CD cover created for my unsigned artist Alicia Olivia/Rush (A01)

I've created this CD cover on PhotoShop to show my artist's star persona, appeals to her target audience which are teenagers, her genre of music is R&B and the overall presentation of her image looks very attractive, eye-catching by the use of large fonts, bright colours and gazes men towards her. Meaning, men want her and women want to be like her. Alice confirms to the conventions of the R&B genre.

Indie Vs Major artist Task 1: Artist profile (A04) AND Indie vs. Major label Task 2: Analysis of label decision (AO4)

 The creation of an R&B artist.

 

The above picture is a picture of Marylicious which I've taken from Photobooth but the typography is the wrong way round. 

In my media folder I've included all the drawn image of my artist. 

Name: Marylicious

Genre: R&B
Maryilicious signed to Universal.
The artist's star persona is that she is this unique, conventional R&B artist. The fact that she is conventional is because her star persona must conform to a typical R&B artist. For example, Sony has produced a star persona for that maintains her femininity but at the same time she's as seductive, sassy and sensual as any other R&B female artists to attract as much as possible her target audience.
As she is signed to a major recording company, the producer, managers, A&RS, CEO and many other professionals working along side an artist that signs to a major label to become famous and sells as much as albums as possible. Hereby, the company will become successful and the artist themselves.

With her image she is, on the one hand, provocative, seductive and attracts her primary male target audience but also her secondary audience which are young teenage girls . One the other hand, her sensational, most desired and unforgettable voice makes her the most talked artist in 2011. Even tough, she is from South Asian or Middle Eastern background her looks, style, dress codes or star persona are more European. Obviously, appealing to her audience living in Europe. Whereas, some people from Asia may be interested in her music as they can relate to her.


Marylicious's secondary target audience is aimed at young teenage girl aged 17-19+ from Middle Eastern, Asian and black backgrounds and her primary target audience is teenage boys aged 17-19+ from Middle Eastern, Asian and black backgrounds.

Their hobbies are listening music, partying, dancing, clubbing, shopping, cooking, cleaning, sporting, and obsessed with their appearance and figure. Likewise, they have got a busy but wild lifestyle with open minded and intelligent views. This target audience is right audience chosen by her major record company because teenagers are the most attracted target audience in the media market. As they can be easily attracted by all the use of money, revealing girls, fit physics and so on. All the strategies used to attract or gaze a teenage audience.


There are a range of very important reasons to why I have chosen a major recording label for my artist over an independent recording label. These are:

-          There will be more radio play.

-          Has got access to broad arrays of global and independent companies.

-          A large budget means more control, power and dominance.

-          Synergy with larger and successful companies.  

-          Global audience.

-          Access to better producers to record album.

-          Access to bigger venues.

-          More publicity, promotion and advertising.

-          Mainstream genres.

Within the music industry, most recording artists have become increasingly reliant upon record labels to broaden their audience, market their albums, and be both promoted and heard on radio, television, with publicists that assist performers in positive media reports to market their merchandise, and make it available via stores and other media outlets. The Internet has increasingly been a way that some artists avoid costs and gain new audiences, as well as the use of videos in some cases, to sell their products. As a result, a major record company will be able to have all the funding available to expose my artist to the maximum using all the possible strategies.
Hereby, my artist will be easily a global and a highly respected musician.

In contrast, the cons of a major recording label are that if my artist is unsuccessful she could be dropped quickly, she will have restricted star persona and her label will influence decisions.

But, the reason why I haven’t chosen an independent record labels is because the advantages are fewer compared to major recording labels. However, the pros are that they have more creative freedom, have got more autonomy which means they can control their marketing and have better relationships with label.

Whereas, the disadvantages of an independent recording label is that they have less funding which will lead to less control.

Contrastingly, the cons for independent labels are that its distribution can be limited. As a result, won’t be able to meet demands so they can't make major money through their music as it is a niche genre.  

Overall, connecting all these advantages and disadvantages of major and independent record labels it clearly shows that my artist’s star persona is better promoted, advertised, marketed and published by a major record label then by an independent record label because of all the benefits the my artist will gain more than losing anything. Significantly, Marylicious will be more appealing to her target audience in a major record label than by an independent record label because of all the strategies a major label has access to through large amounts of funding to entertain her target audience by using different media texts such as Maryilicious website, music video or CD cover.  

