Individual Research

Digipak:

Mainstream vs indie:

One main feature that can be seen throughout all the indie album covers compare to the mainstream covers is that the artists or band isn't as prominent on the front cover. On mainstream digipaks the key focus is on the artist, making sure they are the key feature of the frame and that all the attention is on them. Usually there is also more picture of the artist inside the digipak as well.

The pictures is usually a close up and really connotes the genre and the artists persona. For example both the Demi Lovato and Taylor swift photos are quite gentle and delicate. Their make up is light and feminine. Their hair is loose and wavy suggesting a natural feel to the images. The lighting is also high key and brightens the images.

However Jessie J's cover is the complete opposite, despite it being still in the mainstream category. The image is still a close up and makes her dominate the frame, making sure she is the main focus of attention. However it is clear she is trying to portray a completely different image to Taylor Swift and Demi Lovato. Her image is much more fierce and powerful. The dark make up and clothing harshly contrasts the white background suggesting she isn't as innocent as the others. Her straight jet black hair is the complete opposite to the 'natural' look that the other pop artists often try to present.

 The bright gold title is also the complete opposite to the others titles as well as Taylor Swift's and Demi Lovato's are quite subtle and blend in. However Jessie J's title is much more in your face really grabs your attention. Suggesting that the artists is really wanting to make an impression.

The McFly album cover is much different as it may be trying to appeal to a slightly different demographic. As they are a four piece band the label may be trying to represent them all equally. Therefore they have used the same size close up for each member. Subsequently not one stands out more than the other. The cartoon drawings of mouths connotes a slightly more playful and carefree side to the artist. The title again stands out quite a lot as it is placed in the centre of the frame. This draws the attention to the bands name. They also use the title as the source of the lighting, as the title spreads its light over the bands photographs, connoting the title of the album 'Radioactive' as it looks like a radioactive glow.

However the Indie covers are much different. All of the album covers I selected did not include the artist or band on the front cover. I feel like this is an important feature of indie covers and we should thing about this when creating our digipak.

On indie album covers there is usually either:
A photo that represents the album name or the artist.
A completely random photo that does not necessarily directly relate to the album or artist.



 For example James Bay's album cover is a sketch of him and his trade lock long hair and hat. For fans of James Bay this would be instantly recognisable and therefore there is no need for a set up close up of him, like the ones used on the mainstream covers. Due to the differences in target audience's there is a difference in the types of pictures used. Younger fans are more likely to be attracted to the image and persona presented by artists as well as their music. However a slightly older audience is more likely to just be attracted to the music alone.

The title is fairly plain but also a key part of the frame. Again due to the target audience there isn't any need for it to be extremely prominent and attention grabbing.

Similarly the Newton Faulkner album does not feature him on the cover. However it does reflect the title of the album 'Hand Built by Robots'. The slightly quirky album cover grabs the audiences attention but in a different way to the mainstream covers. The cartoon drawing almost reflects a deeper meaning and suggests a possible tone of the music. Again the title is subtle but carries out its job sufficiently.

This can be inspiring when we create our digipak, in that we can take the name of our album to create an image rather than using our band members. The quirkiness of the image is quite common in the indie / rock genre, so we should consider this in our products. Furthermore we could follow the James Bay cover and use an outline of our band rather than a clear close up of them. This would suggest that they are an indie band but may also be trying to appeal to more of a mainstream audience as well.

The Ben Howard and Coldplay albums are slightly different as their main images are not necessarily directly linked to either the artist or the album name.  However they may suggest the type and topic of the songs that will be present on the album. The images may be more about their inspiration rather than trying to appeal to the audience. We could use this in our album cover by trying to reflect the bands inspirations and deeper meanings of songs rather than reflecting the bands attitudes and personalities.


