Album Cover Analysis- Lady Gaga

This is the cover for Lady Gaga's debut album called 'The Fame'. It was released on August 19, 2008 through Interscope Records and Gaga produced it alongside Redone, Martin Kierszenbaum and Rob Fusari. Personally, I really like this album cover because it is meaningful and visually pleasing which means it would stand out in a store and therefore attract different audiences. The album has proved very popular and as of March 2015, it has sold 4.6 million copies in the United States alone. Based on this cover, I believe the audience for Lady Gaga is females between the ages of 15-30 because the overall feel to the cover is quite ' girly and glamorous' so they may be able to relate to that compared to a male audience who may not show any interest. 

The deeper meaning of this album cover is made clear by the use of visual codes. She is wearing large, diamond sunglasses that cover the top half of her face and a hood which covers most of her hair. I believe this represents how she is hiding her identity because she is revealing very little about herself which provokes a sense of secrecy and mystery. This therefore represents her as an anonymous character and the audience can only find out more about her if they listen to the songs on her album which are likely to contain enigma codes which give away aspects of her personality. Additionally, this links into the title of her album 'The Fame' because celebrities often cover their eyes with sunglasses when surrounded by the press in order to protect their privacy and this could furthermore show that Lady Gaga has chosen to re-present herself as a well-established artist in her first album to attract a broader audience and possibly so people will take her more seriously. 

The main image consists of an extreme close up of Lady Gaga's face to make it clear that she is the artist and the main text of the cover says 'LADY GAGA' in a font that is much larger than the actual title which is almost hidden in the corner of the sunglasses. I think this has purposely been done because this is her first album so people may not recognise who she is purely by the main image so by having this text, her name is emphasised meaning the audience are more than likely to understand which artist the album is for. Although this cover is reasonably simple for an artist like Lady Gaga, the sunglasses she is wearing are still quite peculiar and are unlikely to be seen on the average person so they are hinting at what is to be expected of her songs and it represents her as unique and having originality. Lastly, I believe Lady Gaga is being represented as 'perfect' because her facial features have very clearly been airbrushed to give the illusion of flawless skin which gives her audience the false idea of what it is to be beautiful and they may aspire to be like her for the wrong reasons. 



This is the cover for Lady Gaga's second most recent album called 'Artpop'. It was released on November 6, 2013 through Streamline and Interscope Records and Gaga produced it alongside many people including Paul "DJ White Shadow" Blair, will.i.am and David Guetta. I think this cover is successful at showing Lady Gaga's personality in comparison to her first cover because it is very expressive and we are able to see her full body as opposed to a close up of her face. I also believe the audience is different when looking at this cover and I think it will attract both males and females ranging from 15-30 because Lady Gaga has been sexualised as she is being shown practically naked which is likely to attract men as well as those who are already fans of her music because they will buy the album to support her.  

In this cover, bright colours such as pink and blue have been used and these are stereotypical colours that represent females and males which hints at her mixed target audience. Also, these colours generally have positive connotations so could be a reflection of the upbeat, pop music that plays in her album so she is giving her audience an idea of what to expect. The background image is creative looking which links to the title 'Artpop' as we can see an 'explosion' of art due to the image being split up into different sections. Lady Gaga is the only aspect to the cover that is not broken up which immediately draws our attention to her and she gains full focus from her audience. 

There are definitely contrasting representations of Gaga in this cover when compared to 'The Fame'. In 'The Fame', she is completely hiding her identity and she reveals hardly anything about herself which leaves the audience curious which is a clever way of  drawing them in. In this cover, she appears to be very comfortable with revealing a lot of her body which represents her as having a lot of self-confidence and the fact she is using direct address by staring straight into the camera suggests that she is speaking out to her audience by saying "I am proud of who I am". This is the preferred reading that the producers would have intended the audience to have when responding to the cover. However, the people who created and produced this cover are very likely to be a part of our dominant ideology (white, straight, middle-aged, middle-class, male) so would have designed it for them which could be the reason she is being portrayed as a sexual object for the entertainment of men and it is almost as if her strength and independence has been taken away in order for her to be 'gawked' at (in my opinion) so this is therefore the oppositional reading. 

