4 Key Decisions: Artist

• As a group, we decided to name the band Sticky And The Melonheads after I suggested it during a production meeting.We thought that it was fitting for an indie band, as it is quirky and unique, yet also memorable. We also found that it was similar to other bands such as Catfish & The Bottlemen, who are of a similar genre, or Smashing Pumpkins.
• We also decided that the band would be an indie band, as we thought that this was the most fitting band to be signed to an indie label and produce an indie single.
• Because our group is made up of three girls and a boy, and due to our idea, we decided that the band would be made up of two girls and two boys, with the lead singer also starring as the boy in the couple through the ages. This decision was also influenced by bands such as Little Dragon, Daughter and San Cisco, who all have both genders of members.
• We decided that the band would have a male lead singer, as the song is sung by a male, a female bassist (Chrystal), a female guitarist (Audrey), and a male drummer (Brandon). We discussed what parts we would like within the group, and both Audrey and Chrystal said they would be most comfortable in the band playing guitar and bass, and Brandon said he would prefer to be in the band. This means that I will be playing the lead girl, and we will be getting an actor from outside of the group to play the lead singer and the lead boy.
• For the 'look' of the band, we were inspired by a number of bands, all pictured below. We have found that most of the bands have a more casual look, and both men and women tend to wear bright shirts or t-shirts with skinny jeans, or bright dresses for women. For example, in Figure 5, they are all wearing shirts, and three have the top button done up which is a common look for both indie artists and fans.

We decided to come up with characters for each band member:

• Lead Singer - cheeky, clean cut and energetic
• Guitarist - energetic and confident
• Bassist - confident and slightly more reserved
• Drummer - quirky and excitable

We thought the band itself should come across as innocent and clean cut, yet also quirky, cool and fun - this would appeal to parents of the audience members, as well as the target audience itself, as these members are good role models to follow.

An inspiration for this band image is San Cisco, an  Australian indie-pop band.

4 Key Decisions: Track

Shut Up And Dance - Walk The Moon
owned by: RCA Records

genre: indie pop

length: 3:17

• This was one of the songs that I suggested to the group, and we chose it as our single because we all liked it as a group, and thought it was catchy and clearly an indie song. For example, the more upbeat, unique sound connotes the indie pop genre.
• We felt that this was a suitable track as it was the expected time length, and had an obvious theme - soul mates, which inspired our video idea of a couple getting together through the ages.
• I am also personally a fan of Walk The Moon, so I'm especially happy to be making a video for this song as I am sure I won't grow tired of it.
• The song also has multiple parts to it, which can lead to a more interesting video, such as a possible dance sequence from 1:47 to 2:04. We also thought it would be fun to have a girl in the video lip syncing her 'lines', such as "don't you dare look back, just keep your eyes on me"
• We also thought that the instruments in the song would provide a good band performance, and we have access to drums, guitars and bass guitars which we can use for our idea.
• We are also part of the core and secondary audience, so the song appeals to the whole group, which is useful for us in terms of figuring out how to market the band and the song to our audience, as we know what would appeal to us.

We emailed Sony Music Entertainment, who own RCA Records, to ask for permission to use the song (as shown in the email below). This was to avoid breaching copyright. We didn't receive a reply, and felt that this meant there was no issue in using the song, as long as we did not claim to own it.

4 Key Decisions: Record Label

• We decided to have an indie record label, that was a UK branch of Sony Music Entertainment, as this was similar to other indie artists that we researched, such as Walk The Moon, Everything Everything and Bleachers.
• We thought that hypothetically, bands such as the ones listed above or in the notes would be signed to this label, or other UK indie artists.
• We also decided that an indie artist wouldn't sign directly to as a big a label as Sony Music Entertainment, as this would not fit with the indie image; the band would more likely sign to a branch of such a label that is less well known yet still substantial enough to effectively market and sell their music.
• We decided on the name Husky Records, as we firstly thought the name sounded professionaly yet unique, and also that Husky has a double meaning of both the breed of dog and the quality of a voice, which relates to the music industry.

Our record label logo.

4 Key Decisions: Audience

• We decided that we wanted a core audience of indie fans, as this is a wide range of people as it is neither age or gender specific, but only genre specific. This means a larger number of people could be reached and appealed to, such as both older and younger fans.
• We decided on a secondary audience of 16-25 year old indie fans, again not gender specific, as we felt that this group of people are most likely to listen to a new indie artist due to the gap in the market, and the fact that it is a genre that they specifically like.
• We also thought that our tertiary audience should be 13-16 year old music fans, as we felt that this is around the age where young people begin to find their own music taste, and may discover that they prefer indie music.

