CD COVER 2: BONKERS 'THE NEXT CHAPTER'
CD COVER 3: HARDCORE NATION 2009
CD COVER 4: DARREN STYLES 'SKYDIVING'
CD COVER 5: CLUBLAND 13'
CD COVER 6: 'ULTRABEAT: DISCOLIGHTS THE ALBUM'
CD Covers Analysis:
CD Cover 1: ‘Clubland X-treme Hardcore 5’ (2009):
This CD depicts a female character/ model at the forefront of the mise en scene, positioned slightly to the left. The positioning to the left gives the audience a closer view of the model -as she is also slightly leaning forward- connoting the model in a sexually provocative way, as parts of her body are more clearly exposed. Behind the model is a multi coloured background; the main colours used being red, blue and white. The blue and red colours are contrast with each other and therefore the colours connote a sense of rebellion to the audience, because the CD cover is not as structured as people would anticipate a CD cover to be. This would appeal particularly to the demographic audience purchasing the CD because the style of music; Hardcore dance, is also not extremely commercial or structured. The colours used are not gender specific and could appeal to both genders. However, as I have discovered during research hardcore/dance usually attracts more females then males so I would anticipate the CD to use more female colours. The usage of the sexually provocative female model and gender neutral colours seem to be a deliberate attempt by the producers of the CD cover to increase the target audience as much as possible, consequently not minimising and possible sales. The font used is easily legible, bold and structured and therefore stands out against the eventful background. It is also large and therefore it is clearly visible whatever size the cover is depicted; meaning it can be viewed on the internet as well as being commercially sold in shops. Along with the gender neutral theme, this also makes the cover more commercially viable for the music institution. Lighting used on the CD cover is bright which is flattering for the female model on the CD cover who is framed in a medium close up. The placing and framing of the female is significant because it shows she is important in selling the CD cover and the closeness of her face means the audience can read her expression carefully; her eyebrow is raised which is also sexually provocative. This sexual theme is emphasised through her red lips, loose curly hair and small amount of clothes, giving her a strong sexual identity. Although this image would appeal to mainly males, as they would find her sexually attractive, it would also appeal to post modern feminists because they would admire her for her strong, appealing individuality. This CD conveys a certain rebellious aspects and playfulness to the audience, emphasised through the small ‘Danger’, sign in the bottom left hand corner. This is effective because consumers buying the product would like to think they were unique in buying it, that they don’t follow the rules, which the producers of the music capitalise on. This is portrayed through the use of various different fonts, colours and the strong female identity, which appeals to the demographic audience.
CD Cover 2: ‘Bonkers: The next chapter’ (2009)
This CD cover uses a variation of different colours, fonts and themes to convey a particular message to the audience. The colours used; blue, yellow red and white are used as the background and are similar colours to those in a sunset or sunrise. The CD name ‘The next chapter’ relates to the colours as a sunrise is usually seen as a new day or beginning, and using these colours helps to convey this message to the audience. The white rings and rays of light around the ‘Bonkers’ title portray the CD title itself is the refreshing new beginning and consequently this represents to the audience that the music on the CD is new, innovative and different to mainstream music, consequently would appeal to the audience. The main font used for the title ‘Bonkers’ is unusual because it is not structured, using different sizing and overlapping texts which means the CD does not follow the typical conventions of the genre whereby the text is bold and structured. This is created on purpose as the title itself, ‘Bonkers’ conveys a meaning which is not acceptable in mainstream, everyday society and using unstructured font is a way to emphasise this. The font itself is at the forefront of the CD cover, in the middle connoting the titles importance. The white colour used on the font contrasts with the background, which makes the title stand out, making the cover more recognisable from far away. The smaller text ‘The Original Hardcore’ is more formal and structured, which is almost portrayed to be an afterthought in comparison to the ‘crazy’ font ‘Bonkers’, which would appeal to the more introverted members of the target audience and also gives the CD cover a more professional representation overall. The small yellow box in the left corner contains some information of who the CD is by, so the audience would not be confused regarding the CD cover, however, the size of the box shows that it is not as important as the overall message the cover wishes to portray. This also relates to the genre because as it is not highly publicised as other music genres, the producers have realised most of the audience would already have knowledge of the CD itself. Although this means that consumers are less likely to make a spontaneous decision regarding purchase of the CD, it would appeal to target audiences because it makes them feel as if they are a part of a secret society, which the mainstream society could not join. A convention of the hardcore/dance genre is usually a model on the front cover and not using a model is a conscious decision made by the production company. It indicates a younger target audience then the other CD covers who use sexually provocative models, as using this for younger audiences would not be appropriate. A parental advisory sticker is not used on the front cover which also represents the younger age group. Overall, the message conveyed to the audience is one of originality, youth and innovation emphasised by the sunrise theme, contrasting fonts, and paint splodges which border the yellow box, because these all have connotations of change and a new beginning or start.
