London Gig

Harrison Gig Evaluation

The feedback I received in my did help me as I taught how to play with emotion and this really helped me since I'm more comfortable in a band setting than as a solo performer.
At first I wasn't entirely sure what I was going to perform as I mainly accompanied the singer. So, I had thought to do that songs that I already know, but change it to sound more striped back.
I would of taken more time to make what I played more interesting as it wasn't like it was my solo performance. 
For my solo performance, I was meant to have a singer performing with me. However, my singer wasn't able to make it that night, so I had to come up with a back up plan 2 hours before my performance. I only performed 3 different songs and I lucy had someone step in last minute but I had to quickly learn a song that they knew. 
It was pretty nerve racking because nothing was going to plan and I was nervous because I felt really unprepared which I think showed in my performance. 

How did feedback from workshops/peri lesson

Funding Application

I would like to be a session player, mainly in the pop, RnB genre, performing at gigs or at a recording session. When being a session player, I would be working with many different musicians with many different skills. The aim would be to perform regularly with different musicians. I would achieve this by building a reputation for myself and a portfolio of all the work that I had done for other musicians to see. This fits in to my current work as I am asked to play for other people's performances. The audience that I would be reaching to is not only people who are interested in the genre of music, but also musicians who may need a session player. I haven't been able to do this externally, out of college, but I would be planning to do this after college or uni.

Methods of Communication

Twitter 

Twitter is a social media platform that enables you to tweet a short caption about anything with the ability to upload a photo or video. Having a short caption is a good thing because it it allows you to give a short snippet to the information without needing to read everything. However, this could be a bad thing since it depends on the person to continue to read on. Also, with there being a limit on the amount of characters you can type, that creates a barrier of information that is wanted to be released. A good thing is posts on twitter are easily shared by re-tweets or general shares. This means that the user can monitor how many people share their posts or talk about it. However, if you don't have a large number of followers, it will be harder to get people to see the post since it would be mainly reliant on followers re-tweeting or sharing. 
Overall, I feel like because twitter is widely used around the world, that it is a good platform to promote anything that you want with some restrictions such as followers and length of tweet. 

Facebook

Facebook is similar to Twitter whereas they are both very simple to use and it's not needed to have any previous experience. However, this could be time consuming because you would have to keep up a regularly updated profile. Because of the wide audience of Facebook, promoting something and it being seen is very easy since if your friends liked the post or if you have liked something similar, it would come up on your feed automatically with having the need to follow them. Even though the prices are cheap, they do amount after a while so it would be a case of whether it's worth it.

Instagram 

Instagram is mainly used for the posting photos and short clips of video. When promoting using instagram, it is well connected to other social medias such as Facebook. Instagram is visually appealing and a way to visually engage the target audience using pictures and videos. However, instagram is mainly used on smartphones. There is a website version, but it does have the same interactive features as the app version does. Since Instagram is mainly used for 'selfies', promoting music can be difficult due to the use of instagram and the content upload.

Dissertation

Dissertation  

How did the success of Motown affect music of black origin in 1960s America? 

While Britain was in the grips of Beatlemania and the Liverpool Sound, the USA under the influence of another fledging sound and the music that came out the newly founded Motown Records (2001).  Motown, the American record company, was founded by Berry Gordy Jr in Detroit, Michigan original as Tamla Records in 1958, then changed to Motown in 1960. Motown was the first African American owned record label to reach widespread national acclaim. Motown broke down racial prejudice by becoming the most successful independent record company in history and the most successful African American owned business in America. (Museum, 2017). Motown was mainly soul with a pop influence. Motown has a distinctive sound due to its soulful and heartfelt songs and lyrics that were produced which was a new sound in that era. Once Berry had found a pattern of how to make his artists successful, he stuck to this formula which makes the majority of Motown songs sound familiar.' A key element in Gordy’s strategy was to make his records appeal to EVERYONE, which is how and why he came up with the slogan – the Sound of Young America' ([CSL STYLE ERROR: reference with no printed form.]. This was a contrast to what people were feeling at the time with unrest, racial prejudice and violence. 'Any discussion of the artists of Motown Records begins with a caveat: Motown was a sound. It was the driving beat, the propulsive bass, the crackling cymbals, the punchy horns - and yet it was more. It was pop and rock, black and white, soul, gospel, and glitz. It was all of the above, and it was more than the sum of its parts. It was a sound that exploded from little speakers in car dashboards and transistor radios, heavy with hopes and dreams, laden with lust and anticipation, slicing like lightning through the smoggy heat of blighted urban landscapes. From Detroit to Dallas, New York to Los Angeles, Motown was the sound of the 60's - as much or more than the Beatles or Stones, Janis or Jimi, Stax or Atlantic. Motown was a sound. It was "The Sound of Young America."' (Anthony, 1999).  A Motown song was instantly recognisable, based upon simple beats underpinned with hook laden arrangements and lyrics that told a story it soon became known to The Sound of Motown or The Sound of Young America (2001). This then made it similar to the songs that were already on the charts at that time which in turn made it easier for songs from Motown to be high on the charts. In this dissertation, I will be exploring the reasons why Motown's success affected music of black origin in 1960's America. I will be doing this by exploring the language that is used in their songs, how being cultural appropriation by other artists helped them and how their songs effected other countries and how it inspired them to make new music. Also, how minor aspects also changed the way Motown was perceived and how this helped their success.  

