Sia Furler’s 7

November 5, 2018 — Leave a comment

Sia Furler began making albums featuring her high-pitched, crackling voice since 1997’s trip-hop album OnlySee. Since the dawn of the 21st century, Sia has written seven albums in the eighteen years since the 1990’s. These albums, unlike OnlySee, are all available on iTunes and are the ones I will be reviewing today.

Healing Is Difficult (2001)

Sia’s first album in the 21st century was a descent into a darker side of her. The lyrics display an overwhelming show of disappointment with the world and those around her. The eleven track record released three promotional singles: “Taken For Granted,” “Little Man,” and “Drink to Get Drunk.” Songs that personally stood out to me was the opening track, “Fear,’ where Sia discuss’s her friend’s, mother’s, and her own phobias and how they drag us down, alongside “Blow It All Away”, for Sia’s stellar vocals over a dreamy production soaked in violins.

Colour The Small One (2004)

By far Sia’s quietest album, many of the songs are soft vocals over acoustic strings or piano. This was when Sia’s name first touched the lips of the United States music market when the single, “Breathe Me,” was used in the series finale of the HBO drama Six Feet Under. Songs that personally attracted my eardrums were the fifth track, “Sweet Potato,” where she describes being in a one sided relationship, and “The Church of What’s Happening Now”, a guitar strum ballad about forgetting the past for the better.

Some People Have Real Problems (2008)

After a four year hiatus, Sia revealed her new project: Some People Have Real Problems. A perfect sequel, in my opinion, to Colour the Small One. The record contains many uplifting ballads alongside some newfound heartbreak in her subject matter. “Death By Chocolate”, the ninth track on the album, was originally to be sold to Christina Aguilera (whom Sia has penned multiple songs for). Personal favorites include the tear-jerking ballad she wrote as an ode to her dog, the song’s namesake, “Lentil,” and her powerful statement against growing up in “Playground.” As for her writing, “Little Black Sandals” takes the cake for creativity as it’s a metaphor for Sia’s life written as a fantasy tale.

We Are Born (2010)

In 2010, Sia took a sharp right turn towards the light for her new album. Sia’s past discography was blue and somber. We Are Born came to change that. The album contains one song I consider to be downbeat, the cry for help “I’m In Here.” The album’s closer is Sia’s first featured cover on an otherwise original record. Madonna’s ode to her father, “Oh Father,” was the song Sia chose to cover – leaving us curious to Sia’s personal relation to the song. My personal favorite upbeat anthems from this rainbow colored CD were the fifth track, “Be Good To Me,” where we find Sia dealing with another pessimistic lover, and the bouncy pop-rock love song “Never Gonna Leave Me.”

1000 Forms of Fear (2014)

After another four year hiatus from writing songs for her own albums, Sia released a record and withdrew her face. Sia never wanted to be famous – she never wanted to be recognized in public. She lives a rather private life and likes to keep it that way. Since the promotion of her 2014 album, Sia’s shtick has become her long blonde bobbed wig that covers her face during talk show appearances, concerts, and even on the red carpet. The album was also Sia’s biggest commercial success with the radio hits “Chandelier” and “Elastic Heart.” “Chandelier” also garnered a lot of attention over it’s music video featuring Maddie Ziegler, dancing like a possessed doll in a Sia bob, from the reality TV show Dance Moms. The song I find myself turning to on a daily basis is the album’s fifth track “Hostage.” The backtrack and nineties bands are stylistically similar to me which is only improved by the layering of her powerful cuts over the catchy beat.

This Is Acting (2016)

My personal favorite album of Sia’s is her 2016 album. It’s entirety is songs originally composed for other artists. Sia’s original dream, before falling back in love with recording in 2014, was to be completely behind the scenes, penning songs for other pop artists, and getting rich. Albums for pop artists get over twenty songs written and recorded for them to choose from during the final track list cutting. The first and second tracks, “Bird Set Free” and “Alive” were written to be recorded by Adele. Rihanna’s neglect to show up to recording sessions left Sia with the songs “Cheap Thrills” and “Reaper” in her personal inventory. Sia passionately channels Beyonce in “Footprints,” Shakira in “Move Your Body,” J.Lo in “Sweet Design,” and Demi Lovato in “Unstoppable.” The songs on this record are my personal favorites in comparison to Sia’s other discography.

