Group: Institutional context of the music industry

Who owns record labels?

Major labels since 2012:

1.    Universal Music Group 

2.    Sony Music Entertainment 

3.    Warner Music Group 

How are musicians promoted?

Musicians promote themselves through music videos and their music.
New types of deals are being made with artists called "multiple rights" or "360" deals with artists. These types of pacts give labels rights and percentages to artist's touring, merchandising, and endorsements. In exchange for these rights, labels usually give higher advancement payments to artists, have more patience with artist development, and higher percentages in CD sales. These 360 style deals are most effective when the artist is established and has a loyal fan base. For that reason, labels now have to be more relaxed with the development of artists because longevity is the key to these types of pacts. Several artists such as Paramore, Maino, and even Madonna have signed such types of deals.

How effective are music videos for promoting an artist?

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings
Music videos are significant because they promote the artist and are used as a form of advertisement, as well as show the creativity of the artist and the director, to represent the song how they wish to freely.

What is involved in a record deal?

A record deal is an agreement between a record label and a recording artist where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists under contract are normally only allowed to record for that label exclusively.

Who is responsible for branding/marketing decisions?

Marketing managers with record labels are responsible for promotional activity. They direct all marketing activity for the labels products and services. With a large label, they may be partly responsible for this under a marketing director. With a smaller label they may have other roles and have full responsibility for all the marketing of the label.

What is the production process for a music video?

Stage1. Pre-Production

This involves planning your aims and key messages specific to your target audience. This involves lots of interaction between the client and the production company. The final step is to produce a treatment or storyboard for the client to approve.

Stage2. Production

This is the actual making of the video and involves less interaction between the client and the production company. This then allows for the use of professional expertise and equipment to be used.

Stage3. Post-Production

This involves editing the video and allows the client and the producer to interact in order to achieve the overall look wanted from the client. Linear and non-linear editing is used to add effects and polish up the final product. Then with client approval the video is finalised and produced in the format required.

What role does the music press play in promoting artists in a digital media age? Are they still relevant? Give specific examples from the UK press.

As far as mainstream music goes when it comes to buying an album or single these days, it is easy to access the song(s) online to have a listen for yourself before you buy. Compared to a decade or so ago when technology such as YouTube, or Spotify were hard to access or non-existent. This for a start means that the consumer has become less reliant on reviews to in a sense ‘choose their music for them’, as instead they are able to access the track themselves to review it as opposed to relying on other’s opinions. This then sort of rules out the need for music press as the consumer is able to decide for themself. On top of this, music is more easily available to the consumer through not only legal digital downloads but pirated music goods too. The rise in piracy and digital downloads through software such as iTunes means that people are buying more and more music without having to leave the house. This has led to the purchase of say an album less of an ‘occasion’ than it was a few years ago meaning that people are much more willing to try listening to new music despite bad reviews because they can always delete it or buy another one quickly. This point is proven by the review of Mumford & Sons album ‘Sigh no more’. It received a 2.1/10 score on Pitchfork.com, but despite this, the album entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 11 on 11 October and peaked at No. 2 on 20 February 2011.

So far as the customer goes, bad music press reviews do not really matter. However the question then falls to whether reviews matter to people within the music industry – record labels, concert scouts etc.