The Role of Visual Identity in Music Perception
A Talk with Specialists on Song Likability, Perceived Quality and Emotional Reactions
Copyright (c) 2023 Adrian Cheţan, Ioana Iancu
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Since the music industry is oversaturated, the role of branding becomes of great importance. Although of a paramount value for success, the influence of visual identity on contemporary music perception is still poorly discussed. The present paper aims to exploratory assess the role of visual elements on the way music is perceived. Sixteen semi-structured interviews with music specialist are conducted. The primary topic approached refers to the role of visual identity in terms of song likability, perceived music quality and emotional reactions. The results suggest that branding may help in the differentiation process by creating memorability and clarity on the market. However, for a valuable creative product, there must be a balance between shaping the brand identity and maintaining the artist’s authenticity.
Keywords:
How to Cite
References
Aaker, D. (2014). Aaker on Branding. 20 Principles that Drive Success. New York, Morgan James Publishing.
Aaker, D. A. (2012). Building Strong Brands. New York, Simon and Schuster.
Adams, B. L. (1994). The Effect of Visual/Aural Conditions on the Emotional Response to Music. The Florida State University.
Allen, P. (2018). Artist Management for the Music Business. New York: Routledge.
Baker, B. (2005). Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook. St. Louis, MO, Spotlight Publications.
Beeching, A. M. (2010). Beyond Talent. Creating a Successful Career in Music. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Boltz, M. G., Ebendorf, B. & Field, B. (2009). Audiovisual Interactions: The Impact of Visual Information on Music Perception and Memory. Music Perception, 27(1), 43–59. Online: https://doi.org/10.1525/mp.2009.27.1.43
Borg, B. (2020). Music Marketing for the DIY Musician. Creating and Executing a Plan of Attack on a Low Budget. Lanham, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Britten, A. (2009). Working in the Music Industry. London, Hachette UK.
Brown, B. & Sellen, A. (2006). Sharing and Listening to Music. In O’Hara, K. & Brown, B. (eds.): Consuming Music Together. 37–56. Dordrecht, Springer. Online: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4097-0_3
Carter, D. (2017). There’s More to Sir Elton John’s New Logo than Meets the Eye. Creative Bloq, 04 July 2017. Online: https://www.creativebloq.com/news/theres-more-to-sir-elton-johns-new-logo-than-meets-the-eye
Chertkow, R. & Feehan, J. (2012). The Indie Band Survival Guide. The Complete Manual for the Do-It-Yourself Musician. St. Martin’s Griffin.
De Chernatony, L., McDonald, M. & Wallace, E. (2010). Creating Powerful Brands. London – New York, Routledge.
Dobric, M. (2020). 21 Awesome DJ Logos to Get Your Ideas Flowing. LogoMaker. Online: https://logomaker.org/dj-logos/
Ellis, E. S. (2013). Preference between Audio-Visual Recorded Performance and Audio-Only Recorded Performance. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Online: https://scholar.utc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1396&context=theses
Finnäs, L. (2001). Presenting Music Live, Audio-Visually or Aurally – Does It Affect Listeners’ Experiences Differently? British Journal of Music Education, 18(1), 55–78. Online: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0265051701000146
Frith, S. (2007). Live Music Matters. Scottish Music Review, 1(1). Online: https://doi.org/10.3166/Reseaux141-142.179-201
Galletta, A. (2013). Mastering the Semi-Structured Interview and Beyond. New York – London, New York University Press. Online: https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9780814732939.001.0001
Gillespie, R. (1997). Ratings of Violin and Viola Vibrato Performance in Audio-Only and Audiovisual Presentations. Journal of Research in Music Education, 45(2), 212–220. Online: https://doi.org/10.2307/3345581
Godin, S. (2009). Purple Cow. Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable. New York – London, Penguin.
Haynes, J. & Marshall, L. (2018). Reluctant Entrepreneurs: Musicians and Entrepreneurship in the ‘New’ Music Industry. The British Journal of Sociology, 69(2), 459–482. Online: https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-4446.12286
Hughes, D., Keith, S., Morrow, G., Evans, M. & Crowdy, D. (2013). What Constitutes Artist Success in the Australian Music Industries? International Journal of Music Business Research, 2(2), 61–80. Online: http://hdl.handle.net/10453/117738
Hunt, N. & McHale, S. (2007). A Practical Guide to the E-Mail Interview. Qualitative Health Research, 17(10), 1415–1421. Online: https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732307308761
Hutchison, T. (2013). Web Marketing for the Music Business. New York, Routledge. Online: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780240823850
Iwamiya, S. I. (1994). Interactions between Auditory and Visual Processing when Listening to Music in an
Audiovisual Context: 1. Matching 2. Audio Quality. Psychomusicology: A Journal of Research in Music Cognition, 13(1–2), 133–153. Online: https://doi.org/10.1037/h0094098
Jackson, J. (2012). The 50 Best Band Logos of All Time. Paste Magazine, 10 May 2012. Online: https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/logos/the-50-best-band-logos-of-all-time/?p=4
Johnson, C. (2019). Platform. The Art and Science of Personal Branding. New York, Lorena Jones Books.