Everyday Is Christmas (2017)

I never expected Sia to release a holiday album. Against my belief, Sia had intentions to put out a Christmas dedicated record for the 2017 holidays. The album features a fun collection of catchy original Christmas tunes Sia put together in a red and green package featuring Maddie Ziegler making a “fish-face.” While this album only allows me to enjoy it during the holiday season, I will find myself putting on “Candy Cane Lane,” “Snowman,” and “Ho Ho Ho.” “Under the Mistletoe”, a beautiful love ballad, and the title track, “Everyday Is Christmas”, are honorable mentions. Sia released three songs, on a deluxe version of Everyday Is Christmas, in 2018 featuring a cover of Perry Como’s “Round and Round” and a song previously exclusive to the Japanese iTunes store, “My Old Santa Claus.”

COM327X

December 14, 2018 — Leave a comment

Audio Story: “Second Coming Out” 30%

https://soundcloud.com/user-598942361-898172951/2nd-coming-out-michael-salem?in=user-598942361-898172951/sets/audio-stories-com327-f18

Audio Story Evaluation and Grade Proposal:

I enjoyed making the audio story. As a journalist, it was fun to tell a personal story for once rather than telling the world’s stories. I also really loved working with Adobe Audition and learning to create and edit audio as music and audio communications are aspects of technology I’m very interested in.

I believe this was the project I out the most of my time and creative energy into. I was the most invested in this project and it was one in which I could see shaping what I do with my career and was overall the most impactful on me.

Family Story:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4SMJDflG8I&feature=youtu.be

Family Story Evaluation and Grade Proposal: 15%

The family story was a project that interested me in the field of medical communications. As someone who’s passionate about spreading awareness for almost any cause, this was something I could see myself turning into a more personal project in the future. The FOundation wasn’t always a peach to communicate back and forth with but overall creating the impactful videos for the families warmed my heart.

I gave this assignment 15% because I felt as though I didn’t put the most work into this assignment. I was behind on Premier Pro due to tardiness one day – and while I did catch up enough to do the project I constantly I felt like I was in a state of confusion with deadlines and using the technology.

Familiar Strangers: 25%

Overall, I think this was my favorite project to work on throughout the semester and I wish we had spent more time on it. I was never the biggest fan of on-the-street interviews because you don’t walk into the conversation having some knowledge of the person already. The public space also makes the conversation less intimate and you have to try harder to pull out the good answers. While I am unable to find the video clips Tom, SOphia and I put together we got a total of 7 videos editing with b-roll.

I gave this project the percentage because I felt like it got me up and into the world of doing these kinds of interviews and challenging my nerves when talking to/approaching an unexpecting stranger. The experience of working within a team also gave me great insight that this is what I want do do with my career at an editor’s table while the camera guy does the editing and everyone’s shouting chaotically.

Personally, on this project I was in charge of interviewing the subjects and asking the questions along with thinning og on-the-spot follow up questions in order to attempt to catch the perfect sound bite. I also was the team member who approached the interviewees outside, asked their permission to participate, and I collected their signatures on the release forms. While I’m unsure if Tom or Sophia was able to export the videos to you – I have the names of the interviewees if you would like to ask them about their experience with us as a crew since we did it outside the classroom.

How Social Media is Changing the Music Industry’s Landscape

November 8, 2018 — Leave a comment

At social media’s genesis, it’s intentions were to connect one human to another. As these sites began to grow in numbers, businesses sought out to advertise in the worldwide web for the same reason television advertisements are shown. Smartphones greatly increased the amount of screen time we allow ourselves per day; the emerging millennial and generation z generations are have profoundly incorporated their smartphones into their lives. Cell phones are usually the first thing people check in the morning nowadays. People flock to their social profiles for news and updates from their real-world cliques. The simple act of logging into your Facebook profile will obliterate your retinas with the multitude of advertisements shoved into your irises.

