Research into music channels - Miss Geogiou

Music channels have been about since the early 1980s, the most commonly one known being MTV, which was created in 1981. There are a number of purposes behind having music channels. Firstly, the main reason being the only way to consume both the combination of audio and video in one package in the early days of music video creation. This enabled those that watched them to experience the artist and song in further depth and be exposed to a more modern music experience. Another reason behind music channels is to target towards a particular target audience and just features songs and music videos which fall into a particular genre or type. Essentially through doing this the public can distil through the multiple music channels available to them to pick whichever one falls under whatever type they like. An example of the multiple different types of music channels could range from ones which just feature pop songs (such as top 50 pop songs of 2015) or a channel which is purely dedicated towards rock. This makes certain types of songs easily accessible and the whole process of consuming music and the videos more efficiently.

The MTV logo itself is targeted and appeals towards teenagers. This is done through a number of ways. The size of the logo itself is rather large. The logo has a graffiti like style towards it, which can be seen through the positioning of the TV icon integrated within the M of MTV. 

The target audience for MTV consists of people between the ages of 13-21. On the MTV music television channel, the type of music they predominantly play are chart hits which are popular and well known. An example of an artist who's music they would play on there channel today would be; Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj, Eminem and Katy Perry as a few examples. 

Rihanna would be present on such as she appeals towards the target audience at hand. This is due to a number of reasons. Throughout the years of Rihanna creating music videos and being big chart hits, as she is a pop artist predominantly, the nature of her songs can vary throughout her music videos. In recent years, the appeal towards her music videos being popular could be 

Taylor which is intact the most popular chart artist as it stands (figures coming from billboard.com). The reason as to why Taylor Swift is so popular and her videos  

Nicki Minaj would also feature on a music channel such as MTV as she is commonly present within the top charts. In regards to appeal towards the target audience, she appears more so because of the content and nature of her music videos. This is as she is known as being rather revealing throughout a large amount of her music videos, her most well known and commonly featured ones on MTV and other music channels often being very revealing and being of an adult nature. This would appeal towards males of the target audience more so, but it would also be popular and appealing due to the controversy surrounding it. This is as people may be discussing it and it may entice people to want to see the music video behind the song, due to the addition attention around it. 

Eminem would be a popular featuring artist on MTV as he has been in and around the top of the charts for many years and is a very well known artist. In comparison to Rihanna and Nicki Minaj, his music videos are often appealing not often because of performance, but more so the narrative and concept behind his videos. An example of one of his songs which had a popular music video which had both narrative and concept behind it is "Stan", to which even had an extended version created to show the story of the song in further depth and to express the message which is being shown in a clearer way.  This is appealing towards the whole target population of boys and girls aged between 13-21 years old and is also accessible to others, as fans of his music which are predominantly within that age range anyway, but it being on MTV the music video and the song itself can be fully experienced.

And lastly Katy Perry would be popular on this music channel also. She also has a large number of popular music videos which are present throughout MTVs viewings, to which similar to Rihanna, she has a range of different themes being shown in her different videos, to which appeal to different groups. An example of a video by Katy Perry which borders on the lines of being sexually explicit is "california girls" in which the video was put under criticism for such. Another video of hers which could be considered as bordering as being sexually explicit is "Roar". For these reasons, similar to Nicki Minaj these videos therefore appeal more towards a male target audience due to the sexual appeal. 

MTV is used as a form of branding in the number of ways. The music channel itself is owned by Viacom, which within such they own a large number of programs. Within such, an example of three would be Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and VH1. As they all belong to one media company, on all of the television shows there will be advertisements linking towards each other, through which advertising and promoting all of the shows. 

