delicateperspective

[delicateperspective]

sometimes there are things, or people, more important than this blog.

i’ve existed in this space quietly for over a decade. and though i’ve pushed myself to be more vocal over the past few months, i feel it’s best to fade back into the shadows a bit.

no, this isn’t vague blogging.

no, i don’t know anything you don’t.

no, this isn’t brought on by or influenced by any of the current events or fandom stuff.

no, i am most definitely not unlarrying.

this is just me, deciding what my priorities are.

so, for now, take care of each other.

[delicateperspective]

reblogging with this super helpful anon!!! it might be a false alarm. i love that this fandom is always teaching me new things because i never would have known this otherwise.

if any one that sees a picture from the pleasing pop-up where one of these clocks ISNT stopped at 10:10, would you please tell me.

id like to stop clowning 🤡

[delicateperspective]

i often have the urge to just blog one of these gifs with no context when stuff happens. i’m trying to work on it. it’s a flaw.

[delicateperspective]

I know Louis is friendly with Paul himself but it did make me smile knowing that Harry was seen with him recently. Also the Sabrina like, and Harry went to her concert. Just nice things.

i love it when he’s active. i also love it when it’s made very clear that while the venn diagram of their lives isn’t entirely a circle, it’s very close.

yes, H did just attend the ballet to support Paul the night before he sashayed those tiny red shorts into Glasto. And Paul worked on some of Hs solo stuff (amazing work with the TPWK music video). but he also worked with 1D and Louis is in the video at the end of the photo dump. also the dump by Paul was just cute as hell and made me happy to see someone living their life so beautifully.

And i’m sure Louis is a Sabrina supporter. I mean, Rachel opening for her must have made him so proud. but i also can’t help but to also be reminded that days before The Sun dropped the news H and Z***were both at the Sabrina concert.

these aren’t even reaches we have to limber up for. which are my favorite kind.

the interconnected world of two UK pop stars isn’t proof by any means, but it’s certainly cute when it happens.

[delicateperspective]

if any one that sees a picture from the pleasing pop-up where one of these clocks ISNT stopped at 10:10, would you please tell me.

id like to stop clowning 🤡

[delicateperspective]

some of yall need a little bit more fucking whimsy in your life

[delicateperspective]

no context. relevant to everything i speak about.

[delicateperspective]

How Sony deals with fandoms

I’ve been to an international in-house PR summit hosted by one of my clients this week and nearly fell off my chair when one of the guest speakers was a VERY important person from Sony Music Entertainment. Let’s call him John. I won’t disclose his function and real name because I don’t want to reveal where I was, but based on his title he definitely knows what he‘s saying and has a lot of industry experience.

His speech was mainly  about how to engage with a variety of different target audiences. Of bloody course one of the first slides he showed was a picture of 1D engaging with fans which was supposed to drive the point home that there are some audiences who are more passionate about a brand than others.He mentioned then that he’s worked with 1D on their albums which drove me into a bit of a freeze.

Because I’m embarrassing, I recorded parts of his speech on my phone and wrote the most important things down to share some interesting insights he gave about how Sony manages their artists’ target audiences, crafts their artists’ social media actions and deals with the fact that at the end of the day they always need to get people to buy music.

 HOW DOES SONY UNDERSTAND AND MONITOR AUDIENCES (like fandoms for instance)?

According to John, they have their very own data-driven digital tool that helps them identify and manage different target groups for an artist (it’s not perfected yet but has been rolled out a lot of countries, I think he said 50?) and see where there might be connections to other artists, who the influencers are, what the specific target groups are or will be interested in and to identify collaboration opportunities. Target groups are being split into four categories: Fanatics, enthusiasts, casuals, indifferents. These segments are being broken down into even smaller groups defined by age, genre preference, gender and country. They found that the older you get, the less likely you’ll be a fanatic or enthusiast. How does Sony find this stuff out? Well, they survey polled music audiences of every age in a way that covers either nationally representatives or represent one of the major top tier cities. People shared their music preferences, consumption habits, lifestyle, media habits etc. Sony gathered all that information, analysed the insights and created their own audience understanding tool.

According to John, that way everyone at Sony has access to an interactive map of the world of Sony that looks into segmentations and audiences for every artist while being searchable in a number of different ways. The tool is pulling from real data, but they are also adding to that „with things like analytics of platforms like Spotify where we are able to gather lots of informations about user behaviours and reference that against things that we do“.

 HOW SONY STRATEGICALLY SHAPES PR STORIES

John gave the example of Snoop Doggy Dog who had launched a new album (song? Idk) around that time: „There was a week-long debate in parliament around the legalization of Marihuana, so we just jumped on this conversation and did lots of social marketing around Snoop with his rolling papers and his spliffs… so maybe that’s bad taste, I’ll allow you to judge that for yourselves. The point is though that you are also marketing into a wider cultural context. [You need] an understanding how that works and where you can have a conversation that is seamless and not fake, genuineness is quite important.