RIHANNA'S AUDIENCE PROFILE POWERPIONT

Rihanna’s target audience profile

View more presentations from Maro Lafif.

Created by Maryam Latifi

Sony and Synergy (AO1)

        Video 1)

 

Video 2)

For level 3, I've provides 2 examples where Sony Music Entertainments has used Horizontal Integration. Most importantly, horizontal integration is when major recording companies cross promote their artists using their other interests. For example, video number 1 has used Usher which is signed to Sony and the Sony Ericssons mobile phones in a commercial to be advertised by him and not any other artists.
 This is promoting Usher and the mobile phones of the same company using different interests to cross promote.
Similarly, video 2 where Sony has used the method of horizontal integration when Whitney Houston sang on X factor. This connotes that Whitney is signed to Sony and X-Factor is owned by Sony as well. Hereby, the two Sony interests will be cross promoted to the audience their artists.

Star Persona (AO1)

I have chosen specifically this CD cover to evidence that Rihanna's star persona is mainly about this female artist that is very modern, open minded, outrageous, goes beyond the limits, a rock star, sex model, seductive, sassy, flirtatious, flattering, desires for sexual attraction, intimacy, devotion, at the same time, she is powerful, independent, and dominant. Her main part is to attract her male audience but she aims at the young teenage women.
However, her constructed character doesn't resemble a positive role model or someone to look up to and idolize but she's someone who appear to be an extravagant and exaggerated fashion icon.

Rihanna is wearing this edgy, dark side, leathery costume which defines her feminine and attractive curves and it's very revealing, mainly, showing one side of her bum and her cleavage creating the CD cover very provocative, seductive, sexual and men would like to see more of her and some woman would want to be like her for their men. This is also going for the conventions of a typical R&B CD cover. In addition, many people associate excessive skin exposure to wealth, healthy, freedom, youthful, intelligent, honest and it attracts sexual attention without consciously realizing it.

Most of all, all of her media techniques or elements are used to conforms the conventions of typical R&B CD covers. The artist’s picture stands out the most because it’s made very eye catching, attractive and she is the main image which means that the audience will mostly gaze in the CD cover on her.
She is revealing her neck, chest, sides of her breasts, all, connotes that she is sensual and desires for passion and sex.
Basically, Rihanna is teaching her target audience how to be seductive and gaze all the men towards your physical parts. Rihanna is suggesting to her female fans to use their bodies the right way to indulge men. Personally, in my opinion, as a fan of Rihanna I, totally, go against Rihanna's sexually obsessed star persona because it's a negative example of how to be a dignified woman and younger girl will learn and imitate Rihanna which is really putting all women down who don't use their bodies to satisfy or sexually indulge men.
Too, the use of the black costume is associated with power, strength, authority, elegance, death, evil, aggressive and mystery but also, black gives the feeling of perspective and depth. Hereby, black is the perfect colour to resemble Rihanna's character or personality.

Also, Rihanna wants to seduce the male audience as much as she can throughout every different media text that I have research. For example, through her music videos, official pictures, in her song lyrics, magazines and so on, she always very sexually purposed. It has become very obvious that she is getting obsessed with creating that main image of a sex symbol. Often, is she wearing very revealing clothing or sometimes she is wearing nothing at all but covers her sensitive parts. To add up, all of these are clearly conforming to Rihanna's star persona.

To continue with analyzing, my artist's star persona, as you can see, above her performance conforms to the conventions of her star persona. Meaning, her body language is posed in a position that is very sexual, seductive, and has tempting qualities attached to it.

In addition, as soon as a man looks at her, they get turned on in a sexual way due to her passionate body language posture. This is another technique that Rihanna has used to draw excessive attention to her on the CD cover.
Most importantly, Rihanna CD cover 'sex sells' her fans. Meaning, they buy the CD because it's very sexual. The CD are particularly sold among the teenagers aged 17-19+ predominantly by White/Black African young boys and girls. Obviously, Rihanna's fans like the fact that she objectifies herself in her music videos and on her CD covers. The concept behind the CD cover relates to the song itself. Additionally, Rihanna's image is more reinforced than her music, so people are obsessed about her image over her music. This is another way to promote Rihanna's star persona.