MTVs shows and TV schedule demonstrates its appeal towards the target audience mentioned (between 13-21). This can be seen above through the presence of such shows like "Teen mom" and "16 and pregnant". This is as such shows are directed aimed towards its particular target audience

In regards to the MTV music schedule, it is evident that the songs that are present within are aimed directly towards the target audience at hand. As seen above, this is evident through the presence of such songs and artists by artists which are very popular throughout people of the target audiences age range. The example I found was of there being a one direction music special being featured midday. This is catered towards the target audience as one direction has a large following of people which fall towards the lower end of the target audience.

Scuzz is another music channel, this one focus's solely upon rock music and the rock genre. It is a british music television channel which is owned by and operated by CSC media group. It was first launched on the 17th April in 2003, to which it in fact got rated as the highest rated british rock channel. Due to such the channel predominantly plays songs which falls into the rock genre, although it does also branch out into playing pop punk and metal also. This music channel would appeal for fans of rock music, and would only show songs which fall under the rock genre (or similar associated genres), which would be range from a minimum age being 13, to a maximum probably not exceeding those aged around 40.

The logo appeals towards the target audience of rock fans, to which this is achieved through both the visuals and colours of the visuals. The logo is a bold black, to which it clearly stands out and is very striking, which fits with the genre of music as rock music is often very loud, so having a big and out there logo is relative. As the logo is very striking, it leaves a strong impact when seen by anyone, which directly links towards the nature of the songs which would be commonly played on the station. The letters on the logo itself have sharp edges towards them as well, which makes the image sharper and more extravagant, which links towards both rock genre songs and the representation of the genre as a whole.

As seen with the broadcasting schedule for scuzz, the channel appeals to a wide array of ages which are fans of this particular type of music, having a time dedicated to both old school songs as well as new releases. To which because of this there is a large array of artists which are present throughout the broadcasting of skuzz, which can fall under the multiple different genres of rock music commonly, branching out into the depths of all the different sub genres within.

To begin, one example of a group which would be present on this channel would be Metallica. Metalica is an american heavy metal band formed in los angeles, California. The group originally started This is as there songs and music falls under the rock genre, and as the band have been active since 1981, they have an array of both younger and older fans. Through the diversity in age of fans, this would benefit the channel also as it may enable for them to gather new fans, be that young or old which may find the other music which is on the channel interesting

Another artist which would fit for under scuzz's broadcast list would be the prodigy. Bands are present throughout the viewing as seen with metallic most probably being the most popular/ well known. another group which is present on the channel is the prodigy. They would be featured on the channel as they fit within the genre of music which is commonly played and catered for towards the target audience. Although the group itself actually falls under the electronic dance genre, its another band/ group which is popular and well known by the public, hence as to why they are present throughout the playing of the channel.

A more generic band which would fit more into what would be expected to played rather than just being played because of the popularity of the artists would be Iron Maiden. They would be suited for the channel as they are a heavy metal group due to the type of music which they produce, and the group of people which there music caters towards. For this reason, they would be suited for the channel of Scuzz as there general viewer base would enjoy the other content on the channel also, making the songs which are played accessible by the appropriate group of people.

Blink 182 is another band which would be considered as being suitable for the music channel at hand. They are an american rock band which was formed in a suburb of San Diego, California in 1992, the current members of the band being Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker, two former members being Scott Rayner and Tom Delonge. Despite being a american rock punk band, they also fall under other multiple sub genres, such as pop, alternative, punk and state versions of rock. For this reason they are suited towards being present on the music channel of Scuzz, being appealing towards a large range of sub genres of rock music. For this reason it enables for a wider target audience, as well as there music appealing towards more fans of the genre due to there potential diversity.

Channel AKA is another music channel. This music channel focus's on grime, hip hop and urban songs. The music channel itself would have a niche target audience of a certain type of people. This is due to the nature of the songs and lyrics themselves, which is predominantly of a sensitive nature, often being explicit as the majority of the songs relate towards hip hop and urban types of music. An example of this in place would be the music channel receiving a fine of £18,000 in june of 2005, for which was due to broadcasting inappropriate material, according to ofcom, demonstrating the sensitive nature of the songs on the channel. 

