Exsiting Magazines - Price and Publication

Price and Publication

The price and publication of my magazine will depend on my target audiences price range and how often the magaizne would be published. The price of the magazine would be significantly higher if the target adience was aimed to the older generation and are of a higher social status, on the other hand he price would be lower if the magazine was aimed to the younger generation such as teeneager because they are futher down the social status ladder and would not be able to afford an expensive magazine. Also the publication of the magazine would depend on the genre of the magazine and the context it would initally include. So I Have looked at some exsisting magazines and reserached their price and publication.

Billboard Magazine

Publication - Weekly 

Price - Subscription $24.99 per month and £5.50 per issue in the UK 

Audience - Both male and female and aged late teens and 20's. 

The reason for the steep price is that because it is imported from the US and it's quality features, also the target audience is aimed at the younger generation because of the context of the magazine and that it includes popular music news, videos, charts and modern artists in the top 40 chart. 

Kerrang Magazine

Publication - Weekly 

Price - £2.20 

Audience - Both male and female, however predominately male. The age range is 16-24 into heavy rock. 

As the magazine is published once a week and is aimed at a younger audience it can not be to expensive. It is evident that it is aimed at a younger generation through the use of graphics, fonts, layouts and presentation.Kerrang! aims itself more at a male audience and appeals to them by using content such as hard rock and metal iconic male bands on the front 
cover pulling angry faces or violent expressions.

Top of the Pops Magazine

Publication - Monthly 

Price - £2.99

Audience - Available to both males and females but is aimed at females aged 11-15 

The target audience of tops of the pops magazine are young girls/ pre teens who are interested in fashion, gossip and pop music. The price can not be to steep because of the target audience as they would not be able to afford the magazine. 

Sociographics

Sociographics

Audience Demogrpahics

 

Demographics include age, gender and other obseravle characteristics. Demographic segmentation consists of dividing your prosepctive and exisisitng customers into groups on variables such as age, gender, family size, income, occupation, education, religion, race and nationality. This usually works quite well because your customers often have wants and needs that are based on these catergories.



 

Audience Psychographics

 

Psychogrpahic segmentation divides the market into groups based on social class, lifestyle and personality characteristics. It is based in the assumption that the types of products and brand an individual purchases will reflect that persons chartceristics and patterns of living.

They put the auidence into groups as displayed in this table below:

 





Drafts - Front Cover, Contents Page and Double Page Spread

Drafts

Fro my first drafts of the front cover, contents page and double page spread I have hand drawn them indvidually with the conventional layout of each aspect.

Front Cover

Here is a brief hand drawn scanned image of my front cover, I have sketched out my initial ideas of the layout of my front cover. At the top of my layout is the conventional masthead underneath the masthead to the right is placed the issue number and date. Furthermore the main image is the centre piece of the magazine and is conventionally located in the middle of the cover, traditionally the sell lines are implanted around the main image to pull the readers in by including specific information that will be comprised within the magazine. As I was researching I found that bar code is placed in the bottom right hand corner with the price placed alongside it. Running along the bottom of the main image will be the main cover headline linking to the main image. Conventionally I have also allocated the footer along the bottom of the page this includes artistic expressions and generic information about the magazine. 

Contents Page

Here is a brief hand drawn box layout of my initial ideas for the layout of my contents page, along the top of the magazine on the skyline is placed the date, issue number and magazine name. The main conventional 'contents' title is also fixed at the top of the page underneath the skyline. The main feature of the contents page is placed centrally to the right which includes the sub title and then the articles and page numbers. Along the left of the contents page is images and special features that pull the reader in usually the one of the special features will be an advertisement encouraging readers to subscribe. I've also added a image in link to the main image on the front cover this shows continuity and also follows a classic magazine house style. 

Double Page Spread

Finally this is scanned hand drawn image of my double page spread, from my research I have found that the main image is placed on the left side of the spread and the article is allocated on the right set in columns. A reason for putting the article in columns is that it follows persistance and allows the reader to get a quick overview of the interview with the artist in question and pull quotes from the article will be placed across the main image as it will pull the reader in and want to buy the magazine. Across both pages of the spread at the top will be the headline and on the right above the article will be the page lead and traditional byline with another smaller image underneath. 