Besides, she hasn't used lots of props except for the tattooed gun under her arms. This symbolically connotes her as a female being very ''hard'', strong, not afraid of anything, challenging, demanding, and fearless but harmful, her power is her music but, yet also, symbolically the gun connotes succeed, great speed and kills people. To add, Rihanna's message through the use of the prop, the gun, is to convey to her male audience that she is a woman that has got forcible personality.

Significantly, Rihanna's facial expression signifies that she is not directly looking into the camera but looking downwards towards her sexy curves connoting that. Her curves, pose, and revealing skin are showing her sex appeal. Rihanna’s lips are just lifeless and hold in a position to make her lips look fuller, glossier, and softer to gaze men eyes into it. She is also looking flirtatiously down, excessively revealing skin and pose is purposely represented for the male audience showing her sexiness, femininity and desire for intimacy and sexual attractiveness.
Her makeup, curves, revealing her bodily parts, all, represent a feminine image that desires for passion, her star persona is portrayed an aggressive, sexually dominant and independent female.
Again, Rihanna's gesture codes are made to appear sexy, eye catching and very attractive, also to convey her sexuality. Yet again, this is also an approach to creating her constructed star persona.

Yet, Rihanna is composed in the centre of the frame leaning forth to one side and pushing her back side up to make it more obvious with one of her arm up to fully open her chest area. On the one hand, her being on the centre of the frame connotes dominance and importance.
On the other hand, her posture, body language emphasizes particularly her sexual feminine parts.

The fact, that Rihanna isn't wearing a lot of jewelers, sparking accessories but just one bracelet connoting that she is trying to be unique but simplistic.
Even though she is an R&B singer she doesn’t meet the conventions of the R&B genre in this CD cover. She highlighted more her physique, fit and attractive figure more that meeting the conventional of a R&B CD cover.

The layout of the writing style of the name of Rihanna's song ''HARD'' has space between each word, it's big, bold, obvious, with thick capital letters and it's the largest text on the front cover reinforcing the importance of the song reflecting her character and star persona as being extravagant, bold, strong and powerful and suggesting that she is a well established artist with a recognizable image.
Still, the word ''HARD'' is naturally seen as big, bold, powerful, defeatable, masculine which reflects the typography of the title. At the same time, Rihanna is portraying a feminine image but her personality is the contrast of her gender. Meaning, she has got a conventionally male character inside her but her appearance is still herself, Rihanna.
The fact, that on the outer edge of the frame, as you can see, that it look as if the word ''HARD'' is produced appearing antagonist using the key colour red connoting blood, evil, Satan, but also, romantic, eye-catching and feminine, beautiful colour.
At last, the title name is layered over Rihanna to make it more bold and exaggerated but, yet also, not covering the important sexual female parts of Rihanna.

webpage Analysis (AO4)

Webpage analysis

Here, my task is to analyse many conventions, institution, audience appeal demonstrating a strong understanding of how the webpage reflects Rihanna's label and star persona with reference to audience appeal. This is Rihanna's website http://www.rihannanow.com/

Universal Music Group is the largest group of record labels in the recording industry. It is the largest of the ''big four'' record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations. Universal Music Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of international French media conglomerate Vivendi.

Additionally, Universal Music Group is the largest group of record labels in the recording industry. It is the largest of the ''big four'' record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations. Universal Music Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of international French media conglomerate Vivendi. This will mean that Rihanna's high-profile status, professional reputation and the amount of records she sells through Universal will make her a millionaire.

Ont the front page of Rihanna's website, she's got her main image which connotes she is the dominate figure of her website. It's all about her making her more appealing to her target audience.
Additionally, her main image looks very flirtatious, in confidence, sexy, sassy, seductive and attractive as her red hair connotes the dual personality of her which is either seductive, intimacy and passionate. Or, powerful, dominate, controlling and has authority over her target audience.

The fact, that she is signed to a major label means that the company has more funding which enables them to use elaborated, extensive and powerful in the media market companies or institutes to enable Rihanna to be exposed to the maximum extend.