The AKA logo appeals towards there target audience in a number of ways. It appeals primarily towards people aged between 15- 29. I would say this from both the visuals and the colours of the visuals. On the left hand side of the logo a red man leaning on the A (implying it to be a wall) can be seen, this linking towards the music present on the channel as they often have an urban sense around them. The colour of AKA itself being bold black, which is very striking and clearly stands out. As its a dark colour, this also links towards the feelings of the songs, as they are often explicit and can often being related towards artists life experiences and such; being used as form of sublimation for emotions, often being negative. The red of the man itself could also link towards the common association with red of danger or blood/death, linking towards the explicit natures of the songs.

Seen above is the channeling schedule for channel AKA, which it is evident which types of songs/ shows which are shown towards there viewer base, either being grime or rap which is shown. This re-enforces what types of artists are relevant to have present on the music channel.

An example of an artist who would be suitable for the channel and is likely to be present on the channel is Eminem, this is for a number of reasons. Firstly he fits into the hip hop genre predominantly, in which his songs are often based upon his own personal experiences and such. An example of one of eminems songs which is of a explicit nature is Kim, to which the song itself is essentially him letting out of of his negative emotions in regards to his former wife. This would never be shown on a channel such as MTV for example due to there strict feelings towards censorship, but with AKA the songs are often of a explicit nature. 

Another artist which I believe who would be suited towards being present on AKA's channel would be the grime artist JME. His real name being Jamie Adenuga, was born on the 4th of may 1985. JME has gathered a large fan base over the years, the start of this coming from a single which he released in 2009 called "over me", which was converted into a three way CD disc containing 2 other songs as well which he released the same year. He would be suitable for AKA's viewings due to the nature of his songs, as well as the fan base he has gathered over the years, which they would commonly opt for a music channel such as this. He was brought up on a council estate in hackney, where he gathered inspiration for some of his songs, basing them upon his own experiences, another reason as to why this would appeal towards the viewer as the songs are deeper rooted and meaningful, fans of the genre potentially being able to relate to his life experiences.

The grime genre of music has a large number of popular names throughout which would be suitable to be shown on AKA's viewings, another of which being the music artist Skepta. Joseph Junior Adenuga also falls under the rap genre for some of his songs, although most commonly known for releasing grime content. Despite this, it would still make him suitable for AKA as the music channel ranges from both genres of music which the artist Skepta is known for. For this reason he would be suitable as the content itself would be what people would expect to find on the channel, and other reason being that his pre existing fan base may enjoy the other music present on the channel when listening to his songs because of what is present on it.

Another artist which would be suited for this audience and channel is Stormzy, another british grime artist. Similar to that of Skepta and JME, he is a british grime and UK rap artist from London, producing lyrical content since 2010 - present. For this reason he would also be suited for the target audience of AKA, being an upcoming name in the grime industry of music. Stormzy won best grime act of 2014 at the MOBO awards, his presence on the channel could potentially increase ratings due to his media coverage from personal achievements.

Magic is another variation of music channel, to which it focus's upon the soul genre type of music. Magic is a british music television channel which is owned by The box plus network, and is known for primarily playing easy listening music also. The music channel follows the principal of viewers of the music channel to send in requests to what song plays on the channel, allowing for an interactive and catered experience to the viewers. 

The target audience for the channel I would say is not specific to anyone in particular as it is easy listening music, although saying that it is probably aimed more towards people aged 16 and over. This is as the artists which are shown throughout are often appealing more towards an older audience, as they are often easy listening house hold names which are accessible by all. 

The logo appeals to this audience in a number of ways. The colour used for the logo is just a plain black, which could have been done so that it doesn't cater towards anyone in particular and that it is for a wide audience as black is a neutral colour. In regards to the type of font used, all of the letters in magic seem to almost lean towards the right, possibly suggesting that the songs are calming and smoove, being easy to listen to. Returning to the use of colour, the neutral black used could also be linked towards it potentially being for an older audience, as the colour can be associated with originality and old, which fits as some of the songs played on magic can be old popular songs.

