Music Marketing Blog

Our group was quick to assume that this project would be extra challenging for us since we were unfamiliar with the realm of country/bluegrass. However, once we got the hang of it and did some research, we realized that the genre successfully encapsulates unique elements and touches on important, yet unconventional topics through songwriting, music production, and marketing. 

"Beg Steal or Borrow" by Ray LaMontage, has complex syntax embedded in the lyrics that must be deliberately processed in order to fully grasp the concept of the song; that is why at first we struggled to create a story that was relating to the lyrics, because we were passively listening to the lyrics. Once we further analyzed the lyrics and broke down every verse, the subject was not only comprehensible, but it even spoke to us. Most country/bluegrass artists such as Tyler Childer liked to express political opinions through music, however, artists that connect the principles of music back to evoking an emotional and human response are the most successful songs. 

  After doing some tedious research, our group decided to create an outline to serve as the foundation of the project to finish the task at hand more efficiently. The template design consists of very light yet powerful colors such as orange and brown to resemble stability and strength. Furthermore, a tree is a symbol of growth and strength, as well as the interconnectedness of all things. These are more than just musicians, they are viewed as artists who are passionate about their craft and want to send out meaningful messages through their art. It's important that we as the marketers, emulate their brand and their mission to lead their career into a plethora of triumphs and successes. 

Moving forward, our group plans to complete most of the bulk of filming and production this weekend, in order to space ourselves out when editing to give enough time for meticulous revisions of the content being marketed to the masses. The idea is ambitious, but if it is successful then we will have communicated the message of the song to audiences through symbolic components that may provoke a positive response. 

Semester 1 Reflection

    During the first semester of Media studies, I gained insight on the techniques utilized by creators to develop a storyline. I learned how to identify different techniques such as shot composition, editing, sound, and mis-en-scene, and to further contemplate how those techniques have shaped the consumers reaction to film media.  I could definitely work on diving deeper into mis-en-scene and lighting.

   The film pitch project was a collaborative effort, where not one member of the group had difficulty with compromising. Each member gave their input, and there was enough incentive from everyone in the group to set the project in motion. One of the things that may have needed some improvement was the layout of the project. We chose to go with a broche book that may have worked well in print but did not succeed as a digital copy. As for the storyline itself, the idea was quite arbitrary and in order to make the production quality up to standard, we would need a strong budget to fulfill the mis-en-scene elements. Overall, the project helped me understand how to sell a story, and how to organize ideas. 

   I'd say this class has definitely motivated me to become a better consumer, which in turn I believe has helped me in becoming a better artist. The class became a reliable source for finding media and curating a watchlist and/or reading list at the start of each week, which helped expand my mind to different styles and genres of storytelling. The more I consume media and explore different mediums, the more I consider different perspectives and materialize better ideas. The more I learn about the techniques that bring value to those pieces of media, the more I understand how to communicate my own ideas to the world. 

  I love that I've become more familiar with the content in this course.  It's prompted me to dig deeper in researching certain topics like media conglomerates. Not only has it helped me view media from an artists perspective but also through a marketers perspective. Acquiring the skill to connect with media on a deeper level fuels my desire to create and promote even more.