Research: Institutions

What are media institutions?

Media institutions  are companies who help to produce and fund music videos for their signed artists. There are many media institutions, although there are some that are more popular than others. These conglomerate institutions also have subsidiary companies that work along them to dominate the music industry even more. media institution an artist is signed to is extremely important as the artist is more likely to highly successful and their music videos are more likely to be viewed if they are signed to a popular media institution, in comparison to artists who are signed to less popular and less successful institutions. Without media institutions the audience would be unable to view music videos on YouTube and other forms of media, therefore, a media institution is vital to an artists success.

What are the main media institutions?

EMI: EMI is one of the world's leading music companies and is internationally successful. They own multiple record labels including Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capital, Capital Latin etc. They like to work with bands and slightly alternative mainstream artists who are not consistently in the public eye. Artists signed to EMI include Katy Perry, Kylie Minogue, Tinie Tempah, Lilly Allen, Cold Play etc. EMI are able to serve their artists, consumers, and partners all over the world. 

Sony: Sony was founded in 2004 and are formerly known as Sony BMG Music Entertainment and then changed its name to Sony Music Entertainment in October 2008. They provide music labels for international superstars and labels include Arista Records. Sony music has a worldwide distribution for music artists who want to be well known globally, which involves artists promoting their music in different countries. They offer Hip Hop, Country, Classical, Gospel, Pop and rock archival recordings and labels. Sony music tend to work with global and internationally popular artists who have been in the public eye for a number of years, some since their teenage years. Artists signed to Sony music includes Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Will Smith, Beyoncé, Calvin Harris, One Direction, Pitbull, Chris Brown, Britney Spears etc.

Universal: Universal is the largest music corporation in the world and operates as the subsidiary of media conglomerate, Vivendi. The recorded music business discovers and develops recording artists and then markets and promotes their music across a wide array of formats and platforms. They own a number of different record labels such as interscope Records, Capitol Records, Virgin records ect. Universal tend to work with popular artists who are constantly in the public eye. Artists signed to Universal include Taylor Swift, Jessie J, Akon, 50 Cent, Demi Lovato, Drake, Cheryl Crow, Mariah Carey, Florence And The Machine, Nicki Minaj, Justin Bieber, Rihanna etc.

Warner: Warner are not as popular, however, they are an international institution. Record labels include Asylum, Atlantic, Cordless, East West,  Elektra, Sire, Roadrunner, Rykodisk, Reprise, Nonesuch and Warner Brothers. They help artists to achieve long term creative and financial success by providing consumers with the highest quality music content available. Warner tend to work with a variety of artists, both popular and new artists, who sing different genres of music. Genres that Warner cater for include: Dance, Hip Hop, Holiday, Pop, Rock, Alternative, Americano ect. Artists signed to Warner include James Blunt, Ed Sheeran, Paramore, Wiz Khalifa, Kid Rock, Estelle, Bruno Mars, B.O.B, Bjork, Clean Bandit, Gorillaz ect. 

Advantages and disadvantages of being signed to an institution:

- Advantages:

• Being signed to an institution allows an artist to remain popular and in the public eye for a long time as the institution will advertise the artists music making them highly successful and popular. 

• An artist is more secure and have less worries if they are signed to an institution as the institution is responsible for making the artist successful and rich. 

• New artists that are signed to institutions are likely to become widely popular immediately due to the institution providing them with a platform for success and using mass synergy to increase the artists popularity. 

• Institutions invest lots of money in providing artists with many opportunities, including: recording, touring, video shoots ect, which are all popular techniques to make an artist more successful. 

• Established institutions, such as Sony, EMI, Warner etc, are likely to have built up many connections over the years, which is beneficial for artists, as the connections help them to reach their music career goals. 

- Disadvantages:

• Once an artist is signed to an institution they must follow the rules and listen to the institution, restricting them from making independent decisions regarding their music. 

• If an artists music is struggling to receive success, the institution may consider letting go of the artist or not renewing their contract. 

• Getting signed to an institution is likely to be difficult as they may lack interest until the artist proves to be making professional music that has potential. 

Conclusion:

Overall, all media institutions sign different artists, despite them individually producing different genres of music. When I create my music video I would choose Universal as a media institution, as they are highly popular and have access to worldwide distribution. Therefore, my music video would become viral and globally viewed by various audiences, also increasing my fan base. Sony also caters for different genres of music, allowing me to choose whatever genre I want for my music video. Popular artists signed by Universal including Akon and Rihanna have become incredibly popular and globally identified due to their music videos being distributed by Universal to mass audiences. Therefore, having Universal as a media institution would guarantee success and popularity for my music video as it would gain mass viewing on popular platforms and social networking sites.