#t liking the band from the extremely popular rhythm game made by the same people who madr lovelive.

[foxcassius]

The "roselia isnt jpop" post has appeared on my dash again. Several points:

-roselia is a made up band for a rhythm game and something akin to 50% of their music is covers.

-"something being used for an anime opening doesnt erase all of its merit" interesting that you think jpop has no merit? Strong words from someone calling a strawman racist

-something being used as an anime opening absolutely makes it jpop, or japanese popular music. sorry.

-similarly, an entire band existing for the sake of an anime rhythm game also makes it jpop

-all you have to do to know that post is bullshit anyway is use the spotify for devs tools to look up japanese bands (saying this with complaints about spotify from op and the notes in mind). the post is at least a couple of years old anyway bc i remember seeing it a long time ago, but spotify has recently redone their whole genre system, because i did this spotify for devs thing when i saw this post last time and its even better now. for example, roselia doesnt have the jpop genre tag anymore. they DO have anime rock and j-pixie, but that's because they look like this 👇

i'll give you a hint about how their music sounds: it sounds like the way they look. if you pop in buck tick, they're under jrock and vkei. atari kousuke is ryukyu ongaku and okinawan folk. even mariya takeuchi is under classic city pop, idol kayo, and japanese singer-songwriter. was spotify's system worse when the post was written? yes, it was. but they have clearly actively done better. also i think most people in the notes just dont understand what jpop is.

-reading comprehension quiz: did i say anywhere in this post that racism doesnt exist? did i say anywhere in this post that real humans in america do not lump all japanese music together? what exactly am i actually talking about and what point did i actually make? use examples from the text.

[leatherjacketvan]

5/25/18

[REQUESTED]

“i actually requested this before but maybe it never actually sent bc the app is faulty :-// but maybe you’re a singer as well, music you wouldn’t expect like BANKS or something but Van publicly says he likes you and is a massive fan or whatever? Fans go crazy and start shipping, eventually meeting, lots of cuteness!!?”

- - - - - 

Hope you enjoy! Not my best work but because exams had been stressing me tha fucc out but school is over! So expect better writings in your near future! :)

- - - - - 

It all started with a sentence.

“Yeah she’s great, I love her.”

And ever since those few simple words were spoken. The media had been in a frenzy over making Van and Y/N a ‘thing.’ She didn’t even know who he was at the time. So when Y/N’s PR manager told her about the boost in her ratings and the extreme rise in her popularity on social media platforms due to the interview, she was left completely awestruck.

“Wait, who is this again?” She asked Gwen. Her longtime good friend as well has her PR manager. She didn’t like to consider Gwen, her ‘manager.’ The same way she didn’t like to consider her fans, fans. They were all supportive friends in her eyes. And she valued them all the same.

“His name is Van. . . Lead singer of Catfish and the Bottlemen.” Gwen replied.

“Catfish and the Bottlemen? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of them before.” Y/N said as Gwen handed her a tablet playing the very interview of Van talking about Y/N and her music.

“She’s amazing. Something about her music just really stands out to me. Not something many artists these days do, ya know? I think she shows a certain sort of vulnerability that’s still really mysterious, so people are able to relate to it. I really admire her. So I’d say. . . Yeah, she’s great, I love her.”  

Y/N was taken aback with shock as well as the feeling of fulfillment. In all honesty, she was flattered that someone way better respected in the music industry would say such endearing things.

“Well, he’s definitely heard of you.” Gwen giggled as Y/N handed her back the tablet.

“What happens now?” Y/N questioned.

“I suppose only time will tell. . .”

- - - - -

2 years later.

In two years a lot had changed. And that was putting it lightly. Y/N had come out with her sophomore album that people seemed to love more than the first. Her following had boomed dramatically. And the whole ‘Y/N and Van’ concurrence had still been going on, however, had died down a little bit. The social media platform was practically the birth of their ‘relationship.’ Interviews had even occurred where questions upon questions about either Van or Y/N were mentioned. But even after all this time, the two still hadn’t met. Gwen called it a ‘forbidden romance’ Y/N said she didn’t believe in that.

The fans from both sides either loved the idea of Y/N and Van together or hated it. She didn’t really mind what the fans thought of the situation because they weren’t together. It was all some wild fantasy portrayed by a few simple words. She knew that’s how high-status life was lived. By rumors. Therefore, she tried to act like the whole issue didn’t exist. It wasn’t exactly the healthiest way to deal with it. But it was the easiest.

Van, on the other hand, did mind.

It bothered him more than he liked to admit to. He’d always been a helpless romantic. Anyone who knows him, knew that. But lately he found it hard to feel so intensely. The songwriting and nomadic lifestyle suited him well. He loved it. However, it drained him. Both emotionally and physically. So the fact the he could still even feel this way. Feel so passionately? It was like his heart was on viagra. He didn’t understand it. It frustrated him at times. But in a way, he was glad that he felt this way. He loved the idea of Y/N. He loved the way she smiled, and the music she made. It was nice to think about an idea that maybe, just maybe he could still fall in love. Maybe with her? Maybe with someone who could understand what he’s feeling. It was just a thought. A wild one at best. But it was comforting. So it never really left his mind. The idea of her was always there in the back of his brain. He never let it go.

