Website Deconstruction

 

Website Mock Up Deconstruction

• House Style/Aesthetics - Monochrome house style, one large background image to position copy, embeds. These reflect both genre conventions and give the website a clean and simplistic view in order to show clear promotion and connotation of intended messages.
• Copy - Use of unique fonts to convey genre, highlight political issues for the audience. For instance, Nasalization on the top bar in order to convey the simplistic layout for audience to navigate.
• Genre Conventions - Political issues raised, clear branding of artist and promotion of music material from them, use of social media, conventional different pages of the website. Monochrome house style - fits alt rock website genre conventions of the current climate.
• Audience Positioning - Dominant reading for target audience is anti-Trump/anti-establishment message, pro-BLM, left leaning ideology. Furthermore, ideologically audience is compelled to go out and vote through multiple references and links referencing the election.

Website Analysis

Grandson Music - https://www.grandsonmusic.com/

The header has links to all of the social media platforms expected of a music artist, while the different tabs to each page of the website offer easy navigation. 

Clearly present is the serif typeface, connoting a sense of individuality from the artist, and a monochrome colour scheme, which is a key part of the artists style and a common feature of both his music artwork and his music videos. See below for examples. 

Both of these create the distinctive house style of the website seen by visitors.

Here the website promotes grandson's latest album, with links to previous music as well as links to the store to either purchase the album or stream it on a variety of streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. 

Furthermore, the home page lacks much text, having a large image to text ratio.

The latest music video is also promoted, with links to the artist's other music videos on YouTube provided underneath. The links are distinctly set apart from the rest of the serif typeface through underlining and being present at the bottom of the different sections of the home page.

A sign up by email option is available at the bottom of the website, where you are able to sign up to receive the latest tour info and new releases by the artist. There is also a link to the XX Resistance page, which encourages audiences to interact with each other as fellow fans of grandson.

There is also a tour section, showing upcoming tour dates around the world, with links to either learn more about specific dates or to go straight to buying tickets.

The first glance at the 'xxresistance' tab is visually striking - a move to sans-serif font, perhaps reflecting the serious issues tackled and being fought for by the movement, while the two boxes allow fans to donate to causes supported by the artist through the movement.

The second box, 'no thoughts, no prayers' references the song 'thoughts & prayers' by the artist, released in February 2019 in the wake of the Parkland shooting, and links to a page to get involved with promoting gun control and stopping gun violence, particularly school shootings. 

Another social interaction option is presented, with options for putting forward your own views and engaging with the community on the xxresistance page.

Twenty One Pilots - https://www.twentyonepilots.com/

The top banner of the page has links to music videos, dates for upcoming tours and a link to the merch store, where fans can buy merchandise of the band.

The house style present from their latest album is also present, with the distinctive yellow and black colour scheme and sans-serif typeface, although using serif Os to create the distinctive band name.

Colour scheme origin - 'Trench'

The next part of the home page displays the latest music video from the band, 'Levels of Concern', including an embedded link from YouTube as well as a still of the two band members.
There is a significantly image bias to the text-to-image ratio, with a distinct lack of text for most of the home page.

The official web store of the band is the next part of the website, with information about all the proceeds going to Crew Nation for the time being in an attempt to support crews out of work as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.

The website also features a tours section, showcasing upcoming tours and links to tickets for each show.

At the foot of the page is social media links for the band, along with an email sign up to receive information about tours and band news.

Following the Merch link at the top of the page, you are brought to the web store, where another message about Crew nation is displayed. 

The band's logo is present in the top left, while merchandise sporting various lyrics and colour schemes associated with the band are on sale.

Industry Research

Warner Music Group

Values and History:

• Providing world-class array of services designed to help artists and labels grow their careers and businesses.
• Independent spirit and devotion to great music.
• Renowned collection of distinctive record labels.
• Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA) - groundbreaking global distribution company for independent artists and labels. 
• Committed to conducting business ethically and upholding basic human rights in all its operations.
• Human Trafficking Statement for Fiscal Year 2019 - https://www.wmg.com/human-trafficking-statement-fiscal-year-2019
• One of the 'big 3' recording companies, third largest in global music industry.
• headquartered in Los Angeles.
• Founded 1958 as Warner Bros. Records, changed name several times: Warner Bros. - Seven Arts in 1967, back to the previous name in 1970, Warner-Elektra-Atlantic in 1971, Warner Music in 1991, and to Warner Music Group Inc. in 2001.
• Employs more than 3500 people with operations in more than 50 countries throughout the world.

Recorded Music

• Atlantic
• Fueled By Ramen
• Asylum
• Big Beat
• Canvasback Music
• East West
• Elektra
• Erato
• FFRR
• Nonesuch
• Parlophone
• Reprise Records
• Rhino
• Roadrunner Records
• Sire
• Warner Classics
• Warner Music Nashville
• Warner Records

Artist and Label Services

• ADA - Alternative Distribution Alliance - global distribution company for independent artists and labels.
• WEA - Warner-Elektra-Atlantic - pioneering distribution and marketing network.

