Planning Task One : Magazine Title and Strapline

 

I have chosen 'Apollo' as my music magazine title because he is the Greek and Roman god of music and I think it would intrigue the target demographic into reading the magazine. Apollo is one of the four main gods in Greek mythology which connotes strength and superiority onto my magazine. 

For my strapline, I have chosen 'The Temple of Pop Music' because it enkeeps with the Greek mythology theme of the title whilst referencing the genre of my music magazine, pop music. 'Temple' is associated with worship and suggests that my magazine is where readers come together to celebrate pop music. 

Research Task Nine : Target Audience Research And Analysis

For my research into audiences for the independent music magazines, I compiled a survey full of questions and sent it out to 27 people who then answered the questions. Questions in the survey spanned from 'what is your gender' to 'what content would you like to see in a music magazine'. The target of the survey was to find out the wants and interests that relate to music and music magazines; it was designed to give me a better idea of what to include in my magazine that would appeal to the audience more. 

Eighteen girls and seven boys answered my survey with the majority aged 16-18 years whereas 6 were aged 19-21 years and 2 were 22-25 years. This shows that the results I have received are from a variety of sources and demographics which gives me unbiased results. 

The highest rated favourite music genre is pop with 11 votes but many answers to 'what is your favourite music genre' had two answers which reflects the later question that of whether they think they have an eclectic music taste; 80% said they did. The most popular artists, according to the survey, was Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and Lana Del Ray who are the most popular female artists in mainstream music right now. This shows that mainstream music dominates the music industry and fan's interests so to make a new music magazine, it seems that already famous artists would attract more of an audience on the first edition. 

Furthermore, nearly half of people voted for pop music being the main genre of music for a new music magazine with rock, rap, and indie alternative being the only other answers to get more than one vote. This shows me that I should focus my magazine on pop music to appeal to a greater proportion of people. 

Most of the responses in the survey say that they don't buy music magazines but the reasons for why vary: they use online platforms to find the latest music information, they are too expensive or there is no content in the magazine that interests them. I then followed on by asking how people get there information about music and, as seen below, the answer was overwhelmingly (92.6%) for social media which tells me that having a social media page is highly effective and beneficial for a music magazine. This is because social media platforms are more widely used by younger people and people in the 16-25 year old demographic. 

The answers to the gigs/concerts questions on whether people go to many music events was more equally weighted: 13 answers were yes and the rest were no but mostly because ticket prices are expensive. However, many communicated their want to go to a concert but the only reason they can't is because of the prices. This shows me that there is a gap in the market for affordable concerts to be filled and that my magazine could promote these to bring in readers. This is shown in the pie chart below that shows the proportion of answers for what type of content readers would want to see in a new music magazine; a good proportion of the answers wanted to know about future music events. 

To another question on what special features on a magazine, like CDs, specialised playlists etc, would appeal to the audience the most, the majority of the answers wanted codes to access presale tickets for concerts and possibly discounts off the tickets because they bought the magazine. 

In terms of how much money people would ideally spend on a music magazine, 51.9% voted for between 4 to 6 pounds and 48.1% voted for 2 to 4 pounds so, to be affordable to people in age group (16 to 25), who are usually students or starting in low paying jobs so they don't have as much money, a lower price is the smarter choice than going expensive and trying to maximise revenue. 

Reflection Point : What Have I Learned About Independent Music Magazine Websites?

Through my research into independent music magazine websites, I have learnt that there are common conventions that are used consistently. For example, hyperlinks were used in every website I looked at; this shows that hyperlinks are generic conventions for independent music magazine websites. When clicked on, hyperlinks take the reader to another page of the website, this can include an article/story that the magazine has promoted, a link straight to the album of a featured artist or just to a more specific page of information like how to contact the magazine. This provides easy navigation for the audience around the website so they have a pleasant experience because, if they don't have a good, fustration-free experience on the website, it is more likely that they won't visit the website again. 

Furthermore, the masthead is always at the top of the page to signify whose website it is. The masthead is in the same typography as it on the front cover of the magazine, however, the colour may change depending on the colour scheme of the page. This communicates consistency and familiarity to the audience so they know that they are not going to get any surprises or differences in the content on the website compared to the content in the magazine. 

Most websites show a copy of the front cover on the homepage of the website so they can maximise the promotion of the main revenue generator. The sale of the physical copies of the magazine are the primary source of revenue for the magazine so by showing that to the audience on the website it reaches a wider demographic. Nearby the front cover on the homepage is also other options of how to acquire a copy of the magazine digitally or buy a subscription, this increases the chances of a reader investing money into the magazine. 

The layout of an independent music magazine website is simple and spacious; this ensures that the reader does not get overwhelmed with the amount of content that is featured. Typically, three or four columns are used to divide the content: two for articles with hyperlinks to the whole story and one or two columns for smaller and more brief hyperlinks that usually promote events or gigs that are happening. The brands take advantage of the infinite canvas that a digital website provides and they feature as many prime stories as they can but they update them reguarly to keep the content fresh and reader interested. The colour palette implemented on the websites is minimalistic and the background is, typically, all white which allows the reader's attention to be drawn to the colourful pictures that anchor the stories and articles which increases the likelihood that the audience will click on them and read the content. 