Above is what stereotypical indie fans would look like - they are associated with the 'hipster' style. Our audience would typically listen to artists such as San Cisco, Everything Everything and Daughter. They would enjoy more independent films like Kill Your Darlings, or classic films like The Breakfast Club. They would also enjoy classic TV shows like F.R.I.E.N.D.S, or shows that address current issues like My Mad Fat Diary. 

Production Meetings

Our production meetings take place every Tuesday and Friday in free periods where the entire group is free. We also use lunchtimes when needed, such as on a Monday when something urgent needs to be discussed.

During our first meeting, we decided as a group what we wanted as our audience, record label, track and artist. We decided the record label, for example, by researching what kind of label the original artist of the band was on, shown by the notes to the left. We also picked the track by explaining our ideas for each of our own track suggestions, before voting as a group on what we all wanted to do and what we all had a clear idea for.

In our next meeting we began pulling together influences for both our idea and the band image; we expanded on my original idea for the track selected, and bounced ideas off one another until we settled on the idea of a couple being together throughout the ages. Firstly, we wanted to film completely in the studio, so we noted down the relevant influences for this, such as Awkward by San Cisco. We also noted down similar artists to what we had envisioned our artists to be, such as Everything Everything, as we decided on an indie band. Lastly, we started to work out possible eras for the video, deciding that 5 eras was the most manageable number, as it was not too many but not too little.

In our next meeting we finalised the eras that we wanted to portray, going with Audrey's suggestion that we needed a wider range of eras after we initially decided on only 19th and 20th century eras. We did this so as to anchor the idea that the couple always get together throughout history as they are "bound to get together".

We have a Facebook group page which we use to communicate to one another easily and efficiently, such as setting up what we need to do for the next meeting, or posting possible ideas.

We also sit around a table so we can talk to each other face to face when discussing ideas and problems.

Initial Research, Influences And Ideas - Influential/Inspirational Artists/Bands

Beyoncé
In terms of marketing, Beyoncé is a good example of unconventional marketing strategies; in 2013, her visual album Beyoncé was released with no prior warning. Fans were able to buy the 14 track album from i-tunes, along with the 14 music videos for each track. This was the first time an artist had released an album without promoting it, yet over one million copies were sold.
Beyoncé herself is also marketed in an interesting way - on one hand she is marketed as a 'sexy' commodity, where she is in suggestive poses and clothing in photoshoots, such as for OUT

However, she also markets herself as a strong, powerful woman, and a feminist, who is in control of herself and her sexuality. This is slightly less common for marketing women in the music industry, as many female artists use their appearance to gain sales. An example of this is Beyoncé's 2014 VMA performance, where she stood in front of the screen, which had the word 'feminist' across it, for millions of viewers to see across the world.

Another example of Beyoncé marketing herself as powerful is the promotional photoshoot for 'The Mrs Carter Show Tour', where she is dressed as a queen, and is directly addressing the audience with an assertive expression:

Lastly, Beyoncé also markets herself as a mother and a wife, which is showing her fans, and the world, that she can be a powerful feminist in control of her sexuality, as well as a good mother. This is demonstrated through her personal life that is in the media, and how the visual album had songs dedicated to both her daughter and her husband.

Walk The Moon
I think Walk The Moon are an interesting band as they attempt to be as close to their fans as possible and like to involve the fans in as often as they can. The most recent example of this is the official lyric video for Shut Up And Dance - the band asked fans to send in videos of them dancing to the song, edited clips together and released it:

The band captioned the announcement picture on instagram as follows: "Last week, we asked you to show us how YOU #ShutUpAndDance. You didn’t let us down. In fact, y'all totally CRUSHED it. Dorm room discos to zany short films to freakin marching bands?!? Are you serious??! We are humbled by the thought, effort, love, and insansity that you all put into your video submissions. Thank you from the bottom of these four little Ohioan hearts! We are so, so proud to present this song to the world with you at our side - dancing, backflipping, pirouetting into the future. So - without further ado: The Official Lyric Video for “Shut Up and Dance.” Starring: YOU."

