In the highly competitive world of rock and roll, branding is an important technique utilized by artists to separate themselves from other rock bands. For example, bands such as Black Flag, Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Van Halen/Van Hagar, and Metallica have all developed and implemented unique logos that identify their brand of rock music. The logo as a brand signifies a promise to the audience: it tells the audience what to expect from the band and how the bands’ music is different than other bands. Another common technique of branding is image. Building an image includes stage presence, magazine coverage, and visual performance, choreography and technique. Whichever branding technique employed, the ultimate goal is to build brand strength and brand strength “relies on capturing desirable and distinctive images and associations in the minds of consumers and carefully reinforcing them over time through marketing efforts” (Lieb, 2013, 17). Interestingly, U2, however, has never had a consistent logo or image to define the band. In fact, the U2 logo and image have consistently changed over time. While other bands rely on logos and image to convey the brand, this presentation will examine the central brand of U2, the live performance. Live performance as the brand for U2 will be investigated via an examination of music videos and U2’s live performance at concerts and festivals. Live performance as a brand allows U2 to separate itself from its competitors. The presentation considers U2’s ability to foretell the importance of live performance in a digitized 21st-century music industry.
Lieb, K. (20013). Gender, Branding and the Modern Music Industry: the Social Construction of Female Popular Music Stars. New York: Routledge.
About the presenterAaron Furgason
A life-long love of radio has led Aaron Furgason to return to his alma mater and teach several courses in radio and the recording industry. Aaron got his start in radio while attending then Monmouth College, where he served as a disc jockey and Music Director for WMCX 88.9 FM. Upon graduation, Aaron’s professional radio career includes stints at radio stations in Knoxville, Tennessee, Boston, Massachusetts and New York City-where he served a variety of roles, including on-air talent, programming and promotions work. Aaron has also worked for several New Jersey-based music marketing firms and at Atlantic Records in New York. Aaron received his B.A. from Monmouth College; M.A. from Emerson College; and his Ph.D. from Rutgers University. His dissertation examined the role of the Internet on New Jersey’s punk subculture. Currently, Aaron is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at Monmouth University, where he teaches classes in radio, the recording industry, and film. Aaron is also the advisor to WMCX 88.9 FM, the University’s 1000 Watt radio station.