Y/N had just started her tour for her new album. She had a lot of sleepless nights and didn’t really have time to think about where she was headed, who she was seeing, and what she was doing. After two months, she finally got a break. She got a week to rest up before she had to fly back to the States for the second part of the tour. . . Or at least she thought she did.

“Oh my god!” Gwen screamed from the hotel bed right next to Y/N’s.

Y/N had finally come down from her caffeine high that had been keeping her awake these past few weeks and was finally able to doze off. She was just on the verge of some peaceful rest when she heard Gwen yell.

“Oh my god, what!?” Y/N retorted, a little frustrated from lack of sleep.

“Guess who’s in town?” Gwen blurted, excitedly.

“Gwen, you know I’m no good at guessing stuff.” Y/N sighed heavily.

“It’s your boyfriend!” Gwen squealed.

“My who?” Y/N replied, dumbfounded.

“Catfish and the Bottlemen are playing here! Tomorrow!” Gwen said.

“Oh, not this stuff again. . . He said he liked my music like. . . Two years ago. . . How is that still relevant?”

“Oh, honey, when it comes to celebrity gossip. Rumors never die.” Gwen replied.

“What rumors?” Y/N replied, once again, dumbfounded. She never paid much attention to social media.

“Oh. . . Just how you’re dating. . . or how you’re possibly engaged. . . or that you might be having his baby. . ? It’s absolutely crazy some of the lies people are able to sell to the public.” Gwen said.

Y/N laughed at the absolutely ridiculous situation she now found herself in.

“So what does this mean? I meet up with him? Go out with him? What if he’s an asshole? What if he doesn’t even actually like me?” Y/N questioned with a raised brow.

“I guess we’ll have to find out,” Gwen said.

“Yeah. . . And how is that?”

“In the two minutes we’ve been talking, I already bought tickets to the show and sent an email to their PR manager,” Gwen smirked.

Y/N groaned dramatically. “You know I love you. . .  But right now I think I really really hate you.”

Internally Y/N was screaming with anxiety and nerves. She really didn’t want to meet Van. She felt it would stir up more rumors and give her even more attention than she already gets from just being these days. But she also was relieved. Relieved it might finally all be over. That meeting this ‘Van’ from ‘Catfish and the Bottlemen’ would put the rumors to rest.

She had a lot of faith to test.

- - - - -

The next day

Y/N still hid the fact that she was fearful of the what the night would entail. She sat on her balcony overlooking the beautiful city with a bottle of rum and a glass. She was pre-gaming as well as trying to kill the nerves built up inside of her.

It was around time to leave to go to the show. Gwen had managed VIP access so that they wouldn’t get spotted in the crowd and become trampled. Gwen also managed a private meetup with the band. The thought of that made Y/N’s whiskey glass go bottoms up.

Y/N decided to dress casual. It was warm outside. She settled for a pair of slacks and a cropped blouse. She wore light makeup, trying to remain as natural and as casual as possible. She didn’t want to meet him in full glamor or anything intense. She wanted to be as real as she could manage. Maybe he would see that. . .  and not be interested. Maybe he would see that Y/N’s not all she makes herself out to be. That really everything about her is the media’s facade of who she really is. And that she’s very normal like everyone else.

Gwen and Y/N walked majority of the way. Y/N insisted on fresh foreign air. But Gwen insisted on a taxi after walking for three blocks, because she decided she was going to wear heels on their three-mile walk to the arena just to stand in said heels for the entire concert as well as the private aftershow. Gwen’s priorities weren’t always straight but she tried her best.

When they arrived at the arena, Y/N and Gwen snuck around back. Gwen introduced herself to security and they escorted the both of them to the backstage entrance.

“Wow. I don’t think I’ve performed on a stage this big before.” Y/N mumbled, awestruck.

“You will one day.” Gwen smiled.

Y/N smiled back. Gulping down the nervousness one last time.

By the time they got there the band was halfway through their set. They sat on the side of the stage. Y/N remained cautious about staying out of the way of any potential camera angles that could spot her. She moved along to the rhythm, next to her was Gwen making a whole mess of herself. They both drank about the same amount. Y/N was always better at holding her liquor though. Gwen was a lightweight. She was even more fun and quirky when intoxicated. So the fact that she was doing the robot to Cocoon was no surprise. Y/N occasionally glanced over at Gwen, only to look back on the four lads performing their hearts out on stage. She didn’t expect to get Van’s attention till after the show. But when he saw her, his heart sank. He looked over at the side of the stage where she was standing. Missing a few verses of the song. He almost forgot where he was when he saw her face. In person. Finally. Her.

He knew that she was coming to the show that night. But that still somehow managed to catch him off guard. So he put on his best cologne despite the fact he was just going to sweat it off. He wore a white button up with the top button undone and a pair of skinny jeans.