By doing this, the band markets themselves as more connected with the fans, and as more accessible and approachable, which encourages new and old fans alike. It's also a unique way of making a lyric video, which fits in with their indie, alternative image. An example of this is their current Facebook page profile image, which is similar to the header image of their official website:

Initial Research, Influences And Ideas - Influential/Inspirational Websites

Walk The Moon

Whilst I think there could be more to this website, such as information about the artist, or a link to merchandise, I like the style of this website, as it have a very minimalist layout. It is very to the point, and is advertising both their new single and their tour. The header image is also very striking, and conveys the indie genre of the band in a number of ways, such as the face paint on the lead singer, or the quirky poses with paper. I would like to make a website similar to this in the sense of the layout, such as having a bold header image of the band.

The 1975

Again, I like this website for the minimalist style; I also think it is fitting with the band's image. They are known for black and white videos and being alternative, and this comes across with their website, where there is little to no colour. The website also has links to the tour, their music, their music videos, social media links, merchandise and a mailing list sign up page, so fans can easily navigate between these pages and see the content. Whilst I don't necessarily like the multiple image layout, I think it works with this website as it is still clear and easy to navigate, and not too cluttered due to the black and white theme.

George Ezra

I like this website as it is visually interesting, and presents the content in a unique way - instead of having separate pages, the information is scrolled between, and the background changes the further down the page. Whilst it may not convey the folk/blues genre of the artist, it is a memorable website due to the different style. There are also social media links in the top right corner, so fans are able to keep up to date on what the artist is doing. I would like to make a website like this one, although this may not be possible as this is more complex than a website with a more standard layout.

Initial Research, Influences And Ideas - Influential Styles/Movements/Periods

Utopia

I am influenced by the style of Utopia, the Channel 4 TV series. I like the use of intensely saturated colour, along with interesting framing. I think this style would mostly fit an indie video, for conceptual scenes, as the style is quite unique and surreal.

Dean Sherwood

(photo from deansherwood.com)

I also like the grading style that photographer and documentary maker Dean Sherwood uses. Again, I think this style would fit an indie video, or a slower, more emotional song, as the style is very subdued and soft compared to that of Utopia. I think this grading style could be achievable with the resources available to us, and we could also experiment around this style too.

Post-Modernism And Inter-Textual References

I would like to make a video that incorporates inter-textual references and post-modernism, like the video for Fancy by Iggy Azalea, where the video is referencing the film Clueless. I think it can add an extra layer of meaning and connotation to the video depending on what is referenced. The references can also appeal to different audiences, such as different ages if there is a reference to a certain era - for example, Fancy is referencing the 90s , as Clueless was released in 1995.






Andrew Nowrojee
I like the style of the Australian director Andrew Nowrojee, who directed the music video for Awkward by San Cisco, as well as for another song by them called Fred Astaire. He has directed projects for a range of commercial clients, as well as writing and directing his own films. His short film LONE won Best Direction Festival De Strasbourg in 2009, Best Integral Realization at the New York Short Film Festival in 2010 and Best Achievement in Visual Effects St Kilda Film Festival 2009.

I like his interpretation of this song, and plays on the theme of the lead singer not being good enough - for example, the lead singer is left for another, better dancer at 1:11.

Anders Malmberg
I also like the style of director Anders Malmberg, who is a more conceptual director. He directed the music video for Waste Of Time by MØ, along with other music videos like Doubtful Mind by Rough Days For Diamond Trade. He has also directed web spots for Clarks and Wood Wood, as well as for the electric music festival Corabelle. Most of his work has the same grading style, which I also find influential, as it is similar to that of Dean Sherwood.

Initial Research, Influences And Ideas - Influential/Inspirational Album Covers

My Everything - Ariana Grande

I like this album art as it is simple and minimalist, which is the type of style I prefer. It is also presenting the artist as more mature, as the pose is quite emotional, and the black and white colouring makes it more subdued. The costume is also mature, but not over-sexualised. The font for the title of the album, My Everything, is feminine, which portrays the artist as feminine, along with her pose.However, the album art is not clearly conveying the genre of the album - pop - as it lacks colour and cheerfulness that most pop album covers have.






I Wanna Get Better - Bleachers

I like this album art as it is quirky and different, and conveys the indie genre well - the girl with the short, pink hair would be associated with being 'hipster', which is associated with indie music. Also, the polaroid style colouring of the image also conveys the indie genre, as it is less manufactured looking than pop album art for example. The font style is also clear and simple, so the artist and album name are obvious.








Smother - Daughter

I think this album art works because it is so simple - there is no image, only the album and artist name. The only problem is it doesn't convey the genre of indie, although it could be argued that the minimalist and different style does connote the indie genre, as it is conventional for indie artists to be unique and unconventional.







