Dubstep Genre Music Video Characteristics

As with all music videos, different genres will approach a music video differently as they are trying to appeal to a different target audience. Dubstep is no exception to this rule and many music videos follow the same characteristics. 

1. Use of humour - Dubstep videos do not tend to be very serious and often have funny elements to them. If there is a narrative it will usually be quite unconventional and different, and they try and make the video as lighthearted as possible to make the connection with the audience. Also, it will allow the audience to potentially show their friends if it is funny enough and therefore lead to more views. 

Sunlight - Modestep: This video is about three senior citizens who act like they are young again - this as you can imagine is a very funny video involving them doing things like shoplifting and going clubbing. 

2. Lack of narrative - This is not true for all dubstep videos, however there are a large proportion which are less about a storyline, but more about being with the artists themselves and showing you what it is like to be the artist. This is a way of promoting the artist and due to the large amount of competition in the industry it is crucial that the artists try to promote themselves as much as possible. Also another potential reason for the lack of narrative is that due to the potentially small fan base (compared to pop) they do not have the same budget.

Python - Dodge & Fuski: This video is showing them flying to a gig and then performing. However, there is no sequence of events and everything is happening at once with various flashbacks. This means that there is no real narrative and we get a "behind the scenes" look at the artist. 

3. Lots of artist - The artist is shown a lot and often is the lead protagonist. This again may be due to them wanting to promote themselves more and potentially save money. One key problem with dubstep is because it is all produced electronically, it is hard to perform and there is often little or no singing involved. This is problematic for dubstep producers as many people do not know who they are or what they look like, and so this will allow the audience to gain knowledge of the artist as well as listen to their music.

Hypest Hype - Chase & Status (Feat. Tempa T): This video starts backstage with the three performers and then they go on stage and perform the single. Throughout the video we are constantly shown who is performing and we are even introduced to each of the artists at the start. 

4. Live Crowd – The videos often feature a live crowd and the artist performing in a venue. This could be due to the fact that it is very easy to film and organise and also will be very quick and easy to do. The crowd are also good at promoting the artist because they show that they are enjoying the artist and the audience watching the music video will want to be in their position too. 

Everyday (Netsky Remix) - Rusko: This video is just solely Netsky playing lots of different gigs and watching him perform to a live crowd. There are frequently shots of the audience with many reaction shots showing them enjoying themselves. 

My Film

Looking at these conventions I am hoping to meet all these criteria. The hardest one for me to achieve is the live crowd, but I believe that I have found a way around this and so should still be able to meet all the criteria. 

Dubstep Genre

Dubstep is sub genre of electronic dance and originated from Croydon, London. It can first be traced back to around 1988 where experiments with 2-step garage tracks led to a drum and bass spin off with a larger emphasise on a dark bassline. The term dubstep was first used in 2002, where there was a larger emphasis on dubstep remixes, instead of actual tracks. However, the genre really took off in 2006, when it was beginning to gain radio play with stations such as Radio 1 which allowed the dubstep scene to grow. 


From 2007, more and more artists emerged and this led to a large rise in the number of tracks produced. In 2010 dubstep started to emerge into the pop scene, with a few dubstep tracks getting played on pop radio stations. Examples include Chase and Status, Nero and Skrillex, all of which have had songs that are considered as pop. This helped to elevate the status of dubstep and allowed an increased interest in the genre. This led to an increased interest from other genres and now dubstep can often be seen alongside other genres like UK grime where many artists have been known for adding their own style to dubstep songs.

Record Labels

Due to the fact that songs aren't as widely known as pop, it has meant that many artists are on smaller labels, or have even created their own labels themselves. The following are the biggest in dubstep: 

Mau5trap – Mau5trap is a label set up by Joel Zimmerman (AKA Deadmau5) and often has strong tie ins with Ultra Records due to their history. Artists are usually from Canada or North America and artists associated with mau5trap are Feed Me, Noisia, Gemini, Foreign Beggars, Millions Like Us and Deadmau5.

http://www.deadmau5.com/mau5trap/

OWSLA – Launched in 2011 by Sonny Moore (AKA Skrillex) OWSLA have already made large waves in the dubstep scene. Its artists all specialise in dubstep and are becoming more and more popular. Known for its big artists it is currently signed Dillon Francis, Kill The Noise, Koan Sound, Porter Robinson, Skream, Zedd and Skrillex.

