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Joe McElderry and Rage Against the Machine: a most unlikely chart battle!
In this scheme of work Stephen Hill compares the campaign for Joe McElderry’s ‘The Climb’ (UK number two, Christmas 2009) and Rage Against the Machine’s ‘Killing in the Name’ (UK number one, Christmas 2009). He considers the ways in which the marketing of the two songs reflects very different strategies for the promotion of pop music in the 21st Century.
This is explored in relation to the key concepts of audience, institution, forms and conventions and representations. In particular, detailed consideration is given to the synergy between television and digital media in the promotion of pop-product and the role of Web 2 and social networking in shaping the direction of media consumption.
Each lesson is hyperlinked to appropriate online resources, features colour illustrations, lesson objectives, activities and discussion points. At the end of the sequence it is anticipated that students could write a comparative analysis of the campaign and complete a portfolio of practical tasks including a photo shoot, magazine cover and design for a web-site homepage.
Lesson One: Introducing Joe McElderry and Rage Against the Machine
Objective: to explore the importance of audience in the promotion of popular music.
The...