Arc - Everything Everything

This album art is effective as it conveys the genre (indie) effectively due to the retro look as it is stylistically like the 60s, such as the Hard Day's Night cover. I also like how the band are the main focus of the cover, although it is not clear whether Everything Everything is the band or album name, as with Arc, unless you knew the band beforehand.




Shut Up And Dance (Single) - Walk The Moon
I also like the style of this cover, as it clearly shows who the artist is and what the album is called. It also clearly conveys the genre of the album (indie) through the use of quirky fonts and the focal image. The image is also a visual representation of the title of the song, as the woman is preventing the man from talking by covering his mouth.
I would like to make an album cover like this or the Bleachers album, as I like the style and layout, and both clearly convey genre, artist and album name.

Initial Research, Influences And Ideas - Suitable Tracks For The Single

Shut Up And Dance - Walk The Moon

genre: indie pop

length: 3:17

This song would be fun to make a video for, as it is upbeat and cheerful. The theme of the song is also quite simple - the man has essentially found his soul-mate ("my discotheque Juliet teenage dream", "I knew we were born to be together", "this woman is my destiny"). The video could have a performance bed of the band playing, punctuated by shots of the couple, the woman and images from the lyrics, such as the "backless dress", the "beat up sneaks" or the woman taking his arm.It could also feature a disco, or just the couple.

We Might Be Dead By Tomorrow- Soko

genre: indie 

length: 2:41

This song would be interesting to make a video for, as it is melancholy. The video could be conceptual, using imagery to convey the meaning of the song - that life is short and we should love now, because we don't know what tomorrow may bring. The video could also be mainly performance, where the lead sings directly to the camera in order to convey the emotion of the song. I would also like to do this song as the lead singer is female, and there seems to be a lack of female artists in the charts at the moment.

You Could Have It So Much Better - Franz Ferdinand

genre: alternative rock

length: 2:42

This song would also be fun to make as it is a rock song, so would have a performance bed of the band playing instruments as this is conventional for most rock videos. The song itself could be about thinking for yourself, and not being brainwashed by the media ("now there's some grinning goon on my tv screen, telling us all that it's alright because she wears this and he wears that..."). The video could play on this and feature brainwashed people, and those who think for themselves, which could be a narrative part of the video.

Fred Astaire - San Cisco

genre: indie pop

length: 2:56

This song is upbeat and cheerful, therefore it would be another enjoyable song to make a video for. The song could be interpreted to be about a man who feels inadequate for his current partner, and is resigned to losing them to another better man (using the name Fred Astaire to convey the idea of the perfect, better man). The video could be a performance bed with loose narrative or concepts once again, such as showing snapshots of him watching the partner with the better man, or something along those lines. The song is also gender-neutral, and age-neutral, so the video could explore all types of relationships (eg. heterosexual and homosexual relationships), therefore representing more than just one aspect of sexuality.

Music Video Semiotic Analysis

Meghan Trainor - All About That Bass

Directed by Fatima Robertson

• This video is about being positive about your body, regardless of shape and size. For example, some of the lyrics are "Cause every inch of you is perfect, from the bottom to the top", which encourage the listeners to be more accepting of their bodies. Key visuals include Meghan Trainor herself and the other dancers, who are all different sizes and races, which represents women positively and more accurately than videos that feature only conventionally pretty, thin women.
• The video clearly connotes the pop genre, such as through the use of colour - the pastels, for example, are light and fun like the music. Also, the dance routines and lip syncing are commonly used conventions of pop music videos, as well as having other scenes being cut to in between the dancing.
• The video has a simple structure - the main performance bed is the four dancers and Meghan Trainor lip syncing and dancing. The video then cuts from this to multiple different scenes, such as the bedroom scene, or the balloon set-up. The editing is done mostly to the lyrics and the music, such as cutting to the beat, or changing scene when she sings certain lyrics, such as "no treble" at the beginning of the video. 
• There is no complex narrative, nor are there any wholly conceptual scenes - the video is more a combination of different scenes that all portray different aspects of the video; for example, the woman dressed in plastic representing the Barbie doll girls.
• The image below shows most of the different scenes in the video - almost all of them are predominantly pink, which connotes the pop genre, and also stereotypical femininity, as pink is associated with being feminine, and the song is aimed at women, or young girls.

The video also mainly features women, with only two men in the entire video - again, this may be to ensure the video appeals to and represents the target audience of young women.

