Research into Television Music Channels

Research into Television Music Channels

Many people watch music television channels as it allows them to easily access music videos with high quality. However, the main purpose of music television channels is to keep the public up to date with trending music worldwide and in their own specific country. Music video channels also enable people to watch a variety of different music videos  from different genres and can help them discover genres and styles of music which they like. There is a variety of choice of music channels. This ranges from MTV, which plays current, new songs in the charts which caters and appeals to a younger target audience. Whereas other music channels such as Kerrang! Play and show music videos in the Punk/Rock which would appeal to a different target audience. This is the reason for different and varied music channels is so it can appeal to many different people and their preferred genre of music, which can be reached on a 24 hour basis. 

MTV Music:

MTV is an American based channel which is now a global success, airing in several different countries worldwide and is owned by Viacom music, first launching on August 1st, 1981. Its a well known music channel which displays mainly up to date chart music targeted towards audiences aged 13-21 year olds. As an example, from looking at today's TV guide (Friday 19th June 2015) MTV are broadcasting shows such as "Maroon 5: brand new vid!", "hot, fresh & new!" which would suit the target audience as their preferred songs which they would want to listen to are most likely to be played. The title of the programme played has shortened words which a younger audience could relate to and instantly know what this is indicating. This could suggest to the audience the genre of music which will be played on the channel due to the style of writing. Viacom Media Networks also owns other successful channels such as Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. Benefits of belonging to a conglomerate company include the channel can be advertised on the other well known channels which the company owns to increase awareness and popularity due to the fact the channel could be reached to a variety of different target audiences, this also benefits the company as they are not having to invest and spend a large amount of their budget on advertising. The logo is appealing to the target audience as it is quite bold due to the large font which helps the logo to stand out. Additionally to this the logo is styled in a graffiti like way which is something which is stereotyped to be associated with teenagers so may engage them as this could infer the style of music which is shown. 

4Music:

The table below shows a daily listing of which programme's are broadcasted on 4Music:

4 Music is an music entertainment channel which was launched on 15th August 2008. It is available on a series of different television networks such as Virgin Media, Sky, and Freeview. From the listings from what 4Music are showing today it is comparable to MTV. The logo is new and current with different shapes and colours to attract a younger audience, but can also attract a wide range of audiences just from the logo as it is simple and bright, enticing people to see what this channel broadcasts. The bright, bold colours may attract a younger, teenage audience as the bright coloring has connotations with the music is shows, such as pop music as this is what the audience would expect to see in a pop music video. From the listings shown from 4Music's daily planner it is evident their target audience is for a younger generation of adults and teenagers. "We Got The Friday Feeling!" could suggest this is targeted towards a younger audience as most have been at work or school and are looking forward to going out over the weekend, and this could be a possible soundtrack to get them ready and what they could be listening to depending on where they are going. The target audience will want to tune in to the music channel again, as they realise that the music channel are creating programmes which are relatable for the audience and suit their daily requirements in regards to music. Another programme scheduled for that day was "This Week's Fresh Music Top 20" this clearly shows that the channel is represented towards a younger audience as they are interested in current and new music that is in the charts as this is what younger audiences tend to talk about in general conversations. This keeps the audience up to date as to what music is in the charts and allows them to hear new music which they may not have had a chance to listen to yet. 

Kerrang:
The table below shows a daily listing of which programmes are broadcasted on Kerrang:

Kerrang is a music station which is owned by The Box Plus Network, which first broadcasted in 2005 with the majority of its content as music videos. The music television channel usually play metal music along with punk/rock. I think the main target audience for Kerrang music television channel can range from a younger adult till middle aged adults. This is due to when the genre first originated. Punk first originated in the 70's, whilst Rock originated in the 40's and 50's. So the majority of people that listen to this genre of music may be from an elder generation as they have grown up with this type of music. It is evident that Kerrang is a punk/rock channel due to the programmes that it broadcasts. Firstly, today "Rock Hard All Night" this is appealing towards the target audience because the title relates back to what stereotypical rock fans would do, they are seen to be engaged with the partying lifestyle and could possibly be all night. The audience will see the links between the music channel and the programmes they air, and realise that the music channel is trying their best to engage, and cater for the target audience, resulting in the audience tuning back in to the specific music channel on a regular basis. Additionally, "This Weeks Rock Videos" is another programme which appeals to the target audience. This is because the target audience are clearly interested in the genre of rock so they will want to be seeing which new or videos are the most popular of the week. Also keeping them up to date with new releases and possibilities of finding new and undiscovered artists which they enjoy listening to. The logo of the music channel "Kerrang!" is a bold, black font which immediately grabs the audiences attention and engages them. Furthermore, the shattered handwriting may appeal to the target audience further as this helps to reflect style of the music and the stereotype of the audience which allows them to infer this music channel may be targeted towards rock fans. 