http://www.owsla.com

Buygore – The label was founded by Borgore which originally started as a sole dubstep label, but now has plans to develop with the genre and begin to sign more drum and bass and electronic artists. Currently signed to Buygore are Habstrakt, Bare Noize, Document One, Tomba and Borgore.

http://www.buygore.com

Ultra Records – An electronic dance music record label which was initially founded in New York, but now bases itself all over America and Canada. It has signed major artists such as Tiësto, Kaskade, Wolfgang Gartner, Benny Benassi, David Guetta, Armin van Buuren, Inna and Basshunter.

http://www.ultramusic.com/

Hospital Records – Originally started as a drum and bass label, but with the rise of dubstep it has meant that more and more dubstep artists can be found signed to the label. It is also one of largest labels in the UK for drum and bass, with artists such as Camo & Krooked, Danny Byrd, Netsky, High Contrast, London Elektricity, Nu:tone and Logistics.

http://www.hospitalrecords.com/

Viper Recordings – An emerging record label with more alternative options to electronic dance encompassing a large range of genres based around electronic styles. Artists include Futurebound, Smooth, Matrix, ShockOne and Metrik.

http://www.viperrecordings.co.uk

Shogun Audio – A relatively small label which is slowly emerging and growing, with artists such as Friction, The Prototypes and SpectraSoul. They have plans to develop in the future and maybe look at artists outside of the UK.

http://www.shogunaudio.co.uk/

MTA Records – In 2009, Dubstep and Drum and Bass artists Chase and Status established MTA records and since then have signed many major artists leading to much support from UK radio stations and the public. Artists such as Nero, Redlight, 501, 16bit and Chase and Status have been signed to MTA records.

http://www.mtarecords.co.uk/

Circus records – With a strong presence on the UK dubstep scene Circus records are known not only for their quality artists, but also for their distribution is extremely good with them offering compilation discs and live promotional gigs which really boosts their image. They are known for artists such as Doctor P, Flux Pavilion, Roksonix, FuntCase, Cookie Monster and Slum Dogz.

http://www.circus-records.co.uk/

The Music Industry

In the last couple of centuries the music industry has grown exponentially, and is currently bigger than ever. It has evolved from there being one person who makes the music and distributes it, to there can be potentially 20 people all working on one record. For example, some songs now actually have people hired as writers to write the lyrics for them. This has meant that the industry is now employing a large amount of people and also it has led to a rise in the demand for music.

Another reason which has contributed to the rise of the music industry is due to the increased technology. Artists are now able to produce music electronically and it is becoming easier and easier for artists to use synths and to use vocal effects like “auto-tuning” their voices. This has added a whole new wave of creativity and originality. It has also paved the way for an influx of new genres and subgenres which have been created to suit the increased music produced.

Another technological benefit is the fact that now people can find out about and download songs all from one place – the internet. The rise in digital sales has meant that records are now more accessible than ever. The rise in MP3 and iPods has led to a fall in the demand for physical records and enabled more artists to break into the market who previously couldn’t afford to. However there is a downside to this rise in technology through increased pirate downloads which means that record labels are forced to invest large amounts into piracy prevention to ensure that artists are paid for their songs.

Record Labels

There are three main record labels which all make up a considerable proportion of the industry.

Warner Music Group (WMG) – Due to the company embracing the digital age it has led to a large amount of revenue for WMG. It has meant that they are now in the top 3 Record labels in the world, in charge of artists such as Alesha Dixon, Lupe Fiasco, Aerosmith, B.O.B and Michael Bublé.

http://www.wmg.com/

Sony Music – Based in New York, Sony music has offices all over the world. This wide spread has led to the rise of the company at an alarming rate. They not only specialise in one region, but the whole world which in some countries is the only option. They are responsible for artists such as Chris Brown, Foo Fighters, Avril Lavigne, Jimi Hendrix and Olly Murs.

www.sonymusic.com

Universal – After a recent takeover of EMI, it has meant that Universal are now the largest Record Label in the world. This has been very beneficial to Universal as they are now responsible for the most artists in the industry with such examples as Cheryl Cole, Stevie Wonder, Snow Patrol, Black Eyed Peas and Akon.

http://universalmusic.com