Conventions and LIIAR Analysis - Double Page spread

Conventions and LIIAR Analysis - Double Page Spread

The double page spread (above) represents the band 'All American Rejects', they would have been on the front cover as well. The main image of the band is spread across both pages and is located centrally, the main image is the focus of the page as it catches your attention. The pose and colours used in the main image is chosen carefully as because it is what draws the audience in and from that image you want to find out more about the artist been represented. Important details of the page are highlighted in red this is done so the reader can navigate the page easily. Even though there is the main image there are other images of individuals within the band placed around the main image. The text on the page is represented in columns on both pages this is a conventional way of setting out the layout of a double page spread. The continuity of the design, as the magazine is of the genre rock the typical colour schemes are followed such as a black background this indicated that the band are 'out there' and are 'hard' as black is a bold stand out colour. Adding on to red is a main colour as it stands out to the readers against the black background. There are pull quotes from the article that are placed in banner underneath a picture on the right hand side this gives an idea to the reader what to expect within the article it is used to pull the reader in and buy the magazine. Typography, different fonts and sizes are used throughout the spread, the main heading 'Dirty little secrets' is a prime example as the first part of heading 'Dirty Little' is completely different to any part of the article this makes the spread more interesting, however the 'secrets' part is in bold bright red and looks as though it is faded in kind of like graffiti this appeals to the age and gender of the readership because the red makes it stand out and follows the scheme and also is linked to rock bands as they are associated with dangerous stuff such as alcohol and drugs.

Conventions and LIIAR Analysis - Contents Page

Conventions and LIIAR Analysis - Contents Page

The contents page in the right is a typical Billboard magazine contents page, on the contents page there are inserts of images which are relevant to features within the magazine, due to the large amount of text around the page these images add colour and interest to page making it stand out more. The logo of the magazine is on the right hand corner of the column that includes the chart music, this reminds the reader the context of the magazine and what to expect that will be included. The main features within in the magazine are placed in the centre of the grid, which gets the most attention because of its positioning.The page titles are given numbers but the word 'page' is not included as this is not the conventional way to layout the page. The colour scheme follows the colours shown in the masthead (yellow, blue and red) this adds flow and makes the cover page look neat and tidy. It conventionally has the heading 'contents' page and sub-headings to represent the different categories of the  features within the magazine. The main image of the cover is of a famous singer, they are edited to fit within the main body of the text as certain pieces of text go around her body as though as if a puzzle and it all fits in together, this is typical 'house style'. Underneath the 'contents' heading the cover date and issue number are shown but are significantly smaller size and different font.





Conventions and LIIAR Analysis - Front cover

Conventions and LIIAR Analysis - Front cover

The image on the left is a front cover to a pop magazine, the central main image of the cover is of pop artist 'Katy Perry' the photo is composed to a traditional pose to indicate the genre of the magazine. Adding to this the lighting of the cover is bright and bold and follows a colour scheme of orange, white and black. The brightness of the photo connotes what type of music Katy Perry is all about, as pop music is quite fun and bubbly and the colour scheme follows this lightness as in comparison rock magazine front covers would be dark as their music is outrageous and bold. The styling of Katy Perry also allows the audience to understand the genre of the magazine as she wearing typical skirt and top with bangles on her wrist showing that she is girly and fun whereas for example rock bands would be styled to wear there her long and wear dark clothes usually associated with leather. The masthead is placed to the left of the magazine and is placed in a speech bubble this also links to the theme of the font style as they use typical text style writing as they place a heart instead of the word love. Also the masthead is in capitol letters this could connote the idea that it shouts out at you like they are trying to put across the imagination that they are talking directly at you hence the speech bubble. The cover portrays many conventional features, such as sell lines, this help to sell the magazine as it makes the audience want to buy it. The main cover line is placed with the main image as it links to the main image, it also follows the colour scheme of the cover as it is in solid orange, it also is in the same font as the masthead as in the masthead the heart is coloured in and in the cover line the circled parts on the letter are also coloured in. At the bottom of the magazine there is a tagline that included various celebrities that will be included within the magazine. On both right and left hand sides of the cover is anchorage text this gives the audience information about the articles that will be in the magazine, this used as a selling technique. Also smaller images are placed around the sides of the cover this is used to catch the readers attention making them want to buy it. Finally the cover follows a typical 'house style' (The specific usage and editing conventions followed by writers and editors to ensure stylistic consistency in a particular publication) this makes the cover look neat and tidy therefore easy to read and direct throughout.