Rihanna is the main image on the website connoting dominance, her one eye gazing to the audience attracting intense and firm attention to her facial expression and her one eye looks as if she is keeping a track on us. Meaning, like a God above us. This can make us feel that she is not showing a complete side of herself, she's mysterious, concealed, her image makes us as fans/viewer more excited and desire even more to know a lot about her, see a lots of her. This brainwashing processes becomes even more obsessive and wanted. 

At an instant, we can instantly tell that this website is based on Rihanna through the introducement, at the instant, clicking of the hyperlink on Google Rihanna's website of her music on a radio

On the main image, Rihanna looks modern, professional, silk, wealthy, smooth skinned,  intelligent,  

Content

As Rihanna is signed to Def Jam Recordings which is parented by Universal Music Group. This clearly connotes that Universal will spend a lots of money to promote, advertise and publish Rihanna globally through the use of different media texts such as her website, commercials, music video, CD cover and so on. That will mean that Rihanna will gain more fame and fortune. This will make it more appealing to the target audience because young teenage girls prefer Rihanna to be famous and wealthy.

As it is a major record label, this mean that the company is highly wealthy, powerful, is able to synergies with a lots of companies, and it's super-conglomerate company.

The major record label also means that it's a mainstream music production reaching mass audiences.  

 They will be able to promote Rihanna through a variety of different media texts such as synergies with Facebook, MySpace, Blogger, YouTube,       

Hotspots this contains all the available recent songs tracks of Rihanna which makes Rihanna's website the most visited website because it has got her target audience's favourite  songs and this way they will be persuade to even check the video's on YouTube, talk about it on Facebook, Twitter or MySpace. As a result , more of her merchandises such as her Cd's will be bought. This clearly appeals to her target audience.

This hyperlink encourages Rihanna's visitors or fans to read more and be more informed about Rihanna through her website links. This clearly shows that Rihanna's website is not just one website but it has got a broad array of other links and sites attached to it creating a myriad of information just about one artist, Rihanna. Visitors could be hours on Rihanna's website and they will be offered with lots of entertainments.

This is particularly appealing to her target audience as teenagers are are always on Internet and there are multitude of website linked to Rihanna which they can visit in just a click of a button.

Interactivity includes all the high reputations/status awards creating fame, fortune and popularity.  

The awards are an indication to her record label. Meaning, Universal has had access through their wealthy budget to make her so successful and most desired artist that she wins 4 sophisticated and honourable grammies. This clearly denotes how successful and well known Rihanna has become through her recording label creating a structed star persona which targets her target audience.

Above is a picture which I took from Rihanna's website where her vistors on her website can sign in or login for Rihanna's newsletter. This clearly connotes that as Rihanna is signed to a major recording label she is able to have her own login accessed on her website. It also denotes that label Rihanna is signed to has got a wealthy budget to be able to set a login. This means more time and money is required to set up these logins.

Most importantly, the major recording label reflects the genre of music Rihanna is promoting in its overall design.

Live streaming is the best strategy to create this sense of realism in Rihanna's songs and she her in live videos. Her star persona is clearly visible through her videos above, especially her funky clothing line is exposed which makes her fans imitate her and they want to be or look like her through cloning her star persona. Teenagers are influenced by artist's star persona and appeals to teenagers as they are the future generation and they can be easily inspired by Rihanna's star persona.

Universal Music Group co-developed Vevo, a site designed for music videos inspired by Hulu.com, which similarly, will allow for free, ad-supported streaming of music videos and other music content. The music videos are shown in better quality than the original ones on YouTube. See below  for an example of the ''Vevo'' logo provided for evidence.  This is denotes her star persona, the music label Rihanna is signed to which shows how much Universal is emphasising to use all the possible media texts such as videos, websites and many more different media outlets. These are all produced to appeal to her target audience which is teenagers. Again, it demonstrates her star persona through her videos and the use of streaming.

The navigation bar contains a variety of ways to finding your way to different websites. It is mainly positioned in the UN which shows dollars and all the other instutes linked to Rihanna's website particularly based in the United States of America. This clearly shows that the website is so popular that it has to go global for fans or audiences to access it.

