Recording labels & Music Marketing - Essay Example

? Music Music has been in existence since time immemorial. The influence that music has over people is undoubtedly unimaginable. However, what entails music marketing is an intricate structure which involves recording labels. Record labels are primarily involved in the process of music promotion. They do everything related to music production as well as promotion of the artists who are signed to their groups. In the following discourse, the study delves into the music label christened ‘All around the world.’ The music group is located in London. It has a significant presence in the region. Besides, the record label has a number of artists signed to it. It accords a platform for marketing and promoting all these artists irrespective of their status. For instance, in their website, they have a portal which allows the artists to have their music promoted via a digital store. The digital store, as it is in most cases, is always connected to the iTunes stores. With the advent of information age together with the opportunities presented by it, digital platforms for promoting music is a necessary part of the promotion (Brae, 2012). Brief Background on the All Around the World The music label was formed in 1990. It should be noted that demographically, the record label is located in England but it has signed artists from various parts of the globe. The artists signed to the label are mainly determined by the genre of music in which it specializes in. Largely, the genre of music for the group was dance. However, it is apparent that it had to conform to modern trends in music. Consequently, the music group also incorporated Rnb as a genre in its production. The record label does the promotion of its music products through the universal music group which is an established music marketing and producing company. The transformations that have been at the company have seen it sign even hip-hop artists. Hip-hop is a genre of music that has been incorporated into the recording label’s staple. Some of the artists who have been signed to the group in the recent past whose music has been of hip-hop genre include Skepta. The following discourse partly focuses on Skepta in terms of his music. Skepta Skepta is a rapper who is English. His real names are recorded to be Joseph Adenuga. The rapper is of African descent. The rapper has had different compilation albums as well as mixtapes. His first album was the one released in 2007. The name of the album was called the Greatest hits. This gave the artists a platform which saw to his rise and popularity especially when he released the single titled Bad Boy. Mixtapes as Part of Music Culture Mixtapes are a ways through which artists promote themselves. They are unlike compilation or studio albums. The copyright rules do not actually apply to them. In reference to the artist in focus, he has had three mixtapes. The first one was titled Been there done that. The date of release of that compilation was in 2010. The second mixtape was titled community payback. This was released in 2011 and was hosted by the renowned DJ Whoo Kid. In hip hop music, this has been used by various artists to launch and even propel their careers. A notable beneficiary of this was 50cent. It is arguably true that Curtis Jackson is one of the biggest names in hip hop in recent times. While trying to gain an entry into the music industry, he made a name through a mixtape titled How to rob the industry. In the music, he made comical inferences to already established music icons like Jay Z. by doing what he did, he attracted attention on him. Consequently, it acted as a platform for promoting his talent. Urban Radio Industry The urban industry for radio in the UK has progressively grown in leaps too. Over the years, the radio stations have played a vital role in the music culture. They promote artists and contribute fairly in the marketing of their music. A few years back, there were few registered FM stations. Most of the stations then were pirates. These stations included Rinse FM which was licensed recently. It had long operated as a pirate station. Dejavu FM is an example of a pirate radio station currently. These radio stations have contributed to music by playing emerging genres such as grime and even ‘dubstep’. Some of the known registered national radios are kiss, BBC, and even capital FM. The Hip-hop Culture Hip hop is a genre of music characterized by its unique culture. Among the culture include dances in the streets. These dances are part of the music. One such dance is known as break dance. Besides the dances, free stylings as well as battling are part of the music. These entail showcasing lyrical prowess over a fast paced beat without having a rehearsal or written lyrics. In addition, there are graffiti as part of the creative work of hip-hop. The street based culture is part of hip-hop. It also entails mixtapes as priory discussed. The Copyright Culture A look at the kind of music industry that is in place currently shows the idea that it should be referred to as a copyright industry. Music is a form of arts and it should be appreciated by all. Part of the appreciation comes in giving the artists their royalties. Royalties refers to artists getting rewarded for their work. This comes from the fact that musical compositions are artistic in nature. In treating these artists, it is imperative to invoke the aspect of copyright. As noted, the legislation started way back in England through the legislation which was known as the statute of Anne. This statute legally came in to force as early as in the 1710. The statute was largely on print media. However, further modifications were made to the law to guarantee copyright protection even in international platforms. The most effective of these regulations was the Berne Convention which was ratified in 1886 (Wikstro?m, 2009). At the signing of the stipulation, it was meant to bind only those who were within Europe. However, it later incorporated other countries, notably the US. The objective of the laws aimed at copyright is to promote artistic creativity to what is perceived as authenticity (Wikstro?m, 2009). The production culture aspires for maximum production, profit maximization, as well as minimization of the costs of production (Crigler, 2008). This is a model which is applicable to any business. The reason for looking into the structures entailed in music production is to provide a general knowledge on what goes on in the course of production, distribution, as well as marketing of music products. This applies to AATW as a music promoting entity in the region of Europe. Besides, the music seeks to have an international dominance and presence. It is a brand which should be easily recognized. Commercial share It should be noted that the existence of the various companies overseeing the distribution of music and production is for the benefit of the industry. In reference to