Thought Shower Number 2!

Thought Shower!

Pricing and Publishing my magazine

Taking into account the low income of my target audience, the price of the magazine must be within an reasonable price range to allow them to be able to purchase it. It is for this reason i have decided to price the magazine at £2.50. If the price where any higher and similar to the prices of magazines such as Q (£3.99) my target sudience would simply be unable to afford it. My chosen price of £2.50 is similar to the price of NME (£2.30) which is another magazine with a similar targeted age group of the magazine wish to create. My magazine will be published on a fortnightly basis which allows the audience to be able to afford to purchase the magazine every issue as they can save the money to buy it.

Target Audience for my magazine

The target audience for my magazine is a an alternative audience (18-24). It will appeal to both genders of this audience as this creates a wider target audience. Through my research I have learnt that both genders can be attracted by featuring bands of both genders. This allows the audience to aspire to be like the featured bands and also take inspiration from them. The targeted audience will be of low income, typically in a C2, D, E socio-economic grouping. This is because a lot of these people will be students or people on low income and who will be most like to buy the type of magazine I aim to create. This low incomes of the target audience will have to be taken into consideration when I choose the price for my magazine as I need to make is affordable for such an audience. This may also affect issues such as the quality of the magazine paper it could be printed on. My audience will expect to see the latest artists as well as current ones, movement within the alternative music scene chart-wise, in depth personal interviews with the bands, reviews of cd/singles etc. I will fulfil these desires by featuring such articles in my magazine. The images I use have to be 100% original therefore the featured artist/s have to be new up and coming bands. I must ensure that the presentation of the is still appealing despite them being unknown to the audience. Another technique that will ensure that the issue is actually appealing is by using words such as 'Exclusive' and 'Hot' on the front cover. Such words connote importance and attract the readers attention to them.

Magazine Analysis Double Page Spread 3

The double page spread of Q magazine consists of the central image with a small anchorage blurb placed on top of the band. The central image of the band Take That fills the entire page. The style of the image reflects the band perfectly as it suggests a boy band esque persona. Something is happening in every inch of the image therefore the eye is constantly looking for new elements. This keeps the readers attention on the page. The leather jacket and jeans again supports this boy band persona that is often associated with Take That however add the dress code to the peds that 3 of the 5 members are sitting on and an edgier, more mature attitude is suggested which indicates that yes this is a boy band but they've now grown up. The image is obviously a posed one which adds a sense of light-heartiness and humor to the image which again suggest the bands values and ideologies.

In the top left hand corner of the page is a small graphic advertising the 'Q awards' 2010'. This is used as a method of internal advertising within the magazine and promotes an event associated with the magazine itself. The blurb for this story features in the lower left hand corner of the page and is written straight onto the image. This type of positioning of the text is affective as it clearly indicates that the text is about the image. It connects the image and text and also allows the eye to travel from left to right across the image once the story has been read.

unusually for a double-page spread the banner headline is found at the bottom of the image. The reason it is placed here is because Take That as are a recognisable band they do not necessarily need their name written at the bottom. Instead the headline 'The fifth element' indicates this story is about the full reform of the band. They type face used is plain but affective as it is written in black then white. These colours stand out from the background they are on which makes them eye catching. In the lower right hand corner is another graphic advertising the 'Hall of fame' that features within this particular issue of Q. There is no previous mention of such a thing before this page so it acts as a teaser for the magazine and shows what else is to follow from this story.

Magazine Analysis Double Page Spread 2

The double page spread featured in NME is contrasting with the Kerrang! double page spread as this image is predominately taken up by the image of the band 'Pulp'. The lead singer, Jarvis Cocker, is standing off centre of the double page spread with the rest of the band standing either side of him. The clothes each member is wearing is very important as it reflects the bands personality. The band originally formed in the late 70's and the clothes worn in the above image reflects this fact.

The anchorage text is situated in the lower left hand corner. Although this is not the first thing you are likely too read as the image will straight away draw your focus to it, it is still useful as we reader from left to right so the little reading that needs to be done can be done so before absorbing the image as a whole.

'Disco 2011' is written in a plain green type face. The type face used for this bannerheadline is consistent throughout the magazine. The banner headline its self is a pun on Pulps hit 'Disco 2000'. Puns and play on words are common in music magazines like NME as they entertain the reader, sometimes even mustering a laugh within them. The small blurb under the banner headline is again written in a type fact consistent with the magazine. The name of the band and the interviewer are placed in bold font as they are the important features of the blurb.