He tried to look as proper as he could when he first met her. Hoping she’d noticed that he tried on his appearance, just for her.

When the set was over. Y/N and Gwen had disappeared. He said his goodbyes and they all walked off the stage. They all made it back to the dressing room where they were greeted by their PR manager, Y/N, and Gwen.

Gwen went up and introduced herself. Y/N waved a shy ‘hello.’ She stood back as Gwen stated her relationship to Y/N and the situation they had found themselves in. How they just happened to be in the city and knew that after all the media coverage it would be great to finally meet the band. Y/N nodded in agreement. But didn’t say anything.

They all took seats on the dressing room couches. Y/N sat next to Gwen who sat next to Bondy. An instant spark occurred between the two. They were both flirts. He was contempt and casual. She was the total opposite. But opposite in a way that would attract one another. Every in the room took note of that.

The night carried on, everyone drank and drank. The liquor seemed never-ending. She didn’t even realize how much she had to drink until nausea washed over her. It was something that happened when she used substances to avoid her problems. It was like a way of her grief telling her to ‘deal with it the right way.’

“Hey, I think I’m gonna go grab a smoke.” Y/N mumbled.

Van was laid back in his comfy chair when he finally heard her. The whole night she had just been going along with the conversation. She never really put her input on things. When Van talked. Which was a lot less than he usually did. She never gave him direct eye contact. He didn’t expect things to go like this. He always expected her to be very extroverted and confident. Which she didn’t display any signs of at all. She was so reserved and poise. He didn’t need to know her to know that wasn’t her. So when she mentioned going out for a smoke he took his shot.

“Want me to join?” He asked.

“No, it’s alright.” She replied.

“I think the fresh air will be nice.” She spoke getting up abruptly. Leaving. No one seemed to notice. They were all to busy in conversation to really care. But Van did.

Y/N quickly paced through the backstage area of the amphitheater. She found the exit that led her into the alleyway that she came in. She walked towards the street light. It was quiet outside. So quiet she could hear the wind sway. She didn’t even know the time, but it was late enough for even the nightlife to have had died down. She tried to take a deep breath. But was stopped by the rumbling in her stomach. She couldn’t remember the last time she ate, or how much liquor she had consumed. Her nerves were still there. It was all too much. So much that it expelled out of her like vomit. Literally.

This is not how she had planned her night to go. And that only made it worse was the. .  .

“Jesus, are you okay love?”  

Coming from behind her.

“Fuck.” She muttered as she wiped the gunk off her chin.

Her eyes were all watered up and she just felt like taking a nap on the very ground beneath her and wishing this night had never happened.

She felt hands on her shoulders helping her stand still as she slowly stood back up straight.

“Yeah, I’m fine. All good.” She said, shakily.

“I think I’m just going to call a cab.” Y/N spoke to Van as she reached for her phone.

Van just looked at her with this sort of hurt in his eyes. She quickly looked away. She held down the home button on her phone. But it was dead. Of course.

“I’m going to call us a cab, love. Make sure you get home safe.” Van spoke softly.

This what not what Y/N had expected him to be like. So calm and caring. Maybe he wasn’t the hypothetical asshole after all.

Van called a cab and gave them the address. Y/N curled up against the brick wall beside her and tried to calm down.

‘This isn’t really happening.’

‘This is all just some fucked up dream. . . Right?’

Van crouched down beside her. Handing her a half-empty bottle of water.

“Here, I usually bring one with me to put my butts out in. I think you probably need it more than I do though.” He grinned nervously.

Y/N took the kind gesture and shyly took the bottle from Van’s hand. Gulping it down and sighing.

“I’m sorry, this is. . . So, so embarrassing.” Y/N muttered looking at the ground.

“It’s alright. I don’t mind. . . I mean this isn’t what I expected our first time meeting to be like, but. . . well, life is pretty unexpected.” He said.

Y/N chuckled. “Yeah, I guess so. . .” She spoke.

She looked over at Van, making eye contact this time. He looked at her back. She never knew how blue his eyes were until she saw them under a full moon in the early morning hours. A very rare occurrence at best.

“You got a little something.” He mumbled as he slowly moved his hand towards her cheek. He used his thumb to wipe the tear dripping down her face. She hadn’t really been crying. It was more of a physiological reaction to when she became stressed. Or maybe that was her dumb excuse for ‘I’m not crying.’

She gave off a shy laugh and a sniffle. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” He replied with a grin.

They sat in a short moment of silence until the taxi pulled up. Van held the door for her as she not-so-agilely, plopped into the seat. Instantly leaning her head against the window.

Van got in behind her. And they drove off back to the hotel.

- - - - -

When they arrived he got out and opened the door for her once again. He slung his arm behind her to help as she sloppily walked towards the entrance of her hotel.

“Van, you really don’t have to do this. I got it from here.” She said secretly embarrassed.

“I don’t mean to spook ya, but you’re really drunk Y/N. I don’t know if you’ll be able to find your own room. . . I’ll walk you there, and then we never have to see each other again.”

“Why would you want that?” Y/N retorted.

