The Music Press: Representation

Representation
Representation is the way the media reflects the real

world back to us. The medias presentation is never transparent. Every representation is biased, even by what is included (or represented) and what is left out. All representations reflect the ideas, biases and assumptions of the producers. The audience can also read the representations in a biased way, or from a particular point of view. It can be a problem if we see a biased representation so often that we start to believe it is real or true.

Watch
Clip 7 Representations (all, 0.00- 6.10)

Representation of musicians
The Music Press helps to create and maintain the

representation of bands and performers. The representation sells an image and a lifestyle as well as the music. Genres of music tend to be represented differently. To be successful in a genre, the performer often has to fit this expected representation. Can you tell what kind of music someone likes by the way they look and act? Discuss if there is a typical representation (look, image, set of behaviours and beliefs) associated with the kinds of music shown below. Goth or emo music Heavy metal music Rap music Classical music Dance music Pop music

Genre and representation

Look at the three the images below and fill in the table to compare how the performer / group is represented. ONE DIRECTION (group shot) http://www.welovepopmag.co.uk/gallery/show/6 BLACK SABBATH http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/features/black-sabbath-respond-tobill-wards-statement/ AUTECHRE http://www.thewire.co.uk/articles/9229/
Text and genre We Love Pop Pop Costume (clothes) Clean, smart, casual Props and location Studio Colour codes Technical codes Nonverbal codes Text, Graphics, etc The logo of the magazine Effect: What impression do we get of the performer?

Performer

One direction

Neutral colours.

It is a mid-shot so you can see what sort of clothes they are wearing, and see their faces well.

That they are a group of innocent boys who want to impress their target audience (teenage girls). They take care in their appearance.

Black Sabbath

Metal Hammer Black Sabbath Reunited Heavy Metal

Black shirt, Black jacket/blazer, black trousers. Sunglasses, chains with religious symbols (the cross)

Back stage

Black

Mid-shot so you are able to see their clothes and faces.

A caption Black Sabbath Reunited

Just from their appearance you are able to tell that they are a heavy metal band because of their facial hair, the colours they are wearing aswell as the accessories they wear.

Autechre

Wire electronic , techno, hip pop

Casual, Jumper/ hoody

At a gig

Dark, Black, Grey

Mid-shot, you are able to see the equipment they are using

Autechre: Transfor med by sound

You can tell from the image that they are all about the music. The music means more to them than their appearance or anything else.

Race, gender and stereotypes

The Music Press helps to sell music by using typical

representations and stereotypes. The audience finds stereotypes (e.g. the aggressive black rapper, the wistful young white girl singer / guitarist) easy to recognise and easy to understand. Using stereotypes makes it easier to market (sell) a musician / band. But it also means that people who dont fit the stereotype may be ignored or left out by the music industry (eg the young white female rapper? The old black male emos?) It might also mean that people who are not considered physically appealing (the right age, shape, size, colour etc) are left out. Do you think this is true? And if it is true, is it OK?

Gender
Compare images of women on an issue of Q, Kerrang! and mixmag
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/organgrinder/2009/feb/24/how-lily-allen-q-cover-wasshot#zoomed-picture http://www.google.co.nz/imgres?imgurl=http://a3.ecimages.myspacecdn.com/images02/151/d08659159ace474082b4db4fc6ff6964/l.jpg&imgrefurl =http:/ http://www.dltmagazines.co.uk/shop/create-magazine-pack/mixmag-magazine.aspx

In terms of denotation, the images denote the same thing a

young woman. But in terms of connotations the images suggest very different sets of ideas.
Compare the images, referring to colour codes, technical codes

and non-verbal codes, especially: posture, gesture, facial expression, cropping of shot, props, background. You could construct a table, like in slide 5.

Watch
Do women buy music magazines? in Clip 10

The Word (4.18 6.01)

Women in the Music Press

Many Music Press texts are aimed largely at a male readership

(Kerrang! Metal Hammer, Q, Mojo, The Word, Classic Rock etc). Does this affect how women are represented? Are women represented to suit the men who read the magazines?
Is there more pressure on women performers to be attractive and

sexy? Does the Music Press judge women performers on how they look, not on their music?
Do we need women-focussed music press texts? Look at these

examples. Do they represent women differently to texts aimed at men?

Wears the Trousers http://wearsthetrousers.com/

The Girls Are http://www.thegirlsare.com/

Race
Look at the front covers from Echoes The UKs essential black music

monthly.
http://www.newsstand.co.uk/192-Other-Magazines/929-Subscribe-to-ECHOES-MONTHLY-Magazine-

Subscription.aspx

Does Echoes use a stereotyped representation of black performers? How far do you think the following statements are true?

There is a focus on male performers. They are usually tall and muscular and the men tend to be darker- skinned, while the women are often lighter-skinned. Women are often shown as props added in to show the mans success or wealth. Emphasis is placed on either rebelliousness or on visible material wealth. Many of the images portray subtle or overt anger / aggression through posture.

If you think any of these statements are true, how does it help to sell

black music? Who is it selling music to?

Discussion: representation and ideology

Representation contributes to the ideology (the values and attitudes) of the Music Press. Consider the following questions. Try to give specific examples from texts to support your views.
Does the Music Press and the music industry use stereotypes to

package and sell performers? Does the Music Press rely on old-fashioned ideas of feminine and masculine, or black and white to sell music? Does the Music Press present an impossible body image (thin is beautiful) to girls, and increasingly to boys (the six-pack)? Do only good looking, able-bodied, young, usually heterosexual people feature in the Music Press? Does this limit what kind of performers can become successful? Does this give readers a false impression of what is normal? Does the Music Press just give the audience what it wants (pretty girls and buff men)? Is it the audiences fault?

Beyond stereotypes
Has music moved beyond old-fashioned stereotypes?
Do God Forbid fit with stereotypes of black performers, and of

metal bands?
http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/god-forbid-equilibrium-video/

Does Kreayshawn fit with stereotypes of rap music?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/arts/music/white-female-rappers-challenging-hip-hopsmasculine-ideal.html?pagewanted=all

Does Adele fit with the thin = beautiful stereotype?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2098419/Adele-hits-Karl-Lagerfelds-fatcomment.html

What stereotypes does Beth Ditto challenge?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2145948/Cannes-2012-Beth-Ditto-wife-KristenOgata-share-kiss-Rust-Bone-premiere.html

Summary
Explain these terms:

Representation Stereotypes Bias