Music Videos
Similar contemporary British artists include Kasabian and Arctic Monkeys. Such bands share the use of the now generic set of guitar(s), bass, percussion and vocals with my chosen band. An example of the use of this set of instruments can be seen/heard in the Arctic Monkeys' music video for the single 'Brianstorm.' The video contains blatant voyeuristic imagery in the gyrating female dancers, partially alienating female audiences. Although the talent and male sex appeal of front man Alex Turner has been known to draw in a female audience, the connotations of Brianstorm build a predominately male audience. The absence of consistent female figures in my music video, coupled with the exclusive focus on the live of a teenage/young adult male, makes Insomniac a single very much aimed at male consumers, which further reinforces the assumption of indie/rock being a mostly male genre.
Where the Jubilees differ in style from this particular performance is in their use of the synthesizer for the electronic segments of Insomniac. Bands such as Kasabian are known for their use of diverse instruments and effects to compliment the Rock aspects. In the video for 'Shoot the Runner' a synth-like sound can be heard approximately two thirds into the song, as well as clapping effects and a haunting chorus of a strangely artificial choir. The Jubilees are therefore similar to both Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian in their use of traditional rock 'n' roll instruments, though they share more similarities in instrumental choice to Kasabian, as they incorporate the unconventional synthesizer into the composition. Other Indie groups which use synth in their compositions include the Klaxons, who appeared on the description of my audience on Find Your Tribe. Shoot the Runner also supports the male aspect of my audience with an all-male group of 'cool' band members, possible male role models/idols and derogatory language used in reference to a woman. The imagery in the video consists not of the female body but of the iconic representation of the band. I have made the choice to focus on the male protagonist in my video to promote sympathy, but iconography may also be an important aspect.
Vocally The Jubilees seem to try to distinguish themselves from more mainstream methods of singing. Internationally popular mainstream bands often adopt a clear American-English accent whilst singing regardless of their own background, such as Cheryl Cole, speaking with a thick Geordie accent but singing in radio-friendly American. The Jubilees still may alter their accents during singing though their pronunciations of some words ('remember,' etc.) differ from those of an American/faux-American act. Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian use their unique methods of singing with to create a vocal style few manufactured bands can adopt. Although my target audience would be much more likely to associate with indie-rock groups like Kasabian and Arctic Monkeys, The Jubilees' vocal tone is similar to some songs in Oasis' back catalogue.
The Jubilees, unlike Oasis, adopt quite a fast tempo in Insomniac compared to the relaxed tone of Don't Look Back In Anger. The short, frantic duration of the song allows for a much more exciting video.
Websites
The websites of similar artists vary hugely in design, though they all share the characteristic of promoting the band with their own unique imagery and media technology.
The website of Arctic Monkeys has changed drastically between the release of their last two studio albums, 'Humbug' and 'Suck It and See'. The previous design advertises the band using dark, swirling tendrils and extravagant fonts. The format of the display is uniform and easy to digest, although the presentation of the upper half attempts to distinguish itself from generic website layouts. Important information for fans such as gigs and general news are displayed in hyperlinks underneath the band's logo. The tendency for Indie bands' websites to use imagery which is both unusual in design and typical in layout shows that the audience seeks out the subtly alternative in the websites & artwork of favoured bands, but not to an extent that the information cannot be understood due to eccentricity of design.
The latest layout has been created to promote Suck It and See. The extremely minimal design of the album is reflected in the bland, sepia colouration of the website. The layout is the same, yet it is much more rectangular and slick. The logo of the band has been redesigned in homage to the style and font of the logo of heavy metal legends Black Sabbath around the time of the release of their third album, Master of Reality. Fans with wide musical tastes or knowledge of pre-2000s rock are treated to a minor intertextual reference in the use of a font which is already iconic in the industry.I can infer from this that my target audience may appreciate references to sources predating their birth, such as cult films. The use of in-jokes and lesser known intertextual references can help my audience distinguish themselves from mainstream social groups.
Kasabian's site features the band's logo and a rotating animation of the disc art from their new album, 'Velociraptor!', in the header. This successfully advertises the band by use of somewhat interactive artwork and technology only available on the web. I can infer that my target audience digests adverts and information through a variety of modern technological outlets, then design my digipak and advertisements for the Jubilees with this in mind. The symbol of a feather features in the hyperlinks and is also used in the album/single artwork, which links back to the recent discovery of Velociraptors having feathers, thus the website uses intelligent intertextual references to prior sources, as does ArcticMonkeys.com. The design of the website is, again, a new layout to advertise the latest album from the band. The site also features a video from the band and links to a merchandise site, as with the Arctic Monkeys.
