Research: Institutions

What is an Institution?

Music video institutions are companies who help produce and fund music videos for their signed artists. Most, if not all popular artists/bands are signed to these credible companies. Having an institution signed to you can contribute to your success because they are accountable for the artist success and downfall which can help new coming artist gain many opportunities to get their name heard. Moreover these companies have an expectation from audiences as they are mainly a well established and known company who is recognized for a certain genre of music. For example, universal signed Alicia Keys and her  career started with Sony believing in her and signing her, which then followed on with many opportunities given to her such as Album releases and Single releases along with other liberties on different media platforms which boosted up her fame and made her the hugely successful artist she is today. 

The 4 leading Music Institutions:

Sony Music Entertainment:

• Provides contracts and music labels for international artists 
• Used to be known as Sony BMG Music Entertainment, however changed its name in 2008
• Offers a range of music genres including pop, rock, hip-hop, country, grime, etc.
• Labels include Arista Records, Colombia Records, Epic Records, J Records, Jive Records, RCA Victoria Records, RCA Records, Legacy Records, Sonic Wave America and others.
• Colombia Records was created 1887, and then branched out and Sony evolved.
• Artist signed include, Destiny's Child, Michael Jackson, Elvis,Wham, Kid Ink, ASAP Rocky, Miley Cyrus.

EMI Music: 

•     Successful International Institution and one of the most leading in the world.
•     Labels include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue note, Capital, Capital Latin, etc.
•    Offers a range of music genres including POP, Alternative, Rock, Rap, Hip-Hop, Latin, Pop-      Rock, House music, Elector Dance.
•    Artists signed include Katy Perry, Snoop Dogg, Queen, Coldplay, Beatles, Cher, Ice Cube,        David Guetta, ACDC

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Warner Music Group:

• ·     Not as popular or big as the other Major Music Institutions, however is an international institution. 
• ·     Help artists achieve long term creative and financial success by providing consumers with the highest quality music content available.
• ·    Labels include Warner Bros, Asylum, Atlantic, Cordless, East West, Elektra, Maybach Music, etc 
• ·       Artists signed include Bruno Mars,Wiz Khalifa, Madonna, Major Lazer, Ed Sheeran, Prince, Plan B, kid Rock, etc. 
•      Offers a Range of Music Genres including POP, Dance-hall, Dance, Hip Hop, Tropical House, House music, Country, Funk

Universal Music Group Inc. (UMG) :

•         World’s Largest Music Content Company.
•          Recorded music business discovers and develops recording artists and then markets and            promotes their music across a wide array of formats and platforms.
•         Successful Company on a different platform which determines Profits both ways
•         Labels include Abbey Road Studios, Bravado, Capitol Music Group, Def Jam Recordings,         EMI, Decca, Island Records UK/ Island Records US
•        Artists signed include  Maroon 5, Nicki Minaj, Justin Bieber, Amy Whineshouse, U2, The Weeknd, Lana Del Ray, Kendrick Lamar, James Bay, Drake, Bruno Mars
•       Offers a range of genres including Hip-Hop, Soul music, Funk, Pop, Indie Rock, Pop Rock, Jazz
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Research: Mulvey's male gaze

                                      

                                                     Robin Thicke- Blurred Lines

How do you think heterosexual men view these women?

I think heterosexual men look at these women with lust due to them being naked and almost symbolizing the perfect woman and perfect body. However, they may also view them as weak and vulnerable, as they have exposed them self fully for the audience to see everything including their flaws which brings out their insecurities. This video also objectifies women as the men are fully clothed and smartly dressed, almost putting them selves higher in the hierarchy, than these women.

* A short survey we conducted,showed that after watching Robin Thicke- Blurred Lines, and Miley Cyrus- Wrecking Ball, the majority of audiences were not able to identify and answer simple questions such as 'what colour shoes was the girl on the wrecking ball wearing?' This is due to the audiences, male and female, looking at more explicit parts of the  female, which again supports Mulveys Male Gaze. 

Mulvey’s Male Gaze

How audiences view the women presented?

                For feminists, it can be thought of in 3 ways:

•                       How men look at women

•                       How women look at themselves

•                       How women look at other women.

 Audiences 'view' characters from the perspective of a heterosexual male.

She believed:

Men look at women for visual pleasure

Active male/passive female 

In music videos that sexualise women, men are also present, however more dominant than the women through the use of mise en scene, such as costume, lighting, and facial expression. Audiences (especially men) are almost taught to enjoy videos  sexualising women as they objectify women as a sexual figure. This shows the male is active and the female is passive.

                              
                                                          Eric Prydz- Count On Me 

FEMALES 

        From the female on screen’s point of view, they see themselves as sexy. empowered and strong as they are confident within themselves to show off their body to the world through music videos disregarding the judgement they are going to receive due to the controversy, which adds on to their dominance and makes them feel powerful, This may be due to them making money by showing off their body asserts they are proud of. This shows that these women's opinions are binary opposites to men.

      Despite this, from another female’s point of view, they see these women in the music videos as promiscuous women that do not respect their bodies and have no morals in life, This makes them against the way they make money as they view it downgrading for all females.

    

  MALES

   heterosexual males point of view of these women are simple, as they just watch them for pleasure and gain sexual connotations from it. Although the video above may be aimed to do this, it is a bias opinion as it is only meant for the heterosexual male eye.

Critisism of theory:

·   -The theory is only for heterosexual male’s eyes, going against/not considering gay or lesbian people. 

·  - Excludes cultural, social and religious views.

·  - The theory says men cant be presented as 'sexy' and 'promiscuous'

·  - Some women enjoy being looked at.

· - Doesn’t portray female empowerment clearly enough as a male figure is always overpowering or appearing

· - Exposing to younger generations.

· -Different females preview the video differently which is going to alter their overall opinion on females