Demographics and psychographics (Music Magazine)

Using Demographics and Psychographics I will specify an accurate target audience for my music magazine. An Audience can be classified into groups using quantitative data including: age, gender and Socio-Economic Groups. Age is grouped in the following categories:

·         15-24

·         24-35

·         35-55

·         55 and over

From previous research on the target audience of NME and Q magazine, also using the data presented above I have decided on an appropriate age group for my music magazine. The age group will fall under the category of 15-24 however I will focus my magazine between the ages of 18-26 as the magazine may not be appropriate for viewers under the age of 18.

Both NME and Q magazine have a large male audience; 74% of the audience in the NME magazine. This does tell me the male sex are statistically more likely to buy am magazine featuring this specific genre however I see this as a gap on the market in which my magazine will become very popular amongst females. In making my magazine popular and having a predominant female audience I will include unique conventions which may feature female idols and specifically target females through advertisements relating to them.

      The National Readerships surveys social grade, which are used in advertising and market research are used all used by institutions concerned with audience, therefore I must consider the different groups which are appropriate to my chosen target audience. These social grades are largely based on profession and estimated related income. These 6 Socio-Economic Groups are:

• A-Higher managerial, administrative, professional 3%
• B - Intermediate managerial, administrative, professional 15%
• C1- Supervisory, clerical, junior managerial, administrative or professional 23%
• C2 - Skilled manual workers 28%
• D- Semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers 18%
• E - Casual labourers, pensioners or the unemployed 13%

From doing background research on the magazine covers I previously analysed I found NME, focus on the 3 top SEGs as their audience. This clearly relates to the upper classes of society as it includes groups A, B and C1 of the SEG. My magazine would see NME as a competitor as the genre and themes I want to convey in my magazine are similar to those of NME therefore we would target the same audience. I want to mainly target the C1 and C2 SEG groups and perhaps the lower class groups with the exception of group E. As previously stated my chosen age group has helped influence this decision as it includes students at university and the employed with low wages therefore my customers are likely to lack funds. I have excluded the E group from my SEG choices due to the lack of finance that they receive so it is likely they will not be able to afford my magazine as it will have a price.

Genre (Music magazine)

Chosen Genre for my magazine on Prezi

Traditional Rock Idols

STATUS QUO

 

 

The Status Quo is an English rock band who are characterised by their distinctive brand of boogie rock. This gives the band an almost specific cross genre of rock and boogie- their achievements from recording over 60 chart hits in the UK shows how successful the band is even though they do not have a specific genre! This has influenced my decision to promote a magazine of the Indie/Rock genre as clearly the artist can be successfully promoted. The image above demonstrates the typical characteristics of a rock band which as visible can vary depending on the specific aspect of the rock genre the band are focused on. In terms of mise-en-scene of the photograph of the band- a simplistic use of jeans and a plain top is evident with clear evidence of music instruments. Although some conventions have influenced current rock magazines published today some aspects of the bands appearance have changed simply due to the dynamic nature of the media and fashion industry.

Ozzy Osbourne

 

Ozzy Osborne is an English heavy metal vocalist and songwriter whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. From the image above he clearly is the expected idol of the rock genre from his all black outfits connoting the darkness of his music, combined with his many tattoos and black eyeliner creating a rebellious and different image of music. His specific genre is mainly focused on heavy metal however I think this could be argued a sub-genre in the rock genre. My magazine will not focus on this specific cross-genre however the research allows me to explore the different aspects of the genres including the conventions and mise-en-scene involved.

Kasabian

 

Kasabian could be argued the current day and contemporary equivalent of rock idols. Their music has won them several awards and much recognition in the media industry including a Brit award in 2010 and many successful tours worldwide. Clearly the appearances of rock idols have changed over time from comparing Kasabian with bands such as Status Quo to suit the demands of the public and continuously changing society. There are some similarities demonstrated for example the inclusion of music instruments however the whole appearance and costume style of artists have dramatically updated. For example in the image above Kasabian are seen wearing casual jeans and a jacket which expectantly be designer. This research has helped me gain a wider range of knowledge about the use of costume styles which would be appropriate for my music magazine.

