The assignment will attempt to explore the commercialised fabrication that is X-Factor, on the music industry. In particular, what does the reality show X-factor pose for production of artists, and the effects this has on the industry? The prestige for production that X-Factor had to offer for the music industry, simultaneously to now it may no longer desire through realisation of just regurgitated material? A matter of opinions and factual literature will be explored to elude the commodification this commercialised machine offers to the music industry. Firstly, what are commodities and the relation commodification holds within the music industry? Commodities are an existence of a good that are produced for means to a profit (Marx, 1968). Well established commodities are those with large markets, accustomed by large derivative markets trade and speculate profit, if the asset or produce interchanges in the way they are expected (Hesmondhalgh, 2007). Therefore, would it suggest culture commodification districts genuine value and asserts more focus on profit motives, subsequently, weakening creativity and originality that are imposed within the media industry? The relationship between commodification and the X Factor is a direct marketing tool for the commodification of music, which takes particular advantage of the much sought-after Christmas Number One spot every year (King, 2010).
The X-Factor is a reality TV show that commercialises a singing competition. It originated from England, where now the format is sold in various other countries such as America. Contestants embark on four preliminary rounds prior to auditions faced in front of judges, where they are then faced through on going auditions to then face the public in li...
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...ord selling is simply about the quality of the musician with that record, where as the star-making system refers to a well-established artist or brand based on their previous performance to guarantee future success, examples such as Elvis Presley or the Beatles to name a few. X-Factor nurtures and sculpts this musician to fit a star image or star personality (Frith, 2000), for example through the auditions you see their family or hear of a heart whelming story to add likability factor to their image. Predominant marketing on the image as oppose to the music-making is often heard throughout the live shows, “you do not have the X-Factor”, or “You have the voice, but the image is not right”. Surely it is only about the voice, regardless of what branded top they are wearing or well-established shoes they decided to put on that morning? The term X-Factor said to those…
Though The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz was written years ago, the idea of materialism, and measuring one's success by their possessions is also a prominent theme in pop culture in the West. Luxurious and excessive lifestyles are in, perpetuated by "blinged out" rap artists and rock stars who own multiple houses, and drive unnecessarily large and expensive sport utility vehicles and sports cars. Pop music has evolved throughout the 20th Century, and has now gotten to a point where it's not just music, but an industry. Singers are actors and vice versa. To make it big in the music industry you not only have to have talent, but a strong business sense, and your own clothing line, of course.
Banks, Jack. Monopoly Television: MTV's Quest to Control the Music. (Colorado: Westview, 1996), p. 34.
In assessing the impact and effect of popular cultural forms like MTV, it is important to acknowledge the extent to which, rather than having them imposed upon us, we may instead appropriate or assimilate parts, whilst choosing to reject or ignore the rest. This, of course, has the consumer or viewer acting (or perhaps more accurately interacting) as opposed to simply passively receiving (Philo par 16).Even though critics of MTV stand strongly against the passive consumer, th...
...ue. Consumers shouldn’t have to settle with music instead they should be enjoying it. In order to get the authenticity back within commercialized music it will only happen if people begin to realize the power that they hold. Once people start to realize that then the music that is produced, and sung will have a more significant affect on its listeners; music then can continue to be inspiring. Quality music is and will always be cherished more than mass-produced commercialized cacophony.
For example, music is becoming more widely available to the general public with the introduction of mp3 players and the growth of the online music industry. The essay is concluded with my personal feelings towards the use of electronic technology within the live music industry, as well as the recording studio environment. This conclusion reveals that while the use of electronic technology has become crucial in the modern music market, it should not detract from the quality of live music produced. In this way, I feel that the use of electronic technology – namely drum machines and computerised backing tracks – have had a negative effect on the live music industry, because the majority of artists within the ‘pop’ genre now use computer-generated backing for live performances.
a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a. a 1, p. 66-87. Sommers-Flanagan, R., Sommers-Flanagan, J., & Davis, B. (1993) The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. What’s happening on music television: A gender-roled content analysis.
