I will be analysing the music video 'Countdown' by Beyonce. This video has no narrative story in it at all and is mainly performance based as Beyonce mimes to her lyrics and also dances to the music. The video starts with a head and shoulder shot of Beyonce singing the words to the song, she has her hair up and is wearing a plain black top, standing against a plain white background. The costume and set is very minimalistic and this is shown throughout the video. She has regular costume and set changes but it is all shown as very low budget, especially for a Beyonce music video. However there are many creative effects that have been used and the editing also makes the video look catchy and professional.
Near the beginning, stop frame animation is used as Beyonce moves her arms like the hands of a clock to the fast beat of the music. This is an edgy way of fast editing to make still images look like they are moving, something used frequently in todays media world.
Throughout the whole video an effect is used which shows multiple shots on the screen at one time, with Beyonce in different costumes, setting, actions etc.
In some of these shots there is also the effect of a split screen of the singer, as if her actions are being mirrored by herself on the opposite side of the screen.
She also appears doing different actions whilst there are multiples of her on the screen. This creates the effect of that there are many people in the video that all look the same, as it is Beyonce repeated. There are multiple shots of Beyonce being fast forward as she dances and mimes, making it more cut to the beat and different.
Music promotion is big business. Here is a typical scenario in a recording company:
The recording artist has signed a recording contract with a major record label. The record label makes their album and ships it to a distributor that sells it to stores. The record label then begins the massive promotion of their music. This promotional effort requires a lot of work by a lot of people. Here is a short list of what's involved: Marketing
The marketing folks create advertising and publicity for the album and tours, create the artwork for the album cover, do promotional videos, in-store displays, get promotional merchandise like t-shirts or hats with the artists name on them, and more.
Promotion
These people are responsible for getting the music played on the radio -- which is essentially the total goal of the programme because if they can get played enough on the radio, they'll sell more records, see more demand for concerts, and everyone makes more money.
Sales
Salespeople are the ones who get the music into the music stores where it can be sold. Remember, unless they're also writing the artists own songs, record sales (along with touring) are they're bread and butter.
Artist Development
Because some artists sell more records after touring and performing their music live, there is a need for "tour support," which is provided by the record label's folks who are responsible for artist development. By definition, "tour support" is the amount of money they lose while touring. In other words, if it costs them $80,000 to go on tour and they make $50,000 doing it, they need $30,000 in tour support. By artist development, we mean running promotions in towns where they will be touring and making sure the local record stores have their music. Most record labels aren't willing to provide tour support unless the artists music falls into the right genre of music for such an expenditure. Some types of music sell more records when the artists go on tour and some don't. In any event, the normal thing these days is that the tour support is recouped from the artists record royalties. This means they're still paying for it themselves.
But, in the world of music promotion, this only scratches the surface.
Music downloads from file-sharing sources have become increasingly popular since the advent of Napster in 1999. Downloads are easy to locate and can cost nothing to the user, making them a tempting alternative to legal methods of obtaining music. Unfortunately, there are numerous risks associated with downloading music. It is detrimental to the user, the artist and record companies.
Decline in Album Sales
Illegal downloads result in fewer sales for record companies. Record companies rely on sales of their product to pay their employees, promote artists on the label and produce new albums. Labels are forced to downsize when sales begin to dwindle. This means that new works are not released, new artists cannot be signed and current artists may be dropped from the label. The listener ultimately loses, as it becomes impossible to obtain new recordings of his favorite artists.
Lost Profits for the Artist
When one downloads music outside of legal channels, the artist loses money on the sale of that material. While artists make only a fraction of the profit on a CD sale, there stands a lot more to be lost than just money. Musicians often rely on record labels for promotion and advertisement. If the musician loses that support, then their exposure and fan base can decline. This will make it very challenging and sometimes impossible for the artist to continue to perform and record.
Legal Action Downloading music from unauthorized sources may constitute copyright infringement and many labels are willing to take legal action against users in order to deter others. Record companies frequently monitor commonly used programs, identify individual users violating copyright laws and file suit against them. When compared to the cost of a legal download, it seems like a risk not worth taking.