The positioning of each band member in the main image reflects the 70's style as well as NME's style. NME likes to be unique about the way it presents the information to its audience and tends to detract from the norm. It does not conform to the usual images used in modern magazines.

Magazine Analysis Double Page Spread 1

As a magazine, Kerrang! connotes individuality and rebellion. This idea is carried on with this double page spread. The featured band is My Chemical Romance, the American rock group who have been in involved in a lot of scandal in recent years. Just over half the page is devoted to an image of the group, the right hand side of the page. The left third is devoted to the start of the article about their return gig to England. This layout is conventional to a music magazine as the layout will catch the readers attention when flicking through the magazine more than if text dominated such a page. The image doesn't stand out inparticularly as the band are wearing black, however the red hair of the lead singer Gerard way (situated at the front of the image) is eye catching as it contrasts with the black clothes and the green of the graphics used alongside the article. The colours chosen tie in with the house style of the magazine yet still helps represent what type of band My Chemical Romance are.
The headline of this page is written in the largest type face found on this particular page which makes it stand out. The type face used is designed to appear rustic and worn. It also gives the impression it is graffiti. The green used for the word 'Back' is written boldy in comparison. Thanks to the paint drops that appear on the B and the exclamation mark, it appears to have been painted on after publishing. This also helps give the impression that the banner headline is written in a graffiti style.

Magazine Analysis Contents Page 3

NME's contents page connotes a sense of maturity and refinement. This idea is initiated by the type face and choice of images used on the contents page as well as the general layout of the page.

At the top of the page in the centre is the masthead for the contents page 'Inside This Week'. The type face used here connotes maturity and suggests that this magazine is serious about music along side promoting and revealing bands to the targeted audience. Below this is the date of issue again written in a type face that suggests maturity. Below these elements is a large central image. The positioning of  band tied with the editing used on the image, black and white, carry on the idea of maturity. This image is the largest on the contents page suggesting this is the top story for that issue. The anchorage text underneath this central image is written in an italicised font which again suggest maturity. In the lower right hand corner of the image is the page number where the story appears. This graphic is used on every image.

To the left and right of this central image are further stories presented in a similar way. As is the story underneath the central image. Through the layout of their contents page, NME is trying to achieve a more mature appearance of their magazine which suggests the magazines ideologies and moral are more formal that magazines such as Q or Kerrang!. This is achieved through the choice of images and the type face choices.

Also on the contents page is a regulars column under the name of 'Plus'. This feature promotes familiarity with the magazine and makes it more personal for the reader. Finally, there is an offer in the lower right hand corner, for money off NME being sent straight to the buyers home. This feature is used more prominently around Christmas time as it is a quick and easy present for someone.

Magazine Analysis Contents Page 2

The first thing you notice about Kerrang!'s contents page is it is very busy. There is a lot going on in such a small area which means there is a to for the reader to take in.

The page in divided in to two sections by the use of the large image at the top of the page. This image keeps in key with the magazines ideologies about rebellion and uniqueness through the positioning of the artists. The anchorage '46 Alter Bridge' is made to look as though it had been out on afterwards. To the left of this main image are two more sub story images again with a similar style anchorage. This repeated use of this style of graphic is effective in putting across the magazines ideologies as it looks like it is graffiti as it has been added to the magazine at a later time.

In the centre of the page is the banner headline 'Kerrang! This Week'. This appears in the centre of the page as it draws the focus of the reader to it. To the left of this is the 'Letter from the editor' feature. This feature implies familiarity with the magazine as it is written informally and appears to be directly to the reader as opposed to the general public. The signature at the bottom helps support the intention of creating familiarity with the magazine.

To show the actual contents of the magazine, Kerrang! places the stories in to 1 of  8 categories. The title of these categories and their type face all relate to that of the Kerrang! logo type face. They all connote a sense of youthfulness and individuality. There is little if any detail about individual stories on the contents page. All the band names are written in bold, and further detail, not in bold. The lack of detail about each story means that a reader has to turn to every story in order to find out details about them as opposed to reading a summary and extracting the information from there. The cover stories are identified in the contents which allows a reader to turn to a specific story if this is the element that persuaded them to buy the magazine.