We Love Pop is targeted at 13-16 year old girls obsessed with music, celebrities, fashion and gossip We Love Pop is chatty, funny and informed but never patronising or preachy. We tell you what's hot right now and what's happening next with exclusive backstage access, photos & interviews.

We Love Pop not only has exclusive access to all the top pop acts but each issue is packed with the latest celebrity gossip and unique fashion and beauty features!

http://www.egmont.co.uk/magazines.asp?pane=teen&mag=welovepop

Different groups within the music industry are represented differently due to their choice in music genre and the type of people they are. Pop artists, for example women are represented very sexually, wearing short skirts and dresses whilst dancing provocatively, this interests not only males as they find them sexually attractive but females can also idolize the women. Therefore on magazine front covers pop artists are conventionally portrayed to be idols to generally the younger generation, for example their facial expressions are usually smiling and their body language is friendly whereas taking a rock band for example their usually portrayed as being rebellious and their facial expressions and poses show they hard and outrageous.

Audience Research - Reader profiles

Reader Profiles 

Reader Profiles are very useful in determining the target audience, as they gather specific information about the audience. The main definition of a reader profile is 'Portrayals of readership demographics prepared by magazines.' For example the specific information gathered is the amount of males and females interested, the median of the age and the categories of things the audience are responsive to. Here is an example of 'Billboard' magazines reader profile. 

  

My Reader Profile

My reader profile is similar to Billboard magazines because it is of the same genre, therefore the pictures and information included will be comparable. 

Here is a list of the various things included on my reader profile that are of interest to my audience.

• Music Idols - As my magazine is a 'pop' magazine the music idols that i would include are current top 40 artists such as Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran, and current classic artists such as Beyonce and Robbie Williams.
• TV - Various reality TV programmes such as Made in Chelsea and The Only Way is Essex will be admitted because they are popular with young people today. 
• Possessions - Popular brands will be included that are also fashionable with todays young people such as iPhones and iPods, Disney, MacDonalds, Starbucks, Doc Martens (fashion/hair trends).  
• Hobbies/Interests - Festivals, video games, sports, alcohol are also very popular with the youth of today. 

I have created a mood board of all the contents I would include on my reader profile, I could not create my actual reader profile because I did not have sufficient evidence and research to back up my statistics that would be essential for my reader profile. However I have created a mood board of my initial ideas to give a clear outline of what my actual reader profile will consist of. 

I have included items that would appeal to both female and male audiences, as the magazine would be available to both genders. However pop magazines are traditionally targeted more to the female gender, therefore my target audience would be mainly to females aged between 13-24 because the images I have included above are primarily associated with teenagers. The reason my target audience would be female teenagers is because they are the majority that listen to chart music, even though the magazine would be available to both genders the age appropriate target audience given is also addressed to teenagers older generations are also able to buy the magazine.   

Audience Research of Billboard Magazine

Audience Research

Taking 'Billboard' pop magazine as an example,  I have researched their audience research to understand how they come to the conclusion who to aim their magazine to.

 

Looking at Billboards website I came across a page on their target audience it included information on the readership. Here's an example of their readership page;

 

 

This page gives an example to the right of what would be included on a possible Billboard magazine front cover. To the left they have listed a breif overview of the magazine, and the gives a total readership and that what is included in the magazine to appeal to the selected audience.

 

Market Research

Market Research - Existing Magazines

'Top of the Pops' is a iconic pop magazine which features chart information, star gossip, fashion and beauty advice, quizzes, song lyrics and posters. It is a supplementary magazine for the TV show 'Top of the Pops'.

'Billboard' is an international news magazine devoted to music and the music industry, it maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis. 