The music industry is no different from any other booming industry taking advantage of social media platforms to further their profit. Facebook, iTunes, and YouTube have all created platforms in which an artist had the potential to advertise their voice. Several other sites also allow independent artists to upload their content. Monthly subscription streaming services have also created a debacle in the industry over revenue – flashback to Taylor Swift pulling her entire discography off Spotif

YouTube

YouTube’s rise to popularity came at just the right time. If the now Google-owned video service was born anywhere before it’s time it’d have most likely flopped. The music industry was already producing videos of it’s own for television channels like MTV. YouTube allowed for these videos to be a lot more accessible to fans. Now, instead of having to wait until your artist’s music videos to come on air, you could watch it anytime on the web. The big block-like computers of the nineties weren’t in high definition, but neither were the cameras of the time. YouTube began an era of record labels putting legitimate numerical digits on the amount of times their talent’s videos were being viewed. As of 2018, the most watched music video on YouTube is “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee. The other top five include Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s tribute to the late Paul Walker titled “See You Again,” another Ed Sheeran love song called “Shape of You,” the international sensation “Gangnam Style” by South Korean rapper PSY, and Mark Ronson’s throwback jam “Uptown Funk” featuring Bruno Mars. Live takes of artists for YouTube also attract a plethora of avid music lovers. BBC, The British Broadcasting Channel, does a lot of live takes with artists in their studio. In their Live Lounge, artists perform popular songs which become an exclusive love version listenable exclusively through BBC’s YouTube.

PSY’s South Korean rap song, named after an affluent community in Seoul, “Gangnam Style,” showed off YouTube’s true power. The influence of Korean pop culture had spread across Asia and South Korean boy/girl bands were touring from Tokyo, Beijing, Manila, and anywhere their were fans on their own continent. In 2012, PSY’s music video for “Gangnam Style” dethroned Justin Bieber’s “Baby” as the most watched video on the site. The beat out Bieber by about 3 million views and brought about cultural shift. YouTube became a platform where international industries could begin appearing in America’s market if it attracted enough Western attention. “Gangnam Style” did just that – the nonsensical music video and iconic dance PSY performs during the video helped him to become an international name. The song began a cultural shift because we were seeing an overwhelmingly positive response by English-speaking viewers to a rap song written and performed completely in Korean. PSY’s viral fame didn’t just dissipate after his first hit music video – he later released another rap titled “Gentleman” where he treats women the complete opposite in the song’s video. The comedic video also garnered PSY even more attention. Even if this single didn’t get on American radio, PSY left his mark on the world and burst the door open for the Korean pop market in America.

Facebook

Facebook for the music industry has become the biggest marketing tool in their arsenal. Facebook’s allows account creations with indicators such as restaurant, small business, and musician/band so that viewers know the context of the brand they’re staring at. Facebook pages for celebrities, especially musicians, isn’t about connecting personally with fans. Promotional content is going to be posted across all the singer’s social media accounts – but Facebook usually doesn’t include the personal “thank you for buying my album!” you might get from an Instagram post. Generally, management companies run a band’s Facebook. Facebook nowadays has also become somewhat of a newsstand. Articles from CNN, Fox, NBC, etc. are all shared by Facebook users. Websites all over the internet have sidebar’s dedicated to social media logos that’ll allow you to share what you’re reading instantly. Big media producers being shared on Facebook gave it more credibility as a news source – even though you’re probably only seeing what your friends share versus the overall news. Entertainment news outlets like Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stone are shared every second on Facebook. Media convergence is what’s given Facebook a not-so-bad rap when it comes to keeping folks updated on new releases and reading print publications online.

Instagram and Twitter

Instagram and Twitter are two different social media platforms. Each site presents a different method of spreading your message but each ends with a similar brand-building result. Celebrities, unlike their associated Facebook profiles, are usually solely managed by the actual performer themselves. The evidence of this is profound – in the day and age of Twitter little do influencers check with their PR people before sending out a tweet to the world. Old tweets deep down in the trenches of Twitter have also proven to be a career halter even if the tweet was posted years before the person had any notoriety. Brands associated with a person of influence will then pull or threaten to pull whatever partnership exists between them unless their tweet is taken down and “deleted from the internet.” Web tabloids hire people to focus and screenshot tweets that could become controversial/taken down. Because singers run their own Twitters and Instagrams, the content they choose to post is completely at their own fault. Twitter, the microblogging character-limiting tweet machine, allows for quick thoughts to be first-class packaged and shipped to your follower-sphere. People are often berated on Twitter for negative or offensive comments and celebrities aren’t any different. Instagram and Twitter, however, both still meet the same end goal as a social media marketing platform.

