Coldplay - Target Audience

Who is Colplay's target audience? Coldplay's target audience showed surprising figures when i looked at their demographics. Supposedly their biggest fan base lies in the ages of 12-17 years old. Something i really didn't expect. Looking at images of fans in a queue waiting to see Coldplay or at a concert singing along to their music i found that most images showed fans aged around 20-30 years old. On Myspace, Coldplay has 444,965 fans, followed by another 293,283 fans on Facebook. Both social networks show a mixed range of all ages, as young as 15 to as old as 40. Looking at the demographics to see which gender preferred to listen to Coldplay, the graph showed very close results. 52% of males listened to Coldplay in comparison to 48% of females.

Has the audience changed over time? They first started out as their music was niche, they didn't have enough revenue to create fantastic video's which didn't amuse many audiences. Their songs had the same basic, slow tone, which only targetted a required taste in tat type of music. Their genre is alternative rock and post-britpop. They have recently brought out their new album Viva La Vida with a different and fresh sound. They have to make sure to produce music that fans of all ages can enjoy, so far their new album is doing well, selling 300,000 copies in the first three days it was released. By joining up with people such as Kylie for their 2009 album, this will promote Coldplay and bring them more fans.

How does the band appeal to different audiences? Coldplay appeals to different audiences through their music, the older generation of audience can relate to songs such as; "Yellow" and "fix you", the older audience use these songs for escapism, or to relate to similar experiences in their lives. Whereas the younger audience 16-30 can relate to the newer album "Viva La Vida", which has a bit more livlier beat to attract the audience with better videos. The bands carisma also appeals to the older audience, especially Chris Martin as he is represented as a charming, polite, well mannered, smart person. However, the younger audience will view the band as having messy hairstyles, with no up to date fashion sense

Does the band promote a positive response? yes bacause they are very influential in todays society majorly due to their public persona, th

Dizzee Rascal - Regulations and Global Issues

How has he been received in different countries? As the glaziers and magistrates go to work after four nights of riots across London and the UK, the search for understanding and the finger of blame are simultaneously pointing towards the MCs and rappers who Bizzle told me in January were "the real prime ministers of this country". Grime describes the world politicians of all parties have ignored – its misery (eg Dizzee Rascal's Sitting Here), its volatile energy, its gleeful rowdiness, its self-knowledge, its local pride, down even to minor specifics. During the 2008 US presidential elections, Dizzee gave a live interview to Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman, in which he described Barack Obama as "an immediate symbol of unity". Addressed by Paxman as "Mr Rascal" at one point, he suggested that hip-hop played an important part in encouraging young voters and humorously opined that he could well one day become Prime Minister. In many countries Dizzee has been received as a "rascal" due to his previous rebellious behaviour, but he is also recived as a positive role model and he has turned his life around and became a successful rapper and producer, with his own record label, in a sense many people aspire to be him men and women look up to him.

What are sales like in other countries? Dizzee Rascal released "Dance wiv Me", a collaboration with singer Chrome and songwriter/producer Calvin Harris. The track saw commercial success for the rapper when it debuted at number-one in the UK, also reaching number five in Ireland and number thirteen in Australia. The single spent four consecutive weeks at the top of the UK chart and was certified platinum the following year for surpassing sales of 600,000 copies. The rapper continued the line of success when follow-up singles "Bonkers", produced by Armand van Helden, and "Holiday", featuring Chrome, both topped the UK chart. The fourth studio album, Tongue N' Cheek, was released on September 21, 2009, peaking at number three in the UK and number twenty in Ireland. It was succeeded by the release of a fourth single, "Dirtee Cash", which gave the rapper a fourth consecutive top-ten hit when it peaked at number ten.
Most famous is Dizzee Rascal's collaboration with Colombian singer Shakira, "Loca". The track, which was released in neither the United Kingdom nor Australia, proved an international hit, topping charts worldwide, including Poland, Portugal and Spain.

