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

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Context of Practice

Thursday 4 April 2019

End of Module Evaluation

Final Practical Outcome

Final Essay

Bibliography