Analysis of a Music Promotional Package

I am going to analyse the music promotional package for the band JLS. This is the first album for the band JLS, who rose to fame after coming second on The X Factor in 2008.

Album Cover



This is JLS's first album cover and they have kept it very simple. It is a photography of each of the band members, all staring straight at the camera, and has been covered with a blue-ish tint. As the album has no title, just their name, "JLS", this has been made large and bold and placed at the top so that it will grab your attention when you look at it, so you know immediately who's album it is. "JLS" is underlined with a line of 4 different colours, this represents that their is 4 members of the band, and each one is an individual and has their own qualities. The star to the left of the word "JLS" could simply show that they are up and coming stars, even though they are a relatively new band.

I think that the reason they have kept it so simple with just a picture of the 4 band members is because this is their main selling point, that they are attractive young men that girls will fancy. The are represented as being well groomed, friendly and that they take pride in their appearance, and by looking at the photo you instantly know that this isn't going to be an album of the rap genre, you know straight away that they are a pretty non-offensive pop boyband.

Print advert

Here is a print advert advertising their debut album. It appeared Heat magazine in the 14th-20th November issue. I don't have a scanner so had to photograph the advert, so the white lines are from the cameras flash and are not on the advert itself.

This print advert is extremely similar to their album cover. It is the same photograph of the band, with the same blue/grey tint to it. The only difference this time is that they have added some key details about the album - its release date, the fact that its their first album, and two examples of songs on it. Their singles "Beat Again" and "Everybody In Love" are displayed on this advert as these are their two singles that have both reached number 1 in the UK singles chart. Also included in smaller print at the bottom of the advert is their official website address, this gives the audience an opportunity to go online and find out more about the band and their new album. The typeface used is very clear and easy to read, in a simple font and large size so no on should have any trouble reading it, and having it white on a black background makes it even easier to read.

Having a print advert so closely resembling their album cover really helps to strengthen their brand identity and create/develop their star image.

Music Video

JLS - Beat Again [2009]

Mise en scene - The video is set in what looks like a disused warehouse, and shows JLS dancing to the song in front of various coloured lights. The dance choreography involves moves revolving around heartbeats, corresponding to the title "Beat Again" and the songs lyrics. The band members are wearing blue and grey clothing, such as unbuttoned skirts showing some of their chest, jeans and trainers, giving them a relaxed yet attractive look. The lighting of the set is very dark apart from the coloured lights, this could be to hide flaws in the set on account of a low budget, as this was their first single release so they didn't know if it would be successful and make money or not. Sometimes, such as 0:15, lighting has been used to create a silhouette of the boys, where they have been lit from behind but not from the front.

Cinematography - Low camera angles are used throughout, perhaps to cover up the fact their not that tall. Lots of mid shots and close ups are used of the boys faces and bodys, to show how attractive they are to the audience. Wide shots are used throughout of all the band members dancing their routine, as it is completely performance based so seeing the choreography of the boys dance routine is crucial.

Editing/Visual effects - As the song has an upbeat mood, it is edited using fast-cut montage using loads of different quick and snappy shots of the band members, so many that one viewing may not be enough to grasp all the images, so multiple viewing is likely. There are very little/no visual effects in this music video, because it is performance based so they are not really needed.

Relationship between lyrics and visuals - There is a strong relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, and this is mostly shown through their dancing. An example of this is at 0:56, where it says "telling me that my heart won't beat again" and they imitate a heart beating using their hands on their chest.

Relationship between music and the visuals - There is a fairly strong relationship between the the music and the visuals -the camera shots generally change to go with the beat of the song. Longer shots are used when the music tempo slows down, then when it picks up again quick snappy shots are used.

Genre characteristics of the music style - This music video is very typical of pop bands music videos. It is performance based, as most of them are, and features lots of close ups of the band itself as their good looks are one of their main selling points, and the fact they come across as charming and sweet.

Representation - The four band members of JLS are represented as good looking young men, who are charming and athletic and can dance well. They are non offensive, and overall look very mainstream and look like a typical boyband, and are represented as the ideal boyfriend that a teen girl would want - attractive, caring and talented. They are all mixed race, which challenges the stereotype that boy bands usually just have white men in them, such as Westlife, Boyzone, Take That, Nsync, and Backstreet Boys.

Audience - The target audience that this music video is intended for is tween girls aged 9-12, teenage girls aged 13-18, and perhaps some women aged 18-30 who like boybands. It is aimed at heterosexual females, but also perhaps to a lesser extent, homosexual males.