music marketing reflection: rock genre

Since my classmates and I were given such a big project with various aspects to it, we approached it by researching successful music production companies, as well as case studies. This research allowed us to identify popular marketing tools and the best platforms to distribute to our desired audience. We focused our research on Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group, since they are two of the most well-known companies across the globe. We narrowed our research to Coldplay and Red Hot Chilly Peppers when searching through WMG. We noticed that Coldplay has become so successful because of the audience interaction that they provide their fans. This is something we planned on including when we began to create our own campaign. We also noticed that the two rock bands we very active on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok, etc. Even so, they would often livestream concerts to allow for greater audience engagement. Once again, this aspect of creating a connection with the fan base is something we look forward to representing in our own band. In addition, we researched the rock bands U2 and Royal Thunder, both produced by Universal Music Group. One thing that stood out to us through our research was the heavy investment in tours and marketing. Since U2 is planning on performing in the Las Vegas Residency Sphere, they have primarily marketed that tour. Various clips on social media of the immersive experience within the Sphere stadium have viewers desperate to experience it themselves. This leads us to assume that the decision to perform in that specific stadium not only encourages fans to attend but also guarantees large amounts of media exposure for the band. Since our rock band is just starting it, we could not possibly be able to play in such sophisticated venues as U2. However, we strive to work towards that level of relevance. Below is a chart of the research we gathered for the two companies, as well as the 4 case studies.

In addition, my group and I furthered our research by investigating digital marketing and its impact on the music industry. We discovered that following the COVID-19 pandemic, most concerts and tours were completely canceled. This greatly impacted artists and their sales, which led to a shift to digital marketing. Despite not being able to see fans face-to-face, artists could stay relevant by being active on social media platforms. A simple way to do this is to stream performances on live streams. This showed us how important technology is when marketing/distributing music. 

The next step in our project was to develop the brand. Once we chose the song: Time is Running Out, we knew we had to decide on a name that reflected the chaotic nature that the song portrayed. That is why we decided to name our band: After Hours. It hints at defiance and rebellion, ultimately what we want to represent the band as is daring and exciting. We figured our target audience would be young adults, either male or female, from the ages of 16-22. We felt using dark colors such as black and red would go along with the daring theme as well as the 'night vibe' that would go hand in hand with the name. When creating our logo, we incorporated these colors, while also adding a ray of sunlight. This was to emphasize the sun going down, and once again go along with the After Hours theme.

Once we had decided what our brand was going to look like, we chose to begin filming the music video. This decision was primarily because we wanted to get a head start on the editing portion since we knew that it was something we were not used to doing. Before we started to film, we created a storyboard of all the shots we would like to include. Although After Hours is a band, we decided to take the promotional route and primarily feature the lead singer. Through our storyboard, we planned different locations we know would best fit the video as well as a variety of shots. (ie. high angle, tracking, low angle) We hoped that this would make our music video more visually appealing/entertaining.

Storyboard: 

Now that we had the plan for our video completed, all we had to do was film. The process of filming proved to be a challenge because of the bright lighting. To have better quality, we filmed during the afternoon and the lighting turned out to be brighter than we anticipated. However, looking back, the lighting on the background reflects the same ray of light within our band's logo, so it worked out for the best. The rest of the filming process turned out to be very successful. We utilized both our iPhone camera and a digital camera to create a 2000s feel as well as a grungy, rock vibe. We changed locations numerous times from a local stage to a closed off-road. The reasoning behind the stage was to emphasize the local and nature of the band. On the other hand, the location of the road closed was to add to the rebellious aesthetic and brand. We filmed each scene that involved lip-synching with the audio playing in the background so our lead singer could time the lyrics just right. This proved to be successful when I began the editing process.

At first, I felt very intimidated to edit the video, given that I had no expertise in using a sophisticated editing platform such as Premier Pro. However, I found that once I began to add the clips it became simpler to understand and navigate. I chose to add clips of lip-synching on parts that are of normal pace and to add fast cuts and shaky movement on parts such as the chorus. Since the song is very loud and chaotic at the chorus, I felt the fast cuts would reflect that. I feel that the laughter, smiles, and close-ups of the lead singer also add to the realistic/relatable feel of the band. I am sure that that aspect will allow the band to form a connection with their audience.

Now that we had completed the music video, all we had left was to start the marketing campaign presentation. We were inspired by our research to include a large amount of audience interaction. Specifically, we mentioned contests that fans can win by interacting with Instagram posts and commenting on polls of what they would like to see. We thought this gave the band a refreshing and open look to their audience. We also included various social media samples such as Tik Tok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. This is where we planned on having live streams and behind-the-scenes footage of the band to allow fans to see another side of the members. In addition, we included our website, which would be made interactive so fans can navigate easily and be taken straight to streaming platforms with just a click of a button. We also mentioned the various forms of cross-media convergence we planned to utilize such as local magazines, radio, and music blogs that would reach a local young adult audience interested in the grungy rock genre. On each slide a member of my group spoke in-depth of each aspect of our campaign to better describe our brand and it's intentions. We found this to be difficult because we often did not know how to best word what we would like to say without saying too much and too little. However, we organized ourselves and wrote small scripts so we could stay on task. This proved to be beneficial in the end. Some social media samples are seen below.

This project has taught me various things. For one, do not procrastinate. Although the completed most aspects ahead of time, I would have liked us to complete it earlier so we could have had longer time to perfect small details and make it overall a better campaign. I also learned to download my work constantly. Unfortunately, most of our presentation was deleted without us noticing, and we had to redo it all over again. Luckily, we remember the information, but now we know to constantly download and save work before it gets deleted. Another thing I learned was to improve communication. At times, I struggled to communicate with my members, and it did not help that we had very different schedules and extracurriculars. In the end, we were able to come together and complete the project, especially after most of it was deleted. This project taught me various aspects that I plan to use in my portfolio project. For one, editing on Premier Pro. I did not know how to edit on that specific platform, but now I feel more comfortable navigating it and I am sure it will allow my upcoming project to be even more sophisticated. I also learned to plan ahead and be organized so that when it is time to film, I know what I plan to do. Therefore, this experience allowed me to learn new things and break previous patterns.