Song Choices

Song Choice 1: Pop

This "energized slop pop band" from Ohio goes by the name Grumpy Plumb and is made up of three members, Tallulah Swazey, Laurel McCreight, and Mattie Zanin. The song is titled "Doll House" and is one of the songs on their album "Don't Yell at Me!". The song has 1,379 streams on Soundcloud and 50 likes. 

Here is the embedded Soundcloud link:

Grumpy Plum · Doll House

Song Choice 1: Indie

This indie artist goes by the stage name "Girlhouse", Lauren Luiz's indie style has gained her some popularity on the website Soundcloud, where her most popular songs have amounted to over 10k streams. However, the song I have chosen "treading water", has 44 streams and 29 likes. The song is from her debut ep "the girlhouse ep". The song has no music video, however, it is uploaded to youtube and has 491 views and 30 likes. 

Here is the Youtube video:

Song choice 3: Rock

Sister Machine Gun is a rock group formed by Chris Randall and Guillerme Machado in 1990. Their song Wired has been adapted for the radio, and I have chosen this radio edit. The song itself belongs on their album "Wired/Lung" and has 753 views and 36 likes on Youtube. It has no music video, however, the song's Youtube link is below:

Song choice 3: Pop

Sam and Sounds, or Andrew Gemmell, is a UK-based young male pop artist. His single "Mamma Mia Girl" has no music video the song has 8,688 views on Youtube and 954 streams on Soundcloud.

Here's the Soundcloud link to Mamma Mia girl:

Sam and Sounds · Mamma Mia Girl

Feedback on Album Artwork

 

There was lots of feedback on my digipack, but here's the main summary:

The font used for the legal information was slightly too large and should have been smaller. The SONY logo should have been placed lower. 

The font for both "CRAVING' and the track setlist could have been the same as the handwritten "Pearl Beckett" to make it more coherent. The handwritten font received a lot of positive feedback, for giving it a more "personal" feel that adheres well with a pop genre. 

There was a lot of positive feedback on the color palate used of pink and blue, and white accents. The illustration was an interesting way of highlighting the female pop artists in the middle, which is a common way of composing the position of pop artists. 

My album artwork design

(Front)

(Back)

 

How to design a logo

Logos:

A band logo is a huge part of the band culture, as it becomes a recognizable emblem that often reflects the genre and ideology of the band.

• Band and artist logos, appear on the t-shirts, stickers, and merchandise sales. 
• It can become cultural as well, fans will learn how to draw and perhaps get it tattooed, etc.

There are lots of things that play into this, but to focus: mainly Simplicity and Font

There are 7 types of logo:

Abstract mark

Mascot Logo

Combination mark

Emblem logo

Lettermark

Pictorial Mark

Wordmark

For example, the Rolling Stones Logo is big blocks of color that print easily, the bright red is attention-grabbing and aggressive, the tongue looking almost vulgar and cartoonish with the contrast between the red, black, and whites.

This is a perfect 

This emblem has been used to sell merchandise and is now an easily recognizable symbol of the band.

My own design:

I designed a logo for a metal band called "The Daggers" I used knife imagery to connote a more violent ideology that suits the genre of the band. The print would be easily recognisable and something the band could create stickers, t-shirts, and other merchandise for. It's also something they could print other drums or their guiters. 

Why Album artwork is used and how

Why is album artwork used?

• 
  It sells physical music- as Vinyl and CD sales come back into fashion, people are more likely to buy an album of some of their favorite artists if they like the look of the artwork, that they can then display. this means that the artwork sells the product.

• It showcases the ideology of the band. Through colors, print, and visual images, artists can express their genre, taste, and beliefs, this helps them gain popularity with their target audience who would like the genre or ideals the band/artists present through their album covers. It's so the artists can build a fanbase of people who will find identity in the artwork they embody.
  
  

The Beatles' Album cover

• The albums they create can become an iconic image that lots of people will recognize, which can mean they become a USP.
• For example, the Beatles' famous album, Abbey Road, resulted in London changing the lights to accommodate the number of pedestrians trying to get a picture walking on the iconic crosswalk.
• 
  

  

  (A fan's re-creation on Abbey Road)

  
  

Conventions of album artwork

There are certian rules that most album covers are required to follow, and that all new artists follow.

 What has to be on an album:

On the Front:

• 
  The Name- on the front the name is the biggest part of the album cover, the album title is actually smaller, this is because the artist is being sold, not  the album independently 

• 
  The album name-  this is usually styled or drawn, or completely random, however, the font and style always adheres to the genre. 

• Parental Advisory sticker- If there is any profanity within the album, that sticker is required. This is required on the front cover. 

On the Back:

• Track list- Numbered and in order, (both the front and track names are conventions themselves, meaning
  that they also adhere to the genre)

• Legal information- Studio that made it and key legal people (producers, legal production people), often a studio logo as well. 

• Barcode- for selling physical copies.

Dyer Star theory

 The term "star" in Dyer star theory refers to the blending between creating an artificial idea of a person that both relates to their audience while they maintain a brand that is carefully controlled to produce revenue and sell their music, by selling the star themselves, their are marketing their "image" and creating a fanbase and identifying a specific target audience. 

 The star is a created image - this means most things surrounding them will be fabricated to sell them and their ideology, for example, most of their social-media posts will be well planned.

ICONIC IMAGERY- unique selling points that aid in the creation of the image of the artist and their easily recognizable props or traits. For example,  Michael Jackson's iconic white glove, or Freddie Mercury's mustache.

Exapmle Artist- Little Mix

Little Mix, the band was founded in 2011 by Simon Cowell on his hit t-show the X-factor, where they were signed by his record label and came out with heir first song "Wings" after singing "Canon ball" on the show's season finale.

The Band's ideology stood for female empowerment and took a very pro- feminist stance, making sure to highlight their own confidence and gained a following of young girls who looked to them as role models. Due to this, many of their videos and photos are advertised towards stereotypicaly feminine magazines and products.