• The video also has a range of shot types in order to keep the audience's attention throughout the video, and also to make the audience focus on certain things at certain points during the song. For example, the long shot of the dancers during the lyrics "But I can shake it, shake it" so the audience can see the dance move that is visually representing the lyrics.
  Another example is when the video has quick cuts between all the dancers during the lyrics "Every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top", as again, the video is positively representing all shapes and sizes of women (and positively representing larger men too) and by cutting to all the different dancers it is suggesting that they are all perfect, therefore suggesting that the audience is too.
• The lyrics "You know I won't be no stick figure silicone Barbie doll" are visually represented by both the woman dressed in plastic, and the actual Barbie doll that Trainor throws after frowning at it. This visualises Trainor's refusal to be pressured into making her body like that, and that she is happy with her figure as it is.
  
• This is the debut single by Meghan Trainor, and she has said that "I wrote this song because I myself struggle with this concept of self-acceptance. It was written from a real place so I'm glad that other people can relate to it." This suggests that she was influenced by the current issue of body shaming in society, and the expectations of women to be the 'perfect size zero'.

Initial Research, Influences And Ideas - Influential/Inspirational Music Videos

Meghan Trainor - All About That Bass
Directed by Fatima Robertson

I like this video for a number of reasons; firstly, I like the overall colour scheme of the video - the pastel colours are easy on the eyes and connote femininity, which the song is focused on. I also think the video positively represents all types of women, whether this be racially or body shapes. For example, the four dancers are all different types of race, as shown in the still below:

They are also presented as equal, as they are all doing the same dance moves, and all have equal screen space.

I also hope to make a video similar to this as it is studio based, and therefore all elements are controllable, such as lighting or set design. I am also influenced by the editing of the video, such as how the video cuts between multiple set ups, like the dancing scenes and the bedroom set. I think this type of video is possible to make with the resources available to me, such as the studio.

San Cisco - Awkward

Directed by Andrew Nowrojee

I like this video for many of the same reasons as the video above, such as how the entire video is studio based, and how the editing style is similar (performance bed cutting to conceptual/narrative scenes). The video also conveys the theme of the song clearly - the boy is infatuated with the girl, although he is more in love with the idea of being in love than actually in love with her. This is shown, for example, by the scene where she is hiding behind the fence and he stands behind it with binoculars - this presents him as being an obsessive stalker, as it is coupled with the lyrics "I left a message last night, you haven't called back I've been calling you for days"

The binoculars depict him as a stalker.

The video also connotes the genre of the song well - it is an indie band, and the song is indie pop. Firstly, the clothing worn by the band is stereotypical of 'hipsters' who are often associated with indie music, such as the button up shirts or the red velvet dress and creepers (thick soled shoes). The video also connotes the genre as it uses concepts and narrative to portray the meaning of the song, as explained above.

I would like to make a video similar to this as it is clearly an indie music video, as it connotes genre well. I also like how they used minimal props and sets, yet still conveyed the meaning of the song clearly for the audience. This style of video would also be possible to film with the resources available at school - in the studio.

MØ - Waste Of Time

Directed by Anders Malmberg

I am also influenced by this video, and would like to make a video similar to this in the sense that it is entirely conceptual, and therefor can be interpreted in a number of ways. For example, I think that the song is about how she has either just been broken up with or is in a failing relationship, and that the man is cold and distant, and she cannot seem to please him - "Where is the love we had" and "Walking on the glass of your broken vows, Well what I say we're astray fooled by youth, okay." However, the video doesn't explicitly convey this, and the meaning has to be worked out from both the lyrics and the visuals. For example, the man with the axe, staring at the destroyed wall, could be representing how he has destroyed the relationship as he has destroyed the wall. 


I also like the grading of this video - the softer, less contrasting highlights and shadows with the slightly muted colours. I think this style suits the genre and the song, as it is slightly unusual, and different from pop songs where the colours are much brighter with higher contrast. I also like how some shots were faster,some were slower, and some were reversed, such as the scenes in the hallway for example. I think this would be fun to recreate for my own video, or something similar, such as having the lead lip syncing in time with the music, but they are slowed down.


Whilst I would not be able to make a video exactly like this, I would like to replicate the style of an entirely conceptual video, as I think it would be interesting to try and interpret the track chosen and come up with ideas and key images to then convey the interpretation.