Analysis of the NME magazine (front cover, contents page and double spread) music magazine

Magazine Cover

The main image featured on the splash is positioned to the middle/ right side and is a MCU of the celebrity Lily Alan. The image of the idol has a very uncaring and plain facial expression which connotates that the music magazine is aimed at the rebellious, indie youth as she doesn’t look like she cares about anything. The image gives me the impression she doesn’t care which stereotypically the genre of music of this magazine, the image gives an overall disobedient feel. The appearance of the magazine conveys a message about the genre of music that it is different and rebels against the traditional sensible youth. Again Lilly is wering a casual checked shirt to show her young vibe.Also representing this theme is the bold colour scheme used. The colours presented; red, white and black all contribute to the daring and bold attitude of the Indie genre and its predictable target market. The different text on the page all have a different font face to make the magazine look unique and messy, again representing the target audience. The masthead format is bold and in capital letters to make it stand out, also it is placed were we would expect to find it on the splash (top left). The masthead has been positioned slightly behind the main image of Lily Alan to promote the main feature of the magazine. Again the convention: a screamer is presented at the left side of the page with a much larger format than the masthead, the text has also been given a shadow to further emphasise the article to the reader. It has been positioned to the left third of the splash where I would expect to find cover lines. As this is the more important article it has been made large enough to fill the whole left third on the cover. An effective use of skyline has also been used however unlikely positioned at the bottom of the splash instead of the top; I still think this convention is useful for showing the viewer other articles included within the magazine.
Other images of bands have been used on the splash to again further grab the audience’s interest eg, promoting the new Arctic Monkeys premier and information about David Bowe and the credit crunch. The featured artist Lilly Alan is represented by the magazine as a rebellious performer and overall a bad influence on the younger audience. The overall magazine conveys a message about the target audience. Unfortunately the message given about the rebellious magazine is also portrayed about the target audience who would read and buy the magazine as they would be viewed to have the same style and bad attitude. Although Lily Alan is a international, famous icon therefore many viewers who may not normally buy the NME magazine may become interested as she is featured therefore promoting the magazines reputation.  From Lillys lifestyle we know her true attitude meaning her pose in the magazine may not reflect badly on the magazine at all, only help it gain popularity.

Double Spread Page

The colour scheme presented through both the splash and contents page is again used on the double spread in this issue. This is very important as it adds to the house style of the magazine making it easily recognisable to the audience. The title used is slanted over both pages showing the bold importance of the interview, it is presented as a quote from part of the interview between NME and Lilly. "But I'm just honest" this allows the interview to be seen as more casual and chatty rather than formal attracting a lot of young markets who are rarely formal. The language used also entices the reader and makes them want to read on to find out what she was talking about. It is important to state that although the 2 pages have been created to show a messy and young vibe (through the large image of Lilly and the title) that the actual interview has been presented very neatly and in formal margins. This has been done to make the text easier and more practical to read by the viewer. The large image of Lilly has been used to show the strong dominance she has over this article and how she is the main feature of the magazine. Again her facial expression is alike the image on the magazine cover and is promoting the same message. In comparison to what I stated before this could also be done to make the reader find Lilly a more serious performer as she is not showing a expression and wants to tell her fans about her current views ect.

An important convention of this double spread page is the page numbers at the bottom right of the page which indicate to the reader which page they are on, again as stated before the format and layout of the actual interview is important as it is ensures the interview is very simple and easy to read for the all the audience. A sub title in the form of a teller has been used to introduce the interview and give brief, exiting information allowing the reader to gain background knowledge on the content of the article before reading on. The carryon of the colour scheme throughout the magazine pages is both important as it continues the same indie influence so the audience understands the theme of the magazine throughout the different articles, and also so the audience remembers the theme easily for the future when buying a new published magazine. Obviously the target audience for the whole magazine Is the same however specialist Lilly Alan fans may buy NME to read this specific article on this artist which may result in new customers who may also become interested in other features of the magazine. To accurately find what messages the article on this double spread promotes about the magazine and audience I will need to read the text and infer different meanings that may indicate different representations. Although the publisher is not stated on the double spread it is the same for the whole magazine but only stated on one page.

Contents Page

A useful convention presented in this contents page is the "band index" this gives the reader information about the different artists featured throughout the magazine therefore allowing them to decide on buying this issue. An advertisement is also presented at the bottom of the page; the format of this text is bold and yellow to stand out against the black banner background. A number and email addresses is also given to influencing the reader to subscribe as it is much more easier.  Also the publishers of the NME magazine have included a unique convention in including a "band index" giving the audience extra information about the different artists featured throughout the magazine. The layout on the page is interesting as a lot of information has been crammed onto 1 page, although this does give the audience extra information it could a feeling of being overwhelmed from all the text presented. The bold title at the top of the page shows a good use of layout as it is mainly addresses to the audience clearly the page. The title has been extended from “NME” to "NME this week" on the contents page. This is done to again draw in the reader’s attention and allow them to become intrigued about the new, fresh bands and articles shown below- it makes the audience feel they don’t want to miss out. Again the house style is continuously presented in the different pages of the magazine. The layout on the page is very effective; the main image about "the end of Astoria" is positioned in the centre of the page giving it the audience’s full attention. However I don’t think the long shot image itself is very efficient as it does not imply what the article is about; also the lighting of the image is quite dark. The image should be attractive and eye catching emphasising the importance of this Item to the reader. The colour scheme of red, black and white as previously stated are used as the clashing colours connotate the rebellious nature of the magazine. The contents page represents the genre and target audience fairly similar to the magazine cover and double spread page as the house style is carried out through the magazine. Also

