PP6 Dealer Project
- 1. Dealer Album Artwork Deliverables Part 1: I have chosen the band Dealer, an Australian Metalcore band, to base my art choices and track listing off of. Being on the grittier and heavier side of music - Dealers tracks usually come with equally brutal titles, as exemplified below:
- 2. My Track Listing: 1. Punch It 2. Show Your Teeth 3. Cerberus 4. Nauseous 5. Coincidentally 6. Stay Awake This is a nice mixture of mysterious, menacing, and religion nods that I think is very indicative of their brand a what can be expected of a Dealer release. Cover art for hypothetical third EP release from Dealer, Eternal Everlasting: Front: Back:
- 3. Part 2: In contrast with the aggressive nature of Dealers sound and titles, their cover art is usually pretty and abstract. Both Soul Burn (2019) and Saint (2020) use reddish-orange tones but Saint has a hint of blue. Soul Burn appears to be an explosion or flames, indicative of the title, while Saint looks like a red/pinky curtain and to the right you can see a blue sky peeking out from behind it. For my cover art, I wanted to emulate that but use my own photography. The photo was taken outside of Full Sail on the sidewalk, but I was going for a haunted forest look with the framing and the super-stylized preset from a popular photographer in our music scene. I made it for Halloween and here is the original edit: RAW: With preset and color editing:
- 4. Crop out identifying factors like street and photoshop to make background foleage seem more dense: To make things more on brand for the cover art, I took a wider crop, turned down the saturation (I wanted it to look orange but not cartoony/bright/fun, a bit more realistic and darker), and kept a car in the background to add to the realism and bring in a blue tone. Dealer also used the fading of blacks in their previous cover arts specifically on the sidebar title I included a non-transparent blocky sidebar title in keeping with the theme, which is just a grey background with some grain. I used the same grey background for the back cover of the release so that the transition feels natural between the two of them. Because there isnt much going on as far as imagery on the back to contrast, I decided to use a pretty cursive typeface. The pretty background on the front needed a bolder typeface that represents Dealers in-your-face branding, but the back didnt, so I wanted to use the thematic element from the front but in the typeface instead. These choices are important to Dealers target market because it helps them know what to expect and how to find what they like. The imagery and typeface choices draw in the 18-28 edgy/alternative lifestyle crowd and catches their attention. They are often motived by seeking catharsis through loud, harsh, emotive music which this visual content evokes. Just as you may know a metal bands logo based on how line-y, involved, and impossible to read it is, you know Dealer is Dealer from their font and aesthetic.
- 5. References: Bandsintown: Dealer. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.bandsintown.com/a/49003- dealer?came_from=257 Bower, C. (24 March 2019). What is Metalcore? Live About. Retrieved from https://www.liveabout.com/what-is-metalcore-1756187 Discover the best free resources of Dark Grey Background. (2019, October 14). Retrieved from https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/dark-grey-background The Dealer Sound Facebook Page. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://m.facebook.com/pg/thedealersound/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2300182816882783& mt_nav=1
- 6. Dealer Product Research - Fingerboards Punk, Hardcore, and Metal music is all closely tied with skateboarding culture and has been since the very beginning of its popularity. It extends to the point that there is even a sub- genre of punk labeled Skate Punk. Different music genres are often associated with particular styles of skateboarding. For example, hip-hop is often used with technical street skating, while heavier, faster music, such as punk or metal, is generally used alongside transition skating. (Wilber, J., 2018). This is often the type of music to be played at skateparks and bands are known for making Thrasher nod merch and other memorabilia related to the skate scene as it sells well and is distinctly alternative. My concept for Dealer to tie this concept in is to create custom fingerboard merchandise to sell along with the current musical release of Eternal Everlasting on tape (to bring in the old school aspect of the music-skate roots). I originally thought of having real boards or something to that affect as merch but decided it would be too costly and wouldnt be easily portable or easily sold in a concert setting. Fingerboards, however, are mini skateboards that you can perfect popular skating tricks on using your fingers. They are very collectable especially now that they have nostalgia appeal from our childhood