Key Changes - Ancillaries

1980's

 When looking at both Aerosmith and Sonic Youth and it becomes apparent that simplicity is what was expected within the bands ancillaries.
Within Aerosmith's poster the colour scheme is black and white which is emphasising their rock genre and band identity. The lack of colour within the poster is conventional within the rock genres as the main theme throughout many rock bands is rebellion and a careless approach to life.
The picture within the poster is of the band members which would attract an audience as it would remind them of the talents within the band, making them want to attend the concert. The image of the band takes up half of the poster making an audience member question what is being shown. This is attracting more emphasis on the band and the identity they are trying to establish. The style of the clothing the band are wearing were not seen as fashionable within the 80's, this is emphasising how rock bands are against the conformities of society and are seen as 'out of the norms'. This again, would attract an audience member who would familiarise themselves with the band. Applying the uses and gratification theory to the poster as the audience member can escape through the bands music and their identity.

All the typography is at the bottom of the poster. An audience member would automatically be drawn to the text first, due to the large, standard font stating the bands name. Additional information of the concert is underneath the bands name which can be easily read by an audience member who is interested in attending. There is no mentioning of a special guest who is going alongside the band, therefore this is suggesting that separate bands who also perform before the main performance has become an expectation as the years progress.

When looking at the vinyl for Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation it is obvious that simplicity is what was the main focus for the album cover. The use of a single lit candle links to the typography mentioning the title of the album 'Daydream Nation'. Candles are associated with being dreamy and romantic, setting an overall theme for the album. The main subject of the album also links to track 9 of the album which is named 'Candle'. This would only be noticed by someone who listens to the album. It is also apparent that surrounding the candle there is darkness, this could possibly attract an audience member who would categorise themselves within the 'strugglers' demographic as they would see the album as something to help them escape their worries, therefore, applying the uses and gratification theory to the albums artwork.
Within the back of the album there is yet another image of a candle. This is creating a relaxing atmosphere throughout the artwork. The imagery being calm contrasts with the rock music within the album. There is no track list on the back of the album, it is seen on the vinyl. This was conventional within the 80's.

It is apparent that on both disks it hold an image, one being an infinity sign and the other being a character being both a devil and an angel. The infinity sign could be explaining how the music on the album will not die down and their target audience will always enjoy the music. The devil/ angel could connote how the band want their target audience to identify themselves, the devil side being how they are when they listen to the rebellious genre of music and the angel when they are conforming within society.

1990's

 There is a clear difference between the posters and digipaks from the 80's through to the 90's. The use of colour had become something rock/ indie bands have incorporated within their art work. Blue, yellow and orange have all been used within both Oasis' and Blur's ancillaries.
With the indie genre being out of the norms and not conforming to what is expected within society, it is conventional for bands to refer back to previous eras. The Pop Art Movement first originated in the early 60's which was a phenomenon for becoming one of the most recognisable styles of art. This could possibly be why both bands have used such vibrant colours within their art work.
Bands who categorise themselves within the Pop genre such as 'Backstreet Boys' and many other bands within the 90's focused mainly on the bands identity. This may be due to their target audience aiming towards a younger audience and they would appreciate having the band members on the poster to look at and have in their room. However, the use of the queen wearing a sash with 'Oasis' written on it is emphasising how the band target a variation of audience members, possibly even the queen. The effectiveness of using the queen on the poster is what attracts an older audience, yet the text showing the bands name would draw the focus of a younger audience member who may not acknowledge the queen as much.
Having the queen also emphasises the Britishness of the bands identity. This would attract audience members who are also British and therefore they may be able to relate more to the lyrics sung within their concert. The uses and gratification theory can be applied here as they can listen for escapism purposes.
The typography on the poster is small, this may be because the queen is a very important figure and they do not want the focus to be taken away from the text written on her sash.
The blue and orange font links in with the colours within the image, this therefore makes it easy for an audience member to view and find the additional information.

Within the Blur 'Leisure' Vinyl there is a colour theme of blue and orange throughout. The classic, clean feel to the album was juxtaposing the trends of fashion within the 90's. The popularity of grunge and alternative rock music helped bring the simple, unkempt grunge look into the mainstream by 1994. The clean, composed female on the front of the vinyl is going against the popular trends within the era yet she seems not to care and is continuing with her 50's inspired look. This could attract a female who doesn't want to dress the mainstream way and wants to keep her own identity. The uses and gratification theory can be applied as she may feel as if she can relate to the female presented.
Charles Hewitt photographed the female in May 1954 for a Picture Post fashion feature on bathing hats, "Glamour In The Swim". Therefore, the band used an old image which some may have previously seen, making them want to listen to the album as they recognise the image (cultivation theory). The old image also adds a retro feel to the alum cover, making them conform to an older audience.
The image on the front of the cover links to the title of the album 'Leisure' which makes the overall feel of the album more understandable. With the vinyl being blue, this is effective as it refers back to the front cover as the pool is blue, making the whole album feel well balanced.

