Star theory: Richard Dyer

The biggest stars in the music industry all tend to have things in common, even if their music differs...

• youthfulness
• rebellion
• sexual magnetism 
• an anti-authoritarian attitude 
• originality 
• creativity and talent 
• aggression/anger
• disregard for social values (relating to drugs, sex and manners)
• conspicuous consumption (of sex, drugs and material goods)
• success against the odds

Obviously, these don't apply to every single artist but is a broad picture. All of these factors can be seen as overly exaggerated traits of the artists targeted audiences. 

"the term 'star' refers to the semi-mythological set of meaning constructed around music performers in order to sell the performer to a large and loyal audience" 

So ultimately, 'stars' are no different to anybody else with the same talent, 'stars' don't even have to be extremely talented, they are just marketed, sold and created as a star and sold to audiences as something special- 'a star'. 

Richard Dyer- the 'star' theory 

• a star is an image, not a real person, they are constructed out of a range of materials (eg videos, photos, performances etc.)
• Stars are commodities produced and consumed on the strength of their meanings. 
• Stars depend on a range of media, they can't just rely on their music, they have to be on radio, tv, the internet in order to do everything they can to be sold to their targeted audiences.
• the 'star image' is made up of a range of meaning which are attractive to the target audiences. 

Iconic imagery- sometimes unique selling points are used to continue to sell the star image. This is when the creation of iconic imagery can be easily associated with a star so that it can help to further sell their star image. For example, Michael Jackson's white glove- 

Unique selling points- A music star VS a film star 

music stars tend to have an advantage over film stars in that their 'star image' is much more consistent as it is not relied on the creative input of others (screenwriters, directors etc.). Actors play characters and therefore creating an image can be harder as audiences watch them as characters not real people.

The 'star image' changes over time, musicians can change their appearances as they age over time and as their audiences grow older and their style/music changes. For example, Miley Cyrus- 

Richard Dyer's theory as three main ideas/features that make a star:

1. The star is a construction- the image of the artists have been created by their management. 
2. The star as a commodity- the star has been constructed to appeal to their target audiences. 
3. The star as an ideology- the image of the artist and what they represent/believe in. 

Richard Dyer says the star image in incoherent (incomplete and open), Dyer believes that this is because it is based upon two key paradoxes. 

Paradox 1: "The star must be simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary for the consumer" -someone to look up to but also someone to relate to. 

Paradox 2: "The star must be simultaneously present and absent for the consumer"- having the audience know them enough, but not enough to get sick of them. 

The star image is designed by the label through all media products- they are selling the brand, not the album; the better the image, the easier to sell. 

New changes and opportunities:

Social media- new media which has a big impact on star image. It is used cleverly by record labels as the record labels can use the artists to talk directly to their audiences. 

An example of star theory- Beyonce 

Beyonce was originally in the band 'Destiny's child' which is what brought her fame, it was a successful R&B group in the late 90s/early 2000s. 

Her star image is presented a powerful, 'real' woman, she has the stage name 'Sasha Fierce'. Her music has an overall R&B tone but she has created ballards and more pop type songs as well, showing off her diversity within the music industry, this is exciting for her fans as she has been in the music business for a long time. 

She has taken part in numerous interviews, tours and performances which all correlate to her 'star image'. 

Beyonce represents power and is extremely influential on teen girls and women, she has incredible performances but also speaks out as an activist making her liked by more audiences, she is portrayed as down to earth and authentic yet a 'power house'. She has created iconic music videos which has made her known by audiences globally. As Beyonce has matured over time, her music has become more political as well (her Lemonade album). 

Beyonce's youthful career, early on. Portrayed as a good looking, feminine popstar.

Beyonce become more mature, introduces 'Sasha Fierce' as a stage (alter ego) name.

As she gets older, we see her maturity shine through even on her album covers, but fans still love her music and performances.

Keeping up her image throughout different platforms-

Instagram/social media: 

Music videos: 

Through these images, you can see how Beyonce's persona stays the same throughout all media platforms, helping to make her star image consistent and effective.