“Oh- I assumed. . . That’s what you wanted.” Van spoke shyly.

“Of course not. I’d love to see you again. Just. . . on better terms.” She groaned as another wave of nausea hit.

Van smiled. Internally his heart felt like exploding.

“Of course.” He replied.

Van helped Y/N as they stumbled up to her room. Walking up the stairs because the hotel was ‘Rustic’ themed and decided against elevators.

When they made it to her room she fidgeted in her bag for her key card. Once she grabbed it she turned around to face Van, who was really close.

Face to face they stood. After all this time. All the controversy. All the rumors. They stood here. Together. He thought it was just a dream she did too but in a totally different construct.

“Thank you.” She murmured to him. Meeting him in the eye.

“No problem. Anytime.” He chuckled back. Putting his hands in his pockets.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Y/N said.

“Course.”

“Would you mind hugging me? I feel really weak from all the barf and stuff. Sometimes it helps.” She said in all seriousness.

He didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around her. He held her tight. Lightly tracing his lips on her forehead.

She slowly inched her arms around his waist and there they stood. In a foreign country.

Together.

After all this time.

She slowly let go. His heart ached a big ‘no’. Knowing that he’d have to get on a plane that afternoon. Not knowing the next time he’d see her face.

“Goodnight, Van.” She spoke softly as she disappeared into her dark room like an apparition in the night light.

“Goodnight.” He replied. As the door slowly shut.

Till next time. . .

Goodnight.

[workreveal-blog]

How The Internet is Changing the Music Industry

New Post has been published on https://workreveal.biz/how-the-internet-is-changing-the-music-industry/

How The Internet is Changing the Music Industry

Believe if a crazy virus abruptly hit the world and wiped out the Internet indefinitely. It might essentially be the begin of some great apocalypse. We would not be capable of leaving our homes without Google Maps, we would not be capable of exit to consume without Yelp, and we would not understand who to go out with without Tinder. Complete chaos! The Internet has grown to be part of the way we live now, and it’s quite comical to think of the struggles we went thru for the tune, handiest a pair many years in the past. I keep in mind the instances of laying on my bedroom floor, using a cassette tape and a boombox to try and document a complete music off the radio. But the evolution of the Internet has modified the sport for musicians and has kickstarted careers for a lot of our favourite artists.

Internet media consumption

Earlier than the Net took off, aspiring musicians needed to get observed the manner – with the aid of chasing after company bigwigs with demo cassette tapes and playing at any cafe or dive bar they could locate – with the hopes that any person with a connection to the music global might be in the room. But now, the creation of the Internet has positioned the some of the strength again inside the artist’s fingers.

Social networking has introduced a modern day detail to the song enterprise, imparting a platform for impartial musicians to put up their work and build a strong fanbase. MySpace performed a significant element inside the Arctic Monkeys’ upward thrust to fame inside months in their very first gig. Lovers of the Sheffield rock band created a fan page and posted their profile and tune, which ultimately cause them to a document address Domino. Calvin Harris and Lily Allen extensively utilised Myspace to their gain on the begin of their careers. And now, on Fb, it’s even less difficult for users to find out new bands, share track and connect to artists all around the world. Viral movies have grown to be the jackpot for unbiased artists to get found through the Internet. Some Vine customers took benefit of the platform to exhibit their song, only having 6-seconds in step with video to departing a mark on fans. Artists like Ruth B. And Shawn Mendes were both discovered on the app. Ruth B. Uploaded a video of herself making a song and went from 50 to at least one,000 followers overnight – which soon after becoming over 2 million fans. For hopeful musicians, YouTube has been one of the finest merchandising tools, ever. With some clicks, artists can add movies – whether they be authentic songs or covers – and it is going to be without problems accessed to over 1000000000 YouTube customers. And the choice to embed films to put up to other websites has made it even easier to get located. Prominent artists like Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, and Carly Rae Jepsen have been found through posting YT videos. For years, Uk singer-songwriter, Sarah Near, has been uploading covers of songs using Massive names like Drake, Lana Del Rey, and Rihanna and earlier this month, she released her debut song, “Call Me Out.” And all of it began on YouTube. If she just dropped this music first, Earlier than continuously including a new cover to her YouTube library every week, might her originals garner nearly as lots attention right off the bat? Now not handiest has the Internet made it less difficult for musicians to share their track, But generating tune has emerged as extra convenient and low-cost as nicely. Artists can create makeshift studios in their homes or hire out a studio for a few days and add it to the Net inside minutes. The liberty to submit, percentage to social media, reTweet, re-publish and find out has ended up some distance too smooth. The Net is an incredibly useful medium and will hold to keep advancing. And who is aware of – quickly, the Net may be the handiest manner to get found.

The tune is an altogether modern shape of artwork that involves sounds and silence in an organised manner. It’s far very well expressed in phrases of pitch, rhythm, and fine of sound. Pitch, rhythm and sound nice are the three essential a part of any music that together includes melody, harmony, tempo, meter, articulation, timbre, dynamics, and texture.

