How
does a music genre’s aesthetic affect a consumer’s identity?
In this essay, various topics
in regards to identity and consumption related to design in music will be
explored. This will cover themes, theories and various examples which hope to
offer different views and opinions of the question that is being explored;
which hopefully by the end of the essay will be answered.
What is
identity?
Identity by definition is ‘the fact of being who or what a person or
thing is’ – it is an individual’s representation of themselves or the
subjective concept of oneself. (Vignoles, Manzi, Golledge & Scabani, 2006,
p. 309) Being able to shape an identity or identities is innate starting from a
young age and throughout one’s life, and with this it also comes natural that a
person may start to shape various ‘identities’ throughout their lifetime due to
the ‘different types of social situations they frequently find themselves in’
(Jansson-Boyd, 2010, p. 54). People can present themselves as certain
identities where appropriate, making identity construction a very complex
action and an interesting point of study.
Music
& Identity
Focusing this essay on music,
will give a more specific insight in one of the ways in which identity can be
explored and used by a person. As music can have various components and
attributes, it can be easy for people to relate them to themselves and find
particular aspects that they find fit their ‘identity’. This is particularly
successful for teenagers as they are at the stage of their lives where having
an ‘ideal’ identity is key in them being able to connect to, and with
particular social groups that they aim to be a part of. As stated by Abrams (1959
quoted in Phillips, 2017), adolescents often have/give ‘strong symbolism as
well as a social function’ of the commodities that they consume. In reference
to music, similarly, (Firth, 1996, p. 110) said that ‘music seems to be a key
to identity because it offers…a sense of both self and others’; as well as
(Tarrant, North & Hargreaves, 2002, p. 139) mentioned the ‘major appeal of
music to adolescents lies in its ability to help them form positive social
identities’. Hence, it seems that music
does have a major influence in a person’s - teenagers in particular, identity
shaping, indicating that the design and aesthetic of a music genre affects how
a person see themselves and how they are seen by others.
Music &
Youth Subculture
Through the evolution of music
and it’s culture, various different ‘youth subcultures’
have emerged which most try to refuse ‘to abide by the establishment’s societal
norms and rules’, Streijffert ( 2017). According to (Thornton, 1995, p. 21) ‘I
use the term ‘subcultures’ to identify those taste cultures which are labelled
by media as subcultures and the word ‘subcultural’ as a synonym. These are
genres that are not necessarily mainstream or conventional. They are often
types of music that are catered or appeal to a certain demographic as they are
reflective of that person’s goals or lifestyle. As they appeal to a niche
market, consequently a subculture will emerge and group identity will form where
members of that group have a sense of belonging and dedication in that group
and differentiating themselves from other groups.
Particularly, within the Punk
Rock scene (1970’s), listeners were very much into the subculture and lifestyle
itself that they ‘acquire a sense of distinction and self-worth within a
subculture…’ (Sabin, 2002, p. 6). People who listened to this genre used it as
a way to showcase their beliefs, particularly in politics; and used the
subculture acquired as a way to rebel against an opposition (Hebdige, 1979). In
particular, The Sex Pistols were a massive part of this subculture. As such
that, James Reid’s visuals for the Sex Pistols’ album, become more than just
advertising and promotion but became interchangeable with the music as his
visuals from, posters, sleeves etc. influenced the listeners’ experience to the
music (Sabin, 2002). It’s in this way as well that young listeners integrate
their lifestyle and identity to the genre. On the other hand, subcultures like
the Punk Rock scene may attract listeners – teenage listeners in particular, through
the visuals and aesthetic initially e.g. DIY aesthetic, stud/ leather jacket
fashion. Because as mentioned at the start of this essay music is a big part of
a teenagers social and personal identity and delving into the subculture will
help solidify their identity. According to Bennet (1999), not only that, but teenagers prefer to show
their interest – in this case music, through their lifestyle as it fits their
style.
Subculture
Today
In comparison to the
subcultures during the 70’s and 80’s, subcultures today are increasingly
developing and changing all the time. Technology has allowed viral subgenres
and subcultures to emerge. In particular the genre ‘Seapunk’ that grown out of
a Twitter hashtag, quickly spread through the online community. Starting from a
small online community, the subculture developed by having its own visual
language of surreal, aquatic tones which quickly developed into a genre and
even having a record label specifically for songs of the genre (Coral Records Internazionale).
The genre utilises elements of cyberpunk in which chopped up 90’s inspired
cover art and designs are used in order to create an oceanic feel. One of the most
famous Seapunk album cover designs is from artist ‘Various’ 2011 album ‘#Seapunk
Volume 1’. The artwork features a pyramid in the middle of an ocean. Though
very minimal and simplistic the design evokes a very distinct tone of being hyper
technological and virtual while having a peaceful and surreal tone to it as
well; reflecting clearly to the style of the genre.