Has there been any complaints made against him? Its rumoured through the press that they are going to be running a number of features condemning him and his record label for releasing a number of controversial music videos including images of pornography and graphic violence. The allegation of the sextape is rumoured to involve a well known female tv presenter. His controversial lyrics often have viewers adding alot of complaints as they are explicit and not fit to show on mainstream music channels. His attitude can be seen as ignorant and his language used (slang) is not acceptable infront of public figures and well-known stars. "innit". Complaints are made because of his background when he had stolen things, some of the public do not trust him and will not listen to his music because of that. His genre grime was a niche and was not really listened to and there was complaints as it was too controversial.
Why was they made and what was the outcome? The outcome was that the public who did not like him would just not listen to his music or watch his videos. He has said sorry for the "rascal" he has been in the past and he is increasingly changing his ways to become a better role model.

Dizzee Rascal - Marketing & Distribution

Where is his music publicised? Throughout America and the UK, TV, talk shows, upcoming artists using his songs, internet, YouTube, magazines, newspapers, billboards, laeflets, and clothing he has brought out. 
What methods are used to promote his music? His relationship with his audience as they can relate to his, His fashion sense and brands such as who he collaborated with; Nike and Ecko. His controversial lyrics, slang and attitude, his record label, fan clubs, tv adverts, billboards, magazines and collaborating with other well-known artists.
How is the music distributed? All over the world, in the United Kingdom and the United States, on download, CD, mp3, mp4, radio, venue's, tv and internet.
How much has he sold? He has sold millions. He has: 3 gold albums
A gold single (4 weeks at the top)
Indpendant lable
Worldwide touring spots.
What is his estimated worth? £1000000. Dizzee Rascals estimated net worth is $5 million this is due to the fact that he is a consistant extending celebrity, who is a world wide star and a phenomenom.

Dizzee Rascal - Background & Context

Dylan Kwabena Mills (born 18 September 1984), better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a Ghanaian British rapper, songwriter and record producer. His music is a blend of garag, hip hop, grime, ragga, pop and electronic music, with eclectic samples and more exotic styles. Best known for his number-one hits "Dance wiv Me", "Bonkers", "Holiday", "Dirtee Disco" & "Shout", his debut album, Boy in da Corner, won him the 2003 Mercury Prize. Follow-up albums Showtime, Maths + English and Tongue n' Cheek have all been critically acclaimed and certified gold, the last going platinum for sales exceeding 300,000 units.

What are the key stages in Dizzee Rascal's career? Meeting his mentor Wiley, getting Number 1 hits such as; Bonkers and Holiday. Winning a Mercury prize. He was voted number 1 album of the year by Planet Sound. Collaborating with other big artists such as Florence and the machine, His song "jus a rascal" was featured in "Kidulthood".Dizzee Rascal won the NME Award for Innovation. Dizzee Rascal made an international endorsement deal with urban brand Eckō and designed his own shoe with Nike in 2005. Creating his own record label "Dirtee Stank".

When did he start and how did he become famous? Through his mentor Wiley. He became an amateur DJ, making occasional appearances on a local pirate radio station. Aged 16, he self-produced his first single, "I Luv U". In 2002, he jointly formed the Roll Deep Crew, a 13-piece garage collective, with former school friends. Signed by the XL record label, he signed an additional solo deal. Dizzee then worked with his mentor Wiley to create the song 'We Ain't Having It' and also rapped on some 'Sidewinder' recordings.  Dizzee Rascal worked closely with his mentor Wiley, who created one of the first grime tracks, called "Eskimo". Grime is today still considered underground, despite Dizzee's large mainstream exposure. Dizzee's DJ, DJ Semtex, says, "the biggest conflict I have is with major labels because they still don’t get it."

How many albums has he sold to date? Dizzee Rascal has produced 4 albums: Boy in Da Corner, Showtime, Maths and English and Tongue N Cheek. His sales have exceeded over 300,000 units. Dizzee Rascals net worth is $3.5 million. Tongue n' Cheek is the fourth studio album by British rapper Dizzee Rascal. The album was released on 20 September 2009^. It has been certified platinum by the BPI for sales of over 300,000, making it the best-selling album of Rascal's career.

