MAPACA

Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

Transmedia storytelling uses a variety of different media platforms to tell a narrative across time. In the digital age, media platforms seem to offer limitless potential for integrative creativity and story crafting. In order to tell a story, musicians are increasingly expanding beyond the recorded album in order to create more immersive experiences and expansive worlds with their fans. One such band is My Chemical Romance, or MCR. Each of MCR’s concept albums told a story using complex lyrics, intricate track layering and voice acting. Using theatrical live performances, comics, narrative music videos, fabricated corporations and costuming, MCR was able to spread their ideas in eye-catching and engaging ways. Each media piece provided fans with a separate story experience, yet all of the pieces came together to convey a single, tightly constructed narrative. Transmedia storytelling brings musical stories to life and allows for people to experience the art form in a unique way. I seek to delve into the MCR’s multi-media narratives in order to discuss transmedia in music. In order to better understand the concept of transmedia storytelling, I will look at scholarly articles about transmedia storytelling and concept albums, as well as analyses of similar cases. Among others, I will examine the pioneering concept album efforts of The Beatles with Sargent Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club band. To gain a better understanding of the media being examined, I will utilize interviews with the artists and their supporters, articles from reputable music publications like Kerrang! and Rolling Stone, professional music video analyses and comic book reviews. This paper will ultimately explore how My Chemical Romance has uniquely used the art of Transmedia Storytelling to expand the concepts of their music.