2000's
 It is apparent that Kings of Leon have been inspired by the 60's when designing their concert poster. The use of psychedelic inspired typography would attract an older audience as they would feel that their music would conform to their age bracket. It is conventional for the indie/ alternative rock genre to refer back to previous eras for inspiration as the genre does not conform within the modern expectations of society. This would therefore attract an audience member who would feel they do not fit in within society and could escape through the music of Kings of Leon, therefore the uses and gratification theory is being applied.
The male gaze can be applied within this poster which can attract the attention of their male dominated target audience. A natural looking, young, attractive female has been added to look as if she is talking about the band and their upcoming concert, this could make a male attend the concert as they could possibly believe there will be attractive females also there.
The small majority of the female audience members could relate to the female shown as they may be an active audience member of the band and they could visualise themselves talking about the concert. The uses and gratification theory can be applied to the female audience as they could relate their own lifestyle to the female.

Orange is a colour often seen in the art work of indie artists, for example it is seen in Blurs - Leisure album cover. It is conventional within the indie genre as it was a colour often used within the 70's. The faintly mournful "autumn" colour palette - dark orange, oxblood, copper, brown, harvest gold, avocado green became symbolic of the decade.
As well as attracting an older target audience, younger members could also be intrigued by the poster as they would not be as familiar with the representation of the era, making them read further into the text.
The additional text giving further information about the band is written in a smaller, yellow print. The use of showing all the locations where the concerts will be held could make an audience member realise that the band are very successful worldwide. This could create a potential audience member to research the band further and also start to enjoy their music. At the top of the poster it mentions '2007 Tour', this makes it clear to the audience that the tour is current and something not to be missed.

When looking at the types of album covers within the early 2000's, It had become apparent that bands wouldn't photograph themselves for the album, instead they would have a painting or photograph of a specific subject. Another example of a band that had done this is Interpol in their 'Our Love to Admire' album released in 2007 and Kings of Leon - Because of the Times.
The album cover is in the style of a King playing card, this connotes power through the king and also wealth through the skill of playing cards. Their male dominated target audience would relate to this album cover as it emphasises masculinity. The female being represented as the damsel in distress (Props 8 Stock Characters) is again creating the male to look like he has the authority and is the hero. This would attract an older target audience as it is sticking to the old fashioned, classic way of gender stereotypes. The soft atmosphere created with the biblical style of painting when looking towards the female contrasts with the more modern drawing of the male.

The typography of the bands name is in a different style to previous eras. The block, bold font creates a rock, harsh feel to the album, it is noticeable from the outset that this album cover is more alternative and rock. The 'K' within the title and the 'K' within the representation of 'king' is written also in the same font, creating the album to have a harmonious feel.
The typography stating 'Empire' is written in the style of old handwriting originating back many years. This emphasises the historic feel to the album. Similar to the Sonic Youth album cover named Candle due to it being the name of a song, Kasabian named their album based on the first song within their track list. This is therefore showing that within this genre it is conventional stemming back to the 80's that the title of the album is also a name of a song.
The disk within the album is red which links to the ribbon stating the bands name at the front. And there is an 'E' which is the first letter of the albums name, in the same typography to the one shown at the front of the album, which helps bring the albums art work together.
At the back of the album there is the track list which has been written horizontally, this creates a more fluent visual that looks like script. This is therefore relating back to the historic feel to the album. Within 2000's it was not conventional for the track list to be horizontal. Within every Snow Patrol album for example, the track list is vertical. This is therefore showing that Kasabian are trying to subvert the conventions of the rock genre. The patterns surrounding the track list were often seen in previous eras, this is emphasising the classic feel to the album.