What impact has he made on the music industry? Dizzee Rascal has made a big impact on the music industry as he has made cultures and genres of music such as grime more acceptable to the society. He also won the Mercury prize at the youngest age making him an idol and a very inspiriring role model. He also created his own record label "Dirtee Stank", which is intelligent and admirable. Finally, he has his own unique style of clothing and he collaborated with Ecko and Nike, who designed his own trainers. He is very talented which innovative ideas for the audience to enjoy.

Dizzee Rascal - Production

Who writes his songs? There are a variety of people who write Dizzee Rascals songs such as Dizzee himself, Calvin Harris and Nick Detnon. Most of Dizzee Rascals songs are written by himself with the help of Calvin Harris who wrote Holiday. Both singers combine their idea's to produce his songs.

Who records and produces the music? Himself and Nick Cage

Who manages him? Dizzee has a number of managers starting off with his main label manager, Laurence Ezra.
Tour manager Paddy Stewart whom have been by Dizze since the beginning of his career, and Nick Cage.

On what formats are the music produced? There are many formats in which Dizzee Rascal's music is produces such as; on a CD single, albums, computer downloads, phone downloads, mp3, mp4, television, internet - youtube, Itunes, Limewire, DVD and live performances/concerts.

Dizzee Rascal - Debates

Dizzee Rascal and Wiley were among the first to bring the genre to the attention of the mainstream media in 2003-4, with their albums Boy in da Corner and Treddin' on Thin Ice respectively. Dizzee Rascal garnered broad critical acclaim and commercial success with Boy in da Corner winning the 2003 Mercury Music Prize.

Controversial lyrics? "Dizzee who? Ras, Anarchic-arse, killer mc force...just about hurt me you shoulda marked me up on a rampage now I'm back 5 stab wounds couple scratchin bruisin and some chains" - "Knock Knock". "UK rapper stabbed in napa. Cause of gossip cause of chatter. He's still breathin he's still a dapper. Retaliate with gun clapper". - "Respect me". "I'm the type of boy that takes the bump with the grind (ok) And I'm the type of boy to take your girl from behind (ok)". - "Vexed". "All i care about is sex and violence" - "Bonkers". Dizzee Rascal has very controversial lyrics seen above, about 'sex, violence, crime, slang and swearing'.

Glamourising violence or social commentary? "They would love to cut my face but they just cock their eyes at me. Like little ladies would you wish you could express yourself. But violent silences from ya, stops ya so keep your feelings stealth - "Flyin". Dizzee is glamourising violence he sings/raps about it in nearly all of his songs, it is not in a postive way saying we should stop violence, violence is bad, he is suggesting using violence is good and that it is ok to use it. "All I care about is sex and violence". This is mainly glamourising violence I think as he has experienced violence in his own life and he is bragging about how he has dealt with it. How he would hurt his enemies. On the other hand Dizzee could be using these threatening violent lyrics to fit in with society, as many of the younger audience believe knife crime, gun crime and violence is 'cool'. When Dizzee raps about it he knows that his target audience will listen and be amused.

Race issues? The genre of music Dizzee rapped was not at first accepted alot in society as they were not use to it. Jungle, Dubstep, Drum and Bass and Grime music were invented in London and involve a number of artists from primarily Caribbean communities but recently Black Africans also, most notably Ghanaian and Nigerian. Famous grime artists include Dizzee Rascal, Tinchy Stryder, Tinie Tempah, Chipmunk, Kano (rapper), Wiley and Lethal Bizzle. It is now common to hear British MCs rapping in a strong London Accent. "Passengers 'disgusted' as rapper Dizzee Rascal is thrown off flight".
A minority of cultures will not listen to Dizzee Rascals raps because of his type of niche music grime.

Dizzee Rascal - Audiences responses

How have audiences responded to Dizzee Rascal? A response from a public member. "I dislike him. However without him UK hiphop would be nowhere, Dizzee & Wiley made Grime but Dizzee turned his back on Wiley and grime for mainstream money which I think is unacceptable. Dizzee did have his reasons, he got stabbed in Ayia Napa and Dizzee said that Wiley provoked it, long story but the bottom line is, I don't think Dizzee should get any recognition as he has turned out to be a smug pop-star who doesnt care about his fans" Dizzee has made a big impact on the world, however upper class people believe Dizzee has a negative affect on audiences especially the younger audience. Dizzee raps about hard lifestyles, sex, violence and crime that upper class people can hardly relate to. Older generations also think Dizzee has a negative affect on society as he uses slang in his songs that the older audience cannot relate to, he raps which the older audience has not been familiarised to this genre and he sings about sex and drugs and violence, the older audience are traditional and therefore cannot relate to these controversial lyrics, they will feel embarrased to hear them. Finally, the younger audience aspire to be Dizzee as he is successful, who made something out of his poor background, the slang relates to younger audiences and so do the topics he sings about. The beat is lively and relates to partying that many young people do.

