New Media Photography Study: Music to My Eyes
Lights. Camera. Passing cars. Billboards flying by. Jingles getting stuck in your head. Advertising can be one of the most impressionable vehicles of expression in our society. If could get rid of ads, would you? Or would you try to make them better? More often than not it is the former, but for those of you who get chills from a powerful image, keep reading.
I’m not here to talk about advertising in general, there are plenty of publications that do a much better job than I in that venture. I’m here to talk about advertising in music. But wait…aren’t band posters and Pitchfork the only places you can learn about new music? (What a joke) Of course not. Music journalism is and will continue to be one of the most talked about aspects of pop culture, so I plan on talking about a different way to advertise music. Not promo photos, not show posters, but photos that reflect the content of the music; images that really capture the emotion that artists try to convey. Whether you know it or not, you make visual associations with the songs that you know and love, and those are the images I want to recreate for the purpose of experimental marketing. Alas, like a song, articles also have a beginning, middle, and an end. So let’s start from the beginning.
Becoming a successful photographer has always been a dream of mine. I mean, if I could make a solid living off of capturing the moments in life I love the most then I think that I’ve found the meaning of life! Well, maybe I should’t get that deep, but you get the idea. Photography is an industry of passion, and consequently there are a lot of passionate photographers and even more incredible images out there. So how does one set themself apart from the rest?
Finding a Niche:
As a photographer I am always pushing to find myself in the right place at the right time. Situational awareness can mean the difference between something your mom would display in a photo album and a pulitzer prize winning masterpiece. And in my opinion, some of the most dynamic and incredible images out there come from taking advantage of live music.
Capturing key moments in performance is capturing the essence of the musicianship. Artists will sometimes have a connection with the audience, and sometimes they will play the setlist and keep to themselves. But either way, they are performing to make an impression.
Of course I am not the only one in saying that Led Zeppelin is one of my favorite rock bands of all time, but it’s because they were, and still are, iconic. They were iconic because of Robert Plant’s flowing hair and effortlessly enchanting stage presence. They were iconic because of Jimmy Paige’s buttery fingers and endless riffs that had fans wondering where one song ceased and the other began. They were the masters of audience infatuation. And whether it’s these legends of rock or your favorite band in their heyday, you always take away very strong visual associations with the sounds you digest.
Listening to your subconscious:
Now comes the part where we transition from having a beer at your favorite show to taking a stroll with your headphones in. The goal of my study is to recreate the visual associations you have with music, so what better way to start than exploring the casual playlist? Whether you’re commuting to that big city job or giving your dog the exercise it so desperately needs, tunes always make the journey from A to B go a little bit smoother.
For me, Transatlanticism will always be looking through the window of a Boeing 747 while I go to visit my dad in Seattle. I don’t mean to get too personal, but most music is. Everything about this song, including the title, implies that there is a journey to be made. Therefore, I automatically link it to the memory of the longest journey I’ve ever made.
Memories aligned with music don’t even have to be recent. Sometimes you’ll find that work you’ve made in the past reflect your tastes in the present.
Take Trxlation for example. This writer talks about how images that he produced in the past reflect the aura of his favorite music without even trying. It’s a subconscious thing. Look at this writer’s visual interpretation of one of his favorite tunes.
Isn’t it uncanny how they fit together? The urban setting on a rainy day, the syncopated piano, the electronic backbeat; it honestly reminds me of walking to class on a rainy day. And that’s saying something since this is his personal pairing of sound and image, but I can relate to it just as easily.
And that’s what it all comes down to: relatability. In the world of advertising, knowing your consumer is critical. The more personal your ad is to the target market, the more successful it becomes. So I’m going to round off our journey through photography, tunes, and personal psychology by exploring this idea of connecting music and images and using this concept to advertise the discography of upcoming artists.
The Advertising Part:
Advertising in the music industry is the same as most others in that you have to make an impression quickly, and the way to do that is create ads based off of an impressionable image. As Leigh Chalmers explains in one of her many articles, “Clutter is the enemy, and you have to base your poster around a great image — something that hasn’t been done a thousand times.”
Take the Wilco poster above for example. It’s two colors. It’s streamlined. It somewhat resembles Shepard Fairey’s interpretation of André the Giant. It can even be read from upside down! The point is, the poster is simple and your average Athens hipster would be foaming at the mouth after seeing it.
I’ve thrown around a lot of words like iconic, impressionistic, streamlined, simple, memorable, and so on. But when you look back on whether your attempts at advertising were successful or not, the best content will always be personal. If it didn’t cost millions upon millions of dollars, every ad agency, business, band, or non-profit would without a doubt try to create a personal message for everyone. Even though this strategy might be impractical, it is always effective, and I think this is where traditional music advertising and music branding fails. No matter how incredible a poster graphic or promo photo is, they don’t truly portray the enticing qualities of the music. And this, my friends, is where I plan on using a little ingenuity.
The following parings of songs and images that I have created represent some of my all time favorite music. These are songs that I have listened to while walking to class, traveling to a different country, and residing in my comfort zone. They are personal to me, and I have created images that reflect their qualities in an striking way. Sure, it’s possible that not everyone will see the same relationship between these media as I, but as an advertiser that’s a risk I’m willing to take. The copy includes the song titles, album and artist names, and release dates. Enjoy.
So, let’s recap.
Advertising is ubiquitous, music is incredibly personal, memories can last a lifetime, and photography is a game of passion. My mission from this study was to show the world how my music taste drives my creative thinking. Studying the arts and advertising has led me to believe that there are no limits on what you can unite in ascetic harmony. Sounds can affect the mood you’re in and images can affect the actions you make, and my curated images are meant to inspire the average person to step out of their comfort zone and dive into something new (and maybe generate a little revenue for some bands in the process). Maybe this method is a little unorthodox, but hey, isn’t all advertising? As I pursue a career in Photography and advertising I will always draw inspiration from the work of others, the music I listen to, and the memories I make along the way. So here’s to those who draw inspiration from my work and pursue their own ideas. It’s personal. Let’s make an impression on the world.