For a start, sponsorships can be risky. For example, overexposure can take a negative effect on the artist and his or her song. Many people are tired of hearing the same song on the radio, television, and at the movies after a countless amount of times. According to paragraph 8 of “Selling Out Not Worth the Risk,” Moby, an electronic artist, released his album called Play in 1999. He licensed each one of his 18 tracks. Fans then lost interest because they heard this everywhere on the radio, on commercials and movies. In many other cases, a record label who owns the rights to the artist’s music licenses the song to another company. Once this happens, the artist would not have any control over how the music can be used. According to paragraph 9
The first main example of physical image becoming a major marketing point in the music industry lies in the career of Elvis Aaron Presley. His image was the building point of his reputation, as he represented the first major example of a sex symbol in music. Presley has been described as a “sex god”, which inspired other artists to emulate him in the future and use sex to sell their music. (Long, “Elvis the Sex God”, Vox Magazine) and various television and music executives described how visually captivating his performances were. Although Presley had undeniable talent, his talent was not the only selling point that his handlers used to market him to the public, which was quite a departure from the classical and jazz eras, where musical skill was the prominent issue in determining the popularity of musicians such as Beethoven, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington. L...
The meaning of reality TV in American culture can differ from person to person. Overall, the purpose of reality TV is to provide entertainment, to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. At the end of every episode, the producers show a sneak preview of things that will take place in the next episode, which leaves the audience with a cliffhanger. In the sneak preview, the producers show a conflict that may arise, in hopes that the audience will continue to watch the show. After watching the sneak preview, the viewers develop a sense of anticipation and want to know what’s going to happen next. Reality TV is broken down into certain categories such as competition, entertainment, ect. In this essay, I’m going to be discussing The Amazing Race by using both a narrative and visual analysis.
In the 1930s-1950s, we saw people who were culture brokers. Culture brokers are defined as “the act of inking or mediating between groups or persons of differing cultural backgrounds for the purpose of reducing conflict or producing change”. This was seen as some of the "best work" of the economy and state because culture brokers simply buy and sell things to make a profit. We see the transformation of folk forms, such as the blues into popular commercialized music and this offers a way to fight with the questions of authenticity in popular culture and how music has been collected and sold by culture brokers. A historian, John Storey, writes about how working in Europe and the United States created and defined popular culture as a "mass culture", the commercialized forms used by the urban, working class. The folk represented examples of authentic and immutable American culture. Mass culture on the other hand, was subject to the market, changed with technologies and audiences and aimed at the masses. In the 1930s, some folklorists became commercial promoters of folk music as part of the "cult of authenticity". As broadcast radio matured, it offered new venues f...
...curately portrays personality was compressed into nuggets of reality that the producers wished to convey. This truth however has no effect on the awareness of the audience who for the most part accept the edidt performance as full reality and base their perceptions of the contestants on that. According to Charles Fairchild (2007) “ ‘Idol’ relationships are not limited to familiar musician-fan binaries, but grow and evolve into a series of intimate, active relationships that stretch well beyond the life of the show” (p.355). In his research he examined Australian Idol, a singing completion similar to X-Factor, and how by using the interactive selection build an affective investment in contestants that last past the conclusion of the series. This can be applied to explain their continued success after the show concluded despite they fact they that they came in third.
MTV promotes a romanticized teen lifestyle, reflecting the images of famous artists that differ with the realities of the “Generation X” lifestyle. While some view the station as “illustrated radio” or an entertainment network for viewers’ pleasure, others more accurately consider it as an advertising enterprise that endorses products and promotes attitudes (O’Neil 12). Whether or not MTV critics agree with these “messages” that, the network sends out, it has become a huge franchise generating large profits and great popularity. MTV’s entertainment, commercialism, and messages satisfy and influence many types of viewers, giving us, the viewing audience, a better understanding of the immense popularity of Music Television (MTV).
To conclude, the accuracy of Adorno’s criticisms of contemporary music is arguable as there are some of his claims that can be applied to today’s music culture. His arguments have strengths and weaknesses of popular music production to the masses. However, the writers note the change of ‘popular’ music and with the evidence of the music records sale figures from Frith, the culture industry is not as manipulative as Adorno makes it to be. Although, the several writers highlights the flaws of Adorno’s claims, it does shows with contemporary music today that the culture industry follows pseudo-individualism in order to create music for what the consumer needs.
...e an identity for a massive television. Similarly, the critics wrote off Bruno Mars that he is not big enough star to shine on the national stage. Because he lacks fragrance deals and is not in the tabloids. According to Jody Rosen, pop critic in New York Times, Bruno Mars is someone with a dynamic stage presence but has not made any effort to construct offstage persona around himself. The journalist missed the main point here. Bruno Mars’ music and his singing craft are so great and that’s what elevates him into the type of performer worthy of appearing at the Super Bowl and entertaining massive audience. So why does he need fragrance deals or some offstage persona to shine when he is already shining without it?
There are key characteristics that define reality television. One of the key features is unscripted programming with unprofessional actors. According to a majority of reality shows producers, they claim their show is unscripted because participants are under surveillance twenty-four hours, seven days a week. Another characteristic is the ...