Island Records

Within the group, Maddie and I decided that Island Records was definitely the record label we wanted to sign our band. This is because they have signed other similar bands to us that have been very successful in different time periods such as Pulp  and Bombay Bicycle Club; this shows how they have maintained very high standards. Island records have signed quite a collective mix of artists considering they have also signes artists such as Tulisa and the band Mcfly. This is positive thing for our band, considering that we have quite a hybrid genre of music as we include all different types. It's good to have a record label that are very open to all different idea's within different genres - which could work with the image of our band and the freedom they will have to make the image their own and we would like to keep them original. Our band being able to create their own image is an important factor, we don't want the band to seem like a 'sell out' band, so having an open minded label is very important to the development of the band. 

Digipack Analysis

This is a digipack for 'R' by R Kelly in which he wrote and produced all of the songs featured. 

The Outside Of The Pack (The Top) 

On the far left features a big bold, solid 'R'. The 'R' dominates the cover and is clearly the album name. The colour consists of red & black symbolising the love but also mystery behind his music. 

The middle cover shows the artist in his element doing what he loves. He poses by looking up as if he is thanking god for his success and the golden light adds to this as it gives it a heavenly ambiance. R Kelly stands alone on the stage with no fancy lighting, props or musicians and this shows he is a pure and original artist. 

To the far right is a silhouette of R Kelly with the letter 'R' This welcomes his audience into his lifestyle and almost allows them to talk to him as a friend; it also shows how he don't have to write out his whole name for people to know who he is. 

The Inside Of The Pack (The Bottom)

On the cover to the left shows the track names and a image of of R Kelly standing topless and showing of his muscles representing masculinity. He holds what looks like a towel or shirt on his shoulder showing he gives it all in his performance such as blood and sweat. The Colour in the background is gold and looks like clouds, this once again relates to the heaven feeling. 

The middle cover again shows a big 'R' within a circle. The circle is a way of representing a Cd/Music and the R is placed in the centre dominating the circle showing that R Kelly is in charge of his music. 

The cover to the right is another silhouette of R kelly but is a picture from one of his previous albums. This shows his staying loyal to his music and true fans that have been there from the start. it shows he hasn't changed and is still the same person even though the music industry is constantly changing. 

The Music Industry

In the above presentation i have researched what independent and major record labels are and which is the difference between them. I found a few examples of the companies and then focused on one specific independent record label that manages to get finance due to it being a subsidiary company of one of the big 3 '20th century fox'.

Adorno & Horkeimer's Theory

The Culture Industry
The culture industry is the way Adorno and Horkheimer ' argue which items are produced and how they can be compared to other industries manufactured vast quantities of consumer goods. This means that  the culture industry is always made up of the same things and a pattern can be seen between how some items are produced compared to other items within the culture industry. Adorno and Horkheimer also argued that the culture industry showed an 'assembly-line character' which could be observed in the synthetic, planned method of turning out its product. Adorno and Horkheimer's are trying to say that the the industry don't promote artist's because of their talent, but they promote the artists which they can make most money out of even if they haven't got as good as a voice as another person. 

The X-Factor Machine 
Adorno and Horkeimer linked the 'culture industry' theory to a type of 'mass culture' in which cultural production had become a routine and made the audience expect nothing more but pop artists as it is what they became used to. This makes it a lot easier to meet an audiences expectations and therefore sells more records and the artist to its full extent. Standardisation is a repetitive operation that produced undemanding cultural commodities which in turn resulted in a type of consumption that was also standardised, distracted and passive. 

The X-Factor
Adorno and Horkheimer argued that the 'culture industry' operated in the same way as other producing industries. All the work and publicity had become formalised and products were made according to rationalised organisational procedures that were established for the sole purpose of making money.Adorno and Horkheimer is arguing that everything is extended and dragged out to having a duration as long as possible in order to gain a lot more money from the audience as it remains in the public eye for a longer time. An example of this is X factor as their series consists of many stages such as auditions, boot camp, judges houses, live shows, semi final, celebrity duets and then the final.

Standardisation
Adorno and Horkheimer argued that all products produced by the culture industry exhibited standardised features. The argument here is that there is nothing special or different about the process of cultural production. It has become a recognisable operation that can be carried out in an office by the application of specific formulae. Adorno noted that songs which became successful over time were often referred to as 'standards', a category that clearly drew attention to their formulaic character. From the 'plan' to the details, songs were based around repetitive sequences and frequently recurring refrains. This strategy has been done for the sole purpose that the song would imprint itself on the mind of the listener and then provoke a purchase. For Adorno, the production of bit songs had become a mechanical and manipulative operation motivated purely by commercial gain. Think about the popular songs that you might hear throughout an average day (radio, shopping, television, club or bar). Are songs becoming too predictable? are they becoming standardised. This is stating that we have to look for different/alternative songs as the only songs played buy the media and advertised are the the typical ones and doesn't sound like a different song that you've already heard.

Pseudo Individuality (false Individuality)
Adorno and Horkheimer were also critical of what they referred to as pseudo individuality. By this they meant the way that the culture industry assembled products that made claims to 'originality' but which when examined more critically exhibited little more than superficial differences. Adorno and Horkheimer evoked the image of the lock and key, an item that is mass produced in millions, whose uniqueness lies in only very minor modifications. What Adorno and Horkheimer are trying to state is that the X factor winners are all the same and have very minimal differences or any unique style.

Conclusion
Adorno and Horkheimer believe that the culture industry allows people to become 'masses' and be easily manipulated by capitalist corporations and authoritarian governments. Adorno and Horkheimer thus present us with a powerful arguement about what happens to culture when it is subect to the structural control and organisation of industrial capitalist production, it becomes merely a standardised, formulaic and repetitive element of 'mass culture'. It has no aesthetic value whatsoever and leads to a very specific type of consumption that is passive, obedient and easily manipulated for the purpose propaganda or advertising.

Music Video Director

Taylor Swift - We are never getting back together 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA4iX5D9Z64