4AD Research

What is 4AD?

It is a British independent label, founded by Ivo Watts, Russell and Peter Kent in 1980.

Distribution:

Distributers = Beggars Group
4Ad did not handle any distribution in many countries:

• Virgin Records for France
• Nippon Columbia in Japan

The USA had always been a tough market for 4AD - only a few of the labels acts had deals to licence their recordings in the USA, among various labels.
In 1992, Ivo signed a five year distribution deal with Warner Bros Records, so that nearly all 4AD releases would be released in the USA- this seemed to be a simple licensing deal, in reality executives from Warner Bros took a lot of control during this period, as 4AD shifted focus to the US market, signing more American bands.

Indie Pop Genre Research

Indie Pop:

Combines guitar pop with DIY ethic.
More melodic, Less abrasive style and relatively anxiety/dread free.
Quite calming.

Codes and Conventions of Indie Pop:

Known to be low budget.
Main settings: Studios, Cities, Parks and Woods. - creates mystery. 
Include a live performance from the artist, makes their career about their passion for music rather than success.
Performance is often partnered with a narrative to break up the music video.

Mes-en-scene:

Simple props, costume and makeup is linked to the scene.

Sound:

Dialogue is often used in music videos either in the beginning or the end to tell or conclude a story.

Camera:

Extreme close ups
Long shots, establishing shots are used to show the location of the music video 
Hand held shots- used to show a memory.

Editing:

Filters are used over the top of clips or the entire video.
Fast and slow cuts between shots reflect the pace of the music.

Representation:

Worry free.
Enjoy life vibe.
Do what you want.
Artist is represented as telling their own story.
Normal people - Audience can find themselves in the representation.