Music video: Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor

 Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band from Sheffield. The lead singer is called Alex Turner. Since forming in 2002, they have released six albums and won seven Brit Awards. They were one of the first bands to come to the public’s attention due to the internet, heralding a new way that bands are produced and marketed.

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor is their first single from debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not released with niche, independent record label Domino. The album was released in January 2006 and went straight to number 1 selling over 350,000 copies in its first week.

Unlike BLACKPINK, Arctic Monkeys weren’t put together by an entertainment company, they were all friends from school. They formed in 2002 and wrote songs based on their lives and what they saw on nights out in Sheffield. They played pubs and small venues in and around Sheffield, and built up a huge following online using Myspace. You can read more about the Myspace phenomenon on Forbes here.



This background video on the Arctic Monkeys is relevant for us up until around 3mins 30:

Video analysis and audience appeal

The power of the internet

• Social Media was only starting to be introduced in the early 2000s.
• You could chat to people with similar interests on chatroom or forums.
• You used AOL or MSN Messenger to talk to your friends, send emojis and share pictures and music.
• Myspace was released in 2003 and was one of the first major social networking sites. Myspace was used by bands and artists to gain fans without the need for a record company.
• Arctic Monkeys' music was shared on P2P sites, though this wasn’t known by the band or promoted when they found out. It allowed their music to be heard by a much wider audience.
• The sharing of their music encouraged people to talk about and share their music, which created a buzz about the band.
• Their fan base moved online, creating online communities where they could share songs and information.

Arctic Monkeys: performance video

• This is a performance video designed to look like a 1980s TV performance on programmes such as Top of the Pops or The Old Grey Whistle Test. It was filmed using old 1980s Ikegami 3-tube colour TV cameras to give it an authentic, nostalgic effect.
• The simple performance video subverts music video conventions that became steadily more complicated and narrative-based in the 1980s and 1990s.
• It opens with the singer introducing the song and adding the words 'Don't believe the hype'. This could be a reference to the online following the band built up using Myspace.  

Audience 

• Arctic Monkeys' audience are likely to be predominantly white, middle class and reasonably young. Psychographic groups might include Reformers and Explorers. Recent global success pushed the band into bigger psychographic groups such as Mainstreamers.
• Audience pleasures would include diversion - the song is upbeat and fast-paced. Fans who followed the band from the early days might find a sense of personal relationship while many young people would get a sense of personal identity from the lyrics to the song (about going out to a club and drinking).
• Older fans would enjoy a sense of nostalgia from the 1980s-style performance video.

Industries 

Convergence and technology

• Technological convergence is the development of technology (such as phones and tablets) that allows us to access all types of media through one device. This has fundamentally changed the way music videos are produced, consumed and shared. 
• Technological convergence has created both challenges and opportunities for the music industry - both artists and record companies.

Record company

• Arctic Monkeys did not sign to a major label, but recorded their own music before signing to independent record label, Domino Records. They were not interested in working with a major as it would undermine their creative control.
• Their debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not went straight to number one and sold over 350,000 copies in its first week of release.

Music video regulation

Music video regulation is controlled by the BBFC who set certain standards and ratings for different age groups who they believe should be exposed to content specific to their age via age ratings and certification. YouTube and Vevo work in partnership with the BBFC to age rate all music videos for artists who are signed to Sony Music UK, Universal Music UK and Warner Music UK (the 'big three').  However, not all music producers sign up to this though and the BBFC does not have the power to regulate content on YouTube.

The BBFC regulate many different aspects of music videos. The sort of issues the BBFC considers in classifying music videos include:

• drug misuse
• dangerous behaviour presented as safe
• bad language
• sexual behaviour and nudity
• threatening behaviour and violence 

Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor: Blog tasks

Audience

1) What do we know about the Arctic Monkeys audience? Think demographics, psychographics and how they got into the band.

Arctic Monkey fans were initially restricted to locals near the bars where Arctic Monkey performed at, 

2) What audience pleasures are offered by the music video for I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor?

Aesthetics wise, it has an old grungy garage look, which is a nod to their humble beginnings, it is also a show of authenticity and a nostalgic call-back for fans who attended their performances when they were significantly less popular. The video is recorded live, with minimal editing, low video graphics and very little props, focusing mainly on the band members themselves. Their mundane clothing and music references also reinforce that authenticity and provide a bridge between the band and audience as they are able to relate to the group.

3) Pick out three particular shots, scenes or moments in the video that would particularly appeal to Arctic Monkeys fans. Why did you choose those moments?

4) How did fans take a leading role in making Arctic Monkeys famous back in 2005?

Arctic monkeys were spread peer to peer and gave out their music for free during gigs, which meant they relied solely on local fans to spread their name. Their music was downloaded and spread online which eventually spread to other parts of the world and gained popularity.

5) How are fans positioned to respond to the band? What does Arctic Monkeys want fans to think about their video?

That they are an authentic indie production 

Industries

1) How did the Arctic Monkeys first achieve success and build up their fanbase?

Being shared through peer to peer sites and garnering large audiences at their small gigs, their fanbases moved online and formed communities which pulled in more people .

2) Why was P2P file sharing and MySpace an unexpected aspect to Arctic Monkeys' early success?

It allowed interest to be formed about the band as more people were inclined to look into them as they gave away their music for free during performances.

3) How does the rise of Arctic Monkeys differ from how BLACKPINK were formed and became famous?

Arctic monkeys were picked up later by a record label while originally forming a band 

4) Who is Arctic Monkeys record label and how many copies did they sell of their debut album? Why did they choose an independent record label?

5) Looking at the wider music industry, has the internet been a positive or negative development for record companies and artists? Why?

It has been a positive development as record labels are able to easier advertise and spread awareness of their artists and their music.