toy version: Tech Decks. Upon doing more research I realized that manufacturing of fingerboards can actually be MORE costly than regular skateboards because making things small is an expensive process, and a lot of decks are done by hand. Skateboards are made in mass, almost all the big companies don't make their own decks either, they're made by bigger companies most skaters don't see anything of. (kerryDETH on Reddit, 2012). So, while skateboards can be made for cheap with factories and then upcharged for profit, fingerboards tend to be priced similarly however as a result of the effort that went into production. They can be upcharged as well because they are collectable, but the circumstances are different. Luckily, there are many active fingerboard manufacturers that are viable options. I will be looking at Berlinwood fingerboard vs Flatface fingerboards as potential business partners. These are two of the most reputable, recognizable names in the fingerboarding community. The main distinctive factors between manufacturers is going to be the shape of the decks. Because a lot of people order customs it usually comes down to personal preference, but for our purposes, I think looking at what is most popular on average will work. It also should be considered that this is merchandise and many fans will be buying at for sentimental value, not necessarily because they are hobbyists and super picky on characteristics. If youre looking for long-lasting quality, theres no superior to Berlinwood, and it is the best rated. However, this quality or even just the brand name comes at a cost, Flatfaces are also very well made and the boards are respected but they are a more affordable option! While Berlinwood designs sell for about $130-$140, you can find Flatface in the $60-$70 range. If we presume that this is upcharged by at least half, we can approximate the cost of production around $30-$35. It also should be noted what is included: Berlinwood provides decks primarily without trucks or wheels, while Flatface has everything available. Taking all things into consideration, I think Flatface is the smarter option for our endeavor, we can get what we need in one place without breaking the bank, and we can ensure to customize our shape to quality standards. For calculative purposes, we say manufacturing is $30 per board, and to start we can order 100 physical boards for merch tables, 100 for brick & mortar stores, and then online you can get the deal straight from the manufacturers website we will label the product as limited
- 7. edition, maybe a special design for the first drop, and then if it does well we can put some of that money back into orders and have a secondary design. On top of that, tape duplicates go for $1.78 a piece, so if we also order 100 for each physical outlet, we will have to add $356. Were looking at an investment of $6356, but most likely because of the partnership and how many we would like to order there will be a deal we can negotiate to cut the cost a percentage. We will have to order early, assuming it will take two months to achieve the amount we need as well as preparing for a second drop. For brick-and-mortar we would like to work with Zumiez as it is a nationwide retail skate shop and apparel shop frequented amongst our target demographic, of 15-28-year old predominantly male skaters. Dealer is a supergroup band taking the scene by storm and I believe our manufacturer and chosen retailer will jump at the opportunity to work together. Merch table premium products encourage more people to show out to tours, but depending on how we time it, having the physical retailer will then appeal to fans who cant make the date as well as any skateboarding enthusiasts in the store that just stumble on and have interest in the product. I believe we will wholesale for $40 and list for $90 at retail and manufacturer, then undercut it at shows to encourage ticket sales, having them go for $80 at shows.
- 8. Resources: Clothing Stores for Skate shoes, Skateboards, Snowboards, & Streetwear. (n.d.). Retrieved June 14, 2020, from https://www.zumiez.com/ Completes. (n.d.). Retrieved June 14, 2020, from https://www.flatfacefingerboards.com/completes/ Duplication.ca Audio Cassette Duplication Service - Best Place to Make Tapes. (n.d.). Retrieved June 14, 2020, from https://www.duplication.ca/quotes/ca/en/cassette-packages.php R/Fingerboards - Berlinwood or Flatface. (n.d.). Retrieved June 14, 2020, from https://www.reddit.com/r/Fingerboards/comments/5b9430/berlinwood_or_flatface/ Why are fingerboards so expensive? (2012). Retrieved June 14, 2020, from https://fingerboardhq.darkbb.com/t8401-why-are-fingerboards-so-expensive Wilber, J. (2018, June 5). The Good, the Rad, and the Gnarly. Retrieved June 14, 2020, from https://pudding.cool/2018/06/skate-music/ Yellowood vs berlinwood vs Flatface. (n.d.). Retrieved June 14, 2020, from https://fingerboardhq.darkbb.com/t9664-yellowood-vs-berlinwood-vs-flatface