Rock Brands

Rock Brands: Selling Sound in a Media Saturated Culture, edited by Elizabeth Barfoot Christian, is an edited collection that explores how different genres of popular music are branded and marketed today. The book's core objectives are addressed over three sections. In the first part of Rock Brands, the authors examine how established mainstream artists/bands are continuing to market themselves in an ever-changing technological world, and how bands can use integrated marketing communication to effectively 'brand' themselves. This branding is intended as a protection so that technology and delivery changes don't stifle the bands' success. KISS, AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne, Phish, and Miley Cyrus are all popular musical influences considered in this part of the analysis. In the second section, the authors explore how some musicians effectively use attention-grabbing issues such as politics (for example, Kanye West and countless country musicians) and religion (such as with Christian heavy metal bands and Bon Jovi) in their lyrics, and also how imagery is utilized by artists such as Marilyn Manson to gain a fan base. Finally, the book will explore specific changes in the media available to market music today (see M.I.A. and her use of new media) and, similarly, how these resources can benefit music icons even after they are long gone, as with Elvis and Michael Jackson. Rock Brands further examines gaming, reality television, and social networking sites as new outlets for marketing and otherwise experiencing popular music. What makes some bands stand out and succeed when so many fail? How does one find a niche that isn't just kitsch and can stand the test of time, allowing the musician to grow as an artist as well as grow a substantial fan base? Elizabeth Barfoot Christian and the book's contributors expertly navigate these questions and more in Rock Brands: Selling Sound in a Media Saturated Culture.

Rock Brands: Selling Sound in a Media Saturated Culture, edited by Elizabeth Barfoot Christian, explores how different genres of popular music are branded and marketed today. The authors provide research explaining how established mainstream artists and bands, from Christian heavy metal bands to Kanye West to Marilyn Manson, are continuing to market themselves in an ever-changing technological world, and how such bands can use integrated marketing communication to effectively 'brand' themselves to prevent technology and delivery changes from stifling their success. Rock Brands further addresses the use of religious and political words and images to gain an audience, as well as the latest technological influences of gaming, reality television, and social networking websites.

Chapter 1 IntroductionPart 2 Part I: Leaving a Lasting Impression-Why Branding WorksChapter 3 Chapter One: KISS Your Money Goodbye: Why fans can't get enough of the biggest rock brand in historyChapter 4 Chapter Two: Highway to Heavenly Profits: The marriage of AC/DC and Wal-MartChapter 5 Chapter Three: The family Osbourne: A narrative of domesticity tames and enriches the godfather of heavy metalChapter 6 Chapter Four: "Moving her hips, like, yeah": Can Miley Survive the Hannah Brand?Chapter 7 Chapter Five: Birds of a Feather? Positioning Phish in Relation to the Grateful Dead in Rolling Stone Album ReviewsChapter 8 Chapter Six: Fandom of the Internet: Musician Communication with FansPart 9 Part II: Image is Everything-How Religion and Politics Play in Pop Music CultureChapter 10 Chapter Seven: Manson's R + J: Shakespeare, Marilyn Manson, and the Fine Art of ScapegoatingChapter 11 Chapter Eight: Leading People to Rock: Evangelism in the Music of Bon JoviChapter 12 Chapter Nine: It's Still Rock and Roll to Me: Christian Heavy Metal and the Problem of AuthenticityChapter 13 Chapter Ten: Sight and Sound: How a Louis Vuitton Advertisement Defines Rock and RollChapter 14 Chapter Eleven: Kanye West: A Critical Analysis of a Cultural Icon's Rhetoric and CelebrityChapter 15 Chapter Twelve: Country Crooners and FOX NewsPart 16 Part III: Outlasting Your 15 Minutes-Making the Medium Work for You in Life and DeathChapter 17 Chapter Thirteen: "If You Catch Me At The Border I Got Visas In My Name": Borders, Boundaries, and the Production of M.I.A.Chapter 18 Chapter Fourteen: Your 'American Idol': The Intersection Between Reality Television, Ideology and the Music Industry in Popular CultureChapter 19 Chapter Fifteen: Gaming the Guitar: Aerosmith, Metallica, The Beatles, and the Music Video Game RevolutionChapter 20 Chapter Sixteen: How Much Does It Cost If It's Free? The Selling (Out) of Elvis PresleyChapter 21 Chapter Seventeen: Death in Digital: Michael Jackson, 21st Century Celebrity Death, and the Hero's JourneyChapter 22 AcknowledgementsChapter 23 About the ContributorsChapter 24 About the EditorChapter 25 Index