Exam Question 6, in a sentence.

I do not agree with needing to be a synergy to be successful artist as Beck is a DIY artist rather than Xfactor who package people and are a major company.

Beck Vs XFactor - Rosie Rattray

Beck and Xfactor have contrasting and comparable points throughout their processes. For starters, production. On one hand there is XFactor who during the production process uses Sony's back catalog to repackage old music into something more current and fresh. This back cataloguing is a cheap and effective way for Simon Cowell to shape his acts and find their specific sound using Sony's songs instead of their own songs which they have not written yet.
Beck on the other hand turns XFactors method on it's head and contrasts largely; Beck has not only been able to create his own sound without help of a coach or 'mentor' but he has produced sheet music open for interpreting by his fans. This is a an example of co-option, where his practices are separate from conventional and traditional practices, where fans co-ordinate and create responses as a community.

Similarities  occur between Beck and XFactor also, during the distribution and marketing process, both use social networking as a primary source of the process. YouTube plays a huge part in Beck's distribution and marketing process as this enables him exchange from his fans. Fans interpret Beck's sheet music into something unique to them and share them publicly online to share their interpretations with both Beck and other fans. The likes that Beck receives on the response video give him positive feedback on the versions that the viewers feel are more superior to others. Beck receives his money from selling his sheet music for the musicians or music enthusiasts to make their own. The exchange that XFactor somewhat differs and mimics Beck; viewers exchange votes in place of 'likes' on Youtube for the act they feel are more superior than others, this also gives money to the company aswell as positive feedback for the great artists and negative feedback to the not so successful artists. As well as receiving money for the votes, XFactor also enables the song covered by the artists to be available on iTunes soon after the performance.

XFactor appears to devalue music by it's back cataloguing habits; artists covering previously produced tracks are enabling the songs to become blander and staler, as well as this, the money made from the newly covered track fails to go to the original artist but to Sony itself. The same music being used and reproduced is a boring and overused theory.
Beck once again has contrasted heavily with XFactor on this point as he in fact adds value to music; Beck targets a small audience of people that are musically talented and able to read sheet music therefore leaving his sheet music to a talented smaller niche audience who effectively become prosumers. This also contrasts with XFactor as they have a larger more global audience through television programmes before watershed that families will tend to watch together, which racks up the viewing figures and creates a relationship with the audience, this audience requires no talent at all. 

This case study has shown how different yet successful artists can become by using different means of marketing themselves and creating a fanbase. XFactor and Beck appear to have very opposing ways of doing things to become successful yet both are successful in the way they have done so. 

Case Study

2. Research One Direction & their releases: Have they used any songs on Sony's back catalogue to re-image/brand and release (look at their weekly releases over the show on itunes - who owns the rights to this song, are they subsidiaries of Sony Records?)

Case Study - Prosumers.