Thursday 7 November 2013

Who decides how musicians/bands are represented in music magazines?

Some bands are chosen to be represented in a particular way to influence the interest of, and to inject loyalty into their many fans. For example, one direction is never shown with members of the opposite sex so as to keep the fanbase involved and attracted to the band members as well as their music. Some bands will be chosen to be represented for different reasons, or just for different types of fans, such as KoRn, who are represented as very expressive, loud and free to appeal to their fans. Different music types will need different appearances in the form of company, camera angles, poses and immediate appearance. Heavy Metal bands will choose to wear dark, rugged clothing; have black, long or messy hair; tattoos in plain sight; and generally come across as loud and disruptive. The representation of Metal bands in this way, such as ‘Five finger death punch’ and their iconic images associated with death and violence are chosen by the audience, themselves, their producers and the photographers. Musicians such as Justin Bieber would possess very contrasting actions and languages, and would wear clothes that fit the popular fashion amongst his target audience, of which brings in opportunity to advertise and flaunt newer trends for more money, as the fans would likely follow to some extent. However, the artists themselves can and evidently do have a lot of control over their appearance, as shown by Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber with their sudden transition of image, though this could easily be down to the manager wanting more interest/profit. The manager of the band would have a lot of control over how the band is represented, as they are in charge of the management of the band’s performances; artists will need to play with supporting acts of a similar genre, and they are careful to ensure that the other artists are not too contrasting in representation. Photographers may also decide upon the way of which a band or artist is represented in a music magazine, as they have so many options and routes of which can lead to very different messages conveyed; someone showing a screaming or punching pose will instantly convey feelings of anger and a generally expressive and free tone, for example. Furthermore, the manager may decide that the artist or band is not receiving enough attention or money, and so would decide to change or alter the representation. Lastly, the audience may dictate the representation as they change and grow older; a band may have the same fans for many years, and the fans may see or want something new, and so the representation must be adapted to fit their newer needs (having the same style/image/band personality for long periods of time can become boring in some situations).

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