Age ratings

Following on from an article recently published on the Guardian about the Governments new initiative to "protect children from unsuitable online content" I decided to blog about age ratings on UK music videos. It is important that we take this into consideration when targeting our desired audience. Here is the article...

full article: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/aug/18/age-ratings-uk-music-videos-youtube-vevo-miley-rihanna-dizzee-rascal

Themes such as violence, drug use and sexual content are prevalent in modern day music videos. Children who hear the song currently have easy access to the video accompanying it via YouTube and Vevo - big names in the music industry such as 'Rihanna' and 'Beyonce' have a wide global reach due to their fanbase and are therefore regularly played on the radio, in shops and even in schools where children are likely to hear their songs, two recent examples being...



It can therefore be argued that younger audiences are not protected from the explicit content in their videos, as videos are often more memorable than a set of lyrics and are often easier to understand.

Most popular music videos are available for public viewing online unless parental control/ restricted view mode is enforced. However, according to stats from pewresearch.org only 50% of the parents of online teens say they have used parental controls to block, filter or monitor teens’ online activities.

Whilst YouTube currently tags videos as (Explicit) most videos can still be seen with an account therefore these tags are easily dismissed. The "clear age ratings" will hopefully make it much clearer to younger audiences that some videos are unsuitable for certain viewers. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) rating music videos, as they do films, should also help make it easier for parents to understand and control what their children watch.

This scheme may mean that less children are exposed to

• The glorification of drug use

• The objectification of women 

• The use of vulgar language 

and other mature themes/ adult content, which will positively influence their stance on 'bad' behaviour and perhaps help to create more social awareness and better moral standards for the next generation.

Richard Dyer's Star Theory

Dyer's star theory sees that icons and celebrities are manufactured by institutions for financial gain.

"A star is an image not a real person that is constructed out of a range of materials." Dyer (1979)

Stars are manufactured by the music industry to make money out of audience, who respond to various elements of a star’s personality by buying records and becoming fans.
 His theory is split into three sections:

Audience and Institutions 

This refers to the construction of a star for money purposes alone. Stars with a lasting appeal and brand awareness, appeal to a wider market for long periods of time. This benefits the institution as they become a household name - in turn, sales are also increased which turns over a profit for the institution.
'One hit wonders' do not qualify as stars when Dyer's theory is applied, as they do not have a lasting appeal and are not continually prevalent within the media.

Beyonce is an example of a star who remains popular within the media

Constitutions

The institution models the artist around the target audience they choose. Here, the star is seen as a commodity or a brand that will be consumed; the audience position and how they see the star determines their success. The artist is quickly promoted to a status by their management and this is nurtured; pop stars are seen as actors as their image is constantly changing to fit trends and ideologies of the time.

Justin Bieber has evolved his hairstyle to fit current fashion trends

Hegemony 

This is also known as 'pop culture'. It is the idea that the audience relates to the star because they have a feature or USP that they can share with the artist. A star may establish a trend; masses of fans copy the trend and often attempt to replicate the star in their behaviour. Stars influence fans' decisions, leading to what is known as the 'Cult of Celebrity' where the star works under continual public scrutiny to maintain audience approval.

The Beatles' open use of cannabis sparked an increase in illegal sales during the 60's and 70's

Stars represent a shared framework of cultural values and attitudes, and promote a certain ideology. The audience position in regard to these values enhances their 'star quality', through conveying beliefs, ideas and opinions outside music that performers help create their star character to their fans.

Halsey continually voices her beliefs on social justice issues using Twitter

Artists with an established character and personality already represent a 'real' human categorized by certain demographics and a socio-historic background. It is the star transformation that turns them into a construct; the image may support hegemonic ideologies by conforming or confronting to appeal to the target market.

The theory suggests that it is the way that the 'star' is represented within the media, so the likes of magazines and videos - the way the 'star' is advertised, is what makes a pop performer/ celebrity a 'pop star' and not actually the celebrity themselves. Dyer implies how it is all about the 'star' making money and then institutions creating this model image around the star. The theory is important when establishing a fandom or diversifying a fanbase.