Negus Theory Of Synthetic And Organic Ideology

Negus said:

'What I’m looking for is the working act.  The real act.  The act that can get up on stage and do it.  That act will give you a career.  I signed Black Sabbath umpteen years ago; they are still making records.  These are acts that are career acts…Two years ago I started a dance label…Now that’s not a career orientated label.  I mean those records are one-off situations and every now and again maybe you’ll get an artist come out of it.'

Negus wrote a book called 'Producing Pop' which identifies two distinct ways of thinking about potential artists from within the music industry. These ideologies decide how the image and career are developed. The two ideologies are:

• Organic
• Synthetic

Organic

This ideology adopts a naturalistic approach to the artist. The success comes from within the artist. The image of the artist is nurtured by the record complany and given time to evolve and progress through their career. Emphasis is given to album sales and they are often aimed at older, more sophisticated consumers. Profits that are generated are part of the long term business plan and help them to plan longterm. An example of an organic artist is Ed Sheeran.

Synthetic

A combined approach to the artist and material. They attempt to construct successful acts out of artists songs at their disposal. An image is often constructed by the record company. The artist is given a short time to prove their success before other people will be tried out. Emphasis is placed on single sales and promoting the first album. These are often aimed at young, less sophisticated audiences. The profits are generated by this are part of an immediate, short term strategy. An example of a synthetic boy band is One Direction.



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