Music Channels - Ms Georgiou

There are many different music channels that consumers prefer over others as they meet different needs, as well as this it depends on what individuals listen to and the genres in which they prefer. Below is a list of all the major music channels that are well known in today's society:

-MTV Dance
-MTV Hits
-MTV One
-MTV One+1          
-TMF
-MTV Base
-KISS
-Smash Hits
-VH1
-VH1 Classic
-The Box
-Viva
-4 Music
-Kerrang
-Magic
-Q
-MTV Two
-MTV Rocks
-MTV Shows
-MTV Classic

All of these music channels meet a number of different needs that consumers choose to watch because of what is aired as well as the type of genre each channel shows to the audience. MTV Dance/Hits/One/One+1/Two/VH1/Rocks/Shows/Classic are all different music channels that one organisation owns. MTV is a very well known, established organisation with 8 music channels that are catered to meet the needs of all different types of consumers. Each music channel has been specifically designed to meet the needs of a different audience and to cater for their musical likes. In conclusion to this each music channel must identify what their target audience is and what attracts them to watch a specific music channel. MTV have carried out market research to find out what the public have come to expect from such an iconic brand name, which is why they have eight music channels that can cater for what individuals want. MTV Dance's aims to target the people who like to go out clubbing and to bars as the music is high tempo and fast paced. I have taken a quote from the MTV Dance website which says, 'Classic anthems or new dance floor smashes. As long as they're big tunes, we're playing them all right now!'. This means that MTV Dance's target audience is for the age 18+ and also for the people who like to go clubbing.
Some examples of artists that are usually played on MTV Dance are artists such as; Inna, Roll Deep, Rihanna, Swedish House Mafia and Freemasons. This channel is used as a form of branding due to the type of music played on the channel which consumers can relate to for a specific type of genre. Branding has also helped in the success of MTV's 8 different channels due to consumers knowing which specific channel to watch out of the 8 available that meet different needs. The logo of MTV Dance appeals to the audience because in the image you can see a character with music headphones on like a DJ in a club. This means the audience are able to see what kind of music this channel offers and has a clear indication from the logo.

MTV Hits is another music channel which MTV have started up, this channel caters for consumers who like to keep on track with the latest chart hits. MTV Hits offer The Official UK Top 40. Also found on the MTV Hits website was this quote 'See the number 1 before anyone else as we count down the only official rundown of the UK's top 40 singles!'. This shows consumers they are dedicated to finding the top hits in the music industry today. The target audience that this music channel caters for is young teenager to adults (11-25). MTV hits is also for consumers who want to know about music right now rather than the overall music charts which are done on a monthly basis. As a result of this MTV Hits offer 'The 10 Biggest Tracks Right Now!'. This means that consumers can become up to date with the music that everyone is listening to. In conclusion to this MTV Hits's target audience is for teenagers of any age to mature adults who just want to get to know what is played currently and what is new. This channel plays all types of music in all genre as the top 40 could consist of anything consumers listen to. Some of the artists that are shown on this channel on a regular basis are artists such as; Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Pixie Lott, Take That and The Saturdays. MTV Hits is used as a form of branding the same way that MTV Dance is. It is used so that consumers are able to identify which music channels best suit them and where to tune in to first. The logo of MTV Hits targets the audience from the character used again which is a clever thing that MTV have done in order to gain the attention of consumers throughout their different channels. The logo says the name of the channel clearly and this time there is a female character that when looked at can show a reference to the type of people who watch the channel. MTV have also put into place a number of different adverts that show each cartoon character in the logo's and how they act in response to the type of music each channel plays. Below is an advert MTV Hits have created using the same character from the logo and made it to a short commercial break in between viewings in the MTV Hits channel.



MTV One & MTV Two play TV shows that are mainly reality shows such as, Sweet 16, Jersey Shore, The City, 16 and Pregnant and Daddy's Girls etc. These two channels cater for all ages as they offer a variety of TV shows that consumers can relate to. For example, young teenagers may enjoy watching Sweet 16 as it targets the same age group, whereas teenagers between the age of 18-25 may enjoy watching a TV show such as Jersey Shore which contains different types of referencing some adults would not like their children to watch

Which is a selection of the latest Hip Hop and R'n'B music as well as Rap music. This channel targets the male audience more so than the female audience due to the level of male artists within the Rap and Hip Hop genre who dominate the market. Having said that new artists such as Nikki Minaj and gradually taking away some of the stereotypical views on female rap artists. MTV Base air artists such as Jay-Z, N-Dubz, Nelly, Eminem and Chris Brown on a regular basis. This channel is used as a form of branding as it represents the Hip Hop and R 'n' B genre which many consumers enjoy and is a big dominating genre of the music industry. By having this channel it allows consumers to get to know about different artists and their upcoming songs. The logo of MTV Base appeals to the target audience because the character used is a male and again both the Hip Hop and R 'n' B genre are dominated by males. This means it will allow them to continue on with the stereotypical perceptions consumers have of men having more authority over women.

KISS is a well established organisation that have their own radio station as well as music channel. This automatically means that they have more access to the public as MTV do not have their own radio station. As a result of this KISS have carried out different methods of market research in order to see what consumers want. Not only are consumer's able to watch KISS's music selection but they are also able to hear it wherever they go, meeting the needs of a wider target audience. KISS have quoted themselves as providing; 'The UK's Best Dance, Hip Hop & R&B on Radio and TV'. By having this on show to the public it is automatically drawing in attention from the claim that they are making which is that they are the best music station that provides both radio airing and TV viewing. KISS have the same target audience as MTV Base, this means that there is rivalry between the two organisations to stay at the top of their game and produce the most viewings. Although KISS have an upper hand of diversity on the radio station KISS 100 and being able to be seen on TV, MTV have different music channels for different types of music which enables customer needs to be met in the highest possible way which is a very hard element to compete with. Some artists that are shown regularly on KISS are artists such as; Usher, Katy B, Jason Derulo, Ne-Yo and Tinie Tempah. This channel is used as a form of branding due to the two media channels KISS airs on. Branding is all about creating a link between a brand name and their target audience. In this case KISS have managed to attracted their target audience through TV and the radio. Moreover the logo KISS allows their target audience to be attracted to their music channel because of the use of colour and style of the logo. The colour of the logo represents the channel playing new up to date and fresh music and the writing confirms the name of the organisation which all companies chose to include in order for their brand name to be recognised.
Smash Hits is a Pop music channel that favour artists such as Pixie Lott, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Diana Vickers and Alesha Dixon. Kerrang, Magic and Q are all in competition with one another as they offer the same type of music as one another. Each music channel stated above target the same audience which is between the ages of 25-45+. I have drawn this conclusion from looking into each music channel and studying what each channel has chosen to broadcast. As well as this I have carried out research on each music channel website which has again allowed me to determine the same thing due to the layout and presentation of each website as they do not attract and draw in younger consumers due to the lack of colour, images and catchy headlines that tend to draw in a younger target audience. All of the music channels stated above use branding as a way of associating their organisation with consumers and creating a link that will allow the audience to interact with different artists that are shown on each channel. The Smash Hits logo is bold and straight to the point which adults may prefer, whereas younger consumers will like something to figure out and be attracted to. An example of a music channel that has done this is MTV, they have used their cartoon characters to relate to the audience making them think more about the music each channel plays along with portraying stereotypes in a form of a cartoon.

The Box offer 'Fresh New Music First' which is a quote taken from their website. This means that consumers will be able to switch to this channel if they want to find out what all the new releases are instead of watching MTV Hits for example which is good for watching The Official UK Top 40. The Box's target audience is for consumers of the age 10-35. The reason for this is because it allows the audience to make a link with the music channel for being kept up to date with the latest releases in the UK. Viva is the newest music channel out of the list stated at the beginning which means they have a lot of competition based on not having any fan base in comparison to the other music channels that have been running for years. Having said that Viva has become very successful in offering music selections and TV shows that are aired on their channel. Viva is known for their slogan which is 'Music and Entertainment'. This sums up to consumers what they will be able to watch while viewing the channel. Viva offer the same TV shows as MTV and is another channel produced from MTV One. Viva also offer 'The Official UK Top 40', which is the same as MTV Hits. This will not bother producers though because both channels work as a team from the MTV organisation and aim to gain higher viewings than other big music channels such as KISS and The Box. Some artists that are played on The Box are artists such as; Cheryl Cole, Michael Buble, Taio Cruz, Jay Sean and Alexandra Burke. The logo appeals to the target audience because different shapes are used to create a link between the channel and the consumers which will make them remember the music channel they are watching. This is the reason for the BOX shaped letters as they are easily remembered so that consumers know what they are looking for when wanting to watch The Box. Having said that it could just be that a television is the same shape as a square (box) and is where the name of the organisation came from.