Global
Village and The Internet
The world can possibly be
known as a global village now as products can be easily and cheaply acquired;
from fashion to music everything is quicker these days. Dr. Ruth Adams (2014 quoted
in Petridis, 2014) stated that due to the speed of consumption these days it’s
‘easier to be promiscuous’ as teenagers, especially can interchangeably choose their
style in regards to the music that they consume. It may also be that they
consume more than one music genre to satisfy their multiple social identity,
therefore they feel that it is unnecessary to commit to the subcultures visual
identity, as such that they do not dress in a certain way or follow the
aesthetic of that particular genre.
In addition, the Internet
certainly places a huge part of the growing stream of genres and subcultures as
well as the fact that the generation of young people today are growing up with
technology. Rather than cementing a physical identity, youths today ‘adopt
personas online that cost you absolutely nothing apart from demonstrating
certain types of arcane knowledge’ as said by Adams (2014 quoted in Petridis,
2014). Similarly, Shaughnessy (2008) has stated how children born in the
digital era have a fresh interpretation of materiality’, with this material
being the information they acquire through different sites and searches that
they make. Furthermore, youths not only can create physical identities, but
they can also create multiple personas in which they can alternate from
depending on their audience or their social groups, and rather than being
looked down upon by having multiple identities, this can be seen as smart and
normal as it shows flexibility and wider knowledge of the online social culture
and a more open mind to music in particular. It’s also interesting to note that
although Seapunk started to develop through an online community, the physical
visual identity of its listeners is prominent, as well as the fact that the
first tweet that started it by DJ Lil Internet states fashion statements like
‘leather jacket with barnacles’ which established the aesthetic of the genre as
a whole. So although, its listeners engage in the subculture online as their
main medium, they still express this outwardly outside
A similar genre ‘Vaporwave’, has
also had a rapid development purely through the Internet. As stated by Owens (2015
quoted in Lister & Stuart, 2015) ‘…the ezrats terminology, nonce-words, and system font
typography attached to vaporwave have shown language itself to contain untapped
reservoirs, proving elastic and malleable as never before’ this highlights how
usage of design elements and visuals will always be changing through representations
and different interpretations of various genres. This can also mean that visual
aesthetics can be interchangeable or be used as inspiration in order to create
visuals for newly developed genres and subcultures. This
is also highlighted by Donovan (2017, cited in Streijffert, 2017) in which he
emphasised the reason for genre and subculture cross-over is the similarities
in ideologies. All of this can amalgamate to the idea that youths today may not be showing
their specific tastes necessarily as they have known knowledge about the
crossovers, or the themselves have used this in order to shape who they are.
However, it can be argued that
like niche, non-mainstream genre’s such as Seapunk, the physical subculture still
exist, as pointed out earlier in this essay. According to, Tarrant, North &
Hargreaves (2002), people who identify with the genre will want to wear it out like
a ‘badge’ in order to feel proud and solidify their affiliation with the genre
and it’s subculture. Further, emphasising the fact that it’s non-mainstream,
listeners may feel an even bigger ownership to the genre and subculture, thus
feeling responsible for showing it to the world, or showing the exclusiveness
of the subculture and who can be in it. Yet, massive mainstream celebrity personalities
have also embraced the genre in their own music and performances. In
particular, Rihanna, using the Seapunk visual aesthetics in her 2012 SNL
performance. Although, it has been called out as plagiarism by Seapunk artists
and fans (Perpetua, 2012).
The call for plagiarism however,
might be due to feelings of being threaten or feeling like a part of the
subculture and their identity is being appropriated or misused by non-member of
the subculture. Members of the subculture stated ‘…getting straight up ripped
off by whomever was doing visuals for Rhianna on SNL last night.’ (Perpetua,
2012). Touching up on the subject of brand identification, members of the
subculture feel that they possess it, therefore anyone not part or do not know
of it should not be allowed to use it.
In contrast, as the genre
appeals to a certain demographic only, this may lead to social comparisons, as
stated by Jansson-Boyd (2010). In particular, mainstream music listeners may
feel a downward social comparison and elevate themselves from Seapunk
listeners, and deeming themselves as the ‘ideal’ standard to the general music
consumption. Hence, why it has been called by some as a ‘meme’ – ‘a fashion
meme making its way across the internet one Tumblr hashtag at a time’ (Noisey,
2012). Though it has been described positively
through its unique emergence, in a way the subculture is also being
discredited at the same time, through these descriptions that often have
negative connotations attached to them and this is where stereotypes for
certain genres emerge as well. According to Rentfrow, McDonald & Oldmeadow
(2009), certain demographic are stereotyped to listen to certain genres based
on their social class, psychological characteristics etc.
