Research - Theorists/theories

Theorists/ Theories

I will use theories from three different theorists to help me analyse my music for my research. People who study the properties of a music video and how the audiences perceive them, are known as music theorists. They tell us the explanation of how and why music is perceived in certain ways due to the fact music has many different fundamentals or elements.

The three theorists I will be using to analyses music is Karl Marx, Laura Mulvey and Roland Barthes. I will summaries each of their theories below.

Roland Barthes:

Roland Barthes theory states that there are three layers of how the audience analyses music videos. The 1^st stage of signification is ‘Denotation’ the 2^nd stage is ‘connotation’ and the 3^rd is ‘myth ideology’

The 1^st stage of ‘Denotation’ is the analysis and explanation of what the audience is seeing. The 2^nd stage of ‘Connotation’ is what the denotation represents and symbolizes. The final stage ‘Myth Ideology’ is the connotation and denotation combined. Meaning the audience think about what the video is telling them.

Karl Marx:

Karl Marx suggests that the most important thing for a music video is making a profit and he allows us to question whether music is just about making money or are the artists in it for the enjoyment they gain from doing it. Using this theory allows us to decide if certain artists are in it for the money or for their own enjoyment.

Laura Mulvey:

Laura Mulvey suggests that most music videos reflect male desires, fantasises and power, with them being filmed from a mans point of view. She calls this the ‘male gaze’ A good example to prove this theory is through Rap videos where it is all about the power men have over women such as in the music video ’50 cent – Candy shop’. They show women as objects that are vulnerable to the males’ presence.