To understand the relationship between the music industry and its audiences, it is important to consider the role of music stars. 'Star' refers to semi - mythological set of meanings constructed around music performers in order to sell the performer to a large and loyal audience. Dyer has written about the role of stars in film, music and TV.
Dyer says that stars depend upon a range of subsidiary media in order to construct an image for themselves which can be marketed to their target audiences. The star image is made up of a range of meanings which are attractive to target audiences.
The star image is incoherent, that is incomplete and 'open'. Dyer says that this is because it is based upon two key paradoxes.
Paradox 1
The star must be simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary for the consumer.
Paradox 2
The Star Image
The incoherence of the star image ensures that audiences continually strive to 'complete' or to 'make sense of' the image. This is achieved by continued consumption of the star through his or her products. The star image can be used to position the consumer in relation to dominant social values. Depending upon the artist, this may mean that the audience are positioned against the mainstream or within the mainstream, or somewhere in between.
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