Synthetic Artist
An Synthetic Artist is an Artist that has been set up by his record label to create an image through music that is purely aimed to sell. Therefore there are not just sold as a voice, but more as a face, an image or idol. Synthetic artists are constructed mosaics of different information that are given to the audience and get manipulated to fit its desires.These artists are most often aimed on younger audiences as they are less sophisticated and experienced in the music industry.Through flooding the industry with their products these labels block the market for smaller, organic artists - just like the Big 6 flooding the cinemas with their blockbusters. This helps the companies to brand and influence their audiences from a young age on. It is common for the compatibility and effect of these artists to be trialed for a short period of time, before being released to the wider public. If the artist or the group of artists don't work they get replaced and if they do, they get replaced when they stop working. A good example are Nickelodeons boy bands. When the "Jonas Brothers" stopped being successful, they got replaced by "Big Time Rush".
Another good example of a synthetic artist or better a group of them is the boy band "One Direction". As former winners of "XFactor" they have proven their ability of success. Furthermore they have already established a fanbase and an audience. Furthermore "One Direction" (or 1D) has its own stylist that tells it what to wear and doesn't write its own songs. In their music videos the group is heavily featured
Organic Artist
Just as the designation already announces organic artists represent the organic and self-made site of the music industry. The "seeds of success" lie in the artist and have to be nourished by the record label.Therefore, in opposite to synthetic artists, organic artists are given more freedom and time to create and develop their own image and voice within the industry. Their selling point is not the way they are represented, but the music they make. As these artists are not constructed to make as much money as possible in a short amount of time like the "one hit wonders", they are often part of a company's long term strategy and appeal to more sophisticated, mature and therefore often older audiences.
A good example for organic artists is the english indie-rock band "Alt-J". The band has been around since 2007, but only in 2012 they brought out their debut album 'An Awesome Wave', which was a success. "Alt-J" write and play their own style of music, they don't have a stylist, that tells them what to wear and their music is they main selling factor.
In their music videos their most often not featured at all. This clearly demonstrates that their are not being sold as a face or an image but as music artists. Their very artful music videos reflect this selling strategy.