Audience and Institution of NME - Further research

In investigating the target audience of the NME magazine I carried out background research about the publisher and institution. The NME website reader profile gave me an overall image of who the market is and how this magazine targets its audience. The mood board is dominated with male designer brands and stereotypical male products eg beer, hair gel and sports cars. Also the table given on the reader profile gave me valuable data I used to decide on an accurate target market:

"Male 74%

Female 26%

Median age 26

Circulation 33,875"

From the statistics and mood board shown on the reader profile I have concluded the target audience of the magazine is a typical young adult male who has a music interest in the genre indie rock. The publisher of the NME music magazine is IPC inspire. "IPC Inspire publishing company produce over 60 iconic media brands” this includes TV Times and Marie-Claire. The quote "two thirds of UK women and 42% of UK men" from the official IPC website gives me an idea on how large this national institution is and the  number of people the publishers target through the different magazine genres.

Analysis of the Q magazine (Front cover, contents page and double spread) music magazine

  

Magazine Cover

The main image of Paul McCartney centred on the splash immediately connotate’s the genre of the magazine as rock/pop (as this former Beatles artist specifies in this music type). The MCU shot of the famous idol is wearing a large black coat partially covering his face. This shows how famous this artist is as the audience can still easily recognise him, it represents the magazine in a well established and classy way, positively promoting the Q magazine as this global artist Is featured on their magazine. The model is deliberately making eye contact with the audience to make them feel included and targeted as the magazines audience. The audience would expect the subjects face to be clearly seen however the colour scheme and simple layout makes the image very noticeable anyway. The photograph has also been composed in black and white to promote the simple feel of the magazine and connotesa classy image. Q magazine does not feature other artists or articles as thumbnails on the splash possibly making it more dull and boring; however it does highlight the importance of this interview and is shown off to the audience as 1 main image presented on the magazine on shelves in a shop against its competitors. The mast head "Q" is positioned at the top right of the page, this is where the audience would look first and expect to find the title. Also it has been given a red block square background allowing it to stand out against any image used as a background (defiant logo for every issue of the magazine making it recognisable to the target market). Note the font face given to the letter Q is elegant and stylish. The "Q" represents the quality term of the magazine; this title is very effective, it connotate’s the pure class of the magazine to the audience and represents the magazine with its simple national logo. The colour scheme on the splash consists of four different colour elements: red, black, white and gold. The red text makes the quote bold and eye catching against the black and white themed image. The convention; an anchorage has been used to also promote the artist by featuring his name “PAUL McCARTNEY", it has also been highlighted with a gold square box making it stand out. Typically the colour gold is associated with royalty therefore the use of gold on the artists name connotate’s the international fame Paul McCartney has and how highly loved he is by his worldwide fans, it compares him to royalty. The quote dominates the bottom third of the splash, "It's impossible to live up the BEATLES", note how the Beatles has been formatted in capital letters to make it stand out against the rest of the quote giving it importance. Again the font given to the quote is simple, easy to read and promotes a classy and smart message to the audience about the magazine. A credit is presented below the quote telling the audience the photograph was composed David Bailey, this is an effective convention as it may result in the photographer’s fans also buying the magazine giving Q a larger audience. Finally in the top left corner the bar code, issue number and price of the magazine are presented as general information for the audience influencing them to buy the magazine after given the necessary data. As previously stated the magazines genre is presented from the featured artist Paul McCartney, the genre of the magazine could also be inferred from the clashing colour scheme including red and black giving a rebellious rock feel to the magazine. This contrasts the constant connotation of Q being a reputable magazine. The featured artist represents the magazine as well established and refined, promoting a positive attitude towards the rock/pop genre and Q's target audience.