Clubland TV:

Clubland TV is a musical channel on Sky which airs in the UK. It mainly features upbeat, pop and dance music videos. In 2008, Clubland TV had five times more than the normal ratings of MTV Dance. Clubland TV mainly appeals to a younger target audience due to the genre of music it promotes and broadcasts to its viewers. This can be seen by the daily listings in which Clubland TV shows. For example, a programme which aired today on the channel is "Calvin Harris - 60 Minutes" this will be a popular programme and highly viewed by the target audience as Calvin Harris is known for his upbeat, dance/pop music and videos which this channel aims to broadcast for their target audience. Knowing which music their target audience will enjoy, Calvin Harris is a popular artist which would engage viewers, so give an entire hour dedicated to his music, increasing viewing ratings of the channel. Another programme which was broadcasted on Clubland TV today is "Ultimate FloorFillers" this would appeal to the channels target audience as they know that the channel will play purely the songs they enjoy and are interested in and what they would listen to when they are going out for a night out. The audience will then take into consideration the music channels attempt to engage the target audience and may find themselves returning to listening to the music channel as they have programmes which cater for their needs. Unlike many radio stations which play a variety of music to appeal and attract a wider target audience. This way, the audience knows which music they are going to be listening to which could lead to a higher number of viewings for the channel. The title is self explanatory and enables the audience to see which type of music the channel broadcast, resulting in more views as the audience do not have to spend a large amount of time choosing a channel which may or may not show which programmes and music they would like to listen to. Furthermore, the logo of the music channel appeals to a target audience, this is because the logo looks as if almost it is nightclub lighting, this could give them an insight of which music will play and which they may be interested in. However, the logo is not multi-coloured which may distract the audiences attention from the music video they are shown. In addition to this, Clubland TV is targeted to a younger age audience due to the many ways in which it is available. For example, from July 2014, Clubland TV had its own app which was available for the public to download, which meant they could listen to music on the go. Alot of teenagers and younger adults would be interested in this resource as they have hectic lifestyles but still want to continue listening to current music.

AKA:

AKA is a British digital satellite channel, owned by All Around The World Productions, which launched in 2003. The channel had a former operator which was Mushroom TV ltd. Which was in partnership with the previous music channel I discussed, Clubland TV. This could explain the similarity between the two channels as AKA music channel broadcasts similar music to Clubland TV, which plays hip-hop music but contrasts as the channel mainly focuses on grime, rap and urban genre of music. Since launching in 2003, the music channel AKA has helped to launch breakthrough acts careers such as N-Dubz, Tinchy Stryder and Chipmunk.  AKA plays many different programmes of the grime/rap/urban genre to appeal to their target audience. An example of this is a programme broadcasted "Grime Kings! Jme v Wiley v Skepta" this porgramme features multiple songs from each of the three artists, this appeals to the target audience as they may see one artist they recongise and could be an oppurtunity to find a new artist in which creates music from the same genre which they may discover and like. It also is 3 different variations and interpretations of the specific genre which the target audience may like. The music appeals to a younger generation which like to express their feeling and emotions of a topic through music. Additionally to this another programme which was broadcasted on music channel AKA was "Official AKA Rap & Grime Chart" straight away the title lets the audience know that this could be the most up to date music of the genre and could also discover new songs from new releases which the programme may show, this is important for a target audience as an expectation of a music channel is to help discover new music and artists from their preferred music genre taste. Another program which was shown on the music channel AKA was "Lethal Bizzle: In His Own Words" which from the title can be inferred that that the artist will be explaining his journey to fame, with also showcasing some of his music. This is appealing to the target audience as the audience may want to find out more about their favorite artist, in which is no better way than a show dedicated to this. The music channel helps to showcase unique talent which may not have had a chance, and allows the audience to discover talent and artists music which they had never heard beforehand. The logo is engaging and appealing to the target audience as it immediately stands out due to the bold black font, which is unique and gives the sense the music channel is targeted towards young teenagers due to the unique and edgy approach. 

MTV Music Channel is broken down into a series of different variations of the channel. For example there is now, MTV Base, Hits, Rock, Classic and Dance. I think that the reason for the break down of the channels into separate channels is so that an individual audience member can decide which channel they would like to watch more easily by the title of the channel. For example, if an audience member prefers Dance music, they are likely to select this channel as they may prefer the music that the channel broadcasts. By having different variations and genres of the music channels, the audience will get to know which artists appear on which channel. They can view new releases from the specific artist and the music videos that artist produces. It is important that target audiences are appealed to their preferred genre of music channel because through the artists music videos they are able to connect and build a relationship with that particular artist as they begin to have an insight of the artists personality, lifestyle and creativeness. Therefore, the video which has intrigued the audience will create a visual memory, wanting the audience want to watch the same channel, increasing ratings for MTV.

It is important that target audiences are appealed to a music channel because through the artists music videos they are able to connect and build a relationship with that particular artist. By the audience watching music channels they get to see different artists music videos and allows them to understand the artists personality, along with the music video representing what the artist enjoys doing possibly in free time and what they represent. The video which has intrigued the audience will create a visual memory therefore resulting in the audience remembering that they enjoyed the specific artists music video and would engage in their music again, leading to increased sales for the artist and a higher profit.

I think that there is a variety of many different music channels so that the channels can cater for all different audiences preferred music taste and genre. It also allows for audiences to discover different artists and genres of music which they would not possibly of heard of if all music channels broadcasted similar content. This ultimately is beneficial for both the audience and the artist. The audience discovers new talent and song interests whilst gives the artist opportunities to expand their audience and increase profit. 

From this research into Television Music Channels and researching into different channels such as MTV, 4Music, AKA, Clubland and Kerrang, I have found that it is important to aim for your music video to be aired on the channel which caters and is especially created for the genre of music. However I do believe that it is important for the music video to be broadcasted on varied music channel which shows different genres of music. I think it is important for the music video to be played on a specific music channel as it allows the target audience to see the new music which they would possibly like as this is their preferred genre of music. However I think it is important for the music to be played on a varied channel as the audience may come across the song and enjoy the music as it is not usually something that they would listen to. This research has influenced me to choose a specific genre of music as it is easier to advertise and broadcast as many music channels are specified into different genres of music.