The Selfie Song by the Chainsmokers - Case Study Example

The Chainsmokers: #Selfie Henry Rollins once said that music exists to put furniture in your mind, because life is so cruel and TV is so mean. Gina Arnold (cited in Frith, 2007: p. 293) Introduction: The study of popular music has historically been marred by criticisms with regard to the manner in which music is presumed to reflect or represent individuals. However in recent times there is a significant and drastic change in the manner in which music is perceived, created and consumed giving rise to a whole new subculture that defies all conventions and presumptions put forward by social researchers. The difference between race, sexuality or gender has been blurred resulting in a globalization culture within the music industry changing and practically redefining the social identities of individuals in the process (Frith, 2007). Marketing has come to assume crucial significance over the years with regard to circulating and popularising cultural commodities including music. It includes elaborate planning, promotion, packaging as well as publicity in a way that promotes cultural products by attaching a socially significant meaning to it and thus appealing to its target audience (Shuker, 2013: p. 111). The song chosen for the purpose of this study namely the Selfie song by the Chainsmokers, helps in elaborating and emphasising the cultural theories with regard to the manner in which music industry has evolved over the years, the manner in which music videos in general and the chosen music video in particular appeal to its target audience and operate socially and ideologically within the social spheres. The #Selfie song: The #Selfie song is composed by The Chainsmokers a group comprising of the songwriter/producer duo Drew Taggart and Alex Pall. The music video was released on January 29, 2014 and has garnered over 200 million views by August 2014. The music video soared in popularity ever since its release and has been featured on popular shows including Ryan Seacrests radio show. It was also known to be one of the most downloaded songs on iTunes. The popularity of the song can be attributed to the general theme, which depicts the recent Internet phenomenon that has caught on among the youth as well as the general public. With popular celebrities including the president of the United States, Barrack Obama endorsing this trend, the song appeals to a wider audience and succeeds in capturing the attention of its target audience. The video opens with two young women casually chatting in a bathroom in a hip nightclub, talking about the recent social phenomenon, "the selfies". The song includes verses like: "But first, let me take a selfie" and "I only got 10 likes in the last 5 minutes Do you think I should take it down? Let me take another selfie" It ends with "Oh my God, Jason just texted me Should I go home with him? I guess I took a good selfie" Throughout the video, the women are seeing chatting incessantly about generic stuff, casually throwing in suggestions about taking a selfie and posting it online, a trend that has today come to represent the current generation and their social lifestyles. The key purpose of the video, i.e., whether it seeks to endorse and appreciate the selfie trend or mock it, is debatable. It is interesting to note that each verse ends with the "let me take a selfie" phrase thus hinting at the self-obsessed generation of today, and the act of taking selfies regardless of time or place. The trend is further re-emphasised by way of a chorus, which is followed by visual images of selfies of random people. The deliberate use of hash tag, yet another popular social networking phenomenon popularised by Twitter, further mocks and parodies the selfie culture and the onslaught of images posted by individuals via various social networking sites. The song helps in communicating the extent to which technology and social networking has led to the creation of an entirely new sub-culture and the manner in which such sub-culture has come to represent contemporary youth experience. The humorous tone of the entire video helps in communicating various themes and critiquing it at the same time. For instance it provides a glimpse at the club culture, the obsession of some women on they way they look or dress and their flawed perception of themselves as well as of those around them. In one of the verses, the woman is show pondering whether or not to take down a selfie she posted, since it didn’t receive as many ‘likes’ as it should have. Also there is a suggestion that ‘Jason’ texted her because he liked her selfie, thus implying that one’s physical appearance is a definitive factor in assessing an individual, an ideology which is seemingly promoted and condoned by the selfie trend. The humorous tone of the video however nullifies the obvious message and compels the viewer to read between the lines, thus leaving room for analysing and reflecting on one’s actions and disapproving the trend at the same time. The music video can further be explained with the help of the following concepts i.e., How the videos operate socially and ideologically and Marketing principles such as “the 4 P’s of marketing by McCarthy’. Music cultures: How the videos operate socially and ideologically “Id flip through catalogues and wonder What kind of dining set defined me as a person” Tyler Durden, Fight Club Ideology refers to the manner in which individuals perceive the lived experience and its relationship with the world around them. It is described as both - an allusion to as well as illusion of reality and is directly related to and affects culture and all crucial aspects of humanity. The key aim of ideology is to redefine relationships between people and the events occurring