Alternative / Rock / Punk / Anti-mainstream artists

• twenty one pilots - fueled by ramen - known as alternative/alternative rock group.
• grandson - fueled by ramen - alternative / alternative rock / alternative hip hop
• Against The Current - fueled by ramen - alternative rock / pop punk
• My Chemical Romance - Warner Records - alternative rock / pop punk
• Linkin Park - Warner Records - alternative rock
• Gorillaz - Warner Records - alternative rock

Audience Profile Research

Audience Profile Research

‘Socially Conscious’ – what social issues concern and/or affect the target audience?
79% - Depression/Suicide
65% - Censorship of Freedom of Expression
62% - Climate change
59% - Inequality
44% - Political Corruption
44% - Gun Violence
 44% - Police Brutality
41% - Drugs and Addiction
27% - Brexit
15% - Immigration

(Using data from my Coursework questionnaire, 34 total responses.) 

‘Middle to upmarket’ – What brands?
Not as prevalent brand loyalty.
Some brands popular with the 16-25 age group include H&M, Costa Coffee, Converse, River Island, Primark, HMV, Topshop and Sony.
However, increasingly a move to online ordering and shopping, therefore Amazon and online stores have seen large growth with this demographic.

What media habits – music genres and platforms, social media, subscriptions

Music genres (using https://www.statista.com/statistics/253915/favorite-music-genres-in-the-us/ as a baseline, along with own knowledge) – Pop, Hip Hop/Rap, Grime, Drum and Bass, Indie/Alt Rock, Rock.

Social Media
Most of target demographic tend towards social media presence over many different platforms, rather than staying to one platform.

TV and film
 The target demographic tends towards streaming and on demand watching rather than watching TV shows live on air.
However, 16-25 year olds still make up a large proportion of cinema goers, so films are not only consumed on streaming platforms but also in cinemas as well.

In Depth Analysis : 6:00

Music Video Analysis

Blood // Water - grandson

• Song protesting political corruption and corporate greed.
• "What you gon' do when there's blood in the water?" - could be referencing the Flint water crisis - furthermore, it implies the corruption of a basic need for regimes to survive, symbol of resistance.
• at 0:40, the artist appears in a cameo role, and the first 30 seconds is in the form of a classic 40-50's ad, with the 50s aesthetic continued throughout the music video.
• Full narrative approach, with the characters clearly reflecting an upper-class corrupt politician and his family, and exploring the impact of corruption and greed on families.
• "Lamb to the slaughter" - biblical connotations and representation of the innocent suffering at the hands of those utilizing corporate greed.
• "you poisoned me just for / another dollar in your pocket" building on the idea of the rich profiting off the suffering and woes of those beneath them in social hierarchy - notion that the rich and elite stay at the top by repressing those beneath them.

Stigmata - grandson

• Protesting against censorship, corruption and the suppression of the truth, Noticeably uses a lot of traditional Christian imagery, however in a non-religious context.
• Electric chair symbolic - suppressing the truth, with the truth personified as the person sat in it.
• Narrative approach, with montage shots and performance to camera within it, including cameos from the artist.
• "The truth is alive and well / it's underground livin on the WiFi still" element of resistance / rebellion associated with underground.
• "Don't buy all the lies they sell / When the Black Hawk flies head right for the hills" - 'they' is representative of the government and mainstream media, while Black Hawk could be connoting the spiritual value of hawks to many cultures, but also the Black Hawk helicopter used by the US military, adding elements of danger and governmental oppression. 
• "They put a hole in the back of my head called it suicide" - censorship and suppression of the truth.
• "Who's gonna rise when saints pray to sinners?" - the sinners being the oppressive forces, the saints those unaware of the truth.

The Killers - Land of The Free

• No clear narrative structure or performance to camera - instead montage shots of various migrant crossings and border violence. 
• Ridicule America's common epithet of being the 'land of the free'
• Highlight America being a nation built on immigration, emphasised by the accompanying video.
• upside down flag at the end of the video - America is upside down in the bands view, as a result of recent politicians and policies.
• "So how many daughters, tell me, how many sons / Do we have to have to put in the ground / Before we just break down and face it: / We got a problem with guns?" - addressing gun violence in America, just another one of the controversial issues tackled in this music video.

Thoughts & Prayers - grandson

• Music video neither narrative nor performance to camera, but takes form of an infographic charting the locations of school shootings within the US.
•  "Smile for the camera, another politician bought / I swear I heard another shot" - alluding to form of bribery between the NRA and politicians to vote against gun legislation and control in order to obtain funds from the NRA lobbyists.
• "No thoughts / No prayers / can bring back what's no longer there" - parodying the classic line used by many US politicians and public figures in the wake of mass shootings, accusing them of inaction - "the body count is on your hands"
• "bulletproof backpacks, they want to arm the teachers" - alluding to policies introduced in some US states for arming teachers with firearms and making students use transparent bulletproof backpacks.
• "turn off all the lights / nobody make a sound" - referencing lock down procedures in US schools in response to a shooter being on-site.