Deadmau5 interview

http://www.musicradar.com/tuition/tech/6-deadmau5-music-making-secrets-196178

Don't rely on image

"[The mouse head] is not the most vital thing. I mean, I think the music should speak for itself. I'd like to think I wouldn't get booed off stage if I chose not to wear the head – I did gigs prior to having the head made and never had any problems. I'm aware though that, as a gimmick, it can create its own little monster as a brand."

Deadmau5 information - behind the mask - disney

http://tropiganda.com/2011/05/disney-to-buy-out-deadmau5/

Created by Toronto-native Joel Zimmerman, Deadmau5 skyrocketed to fame in the mid ’00s by producing hit after hit of ‘minimal house’ music and then playing said music at rave parties around the world wearing a motorcycle helmet stylized as a dead mouse head. Disney is now set to purchase the Deadmau5 persona from its inventor, though rumors that Zimmerman is no longer Deadmau5 have been circulating online since as early as March 2010.

In 2009, the Magic Kingdom-based corporation sued Deadmau5 in federal court, allegedly, for nine counts of trademark infringement, three counts of copyright violation, and one count of public defamation over the Deadmau5 brand and its unflattering portrayal of a dead mouse. Disney’s suit claimed that the Deadmau5 persona “too closely resembles the iconic Mickey Mouse logo,” which was trademarked in 1924, and which has been protected ever since by an battalion of lawyers loyal to the Magic Kingdom and its cartoon king.

Joel Zimmerman has only been seen in public without his helmet twice since February 19th, 2010, although he has allegedly performed as Deadmau5 over 90 times since then. Online rumors have fueled speculation about the state of Zimmerman’s mental health, though none suspected that he would ever allow his brand to be acquired by anyone, let alone the company that nearly destroyed it.

Coldplay - Branded identity presentation

http://www.slideshare.net/staceyh94/brand-identity-coldplay

Brand identity coldplay from Stacey

QUOTES

Branded identity that makes the album stand out off the shelf...big writing and the centre.

Colour becomes the branded identity...they are bold and bright

Coldplay - media studies review

It is only a blog of an A2 Media studies student however it is useful to gain an insight to other reviews on the album artwork

http://katiewalshawa2levelmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/brand-identity-coldplay.html

The first example I looked at was Coldplays new music video release "Every Teardrop is a waterfall". In this video they have cleverly used a range of animated designs across the video setting to illustrate the lyrics sung. They have also made the video have a slightly jerky look to it as each camera shot doesn't move smoothly between transitions. This is done purposefully to create a storyboard theme and look to it. There is lots of use of bright colours in the animations and designs that draws the audiences eyes to it, making them view the scene portrayed through the animations that the actual settings around them. I think this idea for a music video is fairly original and never really been done before so it works well to gain the audiences interest.

I also looked at the covers for their new album release called "Mylo Xyloto". They have used the same tactics that they did is the music video I have talked about above, using a series of bright colours and designs all merged into one cover that gives the impression of what the songs on the album are going to be like (uplifting, feel good songs etc.). It has also created a brand identity by associating their brand with the bright colours and animations used. They have kept the attention of these bright colours on the album covers by making the title a simple colour and font, and making sure there is no other content on the album covers. Looking at the music video and album cover as one product you can definitely see they have been created as one overall product and immediately  identify the Coldplay band when seeing these bright colourful animations and designs.

Coldplays use of brand identity is highly successful as many people who are familiar with their works will look at these products and immediately associate them with the band through the use of colour and animation.

Coldplay Mylo Xyloto Review

http://davidkeen.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/coldplay-mylo-xyloto-has-god-left.html

David Keen
2011

 With the final implosion of Oasis, maybe Coldplay are now trying to fill the gap in the market for optimistic rock songs. In many ways this mirrors the music: just as language is used for effect, not content, Mylo Xyloto is more of a sound than a collection of tunes. I found it harder to identify particular songs (with the exception of Paradise or the superb Princess of China) during early listens, or the overall flow of the album. Like the colourful but messy artwork, Mylo Xyloto is rich in musical colour, but it's a bit harder to identify particular shapes, either to the music, or to the words. The lack of a full set of lyrics with the CD maybe indicates that Coldplay don't really want to draw attention to their lyrics, and don't set as much store by them as some of their fans. 


http://beatwolf.com/reviews/albums/coldplay-mylo-xyloto/

The album on a whole is better than Viva la Vida but is tending to appeal more to the masses rather than looking after the needs of their die-hard fans.

CM- we just feel we have nothing to lose as a band so it’s nice to just feel free, I don’t know if it is commercial or if it’s just good or anything, but its full of love and passion


http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13074-leftrightleftrightleft/

Coldplay are the biggest band in the world because they believe themselves to be, which is the kind of titanic self-actualization typically associated with salesmen and self-help books. But they are humble in their hubris: Not only do they provide a service-- essentially giving listeners what they want-- but in this case, they're doing it without charge. Ironically, those contradictory qualities mean the band may be wasted in a studio, Eno notwithstanding.LRLRL suggests that Coldplay songs truly live only in vast concert halls and smallish arenas, where they are performed for, and arguably by, a captivated audience.