Above is the TV listing for magics music channel. This shows the type of content which would be expected to be found within the channel, which re-enforces the type of content which can be seen on the channel, as well as what type of people the channel is trying to appeal towards. This is also an indication of what types of artists would be expected and suited for the music channel, those that can be seen are seen being very famous faces which are easily accessible to a large group of people, an example can be seen in the top right hand corner, where adele can be seen through the use of a close up. 

One artist who I believe would fit into Magics viewings and would suit its target audience is Ed Sheehan. He is a singer song writer, born on the 17th February 199, being active since 2005 and onwards. He falls under three genres of music, predominately pop but also folk and acoustic. This would be suited for this music channel as his songs are often slowed paced and relaxed, often associated as being chill out music to unwind with. Also, as he is such a large artist and a well known name, his presence of the music channel could result in many of his large fan base to watch the music channel, which could potentially result in more viewers for the channel. If this was to happen, the new viewers would be likely to stay due to his type of music being similar to that of what is already present on it, making it suited towards the target audience of the channel.

Another artist which would be considered very similar to Ed Sheehan in regards to there nature of music is Sam smith. He is another artist which falls prominently into the pop genre, also providing with content which falls into the soul and r&b genre. He would be suited for magic as similar to Ed Sheehan, his type of music is chilled out, and being a popular name in the music industry, he has a large following and appeals towards a large group of people. This would be beneficial for the music channel as the target audience is a wide audience, trying to appeal to as many as people, which would be achieved from the presence of Sam smith and Ed Sheehan as there music isn't of an explicit nature, fits in with the genre of what the channel is expected to play, and also there pre existing fan base would find the other content on the channel appealing.

Ollie murs is another artist which would be suited for the music channel. Born in 1984, the english music content creator also falls predominantly into the pop genre, also branching out into the r&b genre. Unlike the previous two artists, although he falls into the pop genre, his type of music differs a tad to that of them, due to his songs often being more upbeat and faster paced. This enables for another side of the genre to be shown, which would be appealing for the viewer as it provides with diversity over the channel, but still being appealing towards a large audience. As his fame came from being a finalist on the public music competition the x factor, he already had a pre existing fan base which was large and diverse. Having him playing on magics music channel would entice a more diverse group of people to watch the channel also, providing with additional viewers.

Leaning away from the modern day, young and popular male pop artists, there are other artists who's music would be suited towards magics channel. One example of an artist which would suit this is Elvis. The music artist died on the 16th of august 1977 at the age of 42, the music which he created fell into a large number of genres, mainly being rock and roll, although he also produced pop, country, blues, gospel, soul and various other forms of music. He would be suited for a music channel like magic for a large number of reasons. Elvis has been big even into death and in the modern world, being a music icon for the rock and roll genre, forming a massive following over the years. In particular this could appeal towards an older audience, which would bring a different sub group of viewers for the music channel, although it isn't accessible to just them as he is an artist which is generally enjoyed by a large amount of people, and a music channel which seeks to please as many as possible would benefit from having his songs playing on there channel. 

Similar to the previous artist, another which would be another potential artist who's songs would be suited for the music channel is Michael Jackson. This former artists songs would be suited for a number of reasons, leaning more towards the reason given to Elvis. This is as he was and still is an absolutely huge name in the music industry, his music being listened to by a large array of people. Alongside his accessibility, he also suits the channel as he could arguably be catered towards an older audience once again, which would make the channel get an even bigger array of viewers and a generally larger viewing base. 

 Club land TV is the final music channel I shall be discussing, it focus's mainly upon dance music. It also features upbeat pop, and can be viewed on sky TV on channel. It bases its songs which are played upon club land compilation albums. It was originally aired on Freeview TV prior to 2015 but go removed at the request of its operators.

