Goodwin's book provides an analysis of MTV and how it influenced television and popular music. Some of the key points include: - Music videos demonstrate characteristics of different genres through elements like dance routines, stage performances, and aspirational themes. - The visuals in music videos typically relate to the song's lyrics, either illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the words. - The tone and atmosphere of the visuals also usually reflect the mood and style of the music. - Record labels influence videos to prominently feature the artist through close-ups and developing visual motifs for branding. Many videos also reference looking through screens and mirrors or treat the female body in a voyeuristic way. They may also

1. Goodwin's Theory

2. ‘Dancing in the Distraction Factory’
• This is a book written by Andrew Goodwin, it
is the first comprehensive, integrated analysis
of MTV (music television) and provides new
ways to understand television and popular
music narratives.

3. • Music videos demonstrate genre
characteristics.
(e.g. stage performance in metal videos, dance
routine for boy/girl band, aspiration in Hip
Hop).

4. • There is a relationship between lyrics and
visuals. The lyrics are represented with
images.
(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).

5. • There is a relationship between music and
visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the visual
reflects that of the music.
(either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting).

6. • The demands of the record label will include
the need for lots of close ups of the artist and
the artist may develop motifs which recur
across their work (a visual style). These include
CUs of the star’s face, iconography of band
image, visual trademarks and motifs.

7. • There is frequently reference to notion of
looking (screens within
screens, mirrors, stages, etc) and particularly
voyeuristic treatment of the female body. (see
hip hop genre in particular)

8. • There are often inter-textual reference (to
films, TV programmes, other music videos etc).