Contents Page

At first glance the audience will notice the contents page layout covers a double spread page allowing more features and images from the various articles to be briefly presented to the audience. This allows the publisher to use conventions of both the double spread and contents page, overall making the magazine more interesting. The indent feature "Q" and colour scheme creates a house style effect throughout the magazine. The banner headline also states the issue of the magazine, this is unique contents page convention is a great effect and makes every issue the publishers produce recognisable as the Q magazine brand to the audience. Various Images of artists both posing and performing on set have been presented on the double spread to give the audience a visual image of the articles included within the magazine, this valuable convention allows the audience to become immediately interested in the article before taking time to read the features selection below. Also page numbers are used to direct the reader to the pages they are mainly engrossed by on the pictures, the page numbers have also been made easily viewable to the reader from the bold and loud format given to them.  Half the double spread is partially dominated with the image of the band The Beatles, this relates to the subject image of Paul McCartney on the splash and the bold quote presented below the image “BEATLES". It is important the magazine creates continuity so the audience can understand why certain images and articles have been placed together throughout the magazine on different pages. A small image of the magazine cover has been positioned in the top right corner of the contents page to again link the magazine together, this idea is very professional and I will consider this convention when creating my own music magazine.  The photograph of the Beatles has been composed to make them seem they are hiding away from the audience. This effect makes the audience feel hooked on the image and influences them to buy the magazine and find the article related. The features selection is positioned in the left third of the page and has clear, easy to read text. Also the subtitles of the main articles are underlined in red to show the importance of them, also in keeping the colour scheme throughout the magazine. The features section presents articles that are unique and only published in that issue, this makes the audience feel the article is exclusive influencing them to buy the magazine and not miss out. In the right third the "regulars" section is shown which targets the expected, normal target audience and shows the classical articles the magazine normally offers. The "Q Review" section at the bottom of the page gives the publisher’s opinion on different topics of music- another convention used making the magazine more unique. An internal advertisement has been positioned on the page eg “free music" however it has been given a simple format and been placed underneath the regulars section of the page. Advertisements and competitions do promote the magazine and influence the audience to buy the issue therefore I think Q magazine should have emphasised the competition by using the convention of a flash. This would have made it more eye-catching and bold, promoting the magazine.  

 

 

Double spread page

A feature of the double page spread which is very noticeable to the audience is the large images presented at the top of the page which are verfy eyecatching to the audience. The picture quality of this medium close up is very good and clearly related to the rock genre of the magazine . The larger image on the left page has been given a headline which suggests its importance to the reader, I may use this convention on my double page spread as it clearly puts emphasis on the article you want the audience to focus on. As previously stated magazine  continues a house style effect which sucessfully brings the magazine together. The image at the bottom of the left page is also effective as it doesnt have any sort of border therefore stands out on the page and adds to the realism of the magazine. The actual text on the double page spread also follows the continuous colour scheme which has allowed the publisher to contrast these bold colours allowing certain information to be given emphasis to the audience. Each sub heading has been given the colour red to make it stand out from the black information below. I think the layout of this double page spread could be improved as it almost takes the form of a contents page as the text looks like a list. Although this does

 

 

Audience and Institution of Q magazine

In evaluating the institution of the Q magazine I carried out background research about Bauer Media, the publishing company which advertises Q music magazine. This global magazine is quoted “Europe’s largest privately owned publishing group” and a “worldwide media empire offering over 300 magazines in 15 countries” The publishing company also promotes the magazine through TV, Radio and on line, the Q magazine has developed a worldwide reputation and premium quality amongst its target audience.

On the official Bauer Media it quotes its audience profile is: “composed of passionate, engaged and open minded music fans” Bauer Media’s opinion on its target audience is bias as the website is obviously promoting their music magazine to the audience. To find more truthful opinions on the target audience of the music magazine I browsed various websites. From different websites eg Wikipedia I found the Q magazine covers the current music scene while also including the trends from bands of past years. In concluding the unique involvement of both modern and old music genres of music means the target audience is quite diverse; both the older generation as well as young mature adults are Q’s audience. Statistics given on the official website of Bauer Media directly indicate the main target market of the Q magazine is the male population- “75% male to 25% female”.

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Analysis of Mixmag magazine (front cover, contents page and double spread)