CD Cover 3: ‘Hardcore Nation 2009’ (2009)
The overall cover of this CD seems a lot more structured and streamlined in contrast to previous CDs I have analysed, therefore straightaway I knew a different message was being conveyed to the audience. The structure of this CD cover connotes a more organised feel to the audience, which was intentional as it allows the CD cover to be more commercial, meaning based on the CD cover this would be more likely to sell to the audience. The colours used, following a mainly purple and silver theme are not as gender neutral as the previous covers and therefore this cover would probably appeal to more women then men, following its target audience, which also features more women than men. The female character, positioned in a medium close up at the foreground of the mise en scene, is centralised and is portrayed to be in a dancing position, this connotes to the audience a carefree feel; what the music itself is all about, creating a good atmosphere. This is emphasised by the models hair being down –a literal display meaning the character is letting her hair down- and also her risqué clubbing outfit – another convention of the dance/hardcore genre. The female character is not as sexualised as the character in the 1st CD which I analysed, because her lips are not red and her expression is not as sexually provocative. However, she portrays some sexual themes because of her long hair and big lips and also the position her body is in, her chest area exposed and pushed out. Because the CD itself is more feminine, the main use of the model is to follow conventions within the dance/hardcore genre and also appeal to the post modern feminists, akin to the first CD cover who would admire her beauty and carefree attitude. The CD cover title uses font which is extremely bold and structured, again an example of the CD following conventions of the dance/hardcore genre. The contrasting silver colour makes the font stand out against the purple background. The positioning of the title is slightly slanted which conveys an image with a slightly unconventional undertones, on the other hand, it is not as embellished as other, more eccentric covers which means this image was not one the production team really wanted to convey to the audience. The lighting used, portrayed in the background behind the female model has been made to look luminous in strobes, and therefore portrays strobe lighting which is a typical code of the dance/ hardcore genre. This represents a typical stock setting where this music is likely to be listened to, a club and this means more of the audience would relate to the cover and the female character. Finally the two circles of information containing information on who the CD is by, give more information than the 2nd CD cover analysed which also shows it is for a larger target audience and therefore is more commercially viable. The message that the cover conveys to the audience is dependant on the recognition of the codes and conventions of the dance/hardcore genre such as strobe lighting, outfits, dancers, bold text and female models on the cover. However, I think if these codes and conventions are recognised the cover would be very effective as it is attractive and therefore would be likely to appeal to mass markets.
CD Cover 4: ‘Darren Styles: Skydiving’ (2008)
This CD cover depicts the artist in the forefront of the mise en scene, placed in a medium close up on the right hand side of the image. The main colour theme used is black which conveys a more serious message to the audience, unlike previous CDs analysed, which have had more of a playful portrayal of the music genre; using contrasting, bright colours. The decision not to use bright colours is intentional because the artist does not want to be related to the more extrovert hardcore scene, wanting his music to be sold to the general public and not just fans of dance/hardcore genre. Consequently, this makes the CD a lot more commercial and instead of following codes and conventions of the dance/hardcore genre, this CD follows the codes and conventions of solo artists, which have more of a mass audience in contrast to the dance/hardcore genre. The typical codes and conventions of solo artists is featuring the main artist on the front cover, using subdued colour schemes and placing the artists name clearly readable on the front CD cover. The more formal message is portrayed to the audience because for Darren Styles -although being a prolific DJ within the hardcore dance scene- this is the first album he has released individually. This serious message is emphasised by the artist’s sombre, contemplating expression, which, unlike models of other dance/hardcore CDs which I analysed, does not connect directly with the audience. Apart from black, another colour used is pink, which highlights the several parts of the CD, which contrast with the main black colour. Although this CD does not follow codes and conventions of the dance/hardcore genre, contrasting colours have been seen in previous CD covers analysed and therefore this could be a subtle way of conveying the music genre to the audience. It would also attract demographic audience members to the CD from a long distance in a shop or on the internet, which helps to make the CD cover more commercially viable. The high key lighting used is only used to highlight Darren styles features, which is seemingly homogeneous giving the CD a uniformed composition and structure. This once again helps to emphasise the uniformed, formal structure of the CD, which help to portray that this artist wants his solo music to be taken more seriously then previous compilation CDs. The font chosen used is placed in the centre of the mise en scene, portraying its importance to the audience. However because no track listings are included as in previous CD covers, the cover is relying on the audience recognising the artist, Darren Styles, to attract them towards buying it. The CD cover is more aimed at the female market because of the use of the pink colour, and the male artist image on the cover, which is less likely to appeal to the male market. Overall, the message which the CD conveys is more serious and formal, which is helped through the lack of variation of colour and the sombre expression on the artists face. I think is effective this makes the CD is more commercial then the other previous CD’s, and therefore will probably earn more money for the music institution.