There is a similar representation in this cover that has been developed from her first album and this is how Lady Gaga is being represented as almost too perfect. Again, her body has been airbrushed and manipulated which gives the audience an illusion of a 'barbie doll' like figure which is unrealistic and fake looking. Although this may just be Gaga's personality and the way she chooses to portray herself, I still believe this is a negative representation as it again could manipulate the audiences views on what perfection is and it just follows the stereotypes of females in the media which include sexualisation and just being there 'to look pretty'.  

Opening Paragraphs

What an opening paragraph should include: 

Within an opening paragraph, you need to define any key terminology that has been used in the question in order to show that you understand the meaning. For example, if you are asked a question on representation, you should demonstrate your understanding by defining what representation is. You should not begin your analysis in your opening paragraph but instead show your understanding of the concept using key terminology, possibly by outlining the points you will go on to explain in more detail. For example, writing the stereotypes of the category you have been asked to talk about in a representation question.

Representation 

Opening paragraph for a representation question based on age: 

Representation is a constructed process in which the producer is re-presenting something to an audience based on stereotypes. The representation of young people contrasts greatly with the representation of older people within the media. The common stereotypes of young people include being: aggressive, anti-social, disrespectful and involved with gang culture, drink, drugs and teen pregnancies. The common stereotypes of older people include: deafness, grumpiness, inability to function effectively in society, slow and weak. The dominant ideology of the media text, which includes a representation of age, controls how a particular age group is presented and they also control how the text is mediated which results in a constructed view which an audience may have to rely on.

Audience 

Opening paragraph for an audience question- how audiences may respond differently to the same media text:

As the reception theory states, an audience is made up of individuals who will respond in different ways to the same media text based on their own perception. This perception is due to a range of factors which help to create an active audience as oppose to a passive audience. These factors include: gender, age, ethnicity, culture, cultural experiences, cultural competence and situated culture. There are three main ways in which are audience can respond differently to a media text which are: the preferred reading, the negotiated reading and the oppositional reading.

Demographics And Psychographics

Demographics

Demographics are statistical data which relates to the population and the potential groups within it. The data is based on factors including: age, race, sex, economic status, level of education, income level, employment, location and family relationships.

Within the media, demographic information is used to find and identify potential audience growth and also to spot under performance. For example, magazines such as Woman's health, Vogue and Cosmopolitan reach the female demographic however they each target different types of people. Companies are always changing their products and the way they are advertised slightly so they can meet the expectations of a particular demographic group meaning they are less likely to struggle when it comes to sales and marketing. It is used by advertisers to determine where advertisements should be placed according to the demographic profile of the audience and the advertisers are informed of the target audience by demographic profiling.

Audiences are categorised from A-E and it is based on their class, income and occupation. People in the A and B category supposedly have the most disposable income because they are the wealthiest and have the greatest influence on society. Here and all the different categories and what they consist of:

 

Psychometrics 

Psychometrics is the study of personality, values, opinions, attitudes, interests and lifestyles. It is based on the idea that the types of products an individual will purchase will reflect their characteristics and pattern of living and it is seen as a more appropriate way of defining an audience. People are spilt into different groups depending on these factors and the main ones are:

Mainstreamers: These people are not risk-takers and they seek security, tried and trusted brands and value for money. They make up 40% of the population.

Aspirers: These are often people of the younger generation and they seek status and branded items as they care about their appearance. They are stylish and often are persuaded by celebrity endorsement.

Explorers: These people are energetic risk-takers who love adventure. They seek discovery and are attracted by brands that offer new experiences and instant results.

Succeeders: These people are often A/B and already have status and control. They have strong goals and confidence and prefer serious and reliable brands.

Reformers: These people are not materialistic and are socially aware. They seek enlightenment and want freedom and space for personal growth. They have self-esteem and fulfilment, are less impressed by status and may be more likely to buy environmentally friendly/healthy brands.