Dyer's Star theory

 What is dyer’s star theory – He believes that a star (artist) is an image, not a real person that has been made and portrayed through different ways, for example album artwork, music videos etc…

They are ‘commodities,’ who are produced and consumed depending on how strong their meaning is.

A star image can also change over time depending on their audience as their audience members usually grow up, and therefore the artists image may not appeal to them as much as it used to.

What elements does it contain?

Richard Dyer suggests that there are three main components that make a ‘star.’

The star as a ‘construction.’ This is the idea of how the artist is shown in the media through the creation of their management. They could be shown as down to earth, or rebellious, or wanting to say a particular message for example, ‘girl power.’ It all depends on the target audience.

The star as a ‘commodity.’ This is the fact that the artist has been constructed by their manager to appeal to certain target audiences. Their image is the thing that the team relies on to draw attention and guarantee the purchasing of products which have the artist on like magazines.

The star as an ‘ideology.’ This is what the band and artist stand for; in other words their reason for making music supposedly. For example, some bands may be there to rebel against society, or some groups might push the message of girl power etc…