Music Videos: Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor CSP

Audience:

1) What do we know about the Arctic Monkeys audience? Think demographics, psychographics and how they got into the band.

Arctic Monkeys' audience demographics are likely to be predominantly white, male and middle-
class, considering the band members themselves are as well. The psychographics could possibly be either the reformer or the explorer, as the band is indie rock and therefore quite niche - the reformer would enjoy the band's authenticity, and the explorer would enjoy discovering their music. As of now, it could also be the mainstreamer considering how popular the band is now.

2) What audience pleasures are offered by the music video for I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor?

According to Blumler and Katz' theory:

• Diversion: The song is upbeat and fast - audiences could find diversion in it. Audiences could also find escapism in the 1980s feel of the music video, or just watching the performance itself.
• Personal Relationships: People who knew and followed the band before their debut / before their popularity boom may feel like they know the members personally.
• Personal Identity: Audiences could enjoy the live performance, or play an instrument themselves and see that reflected through the music video. They could also enjoy the intentional 1980s feel created.
• Surveillance: Fans could learn more about the members of Arctic Monkeys. For example, the instruments they play or what they believe about themselves - Alex Turner says "don't believe the hype."

3) Pick out three particular shots, scenes or moments in the video that would particularly appeal to Arctic Monkeys fans. Why did you choose those moments?

The beginning shot features all the members, possibly appealing to a fan who enjoys their content as a group. Furthermore, the members are all quite young in this video, so perhaps, this moment could appeal to long-time fans who have known the band at that age, and who would enjoy the nostalgia factor that the scene provides. A lot of musical instruments and equipment are seen being held by the group members or in the background, potentially drawing in people who enjoy making their own music.

 

The rest of the music video doesn't have any other very significant shots, but the style of the music video uses specific lighting, filters and effects to achieve an older, 1980s look. This would appeal nostalgically to people alive at that time, and to people who are fans of the decade / time period. It also creates a sense of authenticity in relation to the band, when the music video is compared to other music videos at the time that were more high-budget, and filmed like movies. (More in-depth description on question 5)

4) How did fans take a leading role in making Arctic Monkeys famous back in 2005?

Arctic Monkeys gained their popularity mostly through word of mouth before - they would hand out free demo CDs to people who showed up at their small-scale performances. Their music was then put up on Soundcloud or shared through P2P sites, giving the band popularity by allowing their music to be heard by a much larger audience. This created a buzz around the band online, where communities, centred around them, began to share new songs and information on the members.

5) How are fans positioned to respond to the band? What does Arctic Monkeys want fans to think about their video?

The music video is intentionally 1980s-styled: it's set in a television studio meant to mimic the '80s, and uses a genuine '80s camera called an 'Ikegami 3-tube colour TV camera' to give the video a nostalgia factor through the film grain, colours, etc. This style of music video is intentionally different from the high-budget music videos that were beginning to be made, creating a sense of authenticity surrounding the band, positioning fans to respond to them positively: they want to feel like they personally know the members, like they're part of a small, niche/underground community not many know about (to feel special), or who want to discover something new, not manufactured.

Industries:

1) How did the Arctic Monkeys first achieve success and build up their fanbase?

 

The Arctic Monkeys first achieved success without a record label - they created their own called 'Bang Bang Records', and recorded demo songs on CDs alongside performing at gigs. The band then handed these CDs to the audience freely, who then went on to share them. This built up an early fanbase who were familiar with the band and the sound of their music. Eventually, their music was shared on P2P sites and a fanbase was created online.

2) Why was P2P file sharing and Myspace an unexpected aspect to Arctic Monkeys' early success?

People who had CDs illegally shared them on P2P sites, such as Napster, as files. Although this wasn't originally known to the band, it was an unexpected aspect to their popularity as it created a much larger fanbase than the band had had before, online. Fans shared information about the band on online forums, and a buzz was created around them, causing their popularity to increase exponentially. Myspace, released in 2003, had also contributed greatly. It was one of the first major social networking sites where friends could talk to each other, and meet new people with similar interests on forums and chatrooms. As a result, the Arctic Monkeys were able to increase their audience without a record label.

3) How does the rise of Arctic Monkeys differ from how BLACKPINK were formed and became famous?

 

While the Arctic Monkeys became popular authentically, BLACKPINK was extremely manufactured. Arctic Monkeys began as a group of friends from school, who created music based on occurences in their lives and what they found interesting. Their music was, hence, not created to cater to a specific audience and instead found fans of its own. The band also began without a record label, creating their own and signing to a much lesser known label (Domino Records). They sang and performed in order to gain fans themselves, and handed out free CDs. This shows their authentic, self-started growth - they gained popularity through word of mouth and consistency. On the other hand, BLACKPINK was formed of 4 trainees who all auditioned to join YG Entertainment. They were consequently trained in performance, until they were considered ready enough to become a group publicly. Their debut was teased heavily beforehand on YouTube, building up hype from the audiences of other groups under the YG label, and fans of K-pop in general. They were manufactured to have a certain 'aesthetic' - their music caters to a very specific target audience (teenage girls, although they've grown to have a much wider audience), and most of their songs are not written by the members themselves, unlike the Arctic Monkeys' earlier music (some of BLACKPINK's songs are written by the members, such as 'Lovesick Girls' being written by Jennie and Jisoo). They were formed in very different ways and show the difference between authentic and manufactured groups.

4) Who is Arctic Monkeys record label and how many copies did they sell of their debut album? Why did they choose an independent record label?

 

The Arctic Monkeys' record label is Domino Records, and their debut album 'Whatever People Say I am That's What I'm Not' hit number one in the charts and sold over 350,000 copies in the first week of its release. They chose an independent record label in order to have more creative control - they wanted to be able to write music about their lives and experiences, much like their earlier songs. A larger record label would most likely not allow much creative control, writing songs for the band themselves and manufacturing them with a specific audience in mind, in order to make the maximum amount of money possible.

5) Looking at the wider music industry, has the internet been a positive or negative development for record companies and artists? Why?

 

Overall, the internet has been a positive development for record companies and artists. It has helped increase the amount of music listeners worldwide and has been a strong way for up-and-coming artists to gain fans and popularity. Fans are able to learn more about their favourite artists online and discuss them, invite in new fans and increase sales overall. It has also made it much easier for people to buy music. While some artists argue that the internet decreases their revenue as fans don't need to pay to listen, most of their popularity has likely come from the internet itself, and they would most likely not be in the same position they are in now without its help.