The first-rate part of any music is that it keeps on converting with the converting generation with more than one changes within the sample and stimulus. These days, most of the restaurants, resorts and Big inns have musical clippings of the official soundtracks that play a crucial position in altering moods of the listeners.

Before exploring the improvements of technology, the track was constrained to audio cassettes, CDs, and radios. Regularly, with the appearance of the era, modern way of song assets got here into lifestyles. Song enterprise started adapting itself to the converting desires of the converting generations.

In advance nearly every person had radios, But unluckily that was Not sufficient to have fun all the pleasant musical notes that an individual wants to hear. Then the evolution shifted to audio cassettes that were exact enough to revel in the musical notes of any song But here too human beings were No longer capable of getting all the favoured notes. If they bought one cassette, it can have one track in their desire But Now not the relaxation. Eventually, the ones humans ended up taking increasingly more numbers of recordings. Later, when the CDs came into existence people were extremely satisfied with the sort of sound great and wider preference it used to supply. But, a person is in no way happy be it cash, call or even music.

Sooner or later, a Huge revolution was added inside the track enterprise with the introduction of net and Net. The largest development that Internet-delivered in the record industry is that every expertise can quickly attain its target audience without any filter out. In the olden days, wealthy capabilities used to warfare to make their voice reach their target audience. Now, those issues had been resolved.

Nowadays, Net has significantly influenced the music international each in India in addition to in the worldwide market. Some of the internet resources had been introduced to serve song lovers with a huge variety of their favourite choices and are capable of social their track aspirations. Now, people can download any quantity of songs from these internet assets. They have an opportunity to seek from an extended list this is classified underneath individual sections like singers, tune composers, films, Bollywood songs, devotional songs, old songs, new songs, pop songs and various denominations.

Furthermore, Internet has crossed all of the limitations and geographical limitations that earlier used to restrict the song resources. These days, sitting anywhere in the world, track fanatics can revel in their preferred melodies and dance to the beats. The Net changed the face of the track world, storming in like a typhoon and leaving devastation in its wake. A few argue that the music industry should have visible it coming and tailored faster, at the same time as others say it was a slight contact of arrogance, believing that their enterprise model couldn’t be affected.

Internet music industry

Below is a examine how two of the leading games in the company were affected, positively or negatively, with the creation of the sector-wide net, and how the Internet changed their once so lucrative enterprise model.

(1) record Organization

The Internet modified and immensely altered the way wherein track is advertised, sold, disbursed, and shared. It’s miles a very different surroundings to the only that existed two decades in the past.

Technological advancements have meant the dying knell for the liked “CD” with income of this layout diminishing regularly. Which means that track downloads (the general public of which are unlawful) are here to live.

Music piracy is the unrelenting undertaking facing the internet music industry These days, a hassle which they ought to meet head-on to be able to live on.

Technology which includes CD-R’s and peer-to-peer file sharing have made lifestyles indeed not possible for the record labels. The Internet modified the velocity at which song documents may be moved and transferred between human beings, making it a hopeless case on the subject of policing for the music enterprise at massive.

(2) song Shop

The track retailing landscape has completely been converted with the arrival of the Internet. The neighbourhood impartial record stores were indeed worn out, leaving at the back of the Big retail chains and supermarkets, to fight it out among themselves for the bodily marketplace.

The Internet modified the business of the favourite song retailer, and become instrumental inside the extreme popularity of a brand new participant in the market, specifically iTunes.

Nowadays this new entrant has a complete for a monopoly on the virtual music market, accounting for 70% of global online virtual track sales, and thus making it the most famous prison record store ordinary.

Internet music streaming

The “brick ‘n’ mortar” operations have needed to appearance to other merchandise to atone for the losses being incurred from the decline of the CD, that’s a direct result of ways the Internet changed the music business.

Products like video games, DVDs, technological accessories, products (t-shirts, books) are all to be found inside the music shop, a shop which once simplest consisted of racks upon racks stocked full of CDs – every other clear instance of ways the Internet changed the song retailing business.

Don’t wait until it’s too late – get to grips NOW with how the Net can fine be placed to work for you and your business. Take it step with the aid of step from the very beginning, and develop yours online enterprise strategy from there.

Don’t discover yourself in a few years from now in a defunct industry, claiming the creation of the Net modified your business.

[ohhayshelby]

One time in college...

I wrote on ideology in the scene and Alex Gaskarth along with friends helped me put it together.

Was feeling kind of down today, so I decided to share it with the world because this is honestly one of my most proud pieces of writing to exist ever.

Shelby Chargin

Eng 472

Heenan

6 May 2014

Musical Ideographs

When thinking about ideology in rhetoric, politics is the first thing that comes to mind. Most examples of ideographs and the ideology behind them are from political campaigns. One worded ideographs, like “liberty” “freedom”, and “equality” are seen in political discourse. In the beginning of the punk[1] scene, most music was an ideological representation of the political standpoint the scene was making at that time. Throughout the early stages of alternative, the ideology in music was representative of political discourse that people were used to. However, as the message of punk changed, the use of ideology, and words as ideographs to send a message through music, did not.