McFly - Love Is On The Radio

Directed by David Spearing

This video is influential to me for many of the same reasons as Awkward and All About That Bass: it is studio based, and cuts between multiple different set-ups, such as the rollerskating scene and the performance bed. I think this video works really well as it firstly fits the upbeat theme of the song, and is lighthearted, and the band are clearly having fun whilst making it. I also like the way that some of the actions of the band member fit with the lyrics of the song (for example, at 1:54, where Tom Fletcher mimes holding a baby to the lyrics "we'll have a son and we'll give him a sister"). I would like to make a video like this for the same reasons as Awkward and All About That Bass - it is in a studio so all elements can be controlled, for example.

Initial Research, Influences And Ideas - Genres Of Interest

Indie
Walk The Moon (Indie Pop)
In the early Walk The Moon videos, they tended to have one shot for the entire song, such as in Shiver Shiver:

Shiver Shiver - Walk The Moon (2012)

Unofficial music videos (part of the "7in7" series), hand-made, band-made by WALK THE MOON without a film crew or a budget.

In this video, the band only appear at the end, and don't have any instruments. The lead singer appears first (around 2:10), and lip syncs with the lead, and the rest of the band joins at around 3:02. However, their video for Tightrope isn't a one shot, breaking their trend in music videos. It was also shot with a budget in a studio, rather than shot by the band with no budget.

Tightrope - Walk The Moon (2012)

Directed by Ari Costa

All their videos are narrative and/or conceptual, with little to no performance apart from lip syncing. Also, their music is mostly voice, guitars, bass, drums and synthesizers, which is common in the indie pop genre.

Everything Everything (Indie Pop)

Once again, the music videos for Everything Everything songs are mainly conceptual, with some performance and narrative, with lip syncing. For example, in the Cough Cough video, the oil is representing money, and difficulties with money, such as "compromising yourself when you have to make a living", and in the Kemosabe video, the band is performing in the woods.

From these videos, and others that I have watched, I have found that most indie videos are mainly conceptual and or/narrative, with some performance, which may just be lip syncing, or entire band set ups with instruments and other equipment like microphones. Also, lesser known indie artists tend to have little to no budgets for their music videos, and those who are more well known have more professional videos. Both tackle more complex themes in their lyrics and videos, sometimes using key images in the videos to convey the themes (such as the oil in the Cough Cough video).

Pop

To contrast with indie music videos, pop videos tend to be simpler in terms of what themes they explore, and are more performance and narrative based than conceptual, so as to appeal more universally. Pop videos are also much more professional looking, as they have higher budgets due to the mainstream stars that are making them, such as:

Jessie J - Wild

This video is entirely studio based, meaning the conditions can be completely controlled to get the exact look they want, therefore they have complete control over the image of the stars, such as portraying Jessie J as a powerful woman (for example at 4:00 where she is standing over Big Sean). There are no complex concepts in the video, as it is entirely focused on 

One Direction - Kiss You

This video is another example of the difference between pop and indie videos - this has a loose narrative, with lip syncing throughout the video - in this case the lip syncing is performance as the band don't play any instruments. The band is being portrayed as 'quirky' and 'fun', and the narrative of the video is that they are making a video (such as the 'behind the scenes' shots like the photoshoot scenes at 2:01). There are reoccurring scenes ensuring the narrative is easy to follow for the audience, which contrasts with some indie videos where a concept may only be explored once in the video.

Folk

I would also be interested in creating a music video for a song by Passenger, for example, or similar artists, as the lyrics can be interpreted in many ways, and give many ideas for key images and themes.  The songs also tend to explore complex themes, or more serious themes than those explored by pop songs. For example, Passenger said Hearts On Fire "is a nostalgic song. It's about when the timing with someone isn't right, even thought the person might be. And although you're not with the person at the time, there may be a moment in the future where the relationship makes more sense."

Initial Research, Influences And Ideas - Audiences

As shown by the surveys, different ages and genders of audience tend to have different tastes in music, such as the 19 year old female liking electric dance music compared to the 56 year old female who prefers more gentle folk music. However, there is also some similar taste, such as the 56 year old female liking a more modern band (Walk The Moon), which the 17 year old female also likes, suggesting that certain genres (more gentle indie pop in this case) appeal to more than one generation. However, there is also variation within the same age range, shown by the three 17 year olds - one male likes rap, whereas the other likes more indie music (such as Kanye West compared to Vampire Weekend).  The surveys also show that younger people are less willing to spend money on music, and mainly torrent rather than pay for it. On the other hand, older generations are more likely to buy CDs (or vinyls when they were younger). It is also apparent that younger people listen to music more often using portable devices such as i-pods, compared to the older generations who listen to music less frequently, and on the radio.