Viva chose to show artists such as Katy Perry, Robbie Williams, The Wanted, Tinchy Stryder and Shontelle. This channel is used as a form of branding as part of the MTV organisation and is used to boost the overall viewings of the company as a whole. The logo of Viva appeals to the target audience because a lot of colour is used which many consumers get interest in by. The logo is very eye catching from the bold text and catchy slogan. The logo also stands out from other logos in the music industry and can be seen as daring as most music organisations tend to play it same in regards to the colour used and the amount.

4 Music offer a Top 20 which other channels don't. This means viewing slots will be smaller due to less music videos to get through. This can be seen as more effective because not all consumers have the time to be watching music channels constantly throughout the day. Which brings me on to the next music channel I have researched into 'MTV Rocks'. Just by the name it becomes clear what type of music is played in this channel. MTV have cleverly successfully launched and maintained different music channels that meet the every changing needs of the public. MTV Rocks offer the 'Official Rock Chart' which allows rock fans to see what new music has been released. MTV Rocks is used to target the audience of any age but is specifically designed for those who love rock music. MTV Shows is another part of the MTV organisation that cater for MTV Original Shows and Reality TV Shows.
Again from the different amount of shows they offer determines what kind of target audience each programme offers. 4 Music play artists such as James Blunt, Olly Murs, JLS, Roll Deep and The Script. 4 Music is used as a form of branding again to create a link between the viewers and their favorite artists. This can also be done by the logo and how it attracts the majority of 4 Music viewers. The logo shows that the channel is bold and offers a different type of music selection in comparison to other music channels. Moreover moving onto MTV Rocks, some artists that are played on a regular basis consist of people such as; Florence and The Machine, Kings of Leon, Bon Jovi, Good Charlotte and Plan B. All of MTV's music channels are used as a form of branding and is used so that consumers that listen to all types of music can identify that MTV are so established within different areas of the music industry.

The reason MTV have 8 different music channels is because they want to appeal to all the target audiences they can. MTV is broken up into MTV One, MTV Rocks, MTV Base, MTV Hits, MTV Dance, MTV Shows, VH1 and MTV Classic. By having all of these channels MTV has become increasingly known and established within the music industry overshadowing smaller organisations such as Kerrang. MTV are a business that want capital growth and profit and they are able to keep regulating money due to all of the stations they run. Each music channel is used to target consumers and make them think that their channels are the best because there are so many of them that dominate the market. This leads me on to my next point which is why it is essential that music channels appeal to a target audience and manage to sustain their interest. If music channels did not have a target audience that was interested in what was shown on TV then the music channel will not succeed as a business due to a low number of viewings which will not generate enough income for the business to stay running. This means that each music channel needs to think of how they can target their audience by the music they play and the artists they promote in order to be successful. Music channels are only successful if they gain the interest of viewers by what they play only when they are well established enough will consumers keep watching their shows.

There needs to be a variety of music channels that viewers can gain access to through the television because each person is individual and enjoys different things to others. By having different music channels it allows artists and listeners to relate to each other from the same likes and dislikes which is only then when artists start to build up a fan base. Moreover each music channel meets different needs of the public from what type of music each individual likes to listen to down to what an individuals favorite artist wears on screen. All music channels allow everyday people to aspire to want to be something and to be successful as well as having an idol and someone to look up to. Through analysing all of the music channels I have it has allowed me to gain a lot of knowledge on what proceedings I will need to take myself in order for my music video to be successful. As the song I have chosen to create is in the Reggae genre I will be using elements I have found out from MTV Base/One/Dance/Hits to enable my success. These music channels have the elements my group and I will need when thinking about basic steps to creating our music video. As well as this from analysing all of the music channels I did I have gained a better understanding of how organisations work and the methods they choose to differ themselves from others. An example of this would be KISS as they have a TV channel and a radio station. The other example would be MTV and their 8 different music channels they have successfully launched and retained. In conclusion to this all of these different elements will help with my own production and understanding of how different elements can be used within my own music video.