RESEARCH: INSTITUTIONS

RESEARCH: MEDIA INSTITUTIONS

What is a media institution? Why is it important?

A media institution is a company who works with artists and produce their music as well as take care of all the elements of the campaign. A popular company can help you to breakthrough in the industry and gain audience from the beginning as many institutions have an established fan base. These are some of the popular music institutions who dominate todays music industry:

·         EMI

·         Sony

·         Universal

·         Warner

Most of these are conglomerates, meaning a large and successful company. They also have subsidiary institutions who work along them to sign up more artists and dominate the industry even more. Different institutions will have different objectives when signing up an artist. Many of these have different target audiences due to the music they associate with. For example, EMI is known for working with bands. Institutions are important as they help you fund your campaign but can also provide synergy. Synergy is the promotion of products across different media platforms. Many of these institutions own different companies and media networks which allows them to cheaply promote an artist across these platforms. Therefore, among many reasons, an institution is significant for an artist to break through in the industry and maintain success.

Media Institutions:

The following list shows some of the current media institutions who also lead in the music industry. Often different institutions specialise in different music type and associate with certain conventions in order to stand out from other companies and attract own audience.

·         EMI- This institution is a British multinational recording label. As a famous conglomerate, EMI has various subsidiaries including: EMI Records, Virgin Records, Capitol Records and Parlophone.  EMI specialises in alternative and indie music. They are assigned to various artists across the world. However it is evident that they work with bands much more often rather than solo artists. These include: The Beatles, Coldplay, Pink Floyd, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Queen, Calvin Harris and many more. EMI would attract niche audiences who enjoy experimental music and bands.

·         Sony- Also referred to as Sony Music or Sony Music Entertainment, is an American label. It is a subsidiary of the Sony Entertainment Inc. which is the conglomerate. Sony specialises in mainstream music, which is fairly understandable as they are a subsidiary of a mainstream and global media company. Genres like Hip- Hop, R&B, Pop or Soul are associated with this institution. Unlike EMI, they work with solo artists rather than bands. These include: Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey and many more famous performers. These icons and popular artists will attract large audiences who enjoy regular music and it evident that the most famous and respected performers work alongside Sony.

·         Universal- This institution in an American worldwide music conglomerate. It is a subsidiary of a French company, Vivendi. They own a number of different record labels such as Capitol Records. Universal specialises in the mainstream and current artists. Therefore they appeal to young audiences, like teens and youth in general. Unlike Sony, Universal works with artists who can be passive and not become as iconic. The genre they associate with is mainly pop and rap. These are some of the artists who work alongside Universal: Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Adele, Kanye West, Lil Wayne. These artists are currently ruling the popular culture and music industry which brings Universal profit. 

·         Warner- Warner Music Group is less popular yet still a global institution based in New York City. Among many it has Atlantic Records as its subsidiary. Warner is known for the large film institution, Warner Brothers, which can broaden the appeal. Warner Music Group works along various artists from across the world and of different ages, which shows its diversity which could possibly broaden their appeal. Some of the artists include: Bjork, Bruno Mars, Paramore, Birdy, F.T Island, Frank Sinatra, Phil Collins, and The Rolling Stones. These different artists show how varied can be Warner and the different appeals they have.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Being Assigned to an Institution.

Advantages:

• ·         Synergy- Over the years an institution can start to develop and work alongside different media platforms. This can benefit an artist as they automatically can gain advantages of this. For example they can be advertised across different technologies and gain more popularity and possibly attract more audiences.
• ·         Money- One of the jobs an institution has is to fund their artist. In order to create music and breakthrough in the industry, an artist needs money. Therefore an institution is crucial as they help the artist to create music and provide any equipment.
• ·         Security- Once an artist is signed to an institution, they are assigned for few years. This allows an artist to feel secure about their place and feel confident that they will receive help and support when necessary. For example for an up and coming artist this can help those to start in the competitive music industry and feel assured.
• ·         Association- A popular institution is likely to work with different artist and have links within the industry as they are possibly respected. This allows an artist to be identified with other famous artist who work with the same company. They could even collaborate to create music and therefore help one another to rise in the industry.
• ·         Fame- A good music institution is likely to come with their own fan base. This is because many institutions try to work with similar artist or stay in similar genres to attract the appropriate audience. Therefore this can benefit an artist who is not well known by gaining more fans.

Disadvantages:

• ·         Hard to break through- Especially for up and coming artists, it is difficult to sign to a famous institution as they could risk their money on someone who might not be successful. An institution will always try to make a profit therefore they are unlikely to sign with a new artist who has no experience or fan base as it’s too risky for them.
• ·         Rules- Once an artist agrees to an institution it is likely that they will have to follow some rules. This can mean they have to undergo an image makeover, meet certain criteria in their music videos or adjust they music genre/ style. This is because an institution will want to gain a profit and makes sure they attract as many audiences they can, without considering the artists’ intention.
• ·         Breaking a Contract- An artist can never be secure. Although they sign a contract for few years, in some extreme cases an institution can break the contract which leaves the performer at a vulnerable position.

Conclusion

To conclude, it is evident that media institutions are very significant in the process of a campaign and in general. They can benefit an artist in many ways and give them the necessary help to succeed in the competitive industry. For my campaign I would like to work with either EMI or Warner. This is because they support alternative/ indie artists and associate with such artists which would help me to breakthrough. At the same time, they have a loyal fan base and therefore I am likely to be successful. Both can provide me with synergy and additional promos which will also benefit my campaign.