Research Task Eight: Research into Other Independent Music Magazine Websites

 

Additional Research Task : Further Independent Music Magazine Covers

 

Research Task Seven : Independent Music Magazine Websites

 

In summary, The Wire's front cover and website work together to create a brand identity through digital convergenence between the front cover and its website, specifically the home page. The masthead is still at the top of the page in the exact same format and typography; the only difference is the colour. This creates consistency and a brand identity because you can see how the features and design are the same in both the magazine and website. 

The format and layout of the content is similar and separated by the same divider lines that are on the contents page which further shows the prensence of a brand identity. The layout is simple and clear which makes it easier for the audience to navigate around.

Hyperlinks are commonplace on a website which takes the audience to a secondary page where the content is primarily featured and it draws the reader into the website which then promotes more content to them. This is designed for the audience to extend their time spent in the website which increases the chances of them buying a copy of the magazine or purchasing a subscription. 

Reflection Point : What Have I Learned About Magazine Contents Pages?

Through my research and analysis of magaine contents pages (music and non-music), I have seen that they are tidily organised either into sections or by page number. The masthead of the magazine is almost always at the top of the page to signify what magazine it is with its code for what edition it is and the date of publish. Typically, contents pages are only one page but some magazines like Vanity Fair challenge this convention.  

The layout is simple and designed to not confuse the reader when they are looking through the contents pages. The sections are often divided by lines across the page like borders or bold numbers or letters that signify a change of topic or content. 

There is a range of content featured on the page which is supposed to entice the audience into reading more articles in the magazine. The topics also target a large variety of readers who will most certainly have different preferences and views; this maximises the potential readers the magazine could receive which would increase their revenue. However, not all the articles in the magazine are featured in the contents page because the page would be overcrowded and it leaves some discovering for the reader to do. 

The colour palette is typically minimal with black and white and if there is a pop of coulour, it is usually from the images or masthead. For example, the images in The Wire's contents pages are multicoloured and in Vogue, the masthead is in its iconic red colour. This furhter simplifies the contents page to ensure that there is no confusion when naviagting through its content or page numbers. 

The typography is consistent through the contents page and aligns with the font and colour of the rest of the magazine to have a fluid and compatible feel. It can be argued that the typography reflects the magazine's views on itself: Vogue is an iconic and traditional magazine so it uses serif font which reflects that view whereas The Wire considers itself to be modern and ground breaking so they utilise sans-serif font. 

Research Task Six : Wider Research Into Magazine Contents Pages

 

 

Research Task Five : The Wire Music Magazine Contents Pages

 

Reflection Point: What Have I Learned About Independent Music Magazine Front Covers?

From my premlinary research on independent music magazines, specifically RnR and The Wire, I have learnt that each magazine has a house style across all of their editions. The only time the style changes is if they upgrade the designs of the front covers permenantly like The Wire did at the beginning of 2023. 

In general music magazine's front cover conventions are consistent and they are repeated in each new edition. This creates a sense of familiartity with the audience which makes them more comfortable with the brand. The stability of the magazines appeals to the audience and increases the chance of a reader buying another future copy if they like the contents of the magazine; this would lead to the magazine receiving a more steady stream of revenue in a magazine print crisis which they need to keep publishing. 

Each masthead on the front covers is the same design and size but The Wire often changes its colour to fit the colour palette of each edition whereas RnR's masthead is consistently identical. The positioning of the masthead on the front cover is the same as well; it's always across the top of the page where it is most visible to audiences. Furthermore, the typography matches all through the editions because it is always sans-serif font which implies to the reader that the music is modern and new, just like the readers are wanting.

The main images used on the front covers are always of one or multiple people who are artists featuring in the magazine; this follows the magazine's ideology of promoting new artists and giving the reader easy access to underground, non-mainstream music. 

The Wire and RnR both use contrasts of colour frequently used on their front covers to make them vibrant and appealing to the audience. It also serves to attract potential buyers from long distances away and, when surrounded by many other magazines on a news stand, makes them stand out to passers-by. It also draws the audience's attention to specific page furniture, for example, the puffs on RnR promote the free CD that is attached which appeals to readers more because, compared to other competitors, they are getting more for their money. Overall, music magazines uses colour tactically to make the best parts of the magazine, which are designed to attract and appeal to readers, stand out.

Research Task 4 : How Does 'RnR' Magazine's Front Cover Appeal To Audiences?

 

This reseach task has taught me that RnR uses contrasts of colour frequently on their front covers to make them vibrant and appealing to the audience. It also serves to attract potential buyers from long distances away and, when surrounded by many other magazines on a news stand, makes them stand out to passers-by. 

The contrast of colours are also utilised by RnR to draw the audience's attention to specific page furniture, for example, the puffs promote the free CD that is attached which appeals to readers more because, compared to RnR's competitors, they are getting more for their money. RnR uses colour tactically to make the best parts of the magazine, which are designed to attract and appeal to readers, stand out.