Motown songs were mainly written about the emotional aspects of love such as; loss or looking for love.Out of the top 10 biggest Motown songs (according to About Entertainment) , majority of the songs are about love. But not about love that we hear about today.  Due to the era that Motown was emerged in, there was a high racial segregation between whites and blacks.   It can however be argued that a lot of  love songs today are mainly talking about the physical aspects of love. Analysing the lyrics from I Heard It Through the Grapevine – Marvin Gaye (LyricsDepot, 2017) and Baby Love – The Supremes (Lyrics, 2017), you can see that the lyrics mainly relate to love which is a common feature. Since Motown originated from black origin, the language that they use is not offensive due to the fact that they are minority group. The reason why Motown was so successful was because the lyrics were relatable to all societies unlike Hip Hop, as it is frowned upon because of the type of language used in their songs. I think that the reason that the main focal points of their songs were about love is because however it may be perceived, it still gives a positive message no matter what angle it may be viewed from.  

I feel, due to globalisation, that Motown succeeded because it was listened to by a wide audience around the world. This is because the topics that fuelled these songs were matters that involved the whole world. For example, the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement. They did this by breaking racial barriers so it was easier for them to become well known, not only in in the black community, but the USA and worldwide. This then paved the way for hip – hop and other genres since there are some elements of Motown in their songs. For example Coolio – Gangster's Paradise (MR2Ricky, 2006), has the same instrumental as Stevie Wonder – Pastime Paradise (V. CARACIK’S, 2008). "And it really informed the Beatles' melodies. So much of what pop music and popular culture became. I recommend everybody go back and look at those melodies and see where they find them today, because they're resurfacing and being remixed, basically, into new pop songs." Said singer-songwriter Jewel, whose released collection of original lullabies includes Motown influences (Householder, 2009). This shows the influence that Motown had and still has on music. For almost 60 years Tamla Motown has proved that black soul and R&B is universally popular. In Britain, this was especially true with its re-emergence in the 1980s as the Northern Soul Youth Craze (so called due to its popularity in the North West of England) (Donald, 2015).  However, globalisation can also have a negative effect on Motown since many people have used Motown as an influence but had also add other genres to it. This could then lose the sense of culture that is attached to Motown as it may be masked by other genres that it is mixed with.  

In the 60s, Soul and Blues music was mainly performed by white people but written by black artists. Elvis Presley and Jack Turner and His Granger County Gang were two of many artists to do this. This shows how cultural appropriation took place in the 50's. Since Motown was created by African – Americans at the time of racism towards them, I think that is what made them be able to become a household name because it was not something that they would regularly listen, if it was, then it was not sung or performed by black artists. This then made it something that everyone had to listen to because it was something new but also unexpected.  

Fashion in the 1960 had a very uniformed look for men and women. The women would usually wear pan suits with skirts between mid thigh and just at the knee. Men would wear smart suits or go for the smart – casual style.  This style can also be seen in the costumes used on stage. I think this was done to not stand out too much since they didn’t want to give themselves for people to not like them or to stop listening.  

Motown's privilege was that they were able to create a record company that meet their artists needs such being able to perform their own songs without having to use someone else and also having a record company that will help their race be successful. This helped because there was a lot of companies that do that so that made them broaden the amount of artists signed to their label. This in turn made them more powerful and noticeable as they were all working together to achieve the same goal. Motown not only represented music of black origin, it also represented the Civil Rights movement as they were in sync with the motion. They were both fighting for black rights in every aspect, including the music industry. By doing this, they gained the respect from not only their community but also worldwide and in exchange for the respect Motown received, they receive fame, success and recognisability. Since Motown was created in the 60s, technology was not of high standard. However, Motown did what was necessary to make as easy as possible for people to listen to their music . Such as, radio, vinyl and live shows. This made them very versatile which increased the number of people who listened on radios, bought vinyl's and watched live shows. 

