Single Ladies Music Video by Beyonce - Movie Review Example

ANALYSIS OF BEYONCE’S “SINGLE LADIES” MUSIC VIDEO and - Analysis of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” Music Video The song “Single Ladies” by Beyonce was sang during her third studio album entitled “I am… Sasha Fierce”. It was released in 2008 by Columbia Records. The song was composed by Christopher Steward, Thaddis Harrell, Terious Nash, and Beyonce herself. It has received numerous awards and nominations. In 2008 for instance, it won the Grammy Awards under the category of the Song of the Year as well as Best R&B Song. The video to the song was directed by Jake Nava. It was shot in black-and-white. One salient feature about this music video is that it features the J-Setting dance choreography. In an interview, Beyonce revealed that the video was inspired by a 1969 routine choreography known as the Mexican breakfast, by Bob Fosse(Adams, G. 2010 p. 25). This paper provides an insightful analysis of the official music video to the song Single Ladies. More emphasis is conferred upon the range of copyrights embodied in the video, as well as the range of permissions and clearances that need to be sought from the copyright holders. The Music video to Beyonce’s song “Single Ladies” was produced immediately after her other single, “If I were boy”. As mentioned earlier, it was directed by Jake Nava in New York City. The video was choreographed by JaQuel Knight together with Frank Gatson. In an overview, the video shows Beyonce dancing alongside two backup dancers. Their dancing styles in the video range from jazz, hip hop and tap. It was inspired by the J-Setting, a lead-and-follow dance style that is common in African American gay clubs in Atlanta. This styles is also commonly used by an all-girls J-Settee dance group of Jackson State University. Despite being a simple video, the Single Ladies music video has been perceived to be one of Beyonce’s most iconic videos. It has instigated thousand of imitations across the world. In addition, this music video has won a number of awards and accolades. In 2008 for instance, it was voted as the best dance routine in the Popjustice Reader’s Poll. In 2009, the video won the Video of the Year, Best Editing and the Best Chorography during the MTV Video Music Awards. In the same year, it won the MOBO Awards, the MTV Europe Music Awards as well as the BET Awards. In March 2010, the “Single Ladies” video was the second most watched music video of all time on the internet. The video is acclaimed for instigating the first major dance craze in the world. It also invoked a variety of parodies the chorography used in the video. As a result of this video’s popularity, there was a widespread interest in the J-Setting dance. Moreover, the “Single Ladies” video has been used in various media across the world. These include commercials, television shows and books. The video to the song “Single Ladies” also gained widespread popularity as it is perceived to promote the theme of female empowerment. The intricate choreography has also popularized this music video. Various singers and bands across the world have covered the song and the video of “Single Ladies” in their own different style. For instance, a renowned Scottish band known as Marmaduke Duke performed the cover version of Single Ladies during the Live Lounge show by BBC Radio in 2009. In the same year, an Australian singer known as Stan Walker sang Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” in jazz version during the Australian Idol. The most outstanding cover version of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” was performed by Jeff Tweedy and Alan Pownall. They performed the hand movement that are made by Beyonce and her dancers in the official music video of the song. During the Melbourne tour in 2010, Katy Perry joined the list of those how have sang and perfumed Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” by performing it and emulating the choreography in the official video. In 2010, an American rock band known as A rocket to the moon sand Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”. In 2011, the Young Men Society also snag this song during the Xfactor Australia’s third series(Adams, G. 2010 p. 26). The widespread popularity implies that more and more people are showing interest in singing cover versions of the song and the music video. This has a number implications on its copyrights. It is therefore important to have an insightful analysis of how the song’s video is covered in terms of copyrights. Before using Beyonce’s Single Ladies music video, it is necessary to seek permission and clearances from the mentioned music video directors and producers. The video is protected under copyright law and therefore using it without permission is a violation of this law. This necessitates the need to analyze the copyrights as well as the permissions and clearances that need to be sought from the copyright holders. Prior to that, it is important to have an overview of is involved in copyright registration for motion pictures and video recordings. Motion pictures are defined as audiovisual materials that are comprised of a series of interrelated images that impart and impression of motion. They are often embodied in film or videotape. According to copyright law, the copyright in a motion picture and video recordings is automatically secured when the work is placed in a copy. It is however the expression fixed in a motion picture that is protected under copyrights. This implies that the copyright of motion pictures and video recordings does not cover the concept behind a work, or any characters that are portrayed in it. The range of copyrights that are embodied in the music video for Beyonce’s song vary from country to country. in the United States and other countries such as United Kingdome, Norway, Mexico, Italy, France, Ireland, Spain and others, permissions and need to be sought from Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment. Columbia Records is recording label company that is owned by the Sony Music Entertainment. On the other hand, Music World Entertainment is owned by Mathew Knowles, Beyonce’s father (Watson, M. 2012 p. 15). He is also her former manager. Prior to using Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” video for any purpose, it is necessary to obtain permission from the Music World Entertainment. It has copyrighted music that is played in rhythmic contemporary airplay format as well as the urban contemporary airplay format. In Australia, New Zealand and Germany, the permissions and clearances need to be sought from Columbia Records and Sony BMG. As stated earlier, the permissions required for one to use Beyonce’s video vary. In this regard, it is necessary to seek the permission for the song itself and the music video. This implies that there is need to contact the music producer, the video producer, and the copyright owner, who is Beyonce herself. The Digital Media Copyright Act provides the guidelines on one can use web-based media. Evidently, the music video to the “Single Ladies” song can be found on the internet with ease. It is however illegal to download, distribute or use such video without obtaining copyright permission from Sony BMG Music Entertainment. It is also illegal to coy or digitally transfer it. The music video is automatically covered by the intellectual property law. This implies that it cannot be sold or leased, performed publicly or reproduces without permission. Before using Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” music video that is on CD Single and digital download, it is necessary to obtain copyright permission from Sony BMG. This is a renowned music company that is owned jointly by the Bertelsmann AG and the Sony Corporation. It has signed a content deal with YouTube, the popular video sharing community. For this reason, Sony BMG has copyrighted Beyonce’s Single Ladies music video that is distributed through the internet, especially via YouTube. This implies that one has to seek BMG’s permission prior to downloading or distributing this video through the internet. Failure to do so amounts to violation of the Copyrights Act. The download of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” Music video remixes is copyrighted by Sony Music Entertainment. It is a United States music corporation that is owned by Sony Cooperation of America. It is charged with the responsibility of controlling the download of Single Ladies’ remixes online. In the United Kingdom, the music video is copyrighted by the RCA Records(Watson, M. 2012 p. 14). It however offers permission for using the video in the format of CD single. It is also important to seek permission from the writers of the song. As mentioned earlier, they include Christopher Tricky Steward, Thaddis Harrell, Terious Nash and Beyonce Knowless. They are also the producers of the song. Copyright permission should also be obtained from Jake Nava, the director of the music video. In conclusion, the music video to Beyonce’s song “Single Ladies” is one her most outstanding music videos of all times. It received widespread popularity across the world. This explains why several other singers and bands have sung the cover version of this song. Just like many other songs and other intellectual property, there is need to obtain copyright permission before using this music video for any purpose. For this music video, such permission is to be sought from the producers, the songwriters, the singer, and the musical companies such as Sony BMG, Columbia Records, and Music World Entertainment, among others. The copyrights range from digital downloading, distribution, singing cover versions, performing, and single CD, among others. References Adams, G. 2010. Beyonce: Born to be a star. The Independent (February 6, 2010). Watson, M. 2012. Influences: Beyonce. Entertainment Weekly. (August 29, 2012). Read More