this work asap.
Mrs D.