In regards to target audience, I would say that it ranges from the ages of 13-25. This is due to the popularity that this type of music receives from teenagers and young adults, and is often associated with what a large number listen to.

In regards to the logo, I believe that it does appeal towards the target audience at hand. The text of the logo itself has lines splitting the text apart which almost resembles a strobe light which would be associated with this type of music. This is appealing towards the target audience as they can immediately identify that the music that is played on the channel will be dance. For the colours of the logo, silver is used which could potentially link towards the colour of a disco ball, again making the association back with the genre of dance. This is catered towards the target audience as the entire logo links with the dance genre, so therefore catering towards fans of the genre of music.

Within the channel listings which can be found on sky. This shows what shows you would expect to find on the channel, and what type of artists which are present. This supports the idea of having the target audience mentioned previously through the shows which can be seen, which consists of only club and dance songs, the well known DJ David Guetta can be seen on the thumbnails, which shows what type of artists would be expected to be found or what would be suited.

The first artist I believe would be suited for the music channel Clubland is Calvin Harris. I believe he would be suited as he would provide with an additional number of viewers for the music channel as he is a generally well known artist, having a very big following in regard to the dance genre. For this reason the viewers which he would bring to the channel would be more likely to continue to stay on the channel. Calvin Harris being a big name within the dance side of the music industry, for this reason he would be suitable for the channel as the pre-existing fan base for it would find his music appealing, and would be more likely to want to see it.

Another artist which would be suited for the music channel is Disclosure. They are an English electronic music duo, consisting of brothers Howard and Guy Lawrence. The siblings grew up in Reigate, Surrey. Their debut album, Settle, released on 3 June 2013 through PMR, was nominated for Best Dance/Electronica Album at the 2014 Grammy Awards. Similar to that of Calvin harris, Disclosure also provides with content which falls into the dance genre. They would be suited for clubland therefore due to the genre of music they create, which is purely electronic dance, which would be suited towards the target audience of the channel.

Thirdly, another artist which is in fact seen on the viewings of David Guetta. He is a French DJ, record producer and remixer. He co-founded Gum Productions and released his first album in 2002. 
He is predominantly a house music artist and content creator. For this reason I believe he would be suited for this music channel as his content is similar to what would be expected to be played, as well as being what the viewer would expect to find on the channel.

Justin Bieber is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Bieber's current manager, Scooter Braun, first discovered him through his YouTube videos in 2007. He has changed throughout the years in regards to what content he creators and releases, as he now leans more towards pop/ dance genre with his new content. For this reason he is suitable for the channel as he is accessible to a large amount of people due to his pop content, alongside this the regular viewers of the channel who would find it appealing as it would be similar content to what they would expect with the other artists on the channel. 

Chris brown is is an American recording artist, dancer and actor. Born in Tappahannock, Virginia, he taught himself to sing and dance at a young age and was involved in his church choir and several local talent shows. The music he produces falls into the ranges from dance, pop, hip hop and R&B, he would be appealing for the channel because of the range of viewers he could provide with who are fans of the other genres, alongside the previous fan base of primarily dance fans. 
Conclusion

I think MTV is split into sub genres of music for a number of reasons. As there are many different genres and types of music, separating them into there own sections allows fans to differentiate between them. This prevents a fan  of pop music for example from having to listen to rock songs. Essentially this makes the music channel more accessible to every group of music fans, allowing them to split the different types apart.
I do believe that music channels are important in appealing towards a target audience. This is as mentioned before, having lots of different music channels allows for particular music channels to cater solely towards that audience, an example of which being a dance music channel just having dance songs
There are multiple reasons for there being a variety of music channels. The main reason for such being that there are multiple different types (or genres) of music. This means that to be most efficient in enabling fans of a particular type of music to have access to just that, having multiple channels allows this.
I have learnt a number of things about music channels that will assist me with my own production. One of such things being the need to making sure that the production is catered solely towards the target audience at hand, and that they have easy access to it. From doing so this will result in an easier experience for fans.