“The way you can get people to connect is: You’ve got a lot of stuff that you want to say. Start under the assumption that people actually don’t give a shit about 95 percent of it. And then see which are the bits that might overlap. This is where the understanding of the audience really comes into its own. It forces us to think before we jump to execution. The quest for relevance is vitally important.”

Why are people to connect with a brand/band though? John thinks this is one of the most underused questions when planning an approach. Why is it that they do specific things? He gave an example: „We would normally take a record to radio because we always believe that radio is the thing that breaks the record. But if my core audience, my phase one audience – the people that are gonna give that band its first lift – are on Spotify, what am I doing on radio??“

ENGAGEMENT AROUND ARTIST IS KEY

„The thing is that you don’t start with a conversation around a product. The consumption of the product is the end point of a journey where you built an engagement and a fan. So again, for us that means that when we sit down and do our plan around our next Robbie Williams album, we start with „How are we gonna maximize the engagement around Robbie Williams“? because that will then sell us albums. Not „Okay, we’ll be releasing in a week in November, eight weeks out we need to be here, here and here“. So we’re not doing product launches anymore unless [it is suitable for the target demographic]. We have to built a tension and an engagement around an artist.“

 ABOUT THEIR ARTISTS‘ SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS

„We run most of our artists social media channels or at least their official  pages, so we are involved in all of those conversations.“

Shocking, I know.

Based on the situation we face in this fandom,with this band, feel free to draw your own conclusions about what this information means.

HERE ARE MY KEY TAKEAWAYS:

1.       It’s not news at all, but the existence of their own audience understandig tool confirms it: the 1D fandom is being monitored, segmented and analyzed. Sony’s strategies are tightly tied to that fact. Collaborations or artist interactions such as Louis/James Arthur or One Direction/ Little Mix are most likely the result of a data-driven analysis of whose fan groups are similar and whose are likely to be open towards that particular other artist too.

2.       Again no news, but the example of Snoop Doggy Dog shows that there are strategies behind even the most random photos. Often placements of specific pictures or stories serve a wider purpose. Hello pap walks, hello b**ygate, hello Louis Twitter, hello Liam visibly being linked to L.A.‘s cool singer/songwriter crowd before his first album drop.  

3.       The decision to not promote Louis‘ song could very well have been a logical outcome of the team asking themselves the question „Why?“: Why should we promote his song with huge effort when we KNOW his own fans are going to do it passionately, especially if they think  we don’t give a shit? Why not playing that game in order to make them promo it the hardest way they can?“ Why indeed??

4.       One Direction is a huge deal for Sony. John was talking about a lot of bands during his speech but whenever he was talking about major acts, he always listed One Direction amongst them (along with gems like Beyonce, David Bowie, Adele). He name-dropped them at least 5 -6 times in a 60 minute speech. He really didn’t have to because the audience was in no way whatsoever a target audience. So yes, they clearly have been and are a very huge deal for them.

5.       The part about social media? Well :))))))

[delicateperspective]

im literally, actively, watching larries TRY to be kicked out by playing dumb. and im incredibly disapointed by it. come on. were better than this. if you dont want to play by the rules, just don't join the discord. its that easy. no one is forcing you to be there. (ill probably delete this once i take a smoke break but im so frustrated)

unpopular opinion:

but larrying shouldn't be done in the LTHQ Discord anyway? like... if this was any other human beings you wouldn't walk into their place of work yelling about their spouse?

im delicateperspective in there too. and ive seen other references in usernames and profile pictures. they aren't kicking you for being a larrie, but they will kick you for bringing it up in there.

time and place people. time and place.

[delicateperspective]

unpopular opinion:

but larrying shouldn't be done in the LTHQ Discord anyway? like... if this was any other human beings you wouldn't walk into their place of work yelling about their spouse?

im delicateperspective in there too. and ive seen other references in usernames and profile pictures. they aren't kicking you for being a larrie, but they will kick you for bringing it up in there.

time and place people. time and place.

[delicateperspective]

because a lot of industry terms get thrown around i thought it might be helpful for those who have never come across this stuff to break down what these roles are actually meant to do in an artist’s career. this isn’t to sound smart or anything—it’s just to give some context so we all have the same toolbox.

the manager what they’re supposed to do: a manager is like the CEO of the artist’s business. they help shape the big picture of the artist’s career—what direction they want to go in, what kind of deals they take, who they work with. they’re the day-to-day person making things run, handling business decisions, helping with branding, and protecting the artist’s interests.

the publicist / PR rep what they’re supposed to do: PR is meant to get the word out. they help the artist promote their music, show up in the right places (magazines, interviews, TV), and manage their public image. this includes really amazing stuff like booking interview appearances, getting albums reviewed in major publications, etc. they’re also the ones who step in when something goes wrong—helping with damage control or setting the story straight.