around them in their daily lives. The dominant ideology hence is an extension of the varied experiences that individuals gain through everyday discourse and the meanings they reproduce out of such experiences (Hebdige, 1979: p. 12). Popular culture plays a key role in endorsing, promoting and reinforcing dominant ideologies. Music videos such as The selfies song, further help in turning these ideas drawn from dominant ideologies, into marketable forms and reaching a wider audience. The musical and artistic production of such music videos that thrive on prevalent socio-cultural trends /phenomenon result in further supporting the capitalist industries by exploiting the creative productivity of individuals (Hinds, Motz & Nelson, 2006). The selfie music video, by the Chainsmokers utilises the everyday life experiences of people of this generation and packages the popular selfie trend into a star-cult phenomenon, which is affirmed by the incredible popularity of the video. The selfie music video has used a highly popular and marketable theme that appeals to the audience across gender, racial, sexual, or ethic divides for gaining social control through ideological unison. The theory of genre classification suggests that "certain social groups will invest emotionally, aesthetically, and thus economically in certain genres of music more than others" (Scales, 2012: p. 210). The key to successfully recording and marketing a music video hence, lies in not only effectively identifying the genre but also matching it with and marketing it to the appropriate social consumer demographic. Frith (1996) posits that targeting and defining perfect market /consumer demographic is akin to appealing to an imaginary set of fantasy consumers. He further states that "As fantasies... genres describe not just who listeners are, but also what this music means to them" (p. 86). The record companies tend to appeal to these consumer segments based on the content of the music and a rough estimate of what the said target audience may or may not prefer, thus acting like a mediator between the sociological and ideological arguments in favour of the music video in question. Marketing principles: The marketing mix of music videos The four Ps of marketing were introduced by McCarthy, in the 1960s for analysing the key issues faced by marketers while targeting and advertising their products to a specific market segment. These four Ps include: Product, Price, Place (Distribution channel), and promotion (marketing communication) (Barker & Angelopulo, 2005). These four Ps with regard to music videos are discussed below: Product: The product refers to any commodity, in this case, the music video, which can be offered to a market with the purpose of seeking attention from the target audience and can be used for consumption in a way that satisfies a given need or want. In this case the music video successfully achieves its desired goal of appealing to the youth, i.e., its target market and in satisfying their needs by appealing to their tastes and preferences. Price: Price refers to the amount charged by the company for its product. The selfie song is available for download on iTunes at $1.29. The online music market is particularly appealing to the young consumers who often download official music tracks via popular e-stores such as iTunes. Place: Place refers to the place where the product is distributed or made accessible to the target consumers. In this case, the online music stores are popular alternatives for the consumers who are fast cashing in on the e-retail market trend. The online music sale account for a significant proportion of income for music companies worldwide, and is particularly popular among the youth, which is the key target market for the selfies music video. Promotion: Promotion encompasses all the activities that involve luring the target audience to make a purchase decision with regard to the product being marketed. Music videos today are mostly uploaded by the artists on their official Youtube accounts as well as marketed via the traditional and contemporary means which includes television (via music shows), radio, and via mention such as has tags on twitter or Facebook. In conclusion, the drastic changes in the business models of music companies due to the evolution of e-retail and the rise in popularity of social networking sites has enabled the music producers and music labels to communicate and promote their products to a wider audience than ever before. The emergence of digital technology has made it easier for record labels to ensure maximum attention via trending their products through use of hash tags, or garnering maximum shares and likes on social networking sites such as Facebook, thus ensuring greater visibility. The amazing blend of technology and creativity has further resulted in perpetuating and promoting popular culture and ideologies and redefining new ones in the process. References: Barker, R., Angelopulo, G. C., (2005). Integrated organisational communication. London, England: Blackwell Publishing. Frith, S., (2007). Taking popular music seriously: Selected essays. Hampshire, England: Ashgate Publishing Ltd. Frith, Simon (1996) ‘Music and Identity’ in Hall, Stuart and Paul du Gay [eds], Questions of Cultural Identity, London: Sage Publication, p. 108-127 Hebdige, D., (1979). Subcultures: The meaning of style. Methuden, London: p. 12 Hinds, H. E., Motz, M. F., Nelson, A, M. S., (2006). Popular culture theory and methodology: A basic introduction. London, England: Popular Press. Scales, C. A., (2012). Recording culture: Powwow music and aboriginal recording industry on the north plains. Duke University Press. Shuker, R., (2013). Understanding popular music. London, England: Routledge Publication. Read More