Research
We began the project by putting together case studies of existing music artists and researching how they marketed their albums, how they distributed their music, and the history behind their record labels. The four artists we looked at were Childish Gambino, Tyler the Creator, Lil Nas X, and Mumford and Sons. We chose to look at two record labels, one larger more established one and a more independent one. We wanted to make sure that we saw how different labels handled distribution and marketing depending on their size, so we chose Columbia Records and Glassnote Records. A prominent trend in how music is distributed is through digital distribution. Streaming platforms and digital download to the point that some artists only release their music digitally (Lil Nas X). While CDs and Vinyl still exist, artists are steering away from using them as methods of distribution. Another trend in marketing was digital marketing. Music artists would rely on having a strong social media presence to interact with fans and tease their albums. Childish Gambino even went as far as making an app called PHAROS that would play music videos from his concept album "Awaken, My Love!" All the artists researched used music videos to generate some buzz for their albums, which is why it makes sense that we created one for our campaign. After compiling all the research, it was clear that our marketing and distribution strategies needed to be suited for the 21st century, and revolve more around social media. Attached below is a link to our research:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pV6Og6k7H-qvunm2OGy6C8IUUJs3dq12F4Mgg_jBJrc/edit?usp=sharing
Brainstorming/Planning
The next portion of our project was planning out our marketing campaign and how we wanted to distribute music. Right off the bat, distribution was going to be done digitally, but we were also going to incorporate CD and Vinyl to make our artist's music more widely available. It was important to use a method of distribution that our target market mostly uses, which is digital distribution. We planned all our activities around our target market which was people who like the R&B Soul or Funk genre, as well as people aged 14-35 who live in Los Angeles California. Since this age range primarily uses social media, we wanted to do branding through popular apps like TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter. It was very important to our group that we developed a consistent theme for our campaign. We decided to name our artist BLÜME, and create a spring theme where any visuals included flowers, pinks, and greens. This theme was kept in the creation of our music video as well. We planned to make a promotional and artistic music video that showcased BLUME. We created a storyboard that showcased what we wanted our music video to look like (See below). Our group divided and conquered in order to get work done efficiently, half of us focused on the marketing plan and the other half on the music video. After a session of brainstorming, we decided to include billboards, merchandise, a music video release, live performances, interviews, promotion by TikTok influencers, and a pop-up shop in our marketing campaign. These ideas were based on research we collected from our case studies and trends we have seen in media.
Production
The production process took only two days. Since we did all our planning beforehand and had a clear vision of what we wanted our music video to look like, all we had to do was film. We decided to film at a local park nearby to go with the spring theme since the park had a lot of greenery and hills. We filmed using an iPhone camera and compiled shots around the park where the artist was just surrounded by greenery. Since we wanted to market and show off BLUME, he was in all of the shots of the music video. In addition, we also filmed at a group member's house for the beginning and end of the video. We really wanted the first and last shot to be BLUME surrounded by flowers, so we got a piece of green poster board and attached multiple faux daisies to it. We then cut a hole in the middle of the poster board where BLUME put his face in. This shot was filmed in the bathroom and I feel that it really pulled the music video together.
Post-Production
The post-production process consisted of editing all the clips we shot together in order to make our vision come to life. We used different colored filters on the video in order to give it the more artistic feel we were going for. We also played around with some transitions and were even able to clone BLUME in the music video. The hardest part of the editing was syncing the video with the actual song. However, with careful attention to detail, we were able to sync the video and music correctly. It was also important that the cuts between the shots matched the slower tempo of the song. The editing process took about two days in total to get completely right.
Presentation
As the final step of our project approached, we prepared to present through the creation of a Canva slideshow presentation. We wanted to make our presentation as engaging and on-theme as possible which meant creating lots of graphics as examples of our activities, and decorating the slides as the campaign theme: spring. We divided up the presentation so everyone in the group talked about the marketing activities and how they would impact our target audience. Practicing the presentation beforehand gave us the confidence and professionalism to present it in front of the class. We were also prepared for any questions that would be asked to weaken our campaign since we knew a lot about how we wanted our artist to be perceived. The slideshow presentation had the flowers, pink, and green theme and kept the information to a minimum so most of the information would be coming directly from our group members.
Reflection
This project taught me a lot in terms of how to work in a group and collaborate with others. Since there were four group members, it was important that we could arrange a time we all could meet or talk about the progress of our project. Working in a group that was very motivated showed me that in group projects I do not always have to be heavily involved in all parts of the project. I must put trust into my other group members and divide and conquer so we get more work done. Another thing I learned was that I really have to manage my time better. While the project was turned in on time, it would have been less stressful if we used our class time productively and got most of our work done there. Although we were given weeks for the project, I learned that things must be done in sections rather than all at the same time. This project will help in developing my Cambridge Portfolio since I now know the importance of research which I underestimated before. Researching for a good period of time made the project and brainstorming process much more smooth sailing. I will also make sure to create a schedule at the start of the portfolio project in order to make sure everything is being completed on time. The music video portion of the project also taught me to be more creative when it comes to creating videos, to capture the audience's attention. As a result, I will try to think outside of the box when it comes to my portfolio project and make the audience feel as if they want to keep watching.