the record label what they’re supposed to do: labels fund the music. they pay for recording, production, marketing, touring, and more. in return, they own a big part of the music. either through owning the masters (like s*co and 1D) or getting exclusive licensing (like s*ny for walls and anything by H and BMG for fitf/live/whatever LT3 will be— though they own their masters). they are incredibly invested in an artist's career. when the artist makes money, they make money. a good label will support the artist’s creative vision and help get their music to the world.

the agent what they’re supposed to do: agents help the artist book jobs. they handle live shows, brand partnerships, film roles, and appearances (there is also various types of agents: so your booking agent is probably not also your film agent). they’re not in charge of the whole career like a manager, but they’re essential for getting the right opportunities in the right places.

publishing + songwriting contracts what they’re supposed to do: if an artist writes music, publishing deals help manage where that music goes—TV, movies, covers, etc. the songwriter gets paid royalties, and the publisher helps protect their rights.

all of these roles are supposed to help artists—protect them, promote them, support them.

these jobs aren’t bad on their own. there are managers who fight for their artists. PR reps who are kind and focused on the music. agents who truly believe in their talent. but in practice (when you have artists who are young, unprotected, and handed over to the machine) these roles can easily become weaponized.

so next time someone says “it’s just PR” or “that’s their manager’s job,” remember: the job is supposed to be helping them grow. not selling them to the tabloids or limiting their expression.

[delicateperspective]

ysk:

it’s okay to not be a loud fan. it’s okay to not be “known” in the fandom. it’s okay to not have the funds to get every merch drop and buy every vinyl. it’s okay to not have a twitter or insta dedicated to your fav. it’s okay that you don’t get barricade at every show. it’s okay that your lifestyle/job/school makes it hard to keep up.

it’s okay to not be the first to “spot” a hint/clue. it’s okay that you missed that live stream. it’s okay that you don’t know who that random person in VIP is that everyone is freaking out about. it’s okay that you don’t read the headlines. it’s okay that you don’t catch the references in the lyrics. it’s okay that you just want to listen to the songs.

and it’s also okay if you DO do those things.

you aren’t a bad fan.

you are just a human being enjoying a form of art.

[delicateperspective]

I hate that Harry Styles is famous because I’m scared that people don’t love him correctly. It doesn’t make sense. But I’m sure that 90% of people who love Harry Styles aren’t doing it correctly.

[delicateperspective]

well it’s definitely going to include vibes

oh and Hello Harry. we’ve missed you.

can someone PLEASE decode the Pleasing instagram reel before i die trying to figure this out.

UPDATE:

No one has decoded the morse code yet, but we AT LEAST know it will be "sexual wellness" products.

to the absolute QUEEN who made this sign, we salute you.

[delicateperspective]

New 'Bootcamp' boyband.

According to sources a new boyband has been formed at Bootcamp with 5 solo contestants thought to be more promising as a group.

The boyband made up of auditionees: Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik

(Liam being one of this years re-auditonee’s) The boyband are yet unamed.

Previous groups formed at Bootcamp have usually been doomed from the start and although usually making it through to the live shows don’t go much further. Futureproof, Hope and Miss Frank to name the most well known,

[delicateperspective]

So pleased to tell you that our new album is called “take me home” can’t wait for you to hear it! More news soooon! Louis :) x

[delicateperspective]

it’s almost july 23rd.

💕15 years of one direction. 💕

it’s supposed to be a celebration — and in many ways, it still is. but this one… this one hits different.

this isn’t the version of the 15th anniversary we dreamed about in 2015. back then we still said hiatus like it meant something temporary. we never factored in loss.

and now we’re here. fifteen years in. older. softer. a little bruised.

and in my case, for the first time, i’m here vocally. not hiding behind anons. not lurking quietly while everyone else carries the weight. i’m just… here. saying it out loud.

this band changed my life. these boys (as messy and human and chaotic as they are) changed everything.

so tomorrow, whether you’re lighting a candle or blasting “no control” or just texting a mutual to say hey i’m thinking of you, do something kind. something liam would’ve done.

hold the door open. donate if you can. say sorry. forgive someone. tell someone you love them.

💙💚happy 15 years, one direction. ❤️💛

thank you for giving your youth to be the soundtrack for ours.

thank you for the grueling, sleepless schedules. the jet lag. the lost voices. thank you for navigating shark-infested waters — lawyers, contracts, cameras, lies — with nothing but each other and a dream that was never fully yours to control.

thank you for the lives you saved. for the fans who made it through the darkest parts of growing up because your music said you’re not alone. thank you for being that lifeline. for holding space. for showing us what love (messy, imperfect, loud) can look like.

some of those fans are doctors now. lawyers. teachers. authors. artists. people who build things. fix things. protect people. and they’re here because of you.

thank you for changing the world. even if it never said thank you back. we will. always.

❤️and thank you, liam james payne. for staying as long as you did. you’re missed. you’re loved. we’re still singing. for you. always. fly as high as the wings on your skin will take you. 🪶