The top two magazines are of the same genre that my magazine will be. The first magazine 'Billboard' is a pop magazine, the main image on this magazine is Lady Gaga who is icon of pop, typically the magazine includes all the necessary conventions of a magazine a masthead, sell lines, a skyline and a main cover story that links to the main image. The magazine follows a simple colour scheme of black and grey. The second magazine is also a pop magazine 'top of the pops' similarly to 'Billboard' magazine it also includes the conventions mentioned above and additionally, the main image includes Tulisa who is a icon of pop. In contrast to the first magazine the second one includes other various images of other pop artists.


Contents Page Example


Here is two examples of music magazines contents pages, both contents pages include one main image and a few smaller images, these images are used to pull the reader in to buy the magazine as it gives them an idea what is included within the magazine and it may appeal to them more as it might be images of bands/artists they like. There is a specific layout to the majority of contents pages, as the features and page titles are placed down the left hand side of the page and then placed in chronological order from the beginning to the end of the magazine. The page titles are given numbers but the word 'page' is not included as this is not the conventional way to layout the page. Also additionally added to the contents page is the date and the title which is generically placed as the top of page usually in a different font and is bold. To create structure for the contents page sub headings are used to help the audience navigate the page easily. 

Double page spread Examples

The above images are examples of double page spreads, each example is unique in its own right as they focus on one specific artists/band which are specific for the genre of music that magazine promotes, all three examples place the main image on the left hand side of the double page spread this creates an eye catching affect. Another scheme that is followed on all three examples is that the first letter of each article is enlarged and coloured in a specific colour that is followed throughout the spread as the colour scheme this is known as a 'drop cap'; another format that is followed is 'house-style' this is the company's preferred manner of presentation and layout of written material making the spread not look messy and unorganised. The article traditionally first begins on the second page, however on the second example the article begins on the first page this does not follow the classic conventions of a double page spread. Taking the third double page spread as an example it includes a pull quote, which would be the first thing the reader would notice and read, as this quote is quite unusual it would make the reader want to read on. Also the spread has included more than one main image compared to the second example spread, this makes it more visually intriguing.  

History of my genre

The History of my Genre

 

Pop music (a term that originally derives from an abbreviation of "popular") is a genre of popular music which originated in its modern form in the 1950s, deriving from rock and roll.

 

As a genre, pop music is very eclectic, often borrowing elements from other styles including urban, dance, rock, Latin and country; nonetheless, there are core elements which define pop. Such include generally short-to-medium length songs, written in a basic format (often the verse-chorus structure), as well as the common employment of repeated choruses, melodic tunes, and catchy hooks.

 

Throughout its development, pop music has absorbed influences from most other genres of popular music. Early pop music drew on the sentimental ballad for its form, gained its use of vocal harmonies from gospel and soul music, instrumentation from jazz, country, and rock music, orchestration from classical music, tempo from dance music, backing from electronic music, rhythmic elements from hip-hop music, and has recently appropriated spoken passages from rap.

 

In my magazine I will include artists from todays modern pop genre and how they are progressing and new upcoming albums, also I will include features on the artists lifestyle and other types of media they are involved in such as films or TV shows.

 

 

Past vs. Present

 

Comparisons between todays pop artists and past pop artists from the previous decades, has shown the versatility of the genre, but how the genre has progressed and the popularity of the genre is still very vast. Here are some examples of previous pop artists and modern day pop artists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The above pictures are of current modern day pop artists, first is Justin Bieber, Ellie Goulding and Lady Gaga, just from their pictures you can immediately see the versatility within pop and how each artist expresses themselves differently. Below are two pictures of two 80's icons, Boy George and Madonna, their styles have carried to modern day pop and have influenced the artists of today.
 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Videos - Pop artsist

Videos - Pop artists

 

 

Katy Perry - California Gurls (2010)

California Gurls is a popular song from Katy Perry's album 'Teenage Dream', the video for this song represents Katy Perry's signature style, the video is very bright and colourful she follows the scheme of that everything is candy and that they are living in a 'candy world' hence the bright colours. As mentioned before the use of the icons within her video such as the bright colours, the quirky outfits and the alternative