Videos:

The main different between mainstream and indie videos is the budget. Mainstream usually have a much higher budget and there for have bigger spectacle. Meaning they are more impressive to view. Whereas indie videos have much lower budgets so therefore have less impressive costumes and location so subsequently will probably have a simpler concept. A good example of a high end, high budget, mainstream video is Taylor Swifts 'Blank Space':

This video is clearly mainstream due to the impressive locations, props and costumes. The fancy cars and huge manor that establish the video are an instant signifier that the video will offer pleasing visual spectacle. This will be the key feature of the video and what will make it entertaining, rather than a complicated plot line. The video also clearly incorporates Andrew Goodwins theories of a successful mainstream music video, which are:

• It will demonstrate genre characteristics - this is done through the mise-en-scene, mainly through costume choice and location and setting. The editing also fits within the typical genre tropes of pop and the lighting is fairly high key, suggesting a light heartedness about the artist. 
• Lyrical representation through the visuals - this is done through the characters mouthing the lyrics as if they are conversing as well as Taylor being seen carving their names into a tree as the lyrics sing 'I'll write your name'. Furthermore on the lyrics 'i can show you incredible things' the visuals cut to a large white bedroom with an impressive four post bed and two live white horses stood either side. 
• The tone and atmosphere of the visuals represent that of the music - this is achieved through a light hearted love story at the beginning as the music is light and follows the pop genre, however we are then shown the relationship take a turn as the lyrics change to talk about the break down of the relationship.
• The demand of the record label will include many close ups of the artist - There are a lot of close ups of the artist, in different costumes and at different angles. As well as this she is in almost every scene. Therefore she has the majority of screen time and is often the key focus of the frame.

Although we do not have the budget or equipment for a mainstream video like this one, we can make sure that our video is appealing, professional and may appeal to a mainstream audience by incorporating Andrew Goodwin's theory into our product.

In Indie music videos the budget is often a lot lower and so therefore the concepts have to be much simpler. An example of this is Ben Howard's "keep your head up":

In this video the narrative is very basic, they are seen building a water slide out of haybales and then sliding down it. They only use one location, costume and there is no real story. However the video is still entertain and attractive. The spectacle this time is the use of framing, creative shows, imaginative use of lighting and shadows, and the fun / lightheartedness of the video that has a tone matching that of the audio.  The use of bubbles to break up the shots and frame are simple, low budget but extremely effective.

This is extremely important for when we come to create our video. We should bare in mind that sometimes the simple ideas are the most effective. Even with plain locations and a simple concept, with creative shot composition and natural cut aways the video can still be professional and successful.

However taking this idea we would need to make sure it still fit within our chosen genre of indie rock. We could do this by using an urban location rather than a rural one, use a darker colour scheme and low key lighting, carefully select our costumes making sure they were dark and typical of indie rock artists and change the editing pace to make sure it fits our chosen audio as well as the genre.

Website: 

After looking into different music websites I realised that whether it was mainstream or indie, they are all similar and aim to have the same effect. All included features such as music player, merchandise page,  tour dates, bio page, pictures and videos and links to social media. However similarly to the digipak the main difference of the two types of websites is the focus.

In mainstream websites the focus again is on the artist and the image they are trying to present. There are a lot of images of the artist and often the website has the same colour scheme and fonts as the artists most recent album. The key focus is usually on a music video which is placed on the home page. Big mainstream artists like One Direction also have a 'private' are of the website that only subscribed fans can access. These areas often include exclusive content such as unreleased photos and videos, previews of up and coming music and pre-access to tickets.

However Indie websites are usually slightly more basic. They do represent the genre however they usually stick to the general features of a website. Their focus may also be more on the products rather than the artist. Often as you enter an indie website their is a front page before you can reach the home page. This front page usually advertising an upcoming tour or new release. This is due to indie artists making most of their profit from live shows.

We should consider this with our website making sure that for it to clearly represent indie rock it contains the key features. We could also include a front page and make sure that it uses the same colour scheme, images and style as our digipak.