Front Cover

The main image on the splash has an intertextual reference to the film Dr. Strangelove based on the character Skrillex destroying the world with a missile. This image of Skrillex on the missile is a cartoon and connotate’s the power and rebellion of the magazine as well as its target audience. The American flag on the missile is quite stereotypical in that it suggests all nuclear weapons are associated with the USA. The use of this cartoon on the splash is effective in that is emphasises the explosion of the genre of dance music into modern society and how defiant the audience of this genre can be. The cartoon character Skrillex is dressed in all black and wearing glasses and a plug to represent the modern rebellious personality of the dance genre. The main background on the splash consists of different shades of red, the colour use is effective it ensures light fonts stand out against it, also it again emphasises the striking rebellion of the magazine. The banner headline does not follow the typical conventions of a front cover as the mast head should be to left of the page; however the title is still loud and bold as the white colour stands out against the red background. The font face of the masthead is very immature and casual, a capital letter has not been used therefore the title doesn’t conventionally address the audience; also the “i” has been designed with a funky and different themed font. This denotation emphasises the overall look of the magazine as quirky and young it doesn’t follow the typical mainstream. On the main image Skrillex has been positioned on the page so his hair is partly covering the banner headline, this shows the speed of the missile and makes the cartoon more realistic and fit in better within the page. The typical convention of a skyline has been included on the splash “the world’s biggest dance music and clubbing magazine”. The format has been given capital letters and the colour yellow to stand out, the feature is really useful in immediately indicating the genre of the magazine to customers on a shelf against its competitors. The colour scheme is red, white, yellow and black- these colours are useful for contrasting the text and background against each other making certain information stand out to the reader. The layout of the splash is very typical of what I expect a music magazine to look like, the cover lines have been placed around the image and the masthead placed at the top of the page. Again the cover lines have been given a black shadowing background so they stand out on the splash. Some cover lines are very effective as they directly shout at the audience “DO YOU NEED THE CLUB DRUG CLINIC?” as the text is very direct it allows the audience to feel the magazine is personal to them allowing them to want to find out more. Another convention on the page is a screamer; this text has been created bold to be eye catching and attract the reader’s eye. Finally in the centre left of the page there is a strapline which states the cartoon characters name for reads who do not understand the relevance of the image presented; it relates to the dance genre “US. DUBSTEP EXPLOSION” As this is the main story of the magazine it has been given the largest font size and a different format to ensure it stands out as the publishers clearly feel this is the main article which will attract the audience to buy the magazine. Also the text has been given a deck of three to further emphasise the article! At the bottom of the page there is a reference of the illustrator of the cartoon giving the audience extra information, also the date of the issue and price has been included. On the bottom right alongside the barcode the website address has been given; by presenting a website address the publishers are further promoting the magazine by appealing the magazine to computer and internet users. Although publication media packs show me the overall target audience the front cover is useful in also helping me decide on the target viewers. The overall image and use of a cartoon on the magazine is quite immature making me think the audience targeted is the young, modern and creative audience. Also through the cover lines the magazine influences partying and reckless behaviour, the reference to drugs as well makes me concerned about the age group in which the magazine targets. I think the publisher has followed the stereotype of young adults/teenagers being wild and irresponsible and represented the audience with this image. Without few cover lines and the skyline there would be no reference to music on the splash. This is a huge down fall on the magazine as it is promoting the wild and crazy view of music and not encouraging the actual music itself. For this reason the magazine does represent the genre and target audience in a negative way however the theme and ideology of the magazine could persuade irregular and a rebellious audience to buy the magazine.

 Contents Page

The layout of the contents page in fact is  placed as 2 different single pages in the magazine however I felt it easier to join them together forming a double spread allowing me to analyse them more easily. The main image on the left side of the page alike the front cover promotes partying and having fun. The caption has a page number directing the audience to the “club guide”. The image of the three young adult’s connotate’s the irresponsibility of the genre of music, however their facial expressions are very happy and clearly the image has been created to promote the fun and enjoyment the dance genre can bring people. At the top left of the page the masthead from the splash has been produced as an indent, this allows the audience to familiarise with the logo and recognise the magazine brand image. The page title and date of the issue is also presented in the form of a banner at the top of the page. The colour scheme of the contents page is simply black and white, therefore no there is no use of house style throughout the magazine. The bold colour scheme of the splash may have not been appropriate for other pages throughout the magazine; also it may have made the magazine look very repetitive. However the use of a house style links the different articles and different pages together creating continuity throughout the magazine allowing the reader to constantly understand why different pages link together. A specialist features selection named “VIP” is very effective as it directly makes the audience feel important therefore they are more enticed to read it. The conventional use of strap lines has been produced on the VIP section to introduce the audience and give general knowledge about the different articles in the magazine. On the other contents page headlines have again been used to address other articles, although the different items have been given different sub headings making it easier for the reader to quickly find the page reference they are looking for. The subtitle headings are interesting as they have been given more modern slang headings “tunes” and “don’t stay in”. These are not typical titles we would expect to find on a contents page however it does give the magazine a contemporary, new feel and immediately indicates the target audience. Alike the Q magazine a snapshot of the front cover has been included in the corner of the contents page, this convention is done to link together the pages in the magazine. The other three images are all very different and unique connotating the random feature of the dance genre. The other main image is of I presume a male wearing female make up, this does not target the music influence of the magazine but the fashion articles. Including this image also suggests the magazine publishers and genre of music accepts this modern style of individuality and promote being different. The thumbnail image directly beneath is a Medium close up of three teenagers. Evidently the male in the image is dressed as a women again connotating that the dance genre view this individual style as socially acceptable. Alike other frequent images that have no relative link the actual dance music this image mainly promotes the reckless modern clubbing culture. The last image on the page does actually have reference to actual music industry although the genre is not dance. To make the images on the contents page more relative I think Mixmag should have included images of DJ’s or artists related to the dance genre. Lastly an external advertisement is placed at the bottom of the page. As well as advertising the artist of this album to the audience it encourages customers to buy the magazine as you get a free CD. As well as presenting an image of the CD to familiarise the reader with the cover it also shows the tracks included on the album. The information given about the album is really useful as it informs the reader about the CD so in the shop they can look at the contents page and decide on buying the magazine. The visual attraction of the free CD on the magazine influences the audience to buy the magazine as they are gaining something extra than the normal issue wouldn’t normally offer.

