Music Marketing Blog Post #2

Overview

    Since my last Music Marketing Blog Post, my group has been working day and night to make sure that the end result is perfect. After a long discussion as a group, we decided to base our video on a love story and how love does not always go the way you planned. The song entitled "Many Shades of Black," includes different lyrics all relating to love and how it has died. Many people in our target audience range, Teens through Young Adults, can connect with this song because it is highly likely they are going through the same struggles and problems. This is why we believe this story would be perfect for reaching our target audience.

Research

    In order to make sure our Band and their music video fit with the Rock genre, we decided to research multiple different examples of older Rock Bands traveling down a similar path. We noticed that many groups in the past followed a similar pattern. This pattern included using outdated tactics to connect with their viewers. To stand out, "Imperial Purple" decided to aim the majority of its marketing through its own website and social media. 

Example: Our Rock genre marketing/distribution.

Brainstorming/Planning

    Our group started the planning process by throwing out lots of ideas and stories that we could mold into our video. Once we had an idea secured we put together our storyboard which helped us formulate the story and how we would film it. Due to the song being about love and how it doesn't always go the way you think it will. Our story starts with two couples being together but fighting and going separate ways. They eventually find new love which in the end helps them become the best versions of themselves. 

Example: Our first draft storyboard.

Production

    In our quest to be unique and different from the other various rock bands of the time, we set our story at the beach in various locations. Our group decided to meet on a Sunday to film the different parts of our story. It turned out to be the coldest day of the year in South Florida. Just our luck. This made it much more difficult to film all the shots we needed. It took us all afternoon but we filmed all the shots we needed. It was then time for us to edit the story and bring it all together. 

Example: Behind the scenes of filming Video.

Post-Production

    After a full day of filming with hours upon hours of raw footage, it was time to put together our four and a half minute song. Yes, that was not a typo, our song was actually over four minutes long! We tried to use several editing techniques such as Masking, and even time remaining to keep the film exciting and entertaining. Although this made our film look professional, it took around 45 minutes per shot to make sure it looked perfect. In the end, I'm glad we spent the extra time to make our video stand out. 

Presentation

    For our presentation, we had to introduce our brand and how it is special along with how we are going to market and distribute our content. Each group member had their own part to play such as marketing, distribution, and social outreach. I was responsible for creating the band's background, social media presence, and website. As my slide came up I could feel the butterflies in my stomach despite the fact that my mother is the drama teacher and she put me in every show when I was younger. We got through the presentation and showed our amazing music video to the class, which we are very proud of. 

Example: Our Music Marketing Presentation.

Reflection

    In conclusion, completing my music marketing project has taught me many new ways to connect with your target audience and how to tell an entertaining story. I truly enjoyed the progression of our ideas being molded and refined into the final story. I have always enjoyed making videos but now after learning about marketing and distributing your own product, I have a newfound respect for this craft. Learning about storytelling has given me many ideas for how I am going to create my Portfolio project. I am going to use the techniques I learned for this project and utilize them, hopefully more effectively, in my Portfolio project. My goal is to create an entertaining and visually stunning story that leaves the audience wanting more.

Example: "Many Shades of Black" Song Cover.