Dyer's Star Theory.

There is a difference between artists who are simply known for performing pop music and those who are known for being pop stars, who have an identity or persona which is not restricted solely to their musicianship.

One of the reasons so many pop performers are described as 'pop stars' is that they are quickly promoted to this status by their management, through the use of cleaver publicity such as a famous boyfriend/girlfriend or attendance at premiers.


However a true pop star has a lasting significance, and has "brand significance" across a wider market over a period of time.

Dyer proposes that a star is an image not a real person that is constucted (as any other aspect of fiction is) out of a range of material (eg. advertising, magazines etc.)

Stars are made to appeal to audiences and generate revenue, therefore companies nurture stars and reproduce successful prototypes.

Making a twitter for my artist.

Today I made a Twitter for Jem which I will continue to update.

Twitter is one of the many ways in which artists connect with their fans and therefore this is an important aspect for the development of my artist.

This page is where fans will look for upcoming tour dates, news and updates about Jem. Furthermore, fans will feel like they are personally connected as Jem will also tweet personal thoughts ideas and opinions.

Drake concert.

Last night Wini, Sophia and I attended Drake's concert at the O2 arena. It was a sold out show packed with his fans, he is doing 7 shows in London and each one was sold out.

This inspired me to look in to how Drake is branded and how he became so successful.

Building a career in TV:

Drake began his career on the Canadian TV show, “Degrassi: The Next Generation”. From the young age of 15, Drake knew he could make a name for himself, and he recognized TV was the best way to do so. Fast forward to 2010. Already pretty big in the rap and music world, Drake signed his first major endorsement deal - with Sprite, a brand known for using other well-known rappers and celebrities in their campaigns. Drake’s deal with Sprite is still going on; this past June, his rap lyrics appeared on limited edition Sprite cans.

Building a fashion brand with Nike:
During a concert in 2013, Drake announced his plans to sign with Nike’s famed Jordan brand. His record label, OVO (October’s Very Own), even sells its own Drake merchandise - from sweatshirts to iPhone cases.

His strong relationship with the NBA:
Drake, a lifelong Toronto Raptors fan, announced in 2013 that he would become the Raptors’ team ambassador. In this year’s NBA All-Star Game, held in Toronto, Drake coached one of the Celebrity Game teams, and even handled the player introductions during the actual All-Star Game.

Partnership with Apple:
In June 2015, at Apple’s annual WWDC conference, he was part of the Apple Music launch. There have been rumors that Apple even funded Drake’s “Hotline Bling” music video.

This is how Drake became such a marketing powerhouse.

Here are some of my photos from the concert:

Making an Instagram for our artist.

In modern day society, Instagram is probably one of the most important ways of branding an artist.

Everyone uses Instagram and it is the way most people whose to stay updated on their favourite musicians and celebrities.

Today I made an Instagram page for Jem, I will update this regularly as this is a way as staying relevant and getting his name out there.

I will post updates about upcoming singles, concerts and music videos.

Kaytranada Website.

 This is the website of the music producer 'Kaytranada', it has the animated illustration from the album cover in the middle, and each option on the website has a different illustration when you hover over it, each one links in with the theme of the illustrations and is moving which looks really cool and gives an interactive sense to the website.

One really good thing about this website is the game, which allows fans of the band to win a bonus track from their debut album. This really is really good idea for publicity, as people will play the game and tell their friends about it as it is a unique idea, making more people visit the website which spreads the name of the artist and is a fun and interactive way of spreading the word.

Creating something that is collectable is a very good way to market an artist, this is definitely something that I may consider. However I would have to look into the technical aspect of making something such as a game.

I really like the hand drawn illustrations and it is definitely something I will consider for my album cover. Unfortunately I am not very skilled at drawing, so if I did go down this route I would have to commission someone to make an illustration for me, I would want as much input as possible though so I would design I rough version.

Working on my website.

 

Today I started working on my website using the Wix website builder. As I haven't done a photoshoot with Jem yet, I started by including a short clip from my video, which I thought looked really nice. Also I think its good to link the video and the website together to create something recognisable for the fans of our musician. My next step will be to organise a photoshoot with Jem so I can complete the website.



Inspiration: Disclosure.

For disclosure's 'Settle' album cover they used a mixed media image - a sourced photo of the band as children with the familiar scribble face drawing over the top.

This has become a recognisable feature of disclosure's album covers, they use this same design even for their collaborations with other artists, such as for the song 'Omen' with Sam smith, who is very recognisable as a celebrity, and therefore this adds to the novelty of his face being turned into a disclosure drawing.

Using a mixed media image is something that I am considering for my album cover, as it is more interesting than just using an image of the artist, but it also means that the artist is still there and therefore can become recognisable as an artist, especially for the teenage 'fangirl' market, who want to see images of the artist that they can pin up on their wall etc.