Mock exam - With corrections

Major record labels, do not have full control over the music industry. Although they have successful and global artists, so do indie record labels, and DIY and Prosumers can reach a global audience too. Prosumers now use digital media technology, the internet, to distribute and exchange their music to a global audience. Majors still have some power, specifically with the mainstream audience, but indie labels do as well, reaching a global audience as they do.

Sony record label, are a major record label, whose have a subsidiary label, called Syco founded by Simon Cowell. One direction, were the biggest selling boy band of 2013, winning several awards such as a BRIT award, MTV and BBC teen choice award. This shows that Sony are very successful already, but because of digital media technology, this means that Sony have to now use convergence to keep current in order to get a remain with a global and mainstream audience. One direction use Youtube to Distribute their music, using visualisation through music videos. This allows fans to have a stronger relationship with them because they are able to see them. This is style over substance, because a music video is essential for them in order to keep their young female target audience. Itunes distributes their 'This is us' film, this is more efficient and quick for the audience to purchase this. Syco also have a game online, on a website called cyber punk, a game which is interactive and directed for young girls because of the pink colour scheme. The website says it is a way to show how much you care about One Direction, so this is helping to create a stronger relasionship with One Direction because they can show 'how much they care'. Rewards are also given, such as phone calls and Tweets (Twitter a social media website, digital media technology), this makes fans feel like they know One Direction. The Cyber Punk website is linked to One Directions main website page, where their music is played, the only way to stop this is to mute your computer. This shows they are constantly advertising their music, in order to get people to buy their music, which you can also do on the website along with merchandise, which is free advertisement for them. 

1D also have an app, which features their music another use of distribution. Sony Is horizontally and vertically integrated, which means they are able to do PDE at a lower cost, so they can spend more on digitial media technology to rival with any competition. For example they have can produce more music videos, with unique ways of presenting visulisation. Pharrel Williams recently had produce a 24 hour music video, to distribute. Which could be said it is more style over substance, the idea is very unique, but is it actually worth watching? The X-factor allows Sony and Syco receive exchange, through voting, Sony and Syco can know what song is the best for that act or their dress sense. Sony also uses convergence in other digital media technology, such as radio, allowing them to reach more audiences.

Domino records are the opposite of Sony, because they are an independent label. Although Domino do not make as much money as Sony, because they have a niche target market, they have a global audience, through digital media technology. Similar to Sony, Domino's music is still substance over style. Although they offer an alternative style of music, they are still more about the 'Indie' style than the substance. Domino's biggest  artist signed with them are the Arctic Monkeys, with Hot Chip the second. The Arctic Monkeys dress in dark clothes, with a rock/indie feel to them, which the audience follow who also like this genre of music, which creates a relationship with them because they have similarity.The Arctic Monkeys have a global audience, seen from their Youtube total views at over 143 million. Also they played at the Olympics opening ceremony, which is broadcast through digital media technology (radio and internet) to a global audience. The Arctic Monkey's are played on BBC radio 1 regularly, as are One Direction showing they have a national audience and are as popular on this radio station. They create this large audience,by creating a relationship which is made through distribution through their Youtube, Social media, Domino's website and Domino's youtube channel,which tells the audience what they are doing, dates etc. making them feel involved and important, making their a participatory culture.

Beck is a DIY artist, he is famous from being signed in 1993 to Geffen Records, and major record company who wanted to sign him, Warner Bro records, but he turned them down. This allowed him to have an existing niche audience, so when he unsigned he was able to 'Do it yourself'. He created a website called sing reader, and after that an album, which were song sheets, so his fans who were artists (not just his audience) where able to produce, play and record the song as well as making music videos(using final cut pro, Avid, DaVinci Resolve and premiere pro). This can be done with digital media technology, using garage band, online websites, Soundcloud and other software's/hardware's)  The website also allows these versions to be distributed, and comments can be left (exchange). This blurs together PDE, which creates a stronger relationship with Beck and his fans, because they feel involved if they are the artists, and if fans are commenting they do as well. This also allows music to be multi genre's so it appeals to a larger audience, and the use of digital media technology distributes it to a global audience. Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, Itunes, Spotify and Soundcloud all distributes music, either from Beck himself or the artistic fans.

A prosumer is a consumer of music who also produces in. Madeon is from France, and has a global audience. He creates mash up's, a soundscape of sample taken from songs by signed artists, 'Pop culture' was a mash up he made with 42 songs, taking 2-3 second samples. This mash up was what made him popular, using Youtube, Soundcloud and social media websites, he blurred together PDE, allowing him to reach a global audience. As well as create a strong relationship with his global audience, this is because he was not signed yet, and he was just a consumer himself, yet he had the skills to produce a mash up. Mash up's can be seen as devaluing music, as does style over substance, but I argue that it is not. Because it is free advertising for the original song's record label and artists. But others may see it as removing a meaning of a song, and recycling it into just a sound. 

In conclusion major record labels do not have the most power in the music industry, because of the internet allowing PDE to be blurred together. Majors still do have control over the music industry,because they are vertically and horizontally integrated, but this is only mostly over mainstream audiences so doesn't allow them to have all power. But their relationship is not as strong, because they are the most concerned with style over substance which is wanted by their young target audience, but not by all audiences. With digital media technology, DIY, prosumers and independent labels can now have as large of an audience because they can blur PDE making the processes inexpensive.