At the bottom of the page is the regular feature of the posters available within this issue. The images are placed on the page in such a way that connotes the rebellious attitude that is so evident throughout this magazine. In the lower right hand corner are further images, these advertise the opportunity to get Kerrang! sent to your door at a reduced price. The inclusion of this element is intended to increase circulation figures and add regular readers to their readership figures. It is also a way of making money as the readers who invest in the offer of £6 per month for all 4 issues that month, will purchase every issue therefore a sale is guaranteed.

Magazine Analysis Contents Page 1

A contents page's primary use is to inform the buyer or possible buyer of what is featured in the magazine. It is an expectation of the public to find a list of pages with stories about various issues or people as well as supporting images. Usually contents pages are only used on single pages within the first couple of pages of the magazine, however Q tends to feature its contents page over a double page. As a magazine they can afford to do this as they have a lot of advertising and plenty of pages to fill. Also Q's supporting images are a lot bigger than is expected within a contents page. Both the left hand side of the page and the right hand side of the page are taken up by the actual contents of the particular issue. The information under the left hand side of the page are written under the title of 'Features' which means that these are the stories that change with every issue. The stories at the right hand side of the page fall under the category of 'Regulars'. These regulars ensure familiarity with the magazine as elements such as 'Qmail' and 'Soapbox' are features that a customer can expect and indulger in every issue. As a reader, the audience will read from left to right. By placing the 'Features' in the left third and the 'Regulars' on the right, this ensures readers will see what is new in the issue first as opposed to reading what is in the 'Regulars' first. This technique is used to increase sales.

Between the 'Features' and the 'Regulars' are several supporting images, all relating to either stories mentioned in the two columns or presenting stories themselves. This technique is useful as it allows more stories to be shown in the contents however they do not all have to be written. Images allow a reader to immediately recognise an artist and choose who they want to read about.

At the bottom of the page is 'Q Review'. This feature again shows what is featured in that months issue. It also suggests the surprising or controversial stories such as 'Take That and Muse are mentioned in the same sentence'. This feature again helps a reader identify the specific story that they wish to read. Finally in the top left hand corner is an image of the front cover of this issue. This is used to remind the reader of the top story in this issue and help persuade them to actually take a look at this story.

Magazine Analysis Front Cover 3

Key Brand Values- Individuality, alternative music, student audience

Publisher- United Newspapers (1981-91) , EMAP (1991-2008), Bauer media group (2008 - present)

Masthead- Kerrang!

Tagline- Live Life Loud

Price- £2.20

House Style- Red white and black, dark bold colours

Kerrang! was launched 7th June 1981 by United Newspapers. It was originally intended to be a one-time supplement in 'Sounds' newspaper which focused on genre 'New Wave of British Heavy Metal', a similar genre that Kerrang! focuses on. It was initially edited by Geoff Barton whilst it was under United Newspapers control, however under Bauer Media Groups control, it is edited by Nichola Browne. This magazine is devoted to alternative and rock music, reviewing gigs and getting personal information from the featured bands. At first glance, Kerrang!'s front cover suggests its target audience is teenagers/students who listen to the type of music featured within the magazine. This can be assumed because of the cover image, 'Bring Me The Horizon' being of people in such an age range. The image connotes a sense of recklessness and rebellion which in turn is portrayed throughout the magazine itself.  'The magazine's name is onomatopoeic and refers to the sound made when playing a power chord on an electric guitar.' This is taken from Wikipedia, and helps once again with the identification of the target audience as electric guitars and power chords have strong connotations to a teenage audience.

As with the majority of Kerrang! issue, the control image slightly obscures the masthead. This indicates that Kerrang! believe it is a widely enough known magazine to get away with this yet still be an easily recognisable media product. This could be classed as a convention of Kerrang!'s front cover as it regularly features and has become an almost mandatory element of the magazine.

As you can see, on all these front covers, the main artists head slightly obscures the masthead. Another element that could be classed as a convention or regular of a Kerrang! front cover is the positioning of the feature lines at the top and the bottom of the page. These show who and what stories are worth reading inside. All the artists that appear here also belong to the same genre of music that Kerrang! features.

On the 'Bring me the Horizon' issue, the banner headline is the second largest type face on the page. This focuses the readers attention to it. The fact it is written in white also draws the readers attention as very little white is used on Kerrang!'s front cover, excluding the background of the masthead. The red used for the tagline 'Northern Uproar' connotes rebellion and also is in strong contrast with the white banner headline and also the black of the suit jackets worn by the cover artist.