Double Spread Page

Immediately noticeable to the audience is the main colour scheme used on the double spread; red white and blue obviously representing the American flag. Also the 4 deck title on the page is underlined with white stars again indicating the link between America and the magazine. In following this theme it is clear the background must feature one of these colours. White and blue would not be appropriate as they connotate meanings which do not follow the theme of the page. Therefore the chosen background colour red is very successful as it represents the dance genre as fun and lively, also the colour is very bold making the page stand out. The contrasting text colour against the background and use of capital letters again makes the title even more eye catching. The design of the title connotate’s a clear message about the scale of how large the American music industry is. The text itself clearly connotate’s the American influence as the message is clear and direct “UNITED BASE OF AMERICA”. In the title the phrase “BASE” is reference to the actual music, the base is an instrument used in bands. The background image of a concert also promotes the music in this magazine not alike the rest of the magazine which has reference to the parties and fashion ect. It is an extreme long shot and it angled from behind the artist making the reader feel they are given an exclusive insight. The audience and artist in the image have their arms in the air connotating they are having a good time, this promotes the dubstep genre of the music and makes the reader want to become buy the magazine and become involved in the fun and excitement presented in the image. A black border placed at the top and bottom of the page has been used to make the small different recording features stand out. The recording  button play featured has been used to show this type of music is still current and present in society encouraging the audience to buy the magazine as they want to know the in date music, alike this connotation the fast forward symbol is used to show that this music will be very popular in the near future.  Over the left side of the double spread presented are white lines which looks like scribbles, this makes me think of sparklers and flashing lights expected at concerts. The lines could connotate the immaturity of the music and interpret the target audience of the magazine and genre is the youths of today. The lead of the article on the page ahead is shown on the double spread. The use of rhetorical questions in the text allows the audience to feel intrigued and interested about the content of the article. In the text it also says “plus” making the audience feel there is extra information given than usual again making them want to read the magazine.  Notice in the text the mention of “Skrillex” has been given a bold format making it noticeable to the audience linking with the front page. Making the name bold is very successful as the article on Skrillex on the splash was given much attention meaning this specific article must also be made eye catching so the audience can easily identify the page related with the article presented. The ideology of the double spread has a positive young vibe from the background images stereotypically associated with the youth. The double spread does convey a positive influential message to the target audience as this typical page would attract them and make them interested, however I expect a buyer which does not enjoy the dance genre would view it as inappropriate and give messages which encourages the audience to become reckless.  

Analysis of the Institution and Audience

Although I am certain I will not be using the genre of Dance for my magazine I felt it important to still analyse a magazine with different conventions and themes to compare and decide which Ideas I felt was really useful.

Mixmag is produced by the publishing company Development Hell Ltd, the scale of the company is very small as it only publishes 2 main magazines on a monthly basis (mixmag and the world). On its webpage the publishing company does try to boost its popularity "Among the Development Hell team are some of the most experienced and respected operators in British magazines" however the company is very insignificant and not as popular as other publishers eg, Bauer Media.
As the webpage for Development Hell Ltd was not very useful in giving me information about the target audience of Mixmag I decided to research the official mixmag website. Alike the actual magazine the webpage influences clubbing and partying indicating the audience is young adults who enjoy living this lifestyle

Media Terminology

Primary Media: Where we pay close attention to the media text, for instance, in the close reading of a magazine or newspaper or in the cinema when we concentrate on the film in front of us

Secondary Media: Where the medium or the text is there in the background and we are aware that it is there but not concentrating on it. This happens most often with music-based radio but also when the television is on but we are not really watching it; maybe we are talking with friends, eating or carrying out some other activity.

Tertiary Media: Where the medium is present but we are not aware of it. The most obvious are advertising hoardings or placards that we pass but do not register.

Utopian Solution: A term taken from Dyer (1977), who suggested that entertainment genres are popular because of their fantasy element and the escapism that they provide from daily routines and problems. He suggested that particular genres such as Musicals and Westerns offered particular types of Utopian Solution.

Niche audiences: The way in which the media and its audiences are separated into smaller segments, each of which have different tastes, concerns and interests.

Interpellation: A term that was used by Louis Althusser to describe how the media hail us as an individual who has a shared understanding of the ideology within the text.

Demographics: Audiences can be classified into groups using quantitative (anything that can be charted using a graph) data about age gender and socio-economic group (their profession / class / income).

Psychographics: A system for measuring consumers’ beliefs, opinions and interests. This system gathers psychological information which are called IAO variables (stands for Interests, Attitudes and Opinions). Therefore groups can be classified in terms of variables like personality, values, attitudes, interests or lifestyles.

Situated Culture:  A term used to describe how our ‘situation’ (i.e. daily routines and patterns, social relationships with family and peer groups) can influence our engagement with and interpretation of media texts.

Cultural Imperialism: Refers to the way in which a culture can build empires abroad through the export of its media.

Self Regulation: The content and treatment of articles, programmes and advertisements is monitored an vetted by bodies set up by the industry themselves.