Juchniewicz, J. (2008). The Influence of Physical Movement on the Perception of Musical Performance. Psychology of Music, 36(4), 417–427. Online: https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735607086046
Khedher, M. (2014). Personal Branding Phenomenon. International Journal of Information, Business and Management, 6(2), 29–40.
Kvale, S. (1994). InterViews. An Introduction to Qualitative Research Interviewing. Thousand Oaks, Sage Publications.
Landa, R. (2006). Branding. 10 Truths Behind Successful Brands. Amazon Shorts.
Lee, J. H., Pritchard, L. & Hubbles, C. (2019). Can We Listen to It Together? Factors Influencing Reception of Music Recommendations and Post-Recommendation Behavior. Proceedings of the 20th ISMIR Conference. Delft, Netherlands. 663–669.
Lieb, K. J. (2018). The Modern Music Industry. In Gender, Branding, and the Modern Music Industry. New York, Routledge. 76–107. Online: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315160580
Meier, L. M. (2017). Popular Music as Promotion. Music and Branding in the Digital Age. New York, John Wiley & Sons.
Meler, M. & Škoro, M. (2013). (R)evolution of Music Marketing. In Grbac, B., Lončarić, D. & Dlačić, J. (eds.): 23rd Cromar Congress: Marketing in a Dynamic Environment – Academic and Practical Insights. 52–65. Online: https://doi.org/10.13140/2.1.1186.5600
Moore, J. (2010). The Impact of Visual-Music Interaction on Music Perception: The Influence of Agreement and Disagreement. Master thesis, Graduate Faculty of Baylor University. Online: https://baylor-ir.tdl.org/bitstream/handle/2104/8043/jordan_moore_masters.pdf?sequence=1
Moriarty, J. (2011). Qualitative Methods Overview. NIHR School for Social Care Research. London, U.K.
Morris, J. W. (2005). Making the Brand. Exploring the Role of Branding in Popular Music. Ryerson University.
Morris, J. W. (2015). Selling Digital Music, Formatting Culture. Berkeley, University of California Press. Online: https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520962934
Nisbett, R. E. & Wilson, T. D. (1977). The Halo Effect: Evidence for Unconscious Alteration of Judgments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 35(4), 250–256. Online: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.35.4.250
Opdenakker, R. (2006). Advantages and Disadvantages of Four Interview Techniques in Qualitative Research. Qualitative Social Research, 7(4). Online: https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-7.4.175
Platz, F. & Kopiez, R. (2012). When the Eye Listens: A Meta-Analysis of How Audio-Visual Presentation Enhances the Appreciation of Music Performance. Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 30(1), 71–83. Online: https://doi.org/10.1525/mp.2012.30.1.71
Qu, S. Q. & Dumay, J. (2011). The Qualitative Research Interview. Qualitative Research in Accounting and Management, 8(3), 238–264. Online: https://doi.org/10.1108/11766091111162070
Rogers, J. (2013). The Death and Life of the Music Industry in the Digital Age. London, Bloomsbury.
Rowles, D. (2018). Digital Branding. A Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Strategy, Tactics, Tools and Measurement. London, Kogan Page Publishers.
Rutter, P. (2016). The Music Industry Handbook. New York, Routledge.
Schroeder, J. E. (2005). The Artist and the Brand. European Journal of Marketing, 39(11–12), 1291–1305. Online: https://doi.org/10.1108/03090560510623262
Sicard, M.-C. (2012). Brand Revolution. Rethinking Brand Identity. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan.
Taylor, C. (2013). The Importance of Imagery and Branding. Online: https://www.musicgateway.net/blog/130/The-Importance-of-Imagery-and-Branding
Thompson, W. F., Graham, P. & Russo, F. A. (2005). Seeing Music Performance: Visual Influences on Perception and Experience. Semiotica, (156), 203–227. Online: https://doi.org/10.1515/semi.2005.2005.156.203
Thorndike, E. L. (1920). A Constant Error in Psychological Ratings. Journal of Applied Psychology, 4(1), 25–29. Online: https://doi.org/10.1037/h0071663
Trevor, C. & Plazak, J. (2016). Imprinting Emotion on Music: Transferring Affective Information from Sight to Sound. International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition.
Turri, A. M., Smith, K. H. & Kemp, E. (2013). Developing Affective Brand Commitment Through Social Media. Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, 14(3), 201–214.
Waddell, G. & Williamon, A. (2017). Eye of the Beholder: Stage Entrance Behavior and Facial Expression Affect Continuous Quality Ratings in Music Performance. Frontiers in Psychology, 8. Online: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00513
Wapnick, J., Campbell, L., Siddell-Strebel, J. & Darrow, A. A. (2009). Effects of Non-Musical Attributes and Excerpt Duration on Ratings of High-Level Piano Performances. Musicae Scientiae, 13(1), 35–54. Online: https://doi.org/10.1177/1029864909013001002
Wheeler, A. (2017). Designing Brand Identity: An Essential Guide for the Whole Branding Team. New York, John Wiley & Sons.
Young, S. D. (2018). A Work of Art in the Age of Technological Disruption: The Future of Work in the Music Industry. MEIEA Journal, 18(1), 73–104. Online: https://doi.org/10.25101/18.3
