R+P Post 2: Myself as a music consumer

Music consumption is such an important part of my day to day life, as it is for many other people, particularly young students who like to go out a lot and are up to date with all the different methods of downloading and listening to music.


When do I consume music?

• EVERYDAY!
• On public transport, including to and from school each day
• Whilst working, eg. doing homework both in and out of school
• Whilst relaxing at home or driving places
• As I fall asleep, using a particular playlist
• At concerts/gigs/clubs/festivals

Who do I consume music with?

• By myself if alone or with friends when I have company 
• Often when I get ready to go out I listen to upbeat music with my friends to get us in the mood for the night ahead of us
• When at social gatherings, music is always being played, catering to everyone's different tastes in genres

How do I consume music?

• Majority of the time I listen to music on my phone with headphones or my laptop via SoundCloud 
• I also play the radio when in the car, with the station normally tuned into Capital Xtra

Why do I consume music?

• It helps to set the vibe or mood in different scenarios for example when getting ready to go out or when at a party, it creates an upbeat environment and allows for people to dance and have fun
• It can also help me relax, for example when going to sleep I play Loyle Carner to allow me to feel calm and eventually fall asleep
• Not only does it build a certain atmosphere, but it can also lead to friendships between people that enjoy the same kind of music and they can bond through their love of music

Childhood: 

S Club 7 - Reach

This song used to be played at all the hall parties that I would go to as a child and I have fond memories of jumping on bouncy castles with this song being played in the background! I think that perhaps the reason I loved it so much is because the group S Club 7 wrote many songs aimed for kids and so they were very poplar among my friendship group at the time.

Early Teens:

Justin Bieber - Be Alright

I was an avid Justin Bieber fan during my early teens (and still do have a great love for him). I went to both his My World concert and his Believe concert with friends, and even bought a merchandise shirt. Despite his good looks, the main reason I loved him so much is because his music is mostly pop, and this was my favourite genre at the time.

Now:

Loyle Carner - Florence

About a year ago I discovered an artist called Loyle Carner who produces music in the hip hop genre and often raps about his family life or hardships that he's been through which makes his music relatable to people of my age. I've seen him preform about 5 times in various environments and his stage presence is so great that it makes him an even more likable character.

      


In class we presented our version of this post to each other and it enabled us to see what people of our age are into at the moment in terms of music. This is important to my group as our target audience is people aged 16-25. We found that everyone has a different taste in music so its hard to choose one genre that everyone will like, however, both of the other girls in my group have the same music taste as me which is useful because it means we will all actively enjoy making our video and it also made us realise that our chosen song is possibly more catered towards girls.


The Uses and Gratifications Theory explains why I enjoy music so much, with the main concept for me, being entertainment. I listen to music for the purpose of escaping everyday life and having feelings provoked in me.