The cover lines and supporting images found underneath the main cover image are again a regular feature on the front cover of Kerrang!. All artists featured are seen as the genre of music that Kerrang! features in its magazine. The specific images used all connote wildness and energy. The red and white used to border these image all keep in key with the colour scheme of red and white that is unique to this cover. The graphic used to anchor these images 'K! Week of rock poster special!' as well as the 'Plus!' are made to look as if they have been put on after printing. This technique is used to add a sense of youthfulness and revolution that is portrayed thoughout the front cover and in turn throughout the magazine itself. The barcode, price, issue number and website all appear in the bottom right hand corner of the front cover which is a norm for magazines.

Magazine Analysis Front Cover 2

Key Brand Values - Teenage audience, Sophistication, QUALITY

Publisher - Bauer (1986 - present)

Masthead - Q

Tagline - Q the music

Price - £3.99

House Style- sophistication, red and blacks, blue and white

Q was launched October 1986 by Bauer Media Group. It is a monthly magazine with a circulation of 130,179 as of June 2007. It was founded by Mark Ellen and David Hepworth who felt that the older generation of music buyers were being ignored by the music press of the time. Much of the magazine is devoted to interviews with popular music stars which is made evident by the sell lines 'Sexy beast Lily Allen & her wicked ways', 'The Stone Roses, their own story in their own words' and '"I'm a tiger!" Oasis'. At first glance this magazine suggests its target audience is a more sophisticated audience as opposed to simply a teenage audience. This is suggested by the colours used, that being blue, red, black and grey. The grey and black are used connote classiness. The red of the Q logo and the blue graphics used contrast with this idea and in turn adds a sense of a youthful vibe surrounding the magazine.

The main image here is of Lily Allen, a popular artist. Her pose suggest an air of mystery and playfulness surrounding her personality. This element along with the two cats featured as the main image indicates that as a magazine, Q aims to portray a wilder more unique approach to the music industry. It suggests that they aim to avoid the mainstream music and promote alternative, new music. The masthead, Q is positioned in such a way that our attention is immediately drawn too it. The white Q on a red background are two contrasting colours which focus' the readers attention on this element before exploring the front cover further. The sell lines are carefully positioned around the central image of Lily Allen and the cats which allows the eye to travel over these, enabling a reader to indulge the contents before buying it. This element also makes the magazine appeal to the targeted audience as it isn't overly busy which tends to be an element of teenage targeted magazines, it is instead rather simplistic. This simplicity instead gives the magazine the sophistication that will appeal to an older audience.

The banner headline for this particular issue is 'Sexy Beast Lily Allen & her wicked ways'. The text type varies throughout the headline which connotes the magazines ideologies about individuality and uniqueness. The puff 'The 25 greatest rock movies' is designed to appeal to the older generation of music lovers as many music artists such as Jon Bon Jovi and Sting featured in films of their own. The reason this element appeals to the older audience is because those musicians who have starred in films will have been the new artists when they where younger. It shows that Q has a wide target audience and aims include elements that will appeal to all audiences. The features at the bottom of the page again show that the magazines ideologies are to reveal personal details about bands that would remain unknown with other magazines as well as promote new bands. As with most other magazines, the barcode, price, issue number and website all appear in an enclosed area at the lower right hand corner of the magazine. This is a generic conventon of most magazines.

Magazine analysis Front Cover

Key Brand Values - Teenage audience, alternative/new music promotion.

Publisher - Kinn (1952- 1872) IPC (1972 - present)

Masthead - NME

Tagline - New Music Express

Price -  £2.30

House Style - Red and White, Yellow for banner headline, Bold colouring

NME was launched in March 1952 by IPC. written by Tony Parsons and Julie Burchill,  NME is a weekly magazine, featuring a variety of artists which ensures wide appeal and circulation which is evident in the circulation figures (38,486). 'In our pages recently you'll have read about Klaxons meeting God via drugs, Bombay Bicycle Club unsuccessfully busking in Ibiza, Jack White's war on the Internet, Arcade Fire's financial woes, Liam Gallagher revealing his Beady Eye. This stuff happens every week.' This quote is taken directly from http://www.nme.com/magazine and shows that their aim as a magazine is to provide every aspect of an artists life.

Since the 1960's, the magazine has strived to feature the most popular bands of the era, for example in the 1960's it championed artists such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Up to this day NME aims to champion forthcoming artists such as Florence and The Machine (featured on the above cover).