According to Sociologist Dr Kevin White (2014 quoted in, Petridis, 2014) ‘people
are too worried about their future in the current financial climate to be
creative’. Especially, in today’s era employers are careful about the type of
employees they employ, so they perform thorough social media searches to make
sure their employees are clean, as well as consider physical appearances
heavily. Opinions on social issues, like in music is another way of identifying
with a subculture and genre, and as social media is a powerful platform to
share thoughts, young people nowadays may filter what they say or use aliases.
It may discourage young people to express their identity outwardly, which again
emphasises the need for multiple identities in order to have a medium of
expression they feel safe in and with people they relate with.
Overall, music has various
different ways in affecting a young person’s identity. By focusing on
subcultures, it’s clear to see the different effects a genre has on identity.
It has also allowed for a thorough exploration of the different types of
identities, theories and opinions; and how the visuals and design aesthetic
affect the concepts of various identity within a person.
Comparing trends and issues of
subculture from past decades to the growing and developing subculture of genres
now, it’s apparent that the change is massive. In particular, technology is
highlighted as the biggest catalyst of this difference. By having much better
technology to acquire music, visuals and designs it has also changed the way
young people shape their identities and fit into subcultures. Youths of today
have different views about subculture and it’s apparent to the way they show
their style and identity. Perhaps, the technological era today is an entire
subculture of its own and the specific physical identity that youths had
previously has been reflected to the digital realm where visual designs can be
easily manipulated and developed creating for an endless cycle of genre,
subculture and identity creation.
Reflective Evaluation
In response to the initial
question ‘How does a music genre’s aesthetic affect a consumer’s identity?’ A brand
identity for a hypothetical band called ‘Cross Over’ and produced a range of
final outcomes: CD Packaging, CD artwork and poster. The creation of the brand
identity is to prove the theory that subcultures today “cross-over” due to similarities
in ideologies and foundations, and how different design elements with various design
connotations can come coherently together in order to form an identity. This
identity is then reflective towards the audience in which they can experience
the different layers of ‘subcultures’ as they handle the final product. Throughout
the process of creating the final outcome, it was indeed found that combining
and using various design elements and design rules to portray a certain genre proves
effective and shows that elements such as typography and semiotics involving
words and terminologies are transferrable (Owens, 2015). The final product is
also successful at portraying individual genre’s such as ‘Pop’ and ‘Hip-hop’ as
well as effectively and coherently hone the entire identity back together. In reflection
to identity, in a similar way, a consumer’s identity is also ‘layered’. Jansson-Boyd
(2010) stated how people have multiple identities in certain situations.
Likewise, through the development of technology, music is more consumable and
being able to listen to a wide range of music has allowed consumers to become
part of various subcultures that they have become mixed and ‘cross-overed’
together. Through the final outcome, hopefully the concept and argument behind
identity within music has been explored and showcased successfully.
Bibliography
1.
Bennett, A. (1999) ‘Subculture
or Neo-Tribes? Rethinking the Relationship Between Youth, Style and Musical Taste”’Sociology,
33 (3), pp. 605-614
3.
Ensminger D. (2011) Virtual
Vitriol: The street Art and Subcultures of the Punk and Hardcore Generation. United States of America: University Press of
Mississippi
4.
Firth, S. “Music and Identity”
Questions of Cultural Identity Ed. Hall, S. and du Gay, P. London:
SAGE Publications Ltd, 1996, pp. 110-111. Print
5.
Hebdige
D. (1979) Subculture: The
Meaning of Style. London: Routledge
6.
Jansson-Boyd, C.V. (2010)
Consumer Psychology. England: Open University Press
11. Rentfrow P.J. McDonald J.A. and
Oldmeadow J.A. ‘You Are What You
Listen To: Young People’s Stereotypes about Music Fans’ Group Processes
& Intergroup Relations, 12 (3), pp. 329-344
12.
Sabin,
R. (1999) Punk Rock: So
What?: The Cultural Legacy of Punk London: Routledge
13. Shaughnessy, A. (2008) Cover Art By: New Music Graphics. London:
Laurence King Publishing
15.
Tarrant, M. North, A. C. and
Hargreaves, D. J. “Youth Identity and Music” Musical Identities Ed. MacDonald
,R. A.R. Hargreaves ,D. J. and Miell, D. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
2002, p. 139. Print
17.
Thornton, S. (1995) Club
Cultures: Music, Media and Subcultural Capital. Cambridge, Oxford: Polity
Press and Blackwell Publishers Ltd.
19.
Vignoles, V.L. Golledge,
J. Regalia, C. Manzi, C. and Scabini. E. ‘Beyond Self-Esteem: Influence of
Multiple Motives on Identity Construction’ Journal Of Personality And
Social Psychology, 90 (2), pp. 308-333