Celebrities running their own accounts means that they are more reachable than ever before. Your favorite singer, actor, reality TV star is right there for you to at, message, and tag. The fascination with celebrities in some people can become obsessive and creepy – so there’s downsides to this. Stalkers have used internet tools and social media’s location services to find and invade the personal properties of the musical love of their life. The power of social media bringing your singers at a text message’s length away has brought them somewhat to our level. Fans get even higher highs when they get a follow back from their favorite band member or get responded to on any site’s instant messaging. Indie singer/songwriter, Lana Del Rey, had a fun interaction with fans via Twitter the day before the release of her fifth studio album, Lust for Life. Del Rey’s music career has been infamous for having much of her unreleased songs and vocals are forever floating around the internet thanks to leakers. The day before her album’s release the entire twelve track record was leaked onto the web for for anyone to listen to free of charge. Del Rey took to Twitter to scold her fans for supporting anyone who ruins album releases for the artists, simply tweeting “You little f*ckers.” Del Rey, who’s sixth album is in the works and set for release in early 2019, was contacted back by loyal fans who offered to send her the link to the site where the .mp3 files were being played and the album was successfully “deleaked.”

iTunes

The goal of any media making company id to generate revenue. The recording industry is a multi-billion dollar industry where millions are being paid to the top tier and most loved vocalists. Social media, as I’ve mentioned, has created a way for independent artists who aren’t signed to a label can promote themselves. Independent media creators, especially musical ones, are often creating their own content because it’s a passion of their’s they love to share. Passions turn into pursuits and pursuits can become careers. Young music makers look up to worldwide touring artists who have made it and dream of having the same career. Unfortunately, luck ha everything to do with fame and not everybody becomes Elvis Presley or Britney Spears. These independent artists would love to pursue their passion in a full-time setting; they feel like they’re time is better spent creating art. Working a full-time job doesn’t allow for too much practice time. Money can be made as a local musician at the local coffee shop where you’d make $80 for an hour. It’s good money unless you haven’t booked a show until next weekend and you just got paid for a Friday night gig. YouTube began allowing popular YouTubers to start monetizing their videos. It created incentive for the content creators to keep up their passion and work hard to attract a fan base. Cover artists on YouTube were some of the first to become monetized. People adore a fresh voice over a song they’ve loved forever. iTunes made the deal even sweeter for independent musicians. iTunes, Apple’s online store, you’re able to purchase different forms of entertainment media (songs, ringtones, television series, etc.) for small payments via your debit/credit card or an iTunes/App Store gift card. iTunes wasn’t a social platform – it was a farmer’s market for singers. Independent singers were allowed to upload and sell their tracks on iTunes without any audition or approval. The albums put up on iTunes are fully for sale and generate revenue for the artist. The typical iTunes song is $1.29, playing your catchy original hit to eighty people might mean another ninety dollars in .mp3 sales.

A Response

November 7, 2018 — Leave a comment

On March 2nd, Courtney Myers authored a blog post titled Social Media and the Music Industry: The Good, The Bad, and The Viral. In her post, Myers discussed the integration of digitization in our everyday lives. After introducing digitization as the reasoning for a grand change in the music industry, she talks about her brother’s relevant career to the topic.

Myers explains that her brother managed a committee for an arts and entertainment council. The primary role of her brother’s job is to scour the internet for talent he can inquire about tour dates and potentially book for shows.

I chose to respond to this blog because I believe it’s important to discuss how new talent is emerging in the recording industry. Facebook was first social media platform people and business took to to begin implanting their name on the internet. Facebook includes a feature during the “sign-up” phase to allow you to create a profile page for an individual, a small business, and even for musicians/bands. Bygone are the days where A&R talent scouts would have to visit every coffee shop and bar in town to find a local crooner to invest in. Nowadays, finding unsigned voices is merely a click away. A record label doesn’t need to hold auditions or hire people to inspect local music scenes anymore.

YouTube created a platform where auditions are uploaded in the forms of covers or original songs by everyday people who want to share their vocal prowess. YouTube fame is never not going to be a needle in a haystack – but quality covers usually garner much deserved attention to these unheard singers. Viral fame begins small but can inevitably be the kick start to many musicians careers. Another site, Soundcloud, allowed for users to upload audio files in order to share their music. Hip-hop and rap artists looking to get discovered by labels flock to Soundcloud’s platform.