Interestingly, the typography is in Italics with a pink colour and the background is pink which connites that Rihanna's website appeals both to her primary and secondary audiences. Pink using the conventional colour that represents her femininity, girly and flattering side which is more appealling to her seocodary target audience as it is younh female girls. Whereas, the use of her red hair colour appeals more to her male primary target audience which shows her sexual, seductive, and lusting side.



Multimedia content

Universal is using different media outlets to promote Rihanna in the best way. Particularly, using other companies to expose Rihanna's star persona, image, songs and clothing line to her target audience.

The above picture, Rihanna synergized with Kodak camera's and other artists signed to different record labels. Promoting is done through offering discounts and offers will persuade the customers to purchase the product. As people see that celebraties own these type of Kodak camera's, they will be more likely to purchase the product for fame and popularity. Also, major labels will be linked with major companies.

Multinational and successfull companies like Kodak will be more prolonged to synergize with each other because they are wealthy, successfull, have highly competent professionals, advanced technological or media skills and have more access oppertunities with other powerful companies which enables all of the institutes to cooperate together and both institutes will benefits from synergizing.

 

This is an example of  Rihanna synergizing with Tweeter. This is very essential as fans and her target audience wants to know more about her and get the oppertunity to even talk to her on Tweeter. This will persuade them to visit the website more and become ideologically obsessed with Rihanna's looks, songs and her merchandises which are sold on this website.

As you can see, the hyperlink ''Follow Rihanna'' leads her target audience to another website which contains more exciting information about Rihanna. This persuades fans to know more about Rihanna.

Also, as Rihanna is signed to a major recording label she can be easily promoted, marketed, published and advertised through different media texts and one of this is her website.

 MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are the social networking sites which would be an easy way for musicians to get their sound out to the public. It's services are free and easy to set up. Hereby, would many fans comment on Rihanna as their favourite artist and send files related to Rihanna to each other making her more well known and interesting to gossip or talk about. That is also what Rihanna and Universal want to be searched as often as possible on Google, MySpace, Facebook, YouTube so that they can earn more money through merchandise or concert tickets and so on.

These websites like MySpace, press coverage, advertising, viral online campaigns. Universal uses a range of techniques. They advertise singles launches on MySpace font page and the artists MySpace blog as well as on Facebook and the artists twitter pages.

Universal works in collaboration with Kodak camera's has used artists like Rihanna and other artists signed to different record labels to promote and publish the camera in US for both of the companies benefits and they both earn the same profit.

Most importantly, synergy connoting wealth, popularity and expertise.

LOGO

The R logo represents Rihanna's star persona as a rocky star, animalistic or rather aggressive sexual lust through the use of the sharp and straight lines in the R logo and her main image. This is a simple appeal for a mass audience as people around the world will recognise that this R logo made this way is representing Rihanna. Yet also, the other part of her logo name is writen in italics and the letters are following each other from the end bits as if it's Rihanna's signiture or her own writing.

This gives a sense of personal feeling, attachment, and conventionally pink colour representing her femininity.

The URL is ''.com'' which will mean it is a website operating worldwide and anyone can have access to it at anytime. It is important to mention that, when making a website for a multi-platinum seller like Rihanna you will need a lot of money to be able to, literally, pay for every single distribution channels. This will mean that you need to pay for advertise, publish, market and promote Rihanna's music. Hereby, the artist will be know globally and by just a click of a button you can find overloading information using any media texts on Internet, TV, radio and so on.

Rihanna signed a contract to Def Jam Records in 2004 aged 16 parented by Universal Music Groups.  Her image was portrayed as this very naturally beautiful, innocent, vulnerable, youthful and fresh singer. As time passed by, her media identity didn't appeal to her target audience anymore as they lost interested because Rihanna by then was an ordinary young female just like any other artists. In order, to sell her multinational music, she had to have a complete makeover and look unique, extraordinary and out of the domain from the other artists in the music market.

As you can see her main image, appear really attractive, eye-catching, seductive, mysterious, rebellious  as her ''rebelle fleur'' tattoo is clearly visible as well. The web page reflects her record label as she has got many conventions of a web page available connoting that Universal will use every single approach that enables them to make Rihanna famous and known universally. Rihanna reflects her record company's name ''Universal'' by her being known ''universally''. Rihanna's music and image is  globalized through cyber networks, music channels, websites, social networking sites and many more.