The website for Klaxons differs in layout and size to Kasabian and Arctic Monkeys' home pages. The band's logo is placed roughly underneath the album cover art of their latest work 'Surfing The Void'. The links to other parts of the site are displayed in a column, next to which is a white space where the information is displayed; the home page itself features a news feed of posted photos and tweets by the band members. The feeds can alert fans as to what the band have been up to and give them a feeling of connectivity between themselves and the band. My target audience is similarly likely to engage with details of The Jubilees through technology. A digipak could include social networking and band site URLs in small print to provide further information.
CD Artwork
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| Kasabian |
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| Empire |
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| West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum |
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| Velociraptor! |
Kasabian's album artwork varies hugely between each release. As with several other bands, such as Iron Maiden, the recurring image is of the band's logo in a variety of sizes and colourations. The font of the logo has become associated with the band and it is used to connect the albums to the creators. The debut album uses a simple yet iconic image of the stencil of a bandana-wearing member of an unspecified resistance. The simplicity of some indie-rock album covers creates a memorable symbol for the band, giving the audience something to identify the band with. The themes presented on the cover also resonate with the rebellious younger generation of the alternative segment. The use of simple or minimal artwork has been taken to an extreme by Arctic Monkeys on their new album Suck It and See. The quality of the music itself often dictates whether an album is successful, but the artwork is crucial to appeal to the desired audience. 
Their second album, 'Empire', is an example of the other end of the spectrum on drawn album covers; a high-concept, highly detailed illustration. The image is of a playing card, specifically the King of Clubs. The themes of the album are presented through the name, art and songs of the album, most notably the title track Empire, Shoot The Runner and British Legion. The lexical field of the single is one of Britain and war, proving that a political message or opinion can be pushed by a band in the chosen themes of an album. This is yet another example of subtly politically charged content aimed toward an alternative audience who feel a need to rebel against what they perceive as wrong in the world. Outside of the Indie Rock genre there have been several notable albums with album art which presents strong political messages, such as the acclaimed rap metal group Rage Against The Machine's debut album, which consists of the iconic photograph of the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duch, during his protest and self-immolation in Saigon, June 11th 1963, against the persecution of Buddhists by the then Roman Catholic leaders of Vietnam. Iconic album artwork often becomes part of popular culture, being displayed on merchandise and in intertexual references, and the use of pop culture itself in album art can attract potential consumers.
West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum is Kasabian's third studio album and their first to use a photo shoot of the band members as the artwork. The presence of the band advertises their image and provides more material for the audience to project their own identities onto. Arctic Monkeys have also been known to feature photographs as their album and single covers, specifically on their debut album 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not.' The presence of a real human figure on an album cover supports any concepts or mythology presented in the album. The audience is also given a simple concept to associate with; complex illustrations may put some fans off an indie-rock album if the band's image discourages the pompous or pretentious image of an unintentionally self-parodying virtuoso musician. An unintentionally hilarious or ridiculous album cover an ruin the reputation of a band, therefore an indie-rock audience would be pleased by a cover that is considered cool and/or witty. Photographs have a great potential to be remembered because whatever iconic image is presented in the photograph the event is genuine. There is little difference between a specifically organised photo shoot or a spontaneous event, as both types of image have the potential to become iconic.The latest Kasabian album is 'Velociraptor!'. As with their previous album, the album cover features images of the four band members, Tom Meighan, Chris Edwards, Sergio Pizzorno and Ian Matthews, but the photographic image has been edited. The members of the band all face in different directions, each at right angles. The faces do not bear any facial hair, instead being feathered, much like the small, predatory dinosaur the album shares its name with. The inclusion of the feathers is an intelligent and rewarding correction of popular culture, as the famous Velociraptors seen in Jurassic Park are in fact shockingly inaccurate. Editing a photograph in such a way allows for the band and their connotations to still be clearly marketed to the audience, but it also opens up opportunities to interweave the high concept, artistic illustrations seen on countless other album covers. The digitally edited cover of Velociraptor utilises new media technologies such as computer-generated imagery to sell the band to the audience, therefore my target audience may be appeased by use of an album cover created with photo editing software.
Merchandise
Each of the three previously analysed band websites has a section for selling merchandise, in which apparel and accessories are sold alongside digital or limited edition albums. The clothing sections adhere to the popularity of the t-shirt in the fashion of an indie rock fan. The latest products display art from the most recent albums and the revised versions of the bands' logos. T-shirts are a favoured generic clothing choice for my audience and are used in my music video in the costume of my protagonist. Shirts that are white, black or somewhat drained of colour are mostly favoured over bright primary colours, as simplicity and casualness are important aspects of the masculine section of my audience. For reasons regarding possible copyright issues my protagonist wears a plain t-shirt, but t-shirts with artwork are equally as common as plain designs. Wearing a band's motif, album art or media on the design of a t-shirt publicly displays the wearer's choice in musical tastes and markets the band to other possible consumers wherever the wearer travels. Brandishing the motif of a band or product on a t-shirt, much like wearing a certain uniform or dressing in a particular fashion for the wider alternative tribe, immediately distinguishes the wearer as a member of their peers' chosen tribe.
