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C%,O. - THIS DISSERTATION ' \ HAS BEEN MICROFILMED MICROFILM~ETELLE QUE ' EXACTLY AS RECEIVED VIDEOMUSIC AS PROMOTIONAL FORM: THE INCORPORATION OF POPULAR D MUSIC INTO THE TELEVISUAL . - 6 1 I' X C , P. avid Marshall Honours B.A., University of w>stern Ontario, 1981 ., THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF @-? , MASTER OF ARTS (COMMUNICATION) in the Department m of Communication SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY All rights reserved. his work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. Permission has been granted Ltautorisation a G$G accord6e to the National Library of Zi la Bibliothsque natignale Canada to microfilm this du Canada de micro•’ilmer thesis and to lend or sell cette thSse et de prgter ou copies of the film. de vendre des exern~Saires~du 1 film. The author ( copyright owner) L'auteur (titulaire du droit has reserved other dtauteur) se reserve les publication rights, and autres droits de publication; neither. the thesis nor ni la thsse ni de longs extensive extracts from it extraits de celle-ci ne' may be printed or otherwise doivent Stre Lrnprirngs ou reproduced without his/her- autrement repr~duitssans son written permission. autorisation Gc ite. _/''r ISBN 0-315-30855-9 Name : P. ' David Marshall . Degree: Master of Arts (Communication) Title of Thesis: Videomusic as Promotional Form: The Incorporation of Popular Music into the Televisual B Examining Committee: Chairperson: Thomas J. Mallinson, Professor Emeritus -A Mrtin Laba Assistant Professor Senior Supervisor ' 4 Rowland Lorimer p- Associate Professor, Richard Gruneau Associate Professor School of Physical Education and Recreation University of British Columbia Date Approved: 9 August 1985 PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LKENSE d'. d'. I hereby grant to Simon Fraser University the r.ight to lend my thesis, project or extended essay (the title of which is shown below) ,' to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or I /' single copies only for such users or in response to a request from th6' l i brary of any other university, or other educational institutlon, on its own behalf or for one of its users. I further agree that permission for multiple copy ing of this work for zcholarly purposes may be -granted by me or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this work for f inanc~algain shal l not "be al lowed -i without my wr tten permission. I Title ot Thes ,s/Project/Extended Essay i Videomusic as Womotional Form: The Incorporation of Popular llusic into the Televisual &= , Author: - - - (signature) P, David Marshall (name 9 August 1985 (date) represeAts a desired move to a stronger definition of their product through promotion. For the cable industry, videomusic is . I . programme content specifically aimed at the youth market I segment. The actual content of videomusic, it is argued, reflects the promotional nature of videomusic. - The thesis concludes that videomusic exemplifies the style I' of innovation that is fostered with'in the institutions of modern *"- cultural production. Thisk.,style/, o__f.&innovation imposes the . constraints relating to the development of commodities on $ cultural expression. '\ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS J WithoutJhe help of a number of people, my thesis would have remained a "concept" and never have achieved its present ;d physical rqality. I am deeply indebted to my friends, •’&mily, *.* ' fellow graduate students and faculty members of the Department of ~ommunication,who have guided me through this - as Liora Salter so aptly labelled - "rite of passage". Although the influence and assistance of these important people cannot be found tucked away in any reference note or bibliographical .+ :A entry, their collective contributionJms been invaluable in the development of the thesis. It js only in this section that I can acknowledge and thank the people behind these posit ivec in•’luences, on my 'studies. 1 First of all, I would like to khank Professor Robert Sansom of the University of Western Ontario for whetting my appetite . + for further intellectual inquiry. His undergraduate' seminar courses have provided me with a framewoGk for fruitful d investigation that has carried me throughWmy current research and writing. When I first came to Simon Fraser University, 2 kniw no one 1 from Vancouver. I ~c'bnsidermyself privileged to have met so many worthwhile people from both within the Graduate! programme and i the community. In particular, I would like to thank &t Jhally for his open friendship and encouragement while I was making my first tentative steps toward writing this thesis. Also, I would like to thank Bill Leiss and Sut for our regular first semester tennis matches which helped me to-maintain my physical as well as my mental well-being. Another faculty membeq, Rowly Lorimer, P: deserves my grateful thanks for allowing me'to co6k3inate my % P. 5 interview research with the preliminary research for his :* -. % documentary on videomusic. I would be equally remiss not to ? * mention the coptribution of both Karen Gardner and Paulette Johnson, the two graduate secretaries who guided me through the administrative labyrinih that often blocked the path to the completion of the thesis. Several other people are deserving of acknowledgement for their friendship. Lynda Drury's unfailing support during my "one-legged" days will not be forgotten. Richard Smith's cheerfulness and insights often buoyed me back to studying and writing. My dependence 'on David Backhouse as a tennis partner and patient listener kept me on track during the last months of the writing process. The genuine interest of Norman Melarned also contributed to my work. I have benefitted greatly from my friendship with Al-lison Hearn. The value to me of her critical eye, her concern and desire for integrity in all endeavours,, and hwunswaying con•’idence in my ability are inestimable. Her in•’luence das been both positive and enduring. Without my close friendship with ~eaTurner, I should think that the thesis would never have been completed. She listened to my all-too-often c~mplaints,*suffered through the more anxious moments, encouraged me, w&s my first critical reader, and often %$ e B if * df helped me rekve myself from the -constant prissure of deadlines '\, and self -imposed impossible work-schedules. I canno't thank her L\ enough for her support. P . r-. Pjnally, I .feel more than privileged to have met and worked L 9 * Y ,x.i with Martin Laba over the last two years. NQ~only is Martin A Laba probably the best person in the country to sbpervi%$e a4hy -y%%5. - *c h . c., study of popular culture, he is also the most cgmcerned a& ' - t. tireless thesis advisor one *could ever hope to find. His t challenging questions have provided the groundwork for most of this thesis. His unbelievably meticulous work as .an editor will, as he well knows, never be forgotten. I have learned a great deal from Martin and my debt to him is unfathomable. I only hope & that I can continue to count on his knowledge, expertise and friendship in the future. TABLE OF CONTENTS 'Approval-?.. ; .............. .us.......'. ............ ;.. ...... ii (+*- 2 *. 6 B .. introduction^:.^^.^. ..,n,*......................... ;& ....:. .1 I ' f' I E 3 . &ntecedntq 7.: and VideomuSic: Evidencgof Interface a.: .: .3 ** " % 4 +. ** \i.-- lr I Human Agency and..Oppositibn in Regenk Popular Music .. .6 . J * \ d = # ~ntentions............................................. 1'0 . Footnotes .......................... ;.................I2 11. ~echnological Innovation in Cultural Form ............14 r- Part One: Transformatio~bf Form .................... .19 * 5 Part Two: Institutional Transformation ...............35 P Conclusion ...........................................44 Footnotes ............................................47 .5 v 111. ~ncorporation: Industry Realignment .................52 PART ONE: Incorporation of the Advertising Mentality .54 Part Two: Dissemination: