This is the girl band you can buy
Johnny Davis and John Elliott
THEY could become the ultimate in manufactured music. Four girls in their twenties have been brought together by Saatchi & Saatchi UK, the advertising agency, as a pop group that can be bought “off-the-shelf” by companies to promote their brands.
Saatchi & Saatchi clients who pay to use the still-unnamed group will have a say in its name, the song style and lyrics, as well as the brands the group wear, drink and eat.
Thursday, 10 May 2007
Looking at info on manufactured bands
A manufactured band is a group of people who are put together by a record company in order to make a profit. These people have almost certainly never met before, and musical talent is very often not a serious concern. They are usually selected on looks over talent, as this seems to be the only way to tap into a young market that has little musical interest. It seems to be a case of 'who cares about music - we can sell records with sex!'.
Manufactured bands can be split into three distinct types:
· Boy Bands - These are the original - but not necessarily the best - type of manufactured band.
· Girl Bands - These are like boy bands, but set to appeal to an older audience, or a younger audience purely comprised of girls.
· Mixed Bands - These consist of members of both sexes who can interact suggestively, giving wider market appeal.
How to Spot a Manufactured Band
There are several clear indications that show whether a band can be classified as 'manufactured':
· Are there no actual instrumentalists among the band members?
· Can they dance much better than they can sing1?
· Does one sing while the others sing 'harmonies' in the background?
· Do they always mime when performing 'live'?
· Do they appear a lot on children's TV? (A manufactured band's target audience is often children, as they are the world's most gullible consumer market.)
· Do their singles constantly enter the charts at number one, and then drop down to a lower position the next week, almost invariably replaced by a near-identical song by another group?
· Do they always get other people to write their songs for them?
· Does every one of their songs have a pointless key change, usually just before the final chorus?
· Does the name of their band have a misplaced number or letter in it? (U2, Blink-182, Alabama 3 or the sadly departed Ben Folds Five don't count, but 5ive, N'sync, Hear'Say, A1 and children's entertainers S Club 7 definitely do.)
· Do they have their own children's TV series? (This is a surprisingly common one.)
If you answered 'yes' to four or more of these questions, you have probably discovered a manufactured band.
Manufactured bands can be split into three distinct types:
· Boy Bands - These are the original - but not necessarily the best - type of manufactured band.
· Girl Bands - These are like boy bands, but set to appeal to an older audience, or a younger audience purely comprised of girls.
· Mixed Bands - These consist of members of both sexes who can interact suggestively, giving wider market appeal.
How to Spot a Manufactured Band
There are several clear indications that show whether a band can be classified as 'manufactured':
· Are there no actual instrumentalists among the band members?
· Can they dance much better than they can sing1?
· Does one sing while the others sing 'harmonies' in the background?
· Do they always mime when performing 'live'?
· Do they appear a lot on children's TV? (A manufactured band's target audience is often children, as they are the world's most gullible consumer market.)
· Do their singles constantly enter the charts at number one, and then drop down to a lower position the next week, almost invariably replaced by a near-identical song by another group?
· Do they always get other people to write their songs for them?
· Does every one of their songs have a pointless key change, usually just before the final chorus?
· Does the name of their band have a misplaced number or letter in it? (U2, Blink-182, Alabama 3 or the sadly departed Ben Folds Five don't count, but 5ive, N'sync, Hear'Say, A1 and children's entertainers S Club 7 definitely do.)
· Do they have their own children's TV series? (This is a surprisingly common one.)
If you answered 'yes' to four or more of these questions, you have probably discovered a manufactured band.
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