How can different audiences respond to the different aspects of his career? The younger audience can relate to his poor background and upbringing as many people from East London have the same upbringing. Audiences can be inspired by his as he is a successful song-writer, this is a hard skill, and many people would love to be able to do that. He is a style icon with his own brands, audiences see this as positive as Dizzee is not afraid to bring new styles to the industry, he is kept bust which shows he is dedicated to his work. He has had many number 1 singles and is in many of the chart shows. On the other hand, many audiences respond negatively to his controversial song lyrics, swearing, and crime he has committed in the past.

Record labels: XL Recordings (2003-2007).
Dirtee Stank (2003-present) He created his own record label.

Dizzee Rascal - Audience Positioning

How does his audience relate to him? Dizzee rascal's audience relate to him in many different ways such as; through his song lyrics many audiences mainly teenagers can relate to his songs about rough up-bringing, drugs, sex and violence, they use this for personal identity. He is their rold model. "In the UK, artists like Dizzee Rascal, Tinchy Stryder and N-Dubz are all representative of the youth culture," Dizzee says "I think singing is a very universal thing so if I'm singing about love, everyone can relate to that. So my music is a bit more relatable." Finally, Dizzee uses slang in his songs: "Your talkin' bout creepin' up on Rusko...Im not a smoker but I blaze alot". Younger audiences can also relate to him through slang but not all younger audiences in different countries use the same slang such as America, therefore Dizzee does have a niche.


How does he present himself to his audience? From looking at the image seen to the left hand side, his t-shirt says "hustling - all day every day", therefore he is presenting himself as a player/hustler to his audience. His facial expression indicates he is over confident, he is in control as he has a low camera shot suggesting he has power and dominace over his audience, attitude as his hat is moved to the side of his head. From looking at Dizzee's dress sense we can see he is comfortable in casual clothes, he has his own label, he is unique and not afraid to wear what he wants. The younger audience love this dress sense as they see it as stylish and fashionable but the older audience may relate this dress sense to crime and intimidating aspects. Dizzee has been known to wear suits to such places as award ceremonies and special events which is influential for all audiences. In his songs Dizzee has many rave type beats that present him to a cheerful, partying type audience that are out to have fun.

Dizzee Rascal - Target Audience

Who is Dizzee Rascal's target audience? Dizzee Rascal's target audience is mainly teenagers - 30's, predominantly, the male teenagers as he produces alot of rap music, but secondary the women aswell. Dizzee Rascal targets all etnicities but mainly the black ethnicity. On the socio-economic scale Dizzee would target the students and the D-E category. His clothing is unique and stylish showing he is his own individual person who does not copy other clothing styles.

Has the audience changed over time? Over time Dizzee Rascal has been more publicised, as he has become more noticed in the music industry so has his target audience become alot bigger. Dizzee has collaborated with alot of famous artists including Calvin Harris, Roll Deep, Wiley, Tinchy Stryder, Arctic Monkeys, Shakira, Basement Jaxx. Dizzee Rascal when he first became a artist targetted mainly the black ethnicity, but since his collaborations with other famous stars such as Florence and the machine, he has targeted a different type of audiences, especially more white people. Dizzee use to target predominantly the male teenagers, however his lyrics and puplic perspective has changed therefore girls, women and men can now also relate to him and his songs. He has become more popular in the music industry as he targets a mass audience of many ages.

