Cavuoto 1

Donato Cavuoto

24 September 2020

Cactus Jack

Section 1

The online space that will be used for this analysis is an Instagram account by the name of Cactus Jack. Cactus Jack is an American record label created by musical artist Travis Scott. I chose this online space because of their recent popularity and because my favorite artists are signed to Cactus Jack. I am bringing in an insider's perspective for my work on this project so what I know or believe about Cactus Jack may be different from someone who is an outsider for this space. As an insider, I want to see Cactus Jack as a brand do well because I am a fan of their music and lifestyle branding. Although an outsider, who might not be a fan of Travis Scott or

Cactus Jack, may see their collaborations with big brands (like McDonalds or Fortnite) as

“selling out” or being known as a “corporate artist”. In this online space I have access to browse/repost any picture or video they have posted to the account or access to comment on any post. I consider myself a very low-profile insider because I rarely like or comment on any post, but I do send post to other insiders and sometimes repost something from Cactus Jack on my story. Even though I am low profile, I believe me and other like me are important for the community. The music they release is easily accessible to most people but does have some restrictions. To listen to all the music Cactus Jack record label has put out, you need access to some form of online media streaming service that Cactus Jacks music has been uploaded too.

Free access to this music can be found on YouTube or through small snippets of Instagram.

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Section 2

In this online space I would say there is a sense of a hierarchy for its participants. The leader(s) of this online would be Travis Scott followed by any other artist signed to Cactus Jack like Don Toliver or Chase B. Also, friends or family of the Cactus Jack brand would also have more influence on the online space than a regular person leaving a comment. No one knows officially who run the Cactus Jack Instagram page, but many fans assume it’s someone from Travis Scotts management as well as Travis Scott himself, if he has time. To identify an individual's importance for an idea or bias is to take a look at the person's Instagram page. For example, I use my personal Instagram account to like and comment on Cactus Jacks posts, so my interpretation of a post or the context which I may interact with it would be different than someone with a Travis Scott fan page. Looking at the screen shot to the right (taken from a public Cactus Jack Instagram post) you can see how people interact and the different types of Instagram pages you might see. You can see how the top comments are in reference to either a song (“way back”) or talking about the 4-year anniversary of a Travis Scott

Album. You can distinguish the more immersed community members from people who just pass through by looking at their Instagram profile and what they commented on a particular post.

Looking back at the image to the right you can see a Travis Scott fan page that commented as well as a personal account that used emojis that are often associated with this community. The cactus emoji is widely known to represent Cactus Jack and Travis Scott for these community participants. Although the comment sections are often filled with support, there is also a fair share of haters, who people who want to express their negative opinions. The Cactus Jack page Cavuoto 3 doesn’t tend to take down negative comments or post but also chooses not to interact with them at all. Lastly you can also see the last comment is hopes and aspirations to make music with Cactus Jack record label in the future. In fact, many of the comments are related to sharing new music, although it is often frowned upon in the community as “toxic self- promoting”.

Section 3

Since the Cactus Jack Instagram page is a record label for major artists like, Travis Scott and Don Toliver you find plenty of overlap between other online communities. The Cactus Jack

Instagram is used to promote these artists throughout their career. Whenever an artist, who is signed to this label comes out with a new song, album or promotion- it will be acknowledged by the Cactus Jack Instagram space. A prime example of this can be seen recently when Travis

Scott announced his collaboration with McDonalds to release a “Travis Scott Meal'' & Cactus

Jack/McDonalds inspired clothing. This is a great example of how the Cactus Jack/Travis Scott community have blended into mainstream outlets outside the internet. The new “Travis Scott meal” was available at all McDonald's locations with special promotions to help raise awareness.

The Cactus Jack and McDonald’s collaboration merchandise is also a great example of the

Cactus Jack community going from an online space to a in world one. It’s important to note that the collaboration with McDonalds did receive some controversy, especially for the price of the merchandise which fans were not happy about (see image to the right). Overall, the Cactus Jack Instagram tends to align itself and its post to one of their signed artists when they have a new sponsor or new music coming out. This is a great way for the individuals to have their identity be aligned with Cactus Jack as a brand and vice versa. Cavuoto 4

Section 4

Kay Kaufman Shelemay says that musical continuities are the result of not only musical but also social processes. Looking at the online space “Cactus Jack” you see the essential framework for a community. Starting off with the musical aspect of this community, Cactus Jack itself is a music record label founded by a musical artist. This record label happens to have some of the biggest artists in the industry who are consistently pumping out music. It's safe to say the Cactus Jack online space is heavily influenced by music and those who interact with this page are also influenced by this music style. Next is the social aspect of community. The online space used for this analysis is on a social media platform, so social interaction is inevitable. The Cactus

Jack community is not only an online social community, it is also a community that is built through live or online concerts, selling branded merchandise and collaborations with other companies like McDonalds or Fortnite. Due to the large musical and social processes involved, I would say the Cactus Jack online space classifieds as a musical community.

If I were to dive deeper into my analysis on the Cactus Jack online space, I would start by creating a fan account for one of the artists. This would make interaction with community members or leaders easier while also encouraging more interaction with others in the community. To gain greater insight into the community I would ask other members about their favorite music within this space and why. I would do this because it can be very important to understand why or how a song/album became popular amongst this community. My reading Cavuoto 5 from Pete Seeger helped with this analysis because he said not only is participation in the community your studying important, but it is also important to keep an eye on the most abstract details. If the creators of the Cactus Jack online space saw my observations, they would most likely be surprised by the large social and small personal impacts they made through music.

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NONE OF THE IMAGES OR COMMENTS POSTED ARE MY OWN: TAKEN FROM

INSTAGRAM(CATCUS JACK) : PLEASE CONTACT FOR CREDIT OR REMOVAL.