Beyoncé

CROSS MEDIA CASE STUDY

Background• Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter was born on 4th September 1981

• She is an American singer• Born and raised in Houston, Texas • Beyoncé performed in many singing and dancing competitions as a child

• She rose to fame in the late 1990s as lead singer of the R&B girl group – Destiny’s Child- which became one of the best selling girl groups of all time

• Beyoncé released her debut album, Dangerously in Love(2003)• As a solo artist she has sold over 15 million albums in the US and 118 million

records worldwide and 60 million with Destiny’s Child• Has released 5 studio albums,2 extended plays,4 live albums and 2 compilation

albums,48 singles and 6 promotional singles• One of the best selling music artists of all time• She has won 17 Grammy awards

Website HOMEPAGE

The main homepage of website shows personal pictures that Beyonce has uploaded

The typography is used for her new album

This link allow fans to buy and listen to music of hers, this helps promote her new music and keeps her noticed

Fans can see when she is touring near them and how to buy tickets to see her perform

Anything related to her that anyone wants to know can be search on her website

Her new perfume that she brings out can be shown and advertised on here

Her merchandise can be brought on her, this benefits fans who cant access her tours worldwide or who don't have enough money to see her live to purchase it. This means all fans can have similar experiences

Website Evaluation

In addition the graphology of the website is simple and tidy which gives a fresh and current look to the website keeping it up to date.Also the use of the other links you can access on the website give further opportunities for fans to interact and know details about Beyonce. Furthermore the website supports her latest album that was released late last year called, ‘Beyonce’ and the typography for the album is exactly the same for the header of the website and the links.

On the website , they are pictures of Beyonce and her family this creates a personal and calm feel for the fans. However the colour scheme of black and white is unusual for a Pop artist where as it is usual full of bright and bold colour however I believe this to create less focus on her name and more of who she is by sharing the photos of herself and others to show who she really is. This is also supported by that in the press she is a very private person and she is allowing the public and fans to dwell in to her privacy.

Social media pages

These are 3 social media websites that Beyonce officially uses to stay in connection with her fans and the public. The same icon picture for her twitter and facebook is her latest album but also keeps the branding linked for her. Also this allows her target audience young females and teenagers who constantly uses social media websites to see what she is doing and so Beyonce can connect with her fans which is vital to her popularity and fame.

Album Artwork

This is her most recent album called, ‘Beyonce’ is was released on 13th December 2013, the tackles themes such as feminism, explicit deceptions of sex, the joys of motherhood and post-maternity relationship problems. Also included alongside the normal main album was a ‘exclusive visual album’ it illustrates the musical concepts she conceived during the production. The album songs also include short non-linear films that accompany them.

In this new album compared to her other old albums that have been just as successful all of them have included her on the front cover, which in the Pop genre is a code and convention. However this one it is just her name which is the title of the album on the front cover., her fans base is so strong and just by her name people know who she is.

Album promotion Album

PromotionBeyonce released her new album with 14 songs and 17 videos with no promotion at all and this her fifth solo album. She said in an interview about the silent release of her album :"I didn’t want to release my music the way I’ve done it, I am bored with that. I feel like I am able to speak directly to my fans. There’s so much that gets between the music, the artist and the fans. I felt like I didn’t want anybody to give the message when my record is coming out. I just want this to come out when it’s ready and from me to my fans”.

•After the release of the album, advertising and promotions kicked off from: ITunes, merchandise, videos being released and more•She did a tour with her old album again but with exclusive songs from the album also, ‘The Mrs Carter Show World Tour 2014’ this created a buzz for the new album •Also she went on a joint tour, 'On the Run Tour’ with her husband and rapper Jay-Z. This created interest in her from fans of Jay-z also because she was also going to be performing as a solo artists at the tour

Music videoMusic VideoIn the first minute of the video beginning the title of the song, ‘Drunk in Love’ appears in the same typography with a black background and white text this makes the connection already between the song and that it is included on that album, so when the viewer is watching this they know the song is from that album. The simple uses of black and white as the style for the video adds a sexy feel to the video and the mise en scene of the video also amplifies this, Beyonce is dressed in a black bikini with see through mesh covering her. In addition this can be related to voyeurism as she is being portrayed as something to look at in a sexual way, so men will also watch the video but girls will look up to her for her beauty.

Also the visual album artwork that Beyonce did for the album, one of the photos is taken from this video and again the viewer can make a connection. Furthermore the dancing include in the video from Beyonce is a genre characteristic of Pop and this goes with the up beat tempo of the music. Moreover the lyrics, 'ride it with my surfboard, surfboard, surfboard ’ connect to the visual of the video when she is on the beach on her hand and knees dancing in the water.

The relationship between lyrics and visuals in this video can be seen with Jay-Z holding a wine glass in his hand which shows he is drinking and refers to the title of the song ‘drunk in love’ because he is Beyonce’s husband and have had a long term loving relationship. Also in the poster for their joint, ‘On the Run Tour’ it is taken in black and white yet again making another tie together for the album and song.

In addition when Beyonce and Jay –Z are both in the video the lyrics when this are shown are, ‘ I want your body right here, daddy I want you, right now’ referencing them to Jay-Z both it also relates to the song, ‘drunk in love’ that when she is drunk that what she wants. It again illustrates voyeurism as the way she is dressed also in a small black see through outfit.

conclusionConclusionThroughout the advertising and promotion for Beyonce this year it ties together through her name. The typography from her website of her name in simple white text on a white background is her branding at the moment and this I seen all across, from her website to her music videos. This is done because she is a worldwide pop star and is a household everyone knows who is she because her career has lead her to be around for so long.

However her target audience of teenagers and young females is still the focus point because the content of her music videos and the use of social media websites. The also recent support of her husband Jay-Z is noticeable in her media presence since the birth of her child and maybe to even grow a bigger fan base with new type of music she is releasing/producing.