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.