Richard Dyer on Music Videos

When we were learning about stars and stardom we looked at a man called Richard Dyer  who has written lots about the role of stars in film, TV and music.

He claimed that:
- a star is an image, not a real person - they are created
- stars are commodities produced and consumed by their fans

When a record company is trying to promote a star they depend upon a range of subsidiary media - magazines, TV, radio, the internet - in order to construct an image for themselves which can be marketed to their target audiences.

When creating a music video company's use star images to promote a certain look.

Major themes in music videos are:

1. Youthfulness
2. Rebellion
3. Sexual magnetism
4. Anti-authoritarian
5. Originality
6. Aggression
7. Disregard to social values
8. Consumption 
9. Success
10. Creativity

The star image is incoherent (it is not complete). This is because fans of the "star" are constantly changing what they want to listen to and see in the music videos and in order to make money, the star has to change regularly to meet the demands of the people. It also enables fans to want to know more about the artist which makes them want to buy into the star image.

The star's image is based upon two paradoxes: the star being simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary and what is present and what is left unsaid.