How does he appeal to different audiences? As he has got older so has his audience who have grown up with his type of music, his music is for a mass audience, the target audience has become bigger. The younger target audience can relate to Dizzee's music and lyrics and use his songs for personal identity and escapism. The older generation find Dizzee's lyrics almost threatening, violent and based around sex such as "Bonkers", also his attitude is over confident with a ferocious attitude that the audience don't like. The older generation can't relate to Dizzee's lyrics as the new topics that he sings about (sex, drugs, violence) was not something the older generation would discuss. They would be more relatable to Michael Buble. Dizzee has an upbeat, vibrant beat, the raps are very fast and sometimes hard to understand.

Is he a positive male role model? Dizzee had been brought up in a rough area, he was a bad teenager as "He used to be a rascal as he used to get involved with fights with teachers and used to steal cars and rob pizza delivery men". Since then Dizzee in a sence has grown up and become a world wide phenomenom, he is a successful song-writer and record producer, showing that he has made something big with his life. His songs however, include controversial lyrics: "You people respect me, if it kills you... bring violence im a nuisance... Must be smokin to much puff". (Drugs and violence) that sends negativity to the viewers who absorb his information passively, encouraging that these topics are good as the "idol music artist" raps about it. His dress sence: wearing hoodies, tracksuits, trainers, are also negative as he should be a role model, knowing these items are situated with gangs he still wears them with a negative attitude and dispicable slang, also generating controversy.

Learning Objectives

 •AO1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of media concepts, contexts and critical debates.

•AO2 Apply knowledge and understanding when analysing media products and processes, and when evaluating their own practical work, to show how meanings and responses are created.

Lady Gaga - Regulations & Global Issues

How has she been received in different countries? She's courting controversy from the Catholic Church over her latest single, "Judas." Some countries have banned some of her sexualised, violent, criminal songs and lyrics. In many countries they believe Lady Gaga is part of the illuminati conspiracy in which she is believed to be a devil worshipper shown is songs such as "Bad Romance". In many countries they believe Lady Gaga is a man, some countries do not accept reverse genders therefore are shocked and now judge and view Gaga in a negative way. America on the other hand, receive Gaga as a icon and inspiration to all audiences as they also voted her the best dressed of the year and she is also from America.  

What are sales like in other countries? After a spectacular first week of sales, with almost 1.2 million copies of her CD and downloads sold, the second week shows a big fall off. “Born this Way” sold only 169,387 copies last week. That’s a drop of 85% from the first week.

Has there been any complaints made against her? Ripping off Madonna, with Lady gaga's "Born this way" song is said to be copying Madonna's "Express yourself" song, Lady Gaga called this comparison 'retarded'. Racist lyrics: "YOU’RE BLACK,WHITE,BEIGE, CHOLA DESCENT, YOU’RE LEBANESE, YOU’RE ORIENT".
Lady Gaga is using racist lyrics to describe other countries races, this caused outrage in many countries. "The deluxe edition will be available exclusively at Target". The furor last year over Target’s contributions to a Minnesota political-action group that distributed funds to an anti-gay candidate. 
The raw meat dress being worn caused uproar with vegetarians, animal rights and many viewers.
The power of visual stimulants, Gaga has come under criticism for the explicit – and targeted – nature of several videos. Notable examples include the nudity-fuelled, borderline masochistic take on an all female prison in "Telephone", and the mix of sexual and Catholic imagery – including Gaga sucking on rosary beads – in "Alejandro".
Gaga's bisexuality – of which her hit song Poker Face is reputedly about.
Lady Gaga's song "Judas", in which she proclaims her love for the treacherous apostle who betrayed Jesus. The track became viral just days before the Easter weekend.

Why was they made and what was the outcome? Many of the complaints and controversies were made by accident or in the spare of the moment. Generally, Lady Gaga apologised and tried to put things right in her own way.

Lady Gaga - Marketing & Distribution

How many abums has she sold to date? She has sold an estimated 23 million albums and 64 million singles worldwide making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time and her singles some of the best-selling worldwide. Her achievements include four Guinness World Records, five Grammy Awards and thirteen MTV Video Music Awards. Lady Gaga has consecutively appeared on Billboard magazine's Artists of the Year (scoring the definitive title in 2010), is regularly placed on lists composed by Forbes magazine and was named one of the most influential people in the world by Time magazine. Lady gaga released 2 albums, The Fame, in 2008 and The Fame Monster, in 2009.