Festivals
Examples of live venues at which a band similar to The Jubilees would perform include Reading Festival and its sister festival in Leeds, which are both affiliated with the venue co-owners and organisers Festival Republic. The most prominent genres of music in the selection of attending acts are Rock, Indie and Alternative, all of which feature in the online lineup poster for the festival in 2011 (seen below).
All of the headlining acts, including My Chemical Romance, The Strokes and Muse, can be loosely classified as popular rock bands. The Strokes can be described as a long-standing Indie/Indie Rock band, and Liam Gallagher's post-Oasis group Beady Eye also attended on the NME Magazine/BBC Radio 1 stage, thus it can be argued that the demand for Indie groups at the festival is high. Festival goers in Reading and Leeds are likely to be fans of the Indie genre and may give a warm reception to The Jubilees if they were to play at either venue.
The website design for Reading 2011 uses the same motif from the posters and the stage at the festival itself (seen in the animated panel on the home page), promoting Reading as somewhat of a brand. The bright, fiery colours moving from yellow to red are a visually loud design choice, clearly displayed on the black background. The radiating red light behind the site design is sun-like, connoting the importance and iconic history of the festival. The block capital lettering and use of imperatives, such as 'get your tickets for 2012,' encourages the consumer to delve further into the eye-catching material being sold to them through the site.
The site offers an email-based newsletter and connectivity with social networking sites, such as a Twitter feed and Facebook sharing capabilities. The 18 to 25 demographic is a lot more engaged with current communicative technologies than in previous generations, as the last 20 years have seen the rise of the Internet and affordable home computing. Festival Republic have therefore catered the advertisement and promotion of Reading & Leeds to an Internet-based audience. The Jubilees themselves have promoted their unsigned content on social networks such as MySpace to reach a wider, more tech-savvy audience. With the shift in the music industry from physical copies of CDs to digital downloads, using the Internet to advertise a festival has become a far more lucrative practice.
Prior to the revealing of this year's lineup, the Reading Festival website showcases the highlights of the previous year via an embedded YouTube video, promising a new website as the preparations for the venue begin. The anticipation of up to date information on the year's festivals builds excitement in the audience. The bright motif is still being used to represent the Reading & Leeds, as with brand names and logos, to familiarise the audience with the product. The shapes used within the design could be linked to the atmosphere of a carnival: multiple festivities and attractions under one bright, umbrella-like tent, mirroring the selection of artists at Reading & Leeds performing on the main and sponsored stages to the 87000+ audience. The pointed, angular shapes of the website are more aggressive and masculine, which links back to the festival's history of hosting performances from Rock, Alternative and Heavy Metal acts. Though the acts have a clear potential to attract a considerable female audience, the primary genre of Rock is one of predominantly male fans. As The Jubilees can also appeal to a mostly male audience, attending Reading & Leeds are amongst the most appropriate venues for the band to widen their fanbase.
Useful Information
The genre of music and presentation of a band like The Jubilees may not appeal to a female audience, yet has a substantial audience of males already established, therefore the representation of the male gender will grossly outweigh the female in the advertisement of the band. The music video for Insomniac focuses on a solitary male actor, with no further representation for females or alternative age groups to the 18-25 demographic; because target audience is of a specific age and gender, the video has some representational issues from a female perspective. The digipak will follow the format of the music video by focusing on a single figure. Parts of the digipak will be created from potentially iconic photographs of the actor, edited with photo editing software to contain motifs such as the handgun, dark streets and tired eyes. I should avoid making the design too complex, but an overly simplistic or minimal design could hinder the sales of a semi-unknown debut album. A simple yet eye-catching font will be used to establish a motif or logo for the band. Reccomendations and star-based reviews will be written as if the band has been featured in music magazines such as Q, NME and Rolling Stone, newspapers such as The Independent, or magazines aimed toward young men such as FHM (although this prevents any blatant representation for a homosexual audience) "Lad's" magazines may offer raving reviews for an album purely on its appeal to men and commercial aptitude, whilst music magazines may be biased toward certain pre-defined formats or long-standing acts. Using a newspaper like The Independent allows for a more critical or high-brow review, and a mixture of these sources will improve the appeal of the album both commercially (generating appeal in the 18-25 male demographic) and critically (hightening the notoriety of the band in the genre of Indie Rock).
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