Alessia Cara

A notable artist for achieving her music dreams through YouTube is pop singer Alessia Cara. Cara began recording her singing and playing the acoustic guitar at the age of 13. The recordings she made she would later upload to YouTube. During her senior year in high school, Cara’s YouTube channel was showed to the founder of EP Entertainment via his daughter. In 2016, Cara began recording demos for EP’s recording studio Def Jam Records. Since her YouTube-sparked career, Cara has released a debut album that has gone platinum in the United States alongside winner her the Best New Artist Grammy Award in 2018.

Abel Tesfaye/The Weeknd

In 2010, a mysterious YouTuber under the pseudonym “The Weeknd” began uploading a few songs to the site. Tesfaye quickly gained a following for his original beats and soulful voice. In 2011, he began writing original mixtapes that would eventually be released all within the year. House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence brought about his fame alongside the aid of fellow artist Drake. In 2012 Tesfaye was finally signed to Republic Records. Since he was signed, Tesfaye has released three studio albums through Republic. Tesfaye’s second album, The Beauty Behind the Madness, went platinum thrice in the United States; his third album, Starboy, gaining double platinum status in the states. Tesfaye’s rise to fame has also brought about tabloids of his multiple celebrity on celebrity romances including Justin Bieber’s ex-girlfriend, Selena Gomez, and a Victoria’s Secret Angel and supermodel, Bella Hadid.

This post was in response to: http://www.musicthinktank.com/blog/social-media-and-the-music-industry-the-good-the-bad-and-the.html

A Brand Example in the Music World

November 6, 2018 — Leave a comment

Social media’s convergence into our everyday lives gave marketers a new outlet to promote brands. In the music industry, artists inevitably become a brand within themselves. Album art and music videos allow for a star to share their aesthetic eye with an audience. Social media allows for more personal content to be uploaded by fan’s favorite singers and bands.

The level of reach you have to your favorite celebrities is greater than ever before. Facebook, as a platform, is the most indirect social media platform if you’re looking to reach your idols. Facebook pages for singers/bands are generally run by their management and their feed is primarily promotional. The most personal a majority of musician’s Facebook’s get is a snippet of one of their stadium-filled concerts for social media fans who couldn’t attend. Twitter and Instagram differ from Facebook in terms of personality. A majority of artists run their own Instagrams and Twitters so the posts they upload are direct from the star’s laptop or smartphone. Self-shot videos and photos are taken as well as rarely using Facebook’s Facebook Live feature to stream themselves over live video on their Facebook profile.

One young American female artist in the alternative scene turned her social media platforms into a lifelong career.

Billie Eilish

7.1 Million Instagram Followers

3.8 Million YouTube Subscribers

1.5 Million Facebook Likes & Followers

683K Twitter Followers

Billie Eilish began garnering attention all over the internet in early 2016 – and continues to do so even though she’s never released a debut album. A singular recording uploaded to Soundcloud blew Eilish into the public spotlight. A song co-written by her brother, “Ocean Eyes,” was released in March of that year. Using the same site, Eilish uploaded a second song onto Soundcloud titled “Six Feet Under.” Eilish’s fame began to grow across the web as her breathy, melancholy melodies were shared across different platforms. Internet fame scored her a a signed deal to Interscope/Darkroom Records who then published her Soundcloud debut song worldwide in November of 2016 – getting it Platinum status in the USA and Australia. Eilish, having found fame across the world – began to build herself as a brand through her social media. Eilish’s Facebook and Instagram are perfect examples of her personality. Her Instagram (@wherearetheavocadoes) is drenched in photos of her adorning her unique taste in fashion. Eilish has made a huge deal of letting the world know about her self-esteem. The 16 year old is constantly decked out in full Gucci attire, accessorizing with low hanging chains and puffer coats. The LA native also runs her own Twitter account (@billieeilish) which has become famous for her candid tweets and spelling of slang.

The lifestyle she chooses is bold but it’s eye catching. She’s bringing baggy clothes back and the internet is far from upset.

Eilish has built a brand and a personality for those who listen to her music. As a fashion company would design an archetype for the person who will shop their clothes; record labels create the personalities for their listeners. Eilish appeals mainly to girls – teen to young adult who find humor in her slang and quips that’re often featured in her music. While the listeners of Eilish’s music are bad chicks on the outside, they’re nothing but melodramatically heartbroken behind the scenes while maintaining a cynical narcissism about boys.