Music Industry Research

Stardom - Richard Dyer's Star Theory

There's a significant difference between a "Pop Performer" and a "Pop Star". A Pop performer is famously known only for their music, whereas a Pop star is known for their personality, style, fashion and behaviour as well as their music - pop stars have a persona.
Pop stars are promoted to this "status" by their management, this is done by the artist attending events such as award shows/premieres, by having newspaper stories on them, or having a famous boyfriend/girlfriend. A true pop star has a lasting significance and will still be remembered for years to come, eg - Michael Jackson, Britney Spears.
The Kooks are not pop stars as they produce Indie-Pop music, therefore they are not marketed in this way as the audience that they appeal to do not want them to have extreme 'star status'. Many fans of Indie music like to feel like their favourite artists don't have a huge fan base, this makes the fan feel like they belong to a small fan community/and they can gain a sense of belonging (Uses and Gratifications theory - McQuail)

Dyer proposes that a star is an image that is constructed out of a range of materials e.g. - magazines, appearances etc. 'Stars'/artists are created to serve a purpose, and that purpose is to make money out of their music. Record companies will shape artists and market them in a certain way in order for them appeal to a specific target audience, examples include Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus.
On the other hand there are audiences that will reject these artists/the pop genre, so the music industry has to provide artists who are perceived as real and genuine, for example Indie bands like The Vaccines and The Arctic Monkeys.
The Kooks are one of these bands that are perceived as being real; although they belong to a record label and are probably 'shaped' slightly by them in order for them to fully appeal to their audience, the band give the impression that they do/act how they want.