What impact has she made on the music industry? Her debut album has generated four No. 1 songs. She topped the digital sales chart for 2009 with 15.3 million tracks sold. Her dance hits, including "Poker Face" and "Paparazzi," recalibrated the sound of pop radio with a spacey Euro vibe that's crept into songs by rock and rap artists. She grabbed attention beyond the music world with outfits that make her look like a refugee from a sci-fi film. She has promoted charity events, she is caring of her audiences and viewers. She writes her own material, she is as focused on visual theatrics, fashion, and global appeal as she is on the music. Lady Gaga's towering digital sales, almost all of them iTunes downloads, on YouTube and the other online services that Gaga currently leads, according to research firm BigChampagne. On MySpace, Gaga has had 321.5 million plays.

Where is her music publicised? TV, radio, Chat shows, Interviews, The News, Grammy awards, Billboards, TV Adverts, social networking e.g. Facebook and Twitter, YouTube, Music Channels, Internet, live performances, concerts, magazines and on her tours.
What methods are used to promote her music? She dressed like a condom to promote AIDS awarness, MTV music awards, Ads on Facebook e.g. FarmVille, charity work, her eccentric costumes, big hair and good looks, public reviews, other music stars commenting on her work, newspaper, the chart music shows and through the media.

How is the music distributed? All over most of the world, in the United Kingdom and the United States and in some other contries, by CD, download, mp3, mp4, YouTube, Itunes and Limewire.

What is her estimated worth? Lady Gaga, American pop singer-songwriter has a net worth of $150 million. In 2011 alone Gaga earned more than $90 million through album sales, tours, endorsements and more.

Lady Gaga - Production

Who writes her song? Lady Gaga writes her own songs, she also co-rites songs with other people. Gaga also writes songs for other artists including; Britney Spears, Fergie, PCD and New Kids on the Block.

Who records and produces her music? Producer - RedOne.

Who manages her? Lady Gaga’s manager Troy Carter is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Coalition Media Group. Besides Lady Gaga, he manages other great recording artists. Carter was working for Will Smith in Philadelphia and James Lassiter’s Overbrook Entertainment when he began his career.

On what formats is her music produced? There are many formats in which Lady Gaga music is produced such as; on a CD single, albums, downloaded, mp3, mp4, television, internet - youtube, DVD and live performances.

Her record labels:
Def Jam
Streamline records-Interscope records,
Kon Live Distribution,
Cherrytree records.

Background and content: Her birth name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. She was born on March 28th 1986, in New York City, US. Her genres of music are pop and dance. Her occupations are; singer-songwriter, performance artist, record producer, dancer businesswoman and activist. Her instruments used are vocals, piano and the keyboard. She was active from 2005 - present. January 2006: She meets producer/songwriter Rob Fusari. The man who wrote “Bootylicious” for Beyoncé, who gives Stefani Germanotta a new name; Lady Gaga and a new sound: dance. Secondly, She takes the podium in front of a quarter-million people at the National Equality March in Washington, D.C., and proclaims this the “single most important event of my career.” Next, She does a dark duet with Elton John on the Grammys, wearing a butterfly costume that’s even more over-the-top than anything in Sir Elton’s outrageous prime. Then, She debuts her video of “Telephone,” featuring Beyoncé.  Also, she poses nude on the cover of Vanity Fair.

When did she start and how did she become a global superstar? When introduced to Akon: Lady Gaga originally started playing a lot of underground shows in New York around the age of 17 such as, "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich". She wrote "Just Dance", which was a hit, so then she decided to make an album. She caught the eye of Def Jam execs. Lady Gaga subsequently struck a music publishing deal with Sony/ATV. As a result, she was hired to write songs for Britney Spears and labelmates New Kids on the Block, Fergie, and the Pussycat Dolls. While Lady Gaga was writing at Interscope, singer-songwriter Akon recognized her vocal abilities when she sang a reference vocal for one of his tracks in studio. He then convinced Interscope-Geffen-A&M Chairman and CEO Jimmy Iovine to form a joint deal by having her also sign with his own label Kon Live Distribution, making her his "franchise player."