In conclusion, I feel that Motown's success did affect music of black origin due to the fact that influences and elements of Motown are still used in the music that we hear today, whether it be an obvious or hidden reference. Also, the way that they do not use offensive language in there lyrics means that their music is able to be listened to by anyone of any age. The globalisation played a part in affection music of black origin because it was the way for Motown to be know among other artists, for them to take inspirations from the songs Motown released. Even though cultural appropriation is not a good thing, I think that it helped Motown as it made them stand out and take ownership of their music. This then brought in more attention to them since this is something that was new to America and the world. Fashion and technology also played a part in the success of Motown. On the other hand, Motown did not help music of black origin since there was restraints on the type of music you could make. This would not help Hip – Hop artists as their genre would not fit in with the soul and RnB genre that Motown produced and were known for. I think the reason as to why Motown's success affected music of black origin is because Motown was the foundation to music of black origin and without this change in the music industry, I think music today would be very different.  Motown served a great purpose helping black young artists get into the music business and have a successful career or at least the beginnings of a successful career (The good and bad of Motown records group of the 1960’s - the Sixties remembered – Sixties music, no date). It was simply a pathway for black artists to be heard and was a platform for great artist such as Michael Jackson, Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder. 

Bibliography 

Tamla Motown Gold: The Sound Of Young America (2001) . 

admin (2009) From Hitsville to hip hop: Ten rap classics that helped keep Motown relevant. Available at: http://rollingout.com/2009/01/30/from-hitsville-to-hip-hop-ten-rap-classics-that-helped-keep-motown-relevant/ (Accessed: 23 February 2017). 

admin and McIntyre, H. (2012) Ne-Yo talks about his Motown A&R gig, learning the ‘language of executive’. Available at: http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/1083800/ne-yo-talks-about-his-motown-ar-gig-learning-the-language-of-executive (Accessed: 23 February 2017). 

Anthony, R. (1999) INSERT ARTIST NAME at Randy’s rodeo. Available at: http://www.randysrodeo.com/features/motown/artists.php (Accessed: 24 February 2017). 

BBC (2013) Music - review of the Supremes - where did our love go. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/r5m5 (Accessed: 23 February 2017). 

Berlatsky, N. (no date) Elvis wasn’t the first to steal black music: 10 white artists who ‘borrowed’ from R&B before the king. Available at: http://www.salon.com/2014/05/17/elvis_wasnt_the_first/ (Accessed: 23 February 2017). 

Donald, H. (2015) Motown: Its true impact on the civil rights movement. Available at: http://manchesterhistorian.com/2015/motown-its-true-impact-on-the-civil-rights-movement-2/ (Accessed: 23 February 2017). 

Fontenot, R. (2016) The top 10 biggest Motown hits of all time the biggest smashes from the Motown label, and how they got that way. Available at: http://oldies.about.com/od/motownmusic/tp/The-Top-10-Motown-Hits-Of-All-Time.htm (Accessed: 18 February 2017). 

Group, P.M. (2012) The 25 best Motown tracks. Available at: https://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2012/01/25-best-motown-tracks.html (Accessed: 2 February 2017). 

Householder, M. (2009) Fifty years later, Motown’s influence continues to be felt. Available at: http://www.telegram.com/article/20090907/news/909070364 (Accessed: 23 February 2017). 

Lyrics (2017) Mothers finest - baby love lyrics. Available at: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/m/mothers_finest/baby_love.html (Accessed: 23 February 2017). 

LyricsDepot (2017) I heard it through the grapevine lyrics by Marvin Gaye. Available at: http://www.lyricsdepot.com/marvin-gaye/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine.html (Accessed: 23 February 2017). 

The Marvelettes (1961) Please Mr. Postman . 

MR2Ricky (2006) Coolio- gangster’s paradise. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6voHeEa3ig (Accessed: 23 February 2017). 

Museum, M. (2017) Motown music - the sound that changed America. Available at: http://www.motownmuseum.org/story/motown (Accessed: 17 February 2017). 

SongMango (2013) Where did our love go? Available at: http://songmango.com/where-did-our-love-go-review-by-the-supremes/ (Accessed: 23 February 2017). 

The good and bad of Motown records group of the 1960’s - the Sixties remembered – Sixties music (no date) Available at: http://www.loti.com/sixties_music/Good_and_Bad_of_Motown_Records.htm (Accessed: 24 February 2017). 

V. CARACIK’S (2008) Stevie wonder-pastime paradise. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_H3Sv2zad6s (Accessed: 23 February 2017). 

