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http://beyonddesign.typepad.com/.a/6a014e87fbd82d970d015390434882970b-800wi. Felicity Lau. People worldwide recognize certain figureheads just by their image. http://laurenzi.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/tumblr_lg6rbzCgyf1qzk2apo1_500.gif.
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http://beyonddesign.typepad.com/.a/6a014e87fbd82d970d015390434882970b-800wihttp://beyonddesign.typepad.com/.a/6a014e87fbd82d970d015390434882970b-800wi Felicity Lau
People worldwide recognize certain figureheads just by their image. http://laurenzi.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/tumblr_lg6rbzCgyf1qzk2apo1_500.gif
Image acts as a person’s trademark. At times, image also doubles as a statement.
And within that industry, the music industry relies the most heavily on image.
Regrettably, artists would be nothing without image nowadays.
Nowadays, musicians promote themselves through image rather than sound.
Becoming a recognized artist all begins with being noticed, whether it’s by a talent scout or by accumulating a massive fan base.
One would assume that musicians would be recognized for their music…
Rie Takagi, a writer for the Daily Yomiuri, states “image is everything for business success in a trend-conscious city.”
Case Study: Korean Pop (K-Pop) http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/160/2/5/K_POP_Wallpaper__Collage__by_justshocking.jpg
SM Entertainment “80% looks, 20% talent” http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn314/hallyuwood/snsd-sm-audition.jpg -ID Concealed
JYP Entertainment More on talent, above-average looks a plus http://www.gokpop.com/i1/news/2/6917-w8yba4xr8w.jpg -ID Concealed
YG Entertainment Mostly talent based, only average look required http://kpoptheworld.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/yg-audition.jpg -ID Concealed
Basic Debut Process • Scouting • Signing contracts
Artists sometimes agree to ludicrous terms in their contracts.These terms vary from scheduling to events, but they sometimes deal with image, too. http://s3.amazonaws.com/rapgenius/kawaii-the-little-mermaid-with-ariel-and-ursula-11765-1271691825-24.jpg
Instructions on how to Dress At times, artists are required to act or dress a certain way to uphold a certain image.
Each group has a different image concept in order to stand out. http://static.allkpop.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/20101008_girlgroups.jpg
Although there are some outliers, the only thing that really sets these groups apart is their image.
Group concepts (in terms of sound) sometimes overlap, with fast beats and typically cutesy pop lyrics. Having a unique image is the extra push groups need to appeal to fans.
This marketing tactic is extremely effective. Fans would have a hard time keeping track of all the groups otherwise.
Image can help an artist stand out and attract fans. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p1OKU2bQi4M/TWRddSBl8bI/AAAAAAAAAzk/stWddaGj0hs/s1600/0074EyeCandyCAD.jpg
However, artists and their management have to be careful about any image changes, as they can hurt the artist’s fanbase as well.
Justin Bieber lost 80,000 fans just because he cut his hair. -Justin Bieber Zone
In the movie, “Gypsy Rose Lee,” the main characters said one thing about the entertainment industry:
According to Drakes in the rightfully-titled article, “It's Not About The Music,”
''Music, like all media these days, is a business and it's all about sales and targeting your market. It's the old maxim of 'sex sells.' "
Image plays a large role in determining an artist's success level.
In fact, some music genres evolved from this idea of image in the music industry.
Rock and Image According to Dixler, image is especially prevalent in rock because “the music alone cannot convey the rebellion, liberation, ecstasy and group dynamic that is rock.” http://theduellists.altervista.org/joomla/images/stories/rock-in-progress1.jpg
Visual Kei/Visual Rock http://withfriendship.com/images/d/19859/really-amazing-visual-kei.jpg
“In the mid 1990s, visual kei received an increase in popularity throughout Japan, and album sales from visual kei bands started to reach record numbers. The most notable bands to achieve success during this period included X Japan, Glay, and Luna Sea; however, a drastic change in their appearance accompanied their success.” – Wikipedia.org
X-Japan http://www.gibson.com/Files/aaFeaturesImages/x%20japan.jpg http://xjapan.narod.ru/xgallery/xxjapan/xjapan04/xjapan0411.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/25/Xjapan2010.JPG/300px-Xjapan2010.JPG
GLAY http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SOB42HhWXNU/SIGvb7YlwNI/AAAAAAAAAHE/KVU6101BNKo/s400/Glay.jpg http://newwaveasiancrave.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/glay.jpg?w=376&h=470