Lady Gaga - Debates

Debates for Lady Gaga:
Is she a fashion icon or a shock-value style setter? The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) the elite group that represents the very best in American fashion, has chosen to award the grammy-winning singer Lady Gaga as this year's Fashion Icon. Her style is very unique and different from normal clothing. Lady Gaga's fashion however, has a required taste you either love it or hate it. Many vegetarians will be put off her meat dress, a lot of people will not want to wear raw meat or be as exposed as she can be (nipple tassels and knickers) it is too sexualised with shock-value. Many audiences will not want to be the centre of attention or wear over the top big clothes. She is a shock-value style setter predominantly, as her style is not quiet accepted in society, even though the CFDA are accepting her unusual dress sense. Merriem-Webster defines an icon as a "object of extreme devotion". Lady Gaga fits this description, however, Gaga recently called fashion maven an editor-in-chief extraordinaire Anna Wintour a 'bitch'. Representing her as a start-off (rookie) fashion icon, which some audience believe she is not worthy of that title. 

A music industry revolutionary or a Madonnabe? Lady Gaga's career has thus far depended heavily on controversy, speculation, and public perception: Is she bisexual? Is she a hermaphrodite? Is she subverting sexual norms? Is she the next Madonna? Many audiences believe Lady Gaga is only copying previous artists' work, she is not introducing anything new to the older audiences especially, as they have seen the boob cones, crotch showing, sexual videos and shock lyrics before with 'Prince', 'Madonna' and 'Dennis Rodman', they believe she is just reacting these performances to get noticed in the public eye. Here is a quote from a male perspective "There is a part of me that believes Lady Gaga isn’t sincere with her eccentric antics, she copies older famous pop stars music, clothing and antics (Prince, Madonna), she is not revolutionary as none of her work/clothing ideas are new or her own and she is just doing it because she needs a gimmick to separate herself from the rest of the group." Positively, here is another review from a younger Gaga fan: "I think that Lady Gaga is good, because she's so different. She's not afraid to stand out in today's society. She's very talented and classically trained which seems to be a rarity these days. She's got millions of followers, or "little monsters". and truly cares about her fans and their perception of her. She's completed dedicated to her craft and it's admirable." Younger audiences will percieve Lady Gaga as revolutionary as many of this target audience hasn't seen older artists who Lady Gaga has used ideas from, they see her as new and entertaining.

Gaga is also a Madonnabe in some peoples opinion: Some of her musical lyrics are up-to-date and improved since the 70's-80's, relating to modern day music such as Katy Perry (the music beat is better and better technology for her video's). Gaga's song lyrics are inspired by the pop stars of the 70's-80's, for example "Madonna - Erotica" and "Bad Girl". Lady Gaga's singing tone is also very similar to Madonna's, Gaga's sexual positions in her video's are influenced by Madonna's. Gaga's music is a crossover with Madonna's, especially Madonna - "Express yourself" and Gaga's "Born this way". A quote from a males perspective: "Gaga said "BTW" was going to be the biggest song of the decade, that it would influence and save lives. She also bragged about writing the song in 10 minutes. Then she released this mediocre track that any decent songwriter would be embarrassed of, especially if it took any more than 10 minutes to write. It's way too late for her to try and hide behind the excuse of this being a tribute to Madonna." Gaga admits Madonna is her idol and main inspiration.

Music Vs Fashion: Lady Gaga spent two hours answering questions live online. "I need fashion for my music, and I need music for my fashion," she said. Lady Gaga does not see music as her primary focus, many audiences would not watch Gaga without her big costumes, flamboyantness and sexualised video's, this is her selling point and entertainment. Lady Gaga however does not see fashion as her main focus point, she can play piano and sing very well, she's a talented song writer, she also sells her music through these excellent skills that the audiences find attractive and inspirational not really her raunchy, promiscuous, "crotch-showing" performances or shock-value costumes.