           Michael McGee highlights the idea that ideographs are “basic structural elements, the building blocks of ideology” (McGee). He mostly argues that these are used in political discourses, but there are strong ideographs in social communities. The social context in ideology is much less discussed than the political one, however, you can have rhetorical ideology that is not political. The song titles, and catchy lyrics themselves in punk music have become ideographs for the ideology behind a musician’s message to their fans.

To understand the use of specific words and songs as ideographs better, go back to where the punk scene transitioned from being “politically” to “socially” charged. These changes began as the new age of grunge died out, and the ever-apparent “emo” quality set in. The first band to really come forth and take a stand against this “purely political” message in mainstream punk would be Green Day. “Punk ideals are presented as the opposite of American suburban ideals (i.e. conformity, success based on affluence, assimilation). Similar themes of a need for meaning rather than affluence, struggle against conformity and hypocrisy, and isolation are found within the literature focused on suburban life. These themes reveal what happens when adult rules and dreams take precedence over youthful needs. Suburban life appears to have provided a stage for punk rock to thrive upon,” (Chaung and Hart).  Green Day’s ethos with the adolescents is established by implying that, yes, statements are made about marginalized youth, but it is about the personal experiences of the youth of today, rather than the contemporary political injustices and exploits. Chaung and Hart go on to discover that, “[t]he changing nature of subcultures has proven to be another challenge in the study of punk” (Chaung and Hart). The changing nature of the subculture of punk is changed, and that musicians can manipulate rhetorical theories through the rhythms and sounds they create, along with the lyrics of their songs (Chaung and Hart). The early era of “suburban punk rock” now has an established ethos with a fanbase, and the new age fans are able to connect with bands on a more personal and emotional level. Although the social ideologies and rhetoric in punk music can be traced all the way back to the 1970’s, it is in the 1990’s and early 2000’s that the true nature of the message of punk is defined.

They unify this new age of punk fans through the idea that it is okay to represent yourself and stand up for what is right within you. They have now changed the view of the current punk rock scene, paving the way for more artists to come. As the ideological nature in the music changed, and key words were less about rebellion and more about self-involvement, along with personal struggles in life, the political connotations behind the word “alternative” slowly dissipated. The punk scene has now become a beacon of hope, connecting adolescents from all different backgrounds, classes, races, and unifying gender under ideologies coined by popular bands in the scene, like All Time Low.

Especially popular in the new age pop punk scene is a band out of Baltimore, Maryland called “All Time Low.” Started in 2003, the line-up consists of Alex Gaskarth, Jack Barakat, Zack Merrick, and Rian Dawson. The group quickly gained popularity due to their unchanging devotion to fans, and their phenomenal ability to write songs that connected with a larger audience. Lead singer, and main songwriter for the band, Alex Gaskarth has quite the following. His innate ability to capture a moment or a feeling in a lyric has brought fans back time and time again. Gaskarth himself coined the ideograph of “Therapy” into a heart-wrenching song, which fans new and old can connect with on an extremely personal level. “I believe that music is the closest thing to magic that we can experience first hand, able to be conjured from nothing and having such a profound affect on those who experience it-- It is also the most easily relatable form of art, and continually changes in how the listener perceives it; something almost evolutionary,” Gaskarth states (Gaskarth). It is his firm belief that music “can affect the world on a large scale, as the right song, put together in the right way, with the right words, and emotions, can stir that same very same set of emotions in a listener,” (Gaskarth). Fans young and old are able to connect to the term “Therapy” through the idea that “Music becomes a vessel for every band out there, and carries the individual” (Gaskarth). Gaskarth providing the idea that the words, the music, and the general message are his ideograph. His ethos is established to his listeners much like Armstrong’s. His credentials are in the words of his songs, and are able to be manipulated by individuals to reflect their own lives.

Establishing ethos is imperative to creating an ideological concept in a community. Although ideological concepts exist in almost all realms of discourse, ideographs themselves are mostly referred to as political tools. Ideographs according to McGee are important because “they exist in real discourse, functioning clearly and evidently as agents of political consciousness. They are not invented by observers; they come to be as a part of the real lives of the people whose motives they articulate,” (McGee). McGee’s argument rings true in ideographs in the music scene, outside of the political realm. There are three large ideographs created in the scene directly linked to the band All Time Low. The exploration of the ideologies in the punk scene force a discourse in which ideographs are just as prominent in a musical performance as they would be in a political speech.

One of the biggest ideologies in the “scene” today, is the use of the word idea that therapy is not always necessary to improve mental health. Therapy has always had a stigma about it, and as punk rock has transitioned from a political to social context in the eyes of an ideological standpoint, so have its messages and meanings. Many youths of today would say they have suffered some sort of depression or anxiety, and that therapy itself was not a helpful factor in overcoming it. Therapy is something that people do not enjoy because they feel as though they do not have a connect to the world they are writing about or feeling around them. The goal of the punk rock scene is to have a community of support around you, rather than one person to talk to, is more helpful in dealing with an individual’s problems. The connection to others who are like you, the feeling of not being alone, and the knowledge that someone else has been there all create an ideological concept where therapy falls short, music can help, creating an ideograph out of the word “therapy” in the music scene. Coincidentally, one of All Time Low’s most popular and strongest statement songs is titled “Therapy.”