At first glance the magazine seems to appeal to a female audience as Florence Welch, lead singer of Florence and the Machine, is the prominent figure. However the sell lines and accompanying images indicate the audience is mixed gender. Also the Ear on this particular issue '50 years of Motown' suggests the targeted age range is wide as well. This Ear is particular useful in understanding the target audience as at the time of the magazines initial publishing, Motown music would be popular. It also suggests that a variety of music genres are featured in NME. The masthead is in a unusual position for a music magazine as you would expect it to be the first thing to appear in the top left hand corner of the page. However on NME magazines, the position of the masthead breaks conventions as a kicker appears at the top of the page. This break in conventions also suggests that NME is popular enough as a magazine to allow another headline to appear before the masthead. The main image of this particular image is Florence Welch however conventions are again broken here as her image is not entirely prominent.

 It is the norm on NME magazine that a single image takes up the majority of the front page (see above) however due to the fact this is a January issue, music magazines tend to produce a issue that advises on the year to come. All the smaller features or sell lines are used to promote new artists featured within the magazine. On this particular issue the sell lines are used alongside the images of the bands. They are position around the more prominent image of Florence. The Banner headline 'The New Music Issue/ NME's 10 tips for 2009' is used as anchorage for these images as it suggests that they are the bands to look out for in 2009. The tag line 'New Music Express' connotes individuality as it claims to be the original promoter of new music for the UK. This is a regular feature on the front cover which entails familiarity with the magazine. The barcode, price, issue number and website all appear in a similar area at the lower righthand corner of the magazine. This is another regular feature of the magazine which entails familiarity.

Identify and explain the choice of music genre

For my music magazine I will produce an alternative music based magazine. This is because within the magazine industry, alternative music magazines are very prominent. Also alternative music magazines such as, Q and NME have large circulation numbers. Q magazine has a circulation of 130,179 as of June 2007. NME magazine has a circulation of 38,486 as of December 2009. Both these figures indicate that such magazines are very popular thus have a larger, more varied target audience. This means creating a magazine that will appeal too such an audience will be more effective as the conventions are widely accepted.

As you can see from the print screen, Music magazines have a high readership figure however mainly with Males.

LIIAR interpretation...

Language - Camera angles, colour, codes, conventions, layout --> 'splash' (front -page image), house style (the look of the magazine/style)

Institution - Q (published by BAUER), Kerrang (published by EMAP), NME (published by IPC), Metal Hammer (published by FUTURE), Mixmag (published by DEVELOPMENT HELL)

Bauer also produce: Take a break, Bella, That's life
EMAP also produce: Smash Hits, Nintendo Official Magazine, The Face
IPC also produce: Look, TV Times, Marie Claire
Future also produce: PC Gamer, Photoplus, Mountain Biking UK
Development Hell also produce: The Word, Don't Stay In

Ideology - The ideology of a magazine is portrayed as the morals, values and messages that are suggested by its front cover.
NME; New Music Express - connotes bringing you new music quickly. The magazine's front cover suggests it is the 'enemy' of other music such as pop as the cover is indie - Foals, Florence and the Machine, Vampire Weekend etc.
Q; Quality - High standards, suggested by the glossy paper used for the front cover. The cover images is Paul McCartney, his name is on a gold 'plaque' connoting excellence and quality. This issue includes a 26 page special on McCartney, you can only see his eyes in the image which again connotes 'quality'. This particular issue has two covers in one, it is advertising Glastonbury. The magazine features U2 vs Muse - grabs the attention of two generations as well as promoting them and Glastonbury. Synergy is involved with this magazine.
Metal Hammer; The cover artist is Avenged Sevenfold who connote intimidation. The sunglasses on the front man connote the 'rock star' image. The magazine inspires individuals to look like the bands featured inside it making it an aspirational magazine.

Audience - Can be defined by age, gender, type, social class. Social Class can defined into 6 groups;
A- upper-middle class: barristers, directors etc.
B- middle class such as: teachers, accountants etc.
C1- lower middle class such as: sales people, police, nurses etc.
C2- skilled working class such as: builders, electricians, plumbers etc.
D- working class such as: manual workers, shop workers, apprentices etc.
E- under class such as: casual labourers, state pensioners, long-term unemployed, students etc.

Representation - target audience, central image, music behind the magazine, ideology of the magazine all present the representations within the magazine.

Main Task Brief

Main task: the front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine. All images and text used must be original, produced by you - minimum of four images.