Conventions of a Music Magazine

Front Cover

• Masthead
• Issue number
• Price
• Date
• Sell lines
• Main Image
• Puffs
• Tag Lines
• Cover Lines
• Teasing Content

Contents Page

• Page Numbers
• Main Image
• Thumbnail Images
• Features/Regulars
• Editorial Letter
• Sub Line
• Subscription/Contact Information
• Simple Colour Scheme (following house style)
• External Advertisements

Double Page Spread

• Main Article
• Columns
• Bold Image (Left Third)
• Quotes
• By-Lines
• Colour Scheme/Continuous House Style
• Title (Top left)

LIIAR Analysis (Music magazine)

Language
My product needs to contain:

• Masthead (short, memorable magazine title presented as a large, dominant icon to be noticed)
• The main image must cover the full page and be an MCU, the model must be making eye contact with the audience.
• Bright colour scheme with clear house-style of two or three main colours.
• Thumbnail images that illustrate other articles
• Anchorage
• Price & bar code
• Teasing contents along the bottom
• Competitions and free gifts
• Main article / feature advertised must relate to the the main image.

Institution
I could pretend that I am producing a magazine for an existing publisher whose other publications have something in common with my own. In comparison I could state the publishers previous publications are totally different to my own and identity a gap in the market for my magazine. Also i could create my own publisher and create the company specifically targeting all its magazine to a specific audience ect. The publisher of the magazine will be stated on my double spread page and give information about other magazines available created by that publishing company.


Ideology
What message / moral / values I intend my music magazine to convey about that genre of music and its target audience, Also the messages it conveys about the publishing company. I will do this by using specific conventions and a colour scheme to portray different morals to the audience.


Audience
I will Briefly outline the target audience in research and planning presented in my blog. The target audience also should be recognisable on my magazine and should be appealing to that specific market. I will decide my target audience after choosing my genre and conduct research to decide on specific articles and images which would attract audience, this is very important otherwise the magazine may not appeal to my market.


Representation
How the music magazine represents my target audience, i.e. positively / negatively / accurately / stereotypically / unconventionally? etc. This will be influenced by the background image chosen on my splash and the colour scheme used, basically the overall feel of the magazine.

Music Magazine Brief

Create the front page, contents page and double spread for a new contemporary music magazine. All the images and text used must be original and produced by me, I will present all of my research, planning and evaluation using a blog. I must take 4 unique images in MCU shot for my background image with the model making eye contact and create many drafts in which to decide on an overall product.

Audience Feedback (College magazine)

I felt it important to acquire audience feedback from my splash from students studying at Wyke as it will help me improve certain factors that proved unsuccessful for media tasks in the future. The feedback was very positive and they felt the moral of the front cover was to balance both education and social activities. My magazine cover proved successful and if published I believe many students would buy this magazine.


Beth Clayden
The image of the student makes the college look like they make learning fun and enjoyable, the background creates a welcoming effect to the college making people more intrigued. Also the text shows that the college has more to offer then just education, widening opportunities for young people in their free time.


Jess Holliday
I think that the magazine cover is very effective and looks professional. I was used as the person at the front and I think that Amy has edited it really nicely. Its bright and catches the attention of the viewer and the title stands out nicely. The quotes and slogans get across what the magazine is about :) I think the magazine could be improved by, making it more appealing to men and adding more text with other activities offered at Wyke.


James Richardson
The magazine cover projects a positive aura and a good reflection of the college. The colours are bright and eye catching, making me want to buy the magazine. The model is very affective, her facial expression symbolises joy and happiness. I think the headlines are arranged neatly and are all in the same font which makes it look more professional. The colours, are bright and happy, although they could be perceived as a bit feminine, although this doesn't put me off buying it.

LIIAR Evaluation of my Final Product (College magazine)

LIIAR Evaluation of my College Magazine

Language

The masthead is the most important convention on a magazine cover; it attracts the readers’ eye. For this reason I put a lot of effort into making it very noticeable, I did this using a contrasting colour allowing it to stand out from the page, giving it a shadow effect using Photoshop to further highlight key points. My mast head defiantly challenges my competitor’s magazine as it is very clear and an easily recognisable logo for my target audience. Colour scheme is a typical convention of a contents page although I believe it is important to apply this convention to a magazine cover also.