The song “Therapy” has been a ballad performed live by All Time Low for about 5 years now. It was first released of their album Nothing Personal in 2009, and has since become one of the staple songs in any set they play. “The song can only appeal to people who relate to it, and that tends to be people who have gone through a lot, those people tend to be in the punk music scene because of songs like 'Therapy'” comments Emily Muniz (Muniz). Muniz, a younger All Time low fan, has been listening to the band for a year and a half now. Suffering from certain disorders herself, Muniz has definitely seen a change in her life since listening to punk music. She says that becoming part of the scene “definitely changed my life for the better. It changed the way I looked at the world. It made me more opening and accepting” (Muniz). Her view on this is not uncommon, and among All Time Low fans, is a theme that spans across fans of all ages. “This band has brought me some of the best friends I could ask for. We've all grown up together, we've experienced the same things in life. The band included,” (Kaine) states Sammi Kaine, a long time All Time Low fan who has seen the band perform over 70 times in her 8 years of knowing them.

Through these experiences, Kaine has learned the value of music, and how it connects with the fans of bands. Her view on things rings true in her personal opinion of the song “Therapy.” “Music is an escape for a lot of people. All Time Low fans want to feel a connection to their idols, this song relates to so many of their fans. Everyone has a form of depression, everyone's had days where they fake smiles. We’re all human. Alex is showing that. He is letting people know, "hey I have bad days too. I feel like no one realizes I'm in a bad place because of my job. But here's the thing, I am." Fans finally see that the rockstar life style is not all fun and games. They're human, they have feelings too,” (Kaine). In her statement, Kaine is now directly linking Gaskarth’s life to her own, and other fans through the music. Thus Gaskarth’s ethos is still intact, reaffirmed, and his pathos is applies to lives of his listeners. He has now, whether he is aware of it, created an ideograph that spans a generation of listeners who were at one time seen as a rebellious group of individuals, rather than a community.

One of the largest differences between the rebellious scene, and the newer “social improvement” scenes ideological standards is the connection fans are now able to have with bands. Unlike before, musicians and their fans are able to break the barrier of “mystery” through the use of the Internet and social networking sites. “Undoubtedly, the biggest difference between this generation and any of the former is the level of world-wide access we all have to music and their associated "scenes" because of the Internet. The web has become a rich pool of music related information, and, in its current state, there is very little that anyone can do to control it or filter it. Therefore, online music communities have thrived, and as a result, bands propagate in much different ways than in previous generations,” believes Gaskarth. His use of the Internet for band purposes covers all social media sites. “The main difference now is the access fans have to bands. Past generations did not have the social networks we have today. The media has changed so much in our generation,” argues Kaine (Kaine).

These social media outlets allow bands are able to connect to their fans in a more intimate way, creating an entitlement that was not there before. “Kids these days feel extremely entitled to things. Not everyone, but enough people feel as though the bands job is not just to make music and put on a show. People want more, they want the interactions and get mad when they do not get it,” (Kaine) Kaine continues. It is the downside of such a strong interaction with the musicians themselves, but as Kaine speaks on the subject, she believes there are pro’s and cons to the new media, and the direct connection fans have with the band (Kaine).

Almost all parties involved agree that meeting the band brings about a better connection to the band and the music itself. Tasnim Kabir another newer and younger All Time Low fan from New York City, has never seen the band nor has she met them, but she believes meeting them “can definitely pull you in closer to the music, because once you see that they exist just as other people do, and are not just performers, it makes the music just more real. You see that they're going to the same things that you're going through,” (Kabir).  Kabir’s opinion does not differ much from Kaine’s “You start looking at them as more than a band and thinking how proud you are of them… As for emotional content, it goes kind of with what I've said about Therapy and Vegas. If you can relate to songs more, you're going to be really into those songs,” (Kaine), and in these two opinions, a second ideograph is brought to light.

The term “real people” has been coined in this scene as a way to show people that those performing are really not that different than us. Gaskarth would agree that the social interaction has increased. “Growing up, there was much less social interaction between artists and fans. The level of mystique that surrounded bands was much greater, and in recent years, much of that has been stripped away. Growing up as an artists played a massive role in identifying with our fan base, and realizing that there is a greater call for social interaction now than ever before,” (Gaskarth). Gaskarth’s statement bring light to the idea that social interaction benefits bands as much as it does fans. “I always admired the artists who took the extra time to go out of their way for the people who put food on their plates by supporting the music and the culture,” he continues on the subject. The “real people” ideology helps connect the listener to the music in a way they haven’t before. They begin to see musicians as people to take advice from, or some even as people who can relate to their own problems. “As an artist who began writing music at a young age, and continues to write from a personal place, about issues that are significant in my own life, it is the sharing of that material and the noticeable connection fans have with it, that means the most to me,” Gaskarth elaborates upon the idea that the things in his life are able to be reflected upon in their music, and are proven to be useful in helping young kids through the struggles of their youth. His ability to relate to his fans provides validation that he is a “real person” or not just a “rockstar” like previously mentioned from Kaine. The idea that rockstars now live a somewhat “normal” at home life and that the only difference between them and their fans is a stage has now become a staple ideology in the scene. It is ideograph of “real people” is a short way to imply everyone is equal, everyone is accepted, and it opens the trail for a third ideological concept in this music scene.

