Music video - first edit

Album release advert analysis: The Blackout

The album that is advertised in this is also Rock. Therefore, the advert for the album release (typically) consists of the codes and conventions of the rock genre.

Firstly, the main point of focus in this advert is the album title, followed by the band name then the tour dates. Considering that the album title and description takes up a smaller than average proportion of the page suggests that it is as equally important as the tour dates but the audience's attention is still instantly drawn to the general purpose of the advert. The fact that the tour dates take up a fair proportion of the page suggests that the artist makes money from audience consumption through live concerts, particularly from selling merchandise and physical copies of their albums (rather than selling a digital download which may be illegally shared). This is a modern feature of advertising within the rock genre music industry as the audience prefer to listen to the band's music live.

As with the Fall Out Boy album advertisement, the image that is used for the advert is the same as the album artwork, this is to ensure that the audience know what to look for when buying the album as they are more than likely to recognise the image on the advert. More importantly, the image used in the advertisement reflects the connotations of the album title.

The red arced line above 'Hope' suggests that it is a shooting star. This relies upon the active audience to realise that shooting stars are associated with wishes and hope. The red colour stands out from the dark background which draws the audience's attention to this connotation and consequently ensures that the audience will appeal to the imagery.

Certain other aspects of the advert follow the red colour code in order to make certain bits of information stand out while simultaneously following a consistent style. 'New album April 4th', '"something very special"' and 'March/April' are also the same red colour as the shooting star. This separates the most important information from each three section of the advertisement; the album information, reviews/ recommendations and the tour date section. The colour tells the audience that this information is important and acts as a subtitle indicator.

The band name follows the consistent style of the band and is featured in all 'The Blackout' merchandise. The style is recognised by the consumer, a recognition which the industry rely on to sell 'The Blackout' products to a niche audience. The same type of font as it is for the band name is used for all other text featured in this advertisement (excluding the font type for 'KERRANG!').

Similarly, in the Fall Out Boy advertisement KERRANG! a rating which the magazine has given for the album is included in the advert. This helps to sell the album to a specific audience by matching the conventions of a rock music magazine and the rock music genre. The font and style of the KERRANG! logo remains the same as it is for the magazine, this is another feature which the audience is expected to instantly notice when reading the advertisement.

The layout of the advertisement is typical of that of Rock genre advertising. For example most adverts for rock music feature the artist's name at the top, the album title as the central figure and the tour dates at the bottom. This is to first introduce the audience the artist, then the specific product which is being advertised and then information about live concerts thus making this type of layout effective in selling as much merchandise as possible.

The advert also includes links to websites which advertise products or artists. In this example 'cookingvinyl.com' (the website of the independent music label which The Blackout are signed to)  and 'theblackout.net' (which is The Blackout's official website) are included (along with recognisable icons). This allows the record company to advertise other artists signed to the label, as this is the first link the audience is drawn to it persuades them to visit the site to consume other rock music artists. On this website there is a link to The Blackout's individual page which allows the audience to find out more about the artist and to follow them on social networking sites, such as Twitter and Youtube. It also includes Yoube video links (specifically 'higher and higher' which is also mentioned in this advertisement) to the artist's tracks and offers a album purchasing service.

This advert also gives the audience information on the different way they can consume the product under the album title. This outlines clearly the options of which the product can be purchased, a convention which the audience recognise and can relate to.

Album release advert Fall Out Boy

Fall out boy is a rock band and this advert is promoting an album which compiles the band's greatest hits. The advert is from a magazine called 'Kerrang!' which features music of the rock genre. The album (believers never die) was released in 2009, when the band seemingly stopped making music. As this is a greatest hits album, several elements of the artwork for the album cover and poster represent different conventions of Fall Out Boy as a rock genre band. For example, on the left of the poster there are tapes, vinyls, a keyboard and an electric guitar. These symbolise the change in music and how it is produced and consumed by the audience that is being represented (which is young people). There are also several pairs of trainers in the shot, which are a significant convention of the rock genre. This identifies the style of the band and the music which is featured in the album. The dark colour scheme supports this representation as it follows the general style of the band and the rock genre. The advert allows the consumer to establish this which makes the advertisement effective.

The title of the album in this advert is seamingly unimportant as it is in a smaller font to the band name and 'greatest hits', this emphasises the importance that the album is the greatest hits of the band rather than a new album. Although, the name of the album follows the convention of the skeletons in the image.

Kerrang! magazine has also included a rating on the advert, this is one of the main features of the advert. This suggests to the audience that if it is approved by their favourite magazine they are more likely to buy the album because the codes and conventions of the album and Kerrang! magazine are similar. The audience are expected to recognise these codes and conventions as a consumer.

'OUT NOVEMBER 30TH' is placed underneath the rating to remind the audience of when the album is coming out. This structure is important as it persuades the audience to buy the product which is followed by the important information the buyer needs.

The words 'deluxe' and 'exclusive' when describing the product further persuade the reader of the advert that the product is worthy. The audience are subconsciously more likely to buy a product which is limited in its edition or exclusive. 'Deluxe' suggests that the product is of good quality. The quality of the product is important so that the consumer will buy the physical copy rather than a digital download. 'And many more' after the list of exclusive footage, encourages the audience to find out more about what the product includes.

Overall, the representation of the rock genre through the use of typical codes and convention appeal to the target audience effectively. Along with this is the use of persuasive adjectives which sell the product and other merchandise which may relate to this product.

Album release advertisement analysis The Beatles

This advertisement was to promote the release of The beatles' ninth official album called 'The Beatles' which was released in 1968. This advert represents not only how albums were produced and promoted but also the codes and conventions of the rock genre at the time of its release.

The Title of the advertisement 'IT'S HERE!' grabs the audiences' attention in order to establish that the album is a new release that the audience have been waiting for. The repetition of 'THE BEATLES' which is in an uppercase, bold font emphasises the focus on the artist and the album. In the 1960s, artists relied on advertising to sell their music to a wider range of audience. Keeping the conventions of the advert consistent is important for achieving this.

The main focus of the advert is the image of the band, which is significantly recognisable as it is a drawing rather than a photographic image. This convention fits in with the black and white code of the advert which is an unusual feature in rock album release adverts.

The advertisement sells the product by including information in short sentences. This makes the advert quick and easy to read including only the information that the consumer wants. Words which stand out in the advert are 'astonishingly' and 'mind-bending' this creates positive connotations thus persuading the audience to buy the product. The advert also includes the line 'GET YOURSELF THIS ALBUM or get the double 8-cartridge and turn your car on as well' giving the audience a choice of which they can buy as a multiplatform product which ensures that as many people as possible will buy the product.

The layout of this advert is significant. The image is shown after the introduction of the artist's name to first introduce the artist followed by an image which is recognisable. This creates a connection between the image and the title, a significant image in album release adverts is important as it represents the album itself and is the audiences' main focus when consuming the advert. The source of information is included in the centre of the text as it centralisation the information without creating a negative effect on the rest of the advert.

The colour scheme of this advert is very simple but effective. This represents The Beatles' early work as their overall style was fairly basic at the time. It also correspondes directly with the plain white album cover as described in the advert as 'the plain white cover with the quietly embossed title... THE BEATLES' this explains what the album looks like which is supported by the black and white, simple colour scheme.

The advert represents the rock genre at the time 'The Beatles' album was released as the style of the late 1968s with regards to the rock genre was simple, this style was emphasised by The Beatles and the significance of it was mimicked by the consumer as it showed their interest in the artist.