Lady Gaga - Audience responses

Audiences have responded to Lady Gaga in many different ways, good and bad;

"Gaga doesn’t know when to hold back and it’s a damn good thing" -  says NME. "The meat dress was one of my favourites. It was shocking and memorable," The Daily Star quoted. Gaga's decision was fiercely criticised by animal rights campaigners. Ingrid Newkirk, the Peta founder, said "the outfit of real meat, could have a detrimental effect on the artist's record sales." Lady Gaga has upset alot of her audience and caused controversy, she is offending many people/Christians in her song 'Judas'. Her body position is inviting for the male audience, her sexual facial expression is encouraging sex. In this image she is percieved in a negative way. "She is trying to rip off Christian idolatry to shore up her talentless, mundane and boring performances," says the president of the Catholic League. Some audiences are reeled in by Lady Gaga, they believe she is an icon they will be injected with the negative and positive information that they will take in passively to trigger a desired response. Other audiences use her music for escapism, personal identity, diversion and entertainment.

Lady Gaga - Audience Positioning

Lady Gaga's audience can relate to her as she is young, and has what many girls want, e.g. professional hair, nails done, nice branded clothes and to look good. Lady Gaga is only different as she is famous so she can get these luxuries, but the female audience will aspire to be her, business women will aspire to be her. Her male audience fantasise but can only relate to her songs and lyrics. Young adults can relate to Lady Gaga as her lyrics and vocabulary in her songs have slang and words that will relate to the younger audience. Many of the younger audiences want to learn about sex, crime and violence as they find it intriguing, she promotes many negative controversies but most of the mass audience still aspire to be her. Many of the 'different' audiences who want to be different from the crowd can relate to her, as Gaga has made these exaggerated costumes that will now be accepted. The older generation in a way can relate to Lady Gaga, as they are reminising in nostalgia, using her music for escapism and to relive their youth.


Lady Gaga represents herself to her audience as a bad rock chick in many of her videos, e.g. 'Bad Romance' and in her 'Paparazzi' video where she is getting locked up. Her exaggerated clothes represents her as confident, over the top and loud. Her promiscuous side (flirting with alot of men in her videos, red lipstick, leather, playsuits, bondage and lack of clothes) represents her as promiscuous and easy with a devilish side. Promoting the idea of sex as good. However, she often comes across as naive or simplistic, with the “love yourself” message she constantly sends out to her adoring fans.

Lady Gaga - Target audience

Lady Gaga's target audience is predominantly teenagers to early 30's, women enjoy Lady Gaga and she is a very successful woman who people aspire to be, men enjoy Lady Gaga as she has sex appeal and she arouses the male gaze, which men fantasise about. On the socio-economic scale she targets the D-E category mainly students. Eventhough she has a mass audience and publicity that view her.

Lady Gaga's audience has changes over time. To her young audience, Lady Gaga is the epitome of creativity, which is why she is so successful. But on a cursory glance, Lady Gaga is recycling old ideas. She takes her cues from Andy Warhol, Queen, Grace Jones, Prince, David Bowie and Madonna. Her fans think that she is something new, and different, and rebellious, which is the paradox of creativity in pop-culture. In pop culture, the market replenishes itself with new young faces every decade or so. Most of Gaga’s fans weren’t even alive over 20 or 30 years ago. Her audience began very small, due to her controversial ideas, such as promoting sex and violence in her videos, wearing meat clothing, and some audiences believe that Lady Gaga is a man. Now the audience has grown overtime as they have accepted her.

How do different aspects of her career appeal to different audiences? Lady Gaga writes her own songs, which shows she is a very clever and successful business woman, this side of her career would appeal to upcoming artists and wanabe's. She is different and controversial which would appeal to the audience who want to be different from the crowd. She is famous, good looking, and wealthy which would appeal to most audiences.

Lady Gaga is a positive female role model as she is a successful business woman, who writes her own songs and encourages people to be different in their own way. Secondly, her songs such as 'Born this way' and 'Alejandro' encourage audiences to be themselves as they were born that way. However, she is a negative role model, as she promotes sex, violence and crime in a good way, in songs such as; 'I like it rough', 'Telephone' and 'Pokerface'. She has controversial views such as when she wore raw meat, real fur and on a live performance she had blood dripping down her body. These issues lost Gaga alot of her audience and followers, as she is representing herself to a younger audience as bad and that this is good, which they then will follow.