No clear colour scheme will make the cover look boring and many bold colours used will confuse the audience and give mixed messages. The colour scheme I used is purple, white and black as these are the traditional colours used in advertisements for Wyke College; I felt it important to carry on this trend on the magazine is easily recognisable to the audience. The intentions I first planned for my magazine cover was too include many bold colours making it look young, fresh and generally more interesting than a dull magazine. From my draft it proved difficult to include many colours using the background I wanted to feature; therefore I decided to just follow the traditional colours of purples. As my target market is students I made the magazine more youthful by making the text bold and giving certain text a shadow effect to emphasis important cover lines, also I used a font which shouted at the audience. I feel the layout of my magazine cover is precise and well finished. The masthead is presented at the top left of the page which is where the buyer expects to find it, similarly the cover lines are again shown down the left third of the page which is the most viewable part of the magazine on a shop shelf against its competitors. When comparing the layout of my magazine with covers I previously analysed, the "Ridge water college" magazine has a lot of competition against mine as cover lines are down the left third, the image is presented at the bottom and the background image is accessible to the eye. However text is small and the masthead covers the width of the top page although the audience would expect it to be slightly to the left. I see no competition with "college class of 2009", the layout is not effective and the poorly chosen colour scheme does not interest the reader.

Another convention of a magazine cover incorporated onto my magazine is a Flash, "win FREE concert tickets" this is suited to the target market of my college magazine as it appeals to their interests. I have added a smaller text underneath the Flash telling the reader what page to find the competition on encouraging them to read the magazine. On my cover lines I have included screamers with a bold, shadow effect to grab the reader’s attention- then presented further information about that particular article. To complete my magazine cover I relied on Photoshop which gave me different results I compared and chose the most successful. I have learnt how to reconstruct a magazine cover, making it look real by cutting the background from different images and compressing them together giving me my final product. Also I have learnt how to change the saturation on my background image and masthead giving it different unusual outcomes. To improve my magazine cover I could have included thumbnail images as a teasing content to encourage students to become further interested, therefore more likely to buy the magazine. Another big problem I had with this task is that I took the photographs around Wyke college landscape when my task specified it must be portrait as it is a magazine cover. To overcome this problem I had to crop my landscape photographs which still have me the same effect in the end, just caused confusion at the time.

Institution

Obviously the Institution of the college magazine I have created is Wyke College, it makes sense to have Wyke run the magazine as student opinions, upcoming events and background images are easily accessible. The magazine will be distributed at careers advice centres, college open evenings, inside Wyke prospectus and obviously available at Wyke college to its students. These are all areas where students are likely to be influenced to come to Wyke from the magazine.

Ideology

The moral my magazine cover conveys to the audience is the fun and enjoyable aspect students feel when studying at Wyke. This is inferred from the appearance of the magazine, the bold colour scheme makes the college look interesting and cool. Also the cover lines influence out of college activities “LETS PARTY” showing the audience that Wyke not only influences achieving excellent grades but also social activities and upcoming events. I think the magazine also expresses the educational input of the college as the image of the student is holding a revision book and looks eager to learn.

Audience

The colour scheme used and exiting cover lines attract my target audience (students at Wyke College). The bold, purple text with the contrasting background makes the magazine look exiting and attractive to a variety of students. Also the flash added as a cover line directly addresses my target market as this particular activity is common among students aged between 15-24, sparking their interest and influencing them to buy the magazine “Win FREE concert tickets” Again emphasising “free” in this flash will interest readers as the majority of students have financial difficulties and cannot afford to go to concerts. I have attracted the majority of my target by making the magazine free, from research I concluded in terms of Socio-Economic groups the majority of students are unemployed or have part time work falling into E social group. This immediately gives me an advantage from competitors as the majority of students with financial budgets will acquire the magazine. From demographics, in term of VALS I will be aiming at interesting those outer-directed and inner-directed effectively giving me a larger market. The language used in the text on my splash does suit my target market “Lets Party” this common slang is recognisable and understandable to students therefore I have targeted my audience well. An improvement I could make to my magazine is to make it more unisex as I feel the stereotype of female colours (purple) and the main image of the female student could refrain from males buying the magazine. The colour scheme that addresses Wyke is purple, which is why I have used these colours; however it does make the magazine more feminine which may not attract male buyers. If asked to create another college magazine I would have the main image with both a male and female student but keep the same important colour scheme overall making the magazine more unisex.  

Representation

Media texts are artificial versions of reality and provide different interpretations to the reader. My magazine cover represents the students at Wyke College in a positive and fun way.  It may be interpreted by another audience eg, the elderly who stereotype students that they party too much and do not do the sufficient amount of work. I understand this may represent the students in a negative way as areas in my magazine do emphasise the importance of having a social life, eg cover lines. To avoid this stereotype of my magazine I have ensured an educational vibe is also given off; the main image of a student is holding a revision textbook which connotes to the audience she is eager to learn and the college greatly supports educational purposes. Also one of my cover lines influences the reader to create a revision timetable balancing their revision and social life. This balance is the most important moral I wanted my magazine to achieve as it fiercely challenges my competitors which mainly promote education. These magazines do not sell well to the students as they find it boring and not interesting unlike my cool and fun magazine.  

My Barcode (College magazine)

Draft of Front Cover (College magazine)

Final Product (College magazine)

Digital Mock Up of my Contents Page (College magazine)