For the first unit of coursework in Media Studies, I was asked to produce a music magazine, including a front page, contents page and a double page spread featuring an article over 1000 words.
In what ways does your music magazine represent particular social groups?
Before I could begin designing my magazine, I had to research existing music magazines to find out what needs to be included. This research stage evolved deconstructing the aspects the makes up a music magazine and looking at them in more detail. I looked at a number of genre specific music magazines, and analysed and compared the content such as the master heads, contents pages and article. I noticed that each magazine followed different conventions that reflected the genre and the target audience of the magazine. The colours and images used in each magazine varied for different genres and audiences for example, a rock music magazine that is aimed for a male audience often employed the conventional colours of black and red, with rough, eroded text. A hip-hop magazine aimed for females, on the other hand, often used brighter colours such as pink and yellow. The content and mode of address in each magazine also differed depending on the genre and target audience. This is something I considered when producing my music magazine. I repeated the conventions used in all magazines such as master heads and strap lines so it could be identified as a magazine but adapted them to speak to a particular niche audience. Like in many of the rock music magazines I researched, I used a master head that was large, bold and eroded. My master head was particularly similar to the rock music magazine ‘Kerrang’ as both magazines share the same genre and audience. Also, I named the magazine ‘Encore’, which is a musical term used in concerts when the audience want to hear more. To me, ‘Encore’ somewhat resembles the word ‘Hardcore’ which is a word that could be used to describe rock music. Even though this is not clear, this idea could be thought about in the reader’s subconscious mind. Followed by this, is the selling line ‘a mash up monthly’. A ‘mash up’ is a conventional word that is sometimes used in the rock genre. In the main image, I made some of the band members heads overlap the master head and added more eroded text in the strap lines and rotated them. This made the page look busy as I wanted to make the impression that there is a lot of information crammed into the magazine. This is another aspect I have seen used in other rock magazines.
How does your music magazine represent particular social groups?
In my music magazine, I have challenged the usual representation of rock bands, and introduced a new, more diverse band. I have challenged the stereotypes of rock music through the use of the bands costumes as stereotypical rock bands appear to wear all black, all male with long hair and a number of peircings. My band however is a mixture of both male and female, in their teens and is wearing non conventional clothes. The fact that they are teenagers is particularly relevant as the target audience are also of this age. This is something that will draw more readers in as they can relate to the band being promoted.
I used four models from my class to act as an imaginary band in a photo shoot conducted by myself. I ensured that I kept the conventional aspects used in rock magazines when taking these photos such as the poses often used. This was to turn the imaginary band into a believable, existing band. I took a variety of photos in different locations and poses so I had a wide range of photos to work with. The particular shot type I have used on the front cover is a low angle shot, which makes the band members appear to be looking down on us. Although we are not intimidated by them as the shot is not very extreme. It does, however, give the band importance, showing that they are not average teenagers, but are a successful band that wants to be acknowledged. The band which is a mixture of both male and female go against many of the stereotypical conventions seen in rock bands. Through the use of the non conventional clothes they are wearing in addition to their age and sex, brings a different view to rock bands and also young people. The band members look like they have ambition, believe in diversity and are represented as positive youths, unlike the stereotypical views of drugs and alcohol, which creates a good role model for the readers of the magazine.
Who would be the audience for your music magazine?
The generic music conventions I have employed in my magazine suggest that the target audience are young adults, aged between 16 – 19 with an aspirational age of 12-25. These are predominantly male, who have interests in rock music which is evident from the use of colour, language and imagery. They are a mainstream-niche audience that come from households with average incomes ranging from as little as £20.000 and over. However, these are teenagers that are likely to hold a part-time job, so are likely to be earning their own income. They are frequent users of technology and computers and spend a lot of their free time listening to music. Most of their time would be taken up by studying so may look for magazines as a diversion. Like a lot of rock music magazines I researched, I have a chosen a black, white and gold colour scheme, replacing the red which is often used. This makes the magazine lose its gothic look and gives it a classier look, which appeals to a more mainstream audience. The master head is kept black and white, so the gold colour could change in every issue. My music magazine is aimed to act as a diversion for students who spend most of their time dealing with large amounts of text. Language is used in magazines when providing information to a specific target audience. In this case, I have used small bite size chunks of text so the readers can cope with taking in the information. I have also used specific language devices that are relevant to the readers and the genre of the magazine, such as colloquialisms as well as punctuation such as explanation marks.
What kind of institution might distribute your music magazine and why?
I needed to think carefully about who might distribute the magazine. As the target audience is a mainstream-niche audience, it may be appropriate to look at mainstreamer shops such as WHS and supermarkets. This would make the magazine easily available to the public as opposed to small record shops which may sell magazines for niche audiences. As the target audience are frequent users of the internet to access information, I have included a website address on the front page so readers can easily access a larger variety of media such as videos and downloads. It would also be appropriate to introduce the magazines own music channel, as the audience are frequent users of television. I could also look at places where my target audience buy items such as clothes and CDs. I would look at more niche shops, ones that are not part of a chain rather then a more mainstream shop.
How did you attract/address the audience for your music publication?
I used a number of methods in which I could attract and address the target audience, persuading them to buy the magazine. As a result of the survey I conducted, freebies was the third most common reason for purchasing a music magazine, with interviews and gossip at the top. The least most popular reason was reviews, and gig listings. Free posters and pullouts came fourth. Using this information combined with research from existing magazines, I advertised free posters and a free CD on my front page as this evidently attracted customers. I also concentrated on how I spoke to the audience in my publication, using language that is commonly used amongst them. I used informal, colloquial language throughout the magazine such as in my contents page where I used words such as ‘c’mon’ and ‘wanna’. These created a lively tone, and as the text was not to long, the readers could easily cope taking in the information.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
During the construction of this magazine, I have used a wide range of technologies. One of the main things I learnt during the project was how to use a new computer system. I learnt the basics of using an Apple Mac including a number of different shortcuts to make my time more efficient. At first, this was a challenge as I was used to the way the PC works, but by the end of the project, I was comfortable using the new computers. As I was lucky enough to use this new technology, I was able to produce a publication that closely resembled those that are sold on the shelves. I used Adobe Photoshop CS3 to put together the magazine, which I was comfortable using as I already had experience. I also used a digital camera to take my images for the publication. This was linked up to the computer to transfer them into the document.
Looking back at your preliminary task, of designing the front page of a school magazine, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Before I began to produce my music magazine, I conducted a preliminary task to put my new learnt skills into practice. I produced a front cover and a contents page of a new school magazine, which included a mid shot of a pupil(s). The magazine had to reflect the school as much as possible, such as its art college status, its multicultural beliefs and had to be suitable for both genders. After researching into the school further, I began creating a flat plan using simple shapes and text to plan out what I want to include in my pages. This was to make it faster and easier when I came to building my publication. Building the publication itself was fairly easy as I was prepared with my images and had a clear idea of what I wanted to include. I used I was pleased with the final product and felt I was now ready to design my music magazine. This activity pushed my understanding of producing a magazine, which was helpful and allowed be to be more adventurous when making the real publication. It also allowed me to learn from my mistakes, making the actual process of putting the music magazine together much more efficient. Overall, I am extremely pleased with every aspect of my music magazine, and I feel that I have achieved what the brief has laid out.
