Audience Research

Audience Research is a major element for any media producer. Companies are set up to carry out audience research for media producers , broadcasters and advertisers. Media Producers need to know how the audience is made up. A mass audience is very large, so ways of breaking it down into categories have been devised from Higher Management positions to Unemployed people.

Primary Research

Primary Research for audience research is direct investigation of the needs , desires and media habits of an audience. It involves contacting and talking directly to members of the target audience individually on the phone, by email or questionnaire.

Secondary Research

Secondary research looks at data and other research that has already been undertaken about the audience. Today Secondary research is very largely carried out on the internet and magazines. By consulting a wide range of opinions and sources a sound critical analysis can be constructed.

Qualitative Research

Qualitative Research is about investigating the reasons why audiences consume a particular text. It is done through a discussion and by setting up focus groups. Questionnaires can be constructed to establish audience preferences , desires and opinions or to measure the success of a media text or product.

Quantitative Research

Quantitative Research is about collecting facts and figures and other data to do with the size of the audience. This can be a breakdown of the number of people, including their gender , age and location , who make up and audience.

Album Cover - Sleevage.com

When researching album covers on the internet I came across a really useful website called

Sleevage.com

Sleevage is a blog all about music cover art. From the LP’s of the 60′s to the digital artworks of now. They post the best or most interesting covers every week in an effort to become the world’s best resource for great music artwork. Sleevage is another blog by Soap Creative a digital creative agency based in Sydney, Australia and Los Angeles.

The website focuses on the Art work and Design of thousands of Album Covers from multiple Musical Genres and allows people to search a specific artists album and informs them on how the album cover was created and who created it allowing others to find inspiration.

I liked this website a lot and found it very useful and inspirational.

Digipack Research

Digipack Research

A digipack is ..

• An economical way of a company making an album in a different way.
• A new format of a CD packaging made from card, It holds different parts of the lyrics and will have special features and DVD.

The codes and conventions are ..

• Visuals are key to the production, includes images of the artist/band, shit from concert and instruments.
• Band and artist name and album title; making the brand easily identify. Can be included along the spine and on the main cover.
• List of all the songs on the back.
• Basic information on the band and all the background information.
• Reviews from newspapers and magazines.

Why would a record label choose to release a didgipack instead of a CD?

• Many reasons why, but the main reason is that is is cheaper for them to produce.

Are there added benefits for the consumer when buying it?

• People would rather buy it because there is more things in there like more tracks and a DVD and maybe special features that you cant get on a normal CD.

Digipaks typically consist of a gatefold (book-style) paperboard or card stock outer binding, with one or more plastic trays capable of holding a CD or DVD attached to the inside.

Although less vulnerable to cracking than a jewel case, the disc tray inside the package (particularly the "teeth" of the hub which secure the disc in place) remains rather brittle and is prone to cracking if the package is crushed. Digipak-style cases grew in popularity among record labels and recording artists in the early 2000s.

The disadvantages of Digipacks is that they are flimsy and open to wear and tear more easily. I have personally noticed that with the Digipaks in my CD collection, the plastic trays fallout because the glue has dried up.

Montage editing

This afternoon we decided to try and edit the verse before the sad montage and the sad montage itself. There were numerous problems with our footage however the most prominent would seem the lack of usable lip syncing clips. While much of the chorus is usable the lip syncing of the verses is much weaker and needs to be re filmed possibly tommorow in Cuffley.

Another problem is the first running shot underground. The camera swerves and looses Eleanor, when we tried cutting the mistake and inserting other footage everybody agreed it looked better shaky and wrong than with random footage which did not fit the mood of the lyric.

Abuse Scene

This is a montage that we edited showing various abuse scenes between the male and female characters in our Music Video. We edited the clip using a lot of slow motion and gave the clip a grainy and blurry appearance to give the impression that the scenes were a series of events that were being thought of or dreamt about to represent someone reminiscing and dwelling on the past.

Album Cover Research

While recording artists and bands are busy recording their albums, a separate effort is usually being made behind the scenes to plan for the launch, promotion and circulation of the new tracks. The creation of CD cover art is an integral part of this process.

Some CD covers feature heavily edited and airbrushed vanity photos of the musicians or recording artists. Thankfully, others are much more creative and work to create a cover image that reflects the mood, attitude or feel of the music it promotes. The most striking designs are those that capture both a buyer’s attention and the essense of the music.

Majority of CD cover art designs and concepts present dramatic, quirky, unusual or unique artwork. This type of cover art can make a big difference when a little-known band releases an album. Captivating or iconic cover art can make a band instantly recognizable, which increases sales, which in turn boosts airplay and subsequently demand for the music. Mainstream marketing is rarely this attractive, and the wide variety of beautiful CD cover art makes browsing CDs an enjoyable experience that reaches far beyond the music.

Album Art Work

Here are some Obscure and Remarkable album covers that stand out from the crowd

attracting the consumer to question about the artists and their music influencing them to buy the album.

Daydreamer - Dialogue (2008)
Bold slpashes of gold and red are used on this cd cover, which features a clever typography image. Haunting eyes peek out from beyond a mass of golden words that serve as hair.

The Roots - Things fall apart (1999)

This album was released with five different covers, each depicting a social disaster. The most striking of the five, seen here, shows African American teenagers being chased down a street in Brooklyn during the Civil Rights era

Black Light Burns - Cruel Melody (2007)
Taking a more classical route on this cover art, Black Light Burns manages to catch a browser’s eye.

The Beatles - Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

Some say no collection of cover art is worth mentioning without this cover.

More Skin With Milk-Mouth - Giraffes? Giraffes? (2007)
Nothing seems to make sense here, yet it works on this cd cover. More flying fish, an invasion of ladybugs and a Roman statue all fit together in this intriguing, colorful mess.

Evanescense - The Open Door (2006)

A moody and romantic tone is set with this cd cover art design. The mystery lies on the other side of the door.

She wants revenge (2005)
This self-titled album made a splash with this striking cover art.