2014

 Within the Kodaline concert poster and The Kooks - Listen album, they both focus their art work on basic subjects which are easy for an audience member to relate to.
The main subject within Kodaline's concert poster is the band on the beach, having fun. Using an extended shutter speed of the camera had created the image to be blurred, emphasising them enjoying themselves. An audience member would feel as if they could join in on the fun if they attend the concert and escape, therefore the uses and gratification theory is being applied here.
It is effective for the location being a beach as it emphasises their genre being Indie. Conventions of this genre is to not be a part of the mainstream music. With a beach being out of the way from many cities, many feel more free to do what they want and they gain a sense of freedom. Imagery of the beach is what gives an audience member a sense of escapism from their busy day to day lives. This is effective as the stereotypical audience members who listen to Indie music categorise themselves within the 'Strugglers' demographic.
Typography of the poster is written in the same font the band always use within their branding. An active audience member would recognise this and notice straight away that the band are touring.
Additional information about the bands gigs is written underneath the image in a medium size font. This goes against the previous conventions of the Indie genre when creating a poster as normally text is much smaller, only to be read by people more interested in the band. Having a larger size font allows people passing the poster to process the band and their location, making them think about attending the concert.
Further information about the band and buying tickets is written at the bottom of the poster, so an audience member would be able to easily find a way to buy a ticket.
'Plus Special Guests' is something that had recently been seen in many concert posters. In previous eras, special guests did not attend. For example, in the 80's Aerosmith did not have any extra acts along side of them.

Blue and pink is the colour scheme for this poster. Both colours harmonise well together, creating a relaxed, laid back feel to the poster. In previous posters such as Kings of Leon - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, bold use of colouring had been used as it was seen to be conventional in past eras. However Kodaline had created a washed, smooth use of colouring in order to create an atmospheric poster.

It has become conventional within the Indie genre throughout the years that bands use animated artwork on their album covers. Taking inspiration from the 80's whereby a single object is used as the main focus of the album for example Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation, a modernised twist through editing has created a more alternative, trendy feel to the album. Symbolism of using body parts in a scientific diagram instead of a conventional heart shape is what sets the Indie genre apart from mainstream music. The raw, insides of a real life heart connotes the style of music as being from the heart and personal. An example of an artist who uses body parts within her imagery is Florence and the Machine in her 'Lungs' album.

Within the heart diagram there is small written print stating 'listen' in different languages. Many audience members from different backgrounds would be able to relate to the text and understand. The effectiveness of this is that the brand can target people worldwide. Audience members who live in England but originate from a different country could find a sense of escapism through the album as it creates them to think back to a country they may be happiest. The uses and gratification theory can be applied to this.

The back of this album is simple with the track list being horizontal. A horizontal track list isn't often seen in Indie albums, however the band Kasabian also used this style of placement of text. Separating the titles of the songs is a blue dot. Blue links to the colour scheme at the front and on the CD.
The CD is blue which links to the front of the album. Also, the same conventional typography of the band is being used. Allowing the album to have a smooth theme throughout.

80's - Present Day
Throughout this research I have grasped an understanding of how the Indie genre has been able to target their audience through their ancillaries. I have also learnt that they are able to continuously use certain factors to attract an active audience to make them aware that the genre is indie.
From the 80's it was conventional for the band to show the members within the poster as this would grasp an audience members attention. However, as the years progress, it becomes apparent that the use of animations and prints of specific objects is what became conventional of the Indie genre. Simplicity is an ongoing motif within posters and album covers as the Indie genre is very stripped back and the main focus is the ideology put across within the song.

Colour schemes have also changed throughout the eras. Within the 80's it was expected for the poster and album to have minimal colour as this indicates to an audience that the genre is more serious. This gains the attention of the stereotypical audience member who categorises within the 'strugglers' demographic. Colour started to play an important role within ancillaries when approaching the 90's. Vibrant colours was used to grab an audiences attention and make them look further into the poster or album. Yellows, oranges and blues where popular as they subverted the expectations of the rock genre being negative and aggressive. Therefore, within my own ancillary I will be using similar colours seen in posters such as Oasis. This also helps the band target a mass audience who are interested in a more positive approach to music.
As the years progress into the early 2000's, bands such as Kings of Leon take inspiration from the 60's  which emphasises how the Indie genre do not categorise themselves within mainstream music. This controversial style of art work is attracting an audience member who would see themselves as 'out of the norms' and who doesn't fit within society.
The names of the albums have also progressed throughout the years. As the years developed into the 2000's the artists would name their album based on a song on the track list. This enables an audience member to get a sense of what the albums overall feel will be like.

A regular, standard font was first seen within the 80's as this links to the theme of the Indie genre being personal and focusing only on the lyrics. It becomes apparent that as the years progress that the bands typography is conventional based on their brands ideology. This attracts an active audience member as they would recognise the typography and instantly realise it is the bands advertisement.