completion, the AATW faces competition from the already established companies. Some of the most dominant players in the music distribution business are SONY, EMI, Time Warner as well as Universal records. One of the biggest stars from SONY music in recent times is Shakira. Her style of music has endeared her towards many fans. The domestic shares of the given music groups is large. In fact, for the largest music companies, the domestic share in England is about fifty percent (50%) (Wikstro?m, 2009). The Universal Music group is probably the most dominant player in the industry in the whole world. In fact, it is reported that it controls up to 25 % of the global music. In fact, AATW is affiliated to the company. The company acts as the distribution channel for the music produced by AATW. This just shows the dominance of the company. Music targets a global audience. The music that is produced by the AATW is of urban nature. The music that is performed by Skepta, for instance, also has a global appeal. The appeal comes from the fact that hip hop is a genre which has grown to be loved by many young people across the world. The target audience of that kind of music is the youthful people. Consequently, it has gained a fad like following. Besides, recent trends have shown an increased liking for dance music which is the main genre of music which AATW is known for. Therefore, in retrospect, it is conclusive to assert that that the music group targets a global audience and its music genre makes it have a significant proportion of the market share in the music industry. Revenues and Merchandise The revenue from music mainly accrues from sales of musical compositions as well as from paid concerts. Musicians get revenues through tours through which they get paid. For the AATW Company, the revenues come from sale of music too. The music is sold through various platforms. One of such platforms entails incorporation of technological aspects. Over the years, digital music has taken over conventional forms of music distribution. For artists like Skepta, revenues are accrued through various means. For instance, being an artist performing hip hop, there are various ways through which revenues are accrued. For instance, hip-hop is a genre which incorporates graffiti. The graffiti can be incorporated in t-shirts or caps. The recording label has a logo which represents it. The most conspicuous of the company’s representation is in its initials ‘AATW’. Through the logo, the recording label is known and its products marketed. This forms part of its products and merchandise. Structure of Music Production The artists form the foundation of the music production houses. The artists have songwriters who are associated with their acts. Artists directly interact with the studio engineers. There is an attribute which is known as aesthetic production in the production of music. There is a link between the artists and the independent producers. These include companies as well as promoters incorporated in the production of the music (King & Feist, 2009). The diagrammatic representation of the above structure is given as shown in the diagram below. It should be noted that the model of recording companies is centralized around intellectual property. It is given the responsibility of marketing and distribution of the given music to the existing consumers as well as targeted audience. The model which best describes the situation as it is in the music production is the Hirsch’s model (Wikstro?m, 2009). This model describes in detail the structure of music production. It flaws comes in the select group of 40 companies. This is described as the top 40 music industry. The model, in basic terms, refers to giving privilege to the 40 most played songs both in radio and on TV. This was a model which was quite popular in the 1970s. However, things have since changed with the advent of modern technology where digital music has replaced the conventionally forms of music. Vertical Integration in AATW Just like any business organization, AATW seeks to establish itself and promote its brand of products in the market. Consequently, it has merged with equal businesses to in pursuit of the same interest. One of the most notable of these has been the Universal Music Group. Together, the two companies seek to promote music within Europe and beyond. Besides, they have collaborated with Clubland to promote their genres of music such as grime. Conclusion and Recommendation It is true that music influences human life in various ways. Human mind is influenced by the kind of music that they listen to. This makes it important in human socialization. It serves many purposes. The most important is entertainment. However, music is also important in educating the masses. It is true that music can be used to shape the opinion of people on social issues. That is why celebrities are usually influential in public opinion (Sparrow, 2006). In marketing music, there are some considerations that have to be put in place. For instance, whatever the channel of distribution of music chosen, the point of concern should always be the target consumers. Consumers bring in sales for the music companies. They should be treated with utmost importance. Music has over the years changed to incorporate aspects of technology in their production. One such aspect is auto tune. It is vocal program which modifies the voice of the artist to give a musical innuendo. In adopting such technologies, music producing labels should moderate on their use so as to have a conservative touch in their production which appreciates true talent as well as creativity. Recent music productions have seen the rise of lewd lyrics as well as violence themed productions. As the ultimate stakeholders in music production, the recording labels should moderate and act as a watchdog over the content of the music that those signed to them come up with. The ultimate concern, in this case, is to play their part as responsible corporates in the production of the music (Zager, 2012). If implemented, the above recommendations would guarantee a sustainable music industry which caters for its audience in a responsible way. Bibliography Brae, C. M. (2012). Music Distribution: Selling Music in the New Entertainment Marketplace. Createspace. Crigler, W. D. (2008). iMusic/myMusic: The Apple iPod(c), circuits of digital music distribution, and technics of the self. Masters Abstracts International. 47-03. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Colorado at Boulder, 2008. King, M., & Feist, J. (2009). Music marketing: press, promotion, distribution, and retail. Boston, Mass, Berklee Press. Sparrow, A. (2006). Music distribution and the internet: a legal guide for the music business. Aldershot [u.a.], Gower. Wikstro?m, P. (2009). The music industry: music in the cloud. Cambridge, Polity. Zager, M. (2012). Music production: for producers, composers, arrangers, and students. Lanham, Md, Scarecrow Press. Read More