How is genre used by institutions/media producers? Music and their corresponding genres have been used by institutions to sell products through product placement and endorsement deals for a very long time. This is either done subtly or very directly and has direct effect on the audience making whatever products being used to create a certain image, more appealing. More often that not this is done for financial and economic gain.
A key example of this is when rapper,producer and fashion designer Kanye West, had his video for “Wolves” work as music video but simultaneously as a campaign for Balmain. This idea ties in with Hip Hop artist portraying a luxurious lifestyle through their choice of clothing, one could argue that the genre is being exploited in order to sell an ideal and a product to the audience. This engages with the ideas put forward by Nicolas Abercrombie “Economic factors may account for the continuation of a profitable genre. 'Television producers set out to exploit genre conventions... It... makes sound economic sense”
How do music videos develop or challenge genre conventions? When a genre has been around for long enough there are certain individuals wether it be the artist, producers or directors who begin to push the boundaries challenging and developing the genre. This can be seen to be happening constantly. The way in which individuals challenge the genre often occur and rely heavily on sonics and visuals as it is these two things that really convey the genre characteristics to its audience. This is taken from 50 cents music video “candy shop” 50 cent was extremely influential Hip Hop figure during the early 2000s hailing from the east coast, Hip Hops birth place. In this video he uses the very generic conventions of Hip Hop videos of that time and many today still use the same, which is essentially a decadent, lavish lifestyle showcased through material gain. Many people attribute these conventions to the fact that most prominent artist in genre came from very poor backgrounds and had to face many adversities so one of their biggest motivations is to reach financial success.
Over a decade later the genre has shifted and grown and now includes much more versatility.This is taken from the music video “Sixteen” by prolific independent underground rapper Bones. His visuals are gritty grainy and do not have a professional finish to them. He does depict a wealthy lifestyle by showing expensive material objects and half naked women, in fact he does the opposite. There is a clear statement being made in videos like this as it rejects the expected conventions, the statement being made is that of one against record labels and the ways in wish they want to promote and push certain ideals to their audience. Bones very appearance goes against the conventions of the traditional genre, though a pejorative term Bones looks more like “Metal Head” than a rapper, causing an audience to revaluate their previous pre misconceptions, fundamentally challenging the audience. In the 90s through to the 2000s being signed to a major record was a huge part of a success for any rapper, however there has been a rising trend in rappers rejecting major labels, Bones is good example of this and his reasons are that institutions set out to exploit and corrupt music and artistry in order to make a profit. This correlates with Nicolas Abercrombie's statement “Television producers set out to exploit genre conventions”
How and why do genres use shared codes and characteristics? I believe the reason for genres using shared codes and characteristics lays within the roots of the genres, what was going on socially, historically and culturally has played a very significant part in any major genre of music today. This could be applied to the creation of Punk in the late 70s as a anti-establishment almost counter culture movement going against nationalism and pointing out a lot of inequalities and injustices that occurred in Great Britain and much of the western world. These shared codes and characteristics creates a mutual understanding among those immersed in the culture and the corresponding genre of music, it is these very characteristics that one genre adheres to, that sets it apart from any other genre of music. However it is most telling how a particular genre choses to showcase and express these codes and characteristics. For example West Coast hardcore “Gangster Rap” was born out of austerity and conflict between African American and other minority groups with the police. A famous landmark in this phenomenon was “The Rodney King Riots” these events took place after the savage beating of an African American man was caught on camera showcasing extreme police brutality. One of the most notable Hip Hop acts to come to fruition during this time was N.W.A. This links to Gunter Kress when he said Genre is 'a kind of text that derives its form from the structure of a (frequently repeated) social occasion, with its characteristic N.W.A reflect what was going on in society by their portrayal of the police and their treatment of young black urban youth. N.W.A (Niggas’ with attitude) in itself was anti-establishment movement rejecting passiveness, subservience and oppression. This is clearly displayed in their music video for “Straight Outta Compton” through fierce aggression and the depiction of extreme retaliation. The shared codes and characteristics are derived from what was
N.W.A and other west coast acts at the time heavily depicted gang culture, representing the 80s and 90s when there was significant proliferation in gang crime. Wether people argue this was due to with social-economical reasons or having an ill guided moral compass, it can’t be denied that groups like N.W.A managed to capture what was going on historically through their vivid gritty lyrics depicting acts of violence, or in their videos showing the turmoil and angst that was so strife in low income areas in Los Angeles at that time. Essentially this genre was dependent on what was going on socially it can be argued that this music was fundamentally a social commentary.