Polydor Records - Insight into the Music Industry

 

Polydor Records - Insight into the Music Industry

 

 

 

 

During our Media lesson, Emily Tedrake, from Polydor Records came and spoke to us about the music industry, with a focus on commissioning music videos. This was extremely beneficial, as it allowed us to gain a deeper insight into how the production of a music video works, from a person working within that industry.

 

Emily works for Polydor Records, which was originally founded in Germany in 1946, with the UK division being set up only 10 years later. The label now signs a large variety of artists, and comfortably keeps up with the ever changing genre's of music. Emily is a music video commissioner for the label, which means she acts as a sort of creative director for the label. An artist sends her their music, and then she has to find the right director to construct the video, then she become the label producer for that video.

 

 The pace of producing a music video is extremely quick. It takes approximately a month to fully create, depending on how much of the video is created in post production. Once Emily is given the single, she has to quickly decide what type of video she wants to create, then construct the brief. This is then sent to various directors, who will then show their interest in wanting to create it. Emily is working on a constant deadline, as the videos need to coincide with other deadlines as otherwise the release of the video will not have maximum marketing impact.

 

Emily made some key points about making music videos during our talk, and they will be incredibly useful when we come to make our music video.

 

Emily spoke about how an artist should contribute to the idea for the music video, as it makes it "more magical" and unique. When an artist is part of the planning process they engage more with the video, and this comes across on camera as they enjoy the process far more. Moreover, the idea will then directly link to the artist and coincide with their star image and this will help in the promotion of the song.

 

Additionally, Emily emphasised the importance of having a simple idea, as they are easier to work with and actually look better on screen. Having a strong, yet simple idea will often convey more meaning and fit better with the song. Moreover, the idea has to coincide with the budget therefore a simple idea if often much cheaper but still retains the same power and value. Emily spoke about trying to raise the money for the video, and that sponsors are often used. However, she stressed how this brought its own complications, as the sponsors have to promote the right image that contemplates the artists, as otherwise the artist might be shown in a negative light. This is not something we have to worry about, but it gave me insight into how the music industry actually works, and that producing a music video is not just one thing but another part of the artists image.

 

Furthermore, Emily spoke about treatments and how to create the best, most effective one. This was extremely useful as our treatment needs to convey the right tone and meaning for our music video. A treatment, says Emily, she contain a lot of images so that the director can get an idea of the style/colour/tone of the piece. Finding simpler examples also ensures that you are not copying someone else's idea completely, and it also can provide new inspiration. As well as this, the beginning of the treatment should explain the concept briefly but efficiently, so that the director can get an immediate feel for the video. This is important in a fast paced industry, as time is sparse and thus key ideas need to be conveyed quickly. Emily also mentioned that all the details of the video should be put in the treatment, and that any style/fashion choices should be carefully explained and portrayed.

 

Moreover, Emily spoke about where to gather inspiration for music videos. Although looking into the artists brand image and the lyrics of that particular song is important, she stressed how viewing art galleries, fashion shows, adverts and clips on youtube all provide good inspiration. In addition, they provide more unique/strange ideas that can be transformed to fit a specific concept.

 

Emily then showed 3 of  the recent music videos she has worked on, and the treatments for them. Looking at a real treatment showed me what I exactly need to do, and put a theory into real practice.

 

My favourite treatment and video she showed us, was Bipolar Sunshine's - Deckchairs on the Moon. The treatment provided numerous images, and the video reflects these same ideas. The concept was clearly shown but in a few short sentences conveyed the very essence of the video.

 

 

 

Emily also emphasised the importance of Vimeo and youtube, as both immediately promote the video. The video needs to have a large number of ratings, otherwise the artist may struggle to further promote their song. For example, Emily explained how Radio One look at the demographics of a song on youtube, and will pick one with the highest amount of views and then use the information to decide which artist to interview. Therefore, each video needs to be exciting, unique and engaging, as it is a key part of the artists promotional package.