CD Cover 5: ‘Clubland 13’ (2008)
This CD cover follows many of the codes and conventions of the dance/hardcore genre which I have discovered through previous CD covers. The main convention being the female model, framed in a medium close up, positioned to the left side of the cover, who is at the forefront of the mise en scene. Similarly to the 3rd CD cover which I analysed, the model is placed in a dance position, her arms up and her chest thrust forward, exposing several provocative parts of her body, particularly her chest. The parted red lips and undeviating expression directed towards the camera gives the female a strong sexual identity, which is emphasised by the skimpy club outfit she is wearing; another convention of the dance/hardcore genre. Her outfit is significant as it helps to connote the genre of music to the audience, meaning the CD is less for the mass markets and also not appropriate for the younger audience. The female model would appeal to both males and females; males finding the model sexually appealing but also to the post modern feminist females who would admire her beauty and relate to her as a ‘dance’ character. The main title font used is bold and structured and uses small circles portrayed as lights within the font, which also reiterates the genre of dance/hardcore genre to the audience. This makes the font stands out, connoting the importance of the brand ‘Clubland’ to the audience. This is emphasised by the small font at the bottom, which does not stand out. Although identifying artists names, the font is diminutive and not easy to make out, especially from far away, consequently this portrays the significance the artists play: Because ‘Clubland’ music is a popular and well established brand the audience are more likely to buy music because of the brand and not the artists, because of the good reputation which ‘Clubland’ already has. The lighting used is bright; highlighting everything within the mise en scene, which conveys positive connotations to the audience and the playful aspects of the music genre dance/hardcore. The main colours chosen, blue, red and yellow, again contrast with each other, which is another typical convention of the music genre dance/hardcore. Although usually both colours are gender neutral, the colours on the CD cover are lighter which conveys a more of a feminine feel to the audience. This is not surprising as the dance/hardcore tends to appeal to more females than males, particularly music within the ‘Clubland’ brand. In essence, although this CD is less commercially viable to mass markets, the brand ‘Clubland’ already has a firm fan base, therefore not needing to pander to the expectations of the mass markets. Overall, I think this CD cover is effective as it follows many codes and conventions of the dance/hardcore genre, not needing to be as commercial as previous CDs analysed because of the success of the brand ‘Clubland’, displayed clearly in the middle of the cover at the forefront of the mise en scene.
CD Cover 6 ‘Ultrabeat: Discolights: The Album (2009)
I thought this CD cover would be confusing to audiences as it portrayed two different conflicting messages which did not really work well with each other. Similarly to the 4th cover which I analysed, the CD cover seems to be a more serous portrayal of the dance/hardcore genre and does not follow as many codes and conventions such as a female model, or contrasting colours. The main colours used; blue, black and white lack any playful connotations and are all serious, formal colours. This again is an obvious attempt to become less related to the dance/hardcore genre and more commercial; an endeavour made by the music institution to sell more albums and increase the brand of ‘Ultrabeat’. The font, placed immediately in the middle at the forefront of the mise en scene connotes its importance to the audience, particularly the artists name ‘Ultrabeat’, which is larger then the album title, yet again increasing ‘Ultrabeat’s brand in anticipation of any future releases or tours. The structured, bold font which is easily legible again means the CD cover has more commercially viability, as it can be seen from long distances and in smaller images, which would attract audiences. The colour of the font is almost silvery which fits in with the colour scheme, giving the overall CD cover a more congruent feel. The silver also has connotations of being regal and majestic, conveying to the audience the high quality design of the CD cover. The lighting used follows a certain convention of the genre, club lighting, which represents the stock setting of a club within the dance/hardcore genre. The lighting used, which is like strobe/ laser lighting, along with the artists’ serious expressions and black costume clothing, is portrayed to be like a parody of the ‘matrix’, which would be an example of post modern referencing. This may be intentional or not, however, it portrays a sardonic message to the audience, one which does not really fit in with the formal colour scheme used and positioning of the two artists. The positioning of the two artists, who are placed in the middle of the mise en scene, contradicts with the serious, formal message conveyed to the audience. The artist on the left’s expression is an attempt of contemplation, however his expression is not one which is believable to the audience and does not seem genuine. The artist on the right shows little interaction with the other artist, merely using him as an arm rest, whilst his expression is seemingly bored. The unauthentic expressions of the artists make it hard for audiences to relate to them and almost makes the CD cover seem contemptuous. As neither artists’ are hugely attractive, this would not persuade females to buy the CD as they would do for previous models used on the other CD covers analysed and consequently the usage of the artists on the front cover proves ineffective. This CD cover does not work as well as some of the others as it uses two contradicting messages conveyed to the audience which may confuse the demographic audience and effect sales. If the cover was to have portrayed just one of these messages, it would have worked better because the message would be more clear and congruent to the audience.
Codes and conventions I have found many dance/hardcore covers follow:
• Strobe laser lighting, commonly used in the background of the mise en scene.
• Contrasting colours.
• A bold, structured title which gives CD cover more formality and makes the title easily spotted from long distances.
• A small bit of information on whom the CD is by/ which artists are included. However I have noticed it is usually the brand mentioned, specifically in compilation CDs, as they are deemed to be more important by the demographic audience.
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