Coldplay Boigraphy

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/c/coldplay/biography.html

Coldplay are an English alternative rock band from London, formed in 1998. The group comprises Chris Martin (lead vocals, keyboards, guitar), Jonny Buckland (lead guitar), Guy Berryman (bass guitar), and Will Champion (drums, backing vocals, other instruments).

 Coldplay have sold over 50 million records worldwide.

Coldplay released their first full-length album, Parachutes, in July 2000, which debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. "Yellow" and "Trouble" earned regular radio airplay in the UK and US. Parlophone originally predicted sales of 400,000 units of Parachutes; by Christmas, 1.6 million copies had been sold in the United Kingdom alone. Parachutes was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in September 2000.

Musical style

Coldplay's musical style has been defined as alternative rock, being compared to Jeff Buckley and Oasis. Lead singer/songwriter Chris Martin once labelled the band's music as "limestone rock". The band's music has been called "meditative" and "blue romantic"; it " on their emotions" and Martin "endlessly examine his feelings". Martin's lyrical wordplay has been called feminist, similar to Andrew Montgomery of Geneva.

The tone of the band's first studio album, Parachutes, was described as melodic pop with "distorted guitar riffs and swishing percussion". It was also described as being "exquisitely dark and artistically abrasive". In a review for A Rush of Blood to the Head, the songs were considered to contain "lush melodies and a heartbreak" and that they had a "newfound confidence." The music on X&Y has been considered to be "ruminations on Martin's doubts, fears, hopes, and loves."

They also acknowledge the Scottish alternative rock band, Travis, as a major influence on their earlier material.

I found an interesting essay about online and offline identity and what the internet has enables young people to davelop in terms of their identities.

http://www.123helpme.com/identity-view.asp?id=218377

Stealing the identity of another is not an honest act. However, the Internet allows many opportunities for exploration of identity and has displayed personal social exploration to fulfill their curiosity. According to Lemke (1998), young people develop a sense of full presence online, living in them semiotically as they make cultural and personal sense of their participation. The shaping of an identity plays a vital role in the online world especially in having sustained online presence within any particular online-group. Turkle (1995) believes identity tinkering online opens the potential for young people to take risks and to explore all aspects of one's identity. 

The anonymity that the medium provides have a powerful, disinhibiting impact on behavior and it allows young people an unique opportunity for self-expression. Turkle (1995) argues that the participation in online identity play is similar to participation in pyschodrama. This ties in with the idea of the game as a means though which experience is formulated (Erikson, 1968). According to Turkle, the identity game helps to bring about psychological maturity. It is achieved by being able to develop different facets of the identity and experiencing variable progress between different identities. 

According to Steven G. (1998) , young people can and do take on second identities to protect their offline from their online identity. Steven (1998) believes young people allow themselves to behave in ways different from offline life, to express formerly unexplored aspects of their personalities, much as they do when wearing masks at a masquerade ball. 

Amber Case (2010) mentioned on TED, Washington DC, (Fig 4A &ump; Fig 4B) the need for maintenance of second self in simultaneous time. Amber (2010) believes good technology does not inhibit one's lifestyle, but enhances it. Being responsible with technology use will be vital to maintaining oneself and making sure that the future generations aware of monitoring themselves. 

Turkle (1995) argues that without coherence, the identity spins off in all directions and that multiplicity can exist only between personalities that can communicate among themselves. Steven G. (1998) states the fragmentation of the individual obstructs the development of the resilent online identity. Ultimately, one can create multiple versions of oneself; different versions of identity can be altered to particular audience. Nonetheless, for most young people these fragmentary social faces are merged into an emotional sense of a single identity. One is able to express more online than one says offline. Thus, hostile exchanges can be found erupting online, then one can abandon that difficult position by abandoning the identity through which it was projected. As mentioned by Steven G (1998), the fragmentation of the identity is primarily a disintegration of the internal psychological aspect. 

Author has moved between online and offline spaces, systematically observing, documenting and talking to young people about their practices and attitudes. Case study research method is defined as “an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident and in which multiple sources of evidence are used” (Yin, 1984, p.23). Thus, this research uses a relevant case study, which provides a systematic way of approaching the problem of identity fragmentation in SNS, collecting and analyzing the data and reporting the outcome. The subjects of interviews and direct observations are primarily young people (differing in age, sex, race, sexuality, religion, ethnicity and socioeconomic class), author has also spent time analyzing the profiles and commentary of these young people. 

In examining the practices of young people on SNS, author focuses primarily on Facebook. Many young people began participating because of the opportunity to craft a personal identity in an increasingly popular online community.