This final ideological concept could easily be represented by the ideograph “it gets better.” The connection fans have with the music of the scene spans beyond just the scope of the band and their music into this concept. Fans often feel alone and alienated. The bands themselves are able to create a community in the scene. Gaskarth backs up this claim when asked about what he thinks keeps his fans coming back. “There is an intrinsic human need for community, and I feel that the social connections formed through the mutual experience of music, tends to form strong bonds, based on the emotionally stirring nature of music in general,” (Gaskarth). The basis of the need for acceptance is met in communities like this one. “…punk created a community and sense of belonging for generations of people who felt they did not fit in anywhere else,” (Scott). Scott’s chapter on community in the punk scene is a perfect example of the creation of a safe haven for people among many different kinds of people (Scott). He highlights some of the faults and the hypocrisy in the community, but is also able to reiterate that it is a community of an “unspoken bond” (Scott), and that the majority of the people in it are united.

It is a community in which people do not feel the need to be something they are not, a community where “it gets better” because they want people to have hope. “I really like the people. Before I got into the punk music scene, I never really felt like I belonged anywhere. Once I got into it, I found a group of people who were exactly like me. They're some of the kindest, least judgmental, people out there. We do not just have the music we listen to in common-we have the most random things in common and it is great because it makes you feel less crazy,” conveys Muniz. Muniz feels like she has a community, and that this has bettered her life.

The “it gets better” ideology is now applied to not only her life, but to the music that has helped her better it. On the other spectrum, Tasmin Kabir is at the beginning of her journey. “I actually come from a cultural background (Bangladeshi) where everyone is very involved with their family and friends. So no matter how hard I try, I will always be around a certain group of people throughout my life. Most of my friends were also from this circle, only as of recently though. We had a fallout, and now I'm trying to go out of my comfort zone to make more friends with people I wouldn't normally talk with,” (Kabir). She gives us proof that the “it gets better” ideology has a thorough and different effect on people’s lives. Kabir has yet to attend a concert, but still feels extremely connected to the scene, and the people in it (Kabir). This ideology can be felt through the fans dedication not only to the music, but also to the world around them at shows, and even in the online community. “I am often told that my music has helped change people for the better, or given them hope, or happiness, and that is something I could have never foreseen as a young artist,” reflects Gaskarth when asked what he would want to look back on doing for his fans. Scott in his article argues the personal affect that punk has on a person. How it is able to not only save lives, but create new beginnings for people as well. “This is exactly what I believe punk can do: it can give someone a reason to care and the energy needed to move forward, or to keep moving at all,” (Scott). Now having seen the direct effect of the “it gets better” that fans receive, and the want of bands to give them that feeling, it is obvious that the ideology behind this ideograph is felt throughout the entire community.

Ideology in the modern punk music scene may have seen a bit unrealistic because of the lack of political culture in the scene in contemporary times, but the ideologies of a better and more realized world are strong within the community. The efforts of musicians’ message may have changed, but the ability to have a long lasting affect on their audiences has not. Ideology is a hard concept to define and understand, but seeing it in everyday life outside politics, and the punk rock scene is one way of showing how the world can be ideologically affected outside the realm of politics.

 Bibliography

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 Gaskarth, Alex. “Interview with Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low.” E-mail interview. 3 May 2014.

 Kabir, Tasnim. “Interview with Tasnim Kabir.” E-mail interview. 3 May 2014.

 Kaine, Sammi. “Interview with Sammi Kaine.” E-mail interview. 1 May 2014.

 Kristiansen, Lars J. Screaming for Change: Articulating a Unifying Philosophy of Punk Rock. Lanham, MD: Lexington, 2010. Print.

 Matula, Theodore. "Pow! to the People: The make-Up's Reorganization of Punk Rhetoric." Popular Music and Society 30.1 (2007): 19-38. ProQuest. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

Michael Calvin McGee (1980) The “ideograph”: A link between rhetoric and ideology, Quarterly Journal of Speech, 66:1, 1-16.

Muniz, Emily. “Interview with Emily Muniz.” E-mail Interview. 4 May 2014.

Ngô, Fiona I.b. "Punk in the Shadow of War." Women & Performance: A Journal of Feminist Theory 22.2-3 (2012): 203-32. Print.

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[1] Punk refers to all genres and sub-genres of punk music. I.e. pop punk, punk rock, ska punk, punk metal. However, mostly punk and pop punk references will be used.