(No Date) Available at: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/marvingaye/ihearditthroughthegrapevine.html (Accessed: 23 February 2017). 

(No Date) Available at: http://www.udiscovermusic.com/playlists/what-made-motown-records-so-great (Accessed: 24 February 2017). 

Citations, Quotes & Annotations 

Tamla Motown Gold: The Sound Of Young America (2001) . 

(2001) 

admin (2009) From Hitsville to hip hop: Ten rap classics that helped keep Motown relevant. Available at: http://rollingout.com/2009/01/30/from-hitsville-to-hip-hop-ten-rap-classics-that-helped-keep-motown-relevant/ (Accessed: 23 February 2017). 

(admin, 2009) 

admin and McIntyre, H. (2012) Ne-Yo talks about his Motown A&R gig, learning the ‘language of executive’. Available at: http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/1083800/ne-yo-talks-about-his-motown-ar-gig-learning-the-language-of-executive (Accessed: 23 February 2017). 

(admin and McIntyre, 2012) 

Anthony, R. (1999) INSERT ARTIST NAME at Randy’s rodeo. Available at: http://www.randysrodeo.com/features/motown/artists.php (Accessed: 24 February 2017). 

(Anthony, 1999) 

BBC (2013) Music - review of the Supremes - where did our love go. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/r5m5 (Accessed: 23 February 2017). 

(BBC, 2013) 

Berlatsky, N. (no date) Elvis wasn’t the first to steal black music: 10 white artists who ‘borrowed’ from R&B before the king. Available at: http://www.salon.com/2014/05/17/elvis_wasnt_the_first/ (Accessed: 23 February 2017). 

(Berlatsky, no date) 

Donald, H. (2015) Motown: Its true impact on the civil rights movement. Available at: http://manchesterhistorian.com/2015/motown-its-true-impact-on-the-civil-rights-movement-2/ (Accessed: 23 February 2017). 

(Donald, 2015) 

Fontenot, R. (2016) The top 10 biggest Motown hits of all time the biggest smashes from the Motown label, and how they got that way. Available at: http://oldies.about.com/od/motownmusic/tp/The-Top-10-Motown-Hits-Of-All-Time.htm (Accessed: 18 February 2017). 

(Fontenot, 2016) 

Group, P.M. (2012) The 25 best Motown tracks. Available at: https://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2012/01/25-best-motown-tracks.html (Accessed: 2 February 2017). 

(Group, 2012) 

Householder, M. (2009) Fifty years later, Motown’s influence continues to be felt. Available at: http://www.telegram.com/article/20090907/news/909070364 (Accessed: 23 February 2017). 

(Householder, 2009) 

Lyrics (2017) Mothers finest - baby love lyrics. Available at: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/m/mothers_finest/baby_love.html (Accessed: 23 February 2017). 

(Lyrics, 2017) 

LyricsDepot (2017) I heard it through the grapevine lyrics by Marvin Gaye. Available at: http://www.lyricsdepot.com/marvin-gaye/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine.html (Accessed: 23 February 2017). 

(LyricsDepot, 2017) 

The Marvelettes (1961) Please Mr. Postman . 

(The Marvelettes, 1961) 

MR2Ricky (2006) Coolio- gangster’s paradise. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6voHeEa3ig (Accessed: 23 February 2017). 

(MR2Ricky, 2006) 

Museum, M. (2017) Motown music - the sound that changed America. Available at: http://www.motownmuseum.org/story/motown (Accessed: 17 February 2017). 

(Museum, 2017) 

SongMango (2013) Where did our love go? Available at: http://songmango.com/where-did-our-love-go-review-by-the-supremes/ (Accessed: 23 February 2017). 

(SongMango, 2013) 

The good and bad of Motown records group of the 1960’s - the Sixties remembered – Sixties music (no date) Available at: http://www.loti.com/sixties_music/Good_and_Bad_of_Motown_Records.htm (Accessed: 24 February 2017). 

(The good and bad of Motown records group of the 1960’s - the Sixties remembered – Sixties music, no date) 

V. CARACIK’S (2008) Stevie wonder-pastime paradise. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_H3Sv2zad6s (Accessed: 23 February 2017). 

(V. CARACIK’S, 2008) 

(No Date) Available at: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/marvingaye/ihearditthroughthegrapevine.html (Accessed: 23 February 2017). 

([CSL STYLE ERROR: reference with no printed form.]) 

(No Date) Available at: http://www.udiscovermusic.com/playlists/what-made-motown-records-so-great (Accessed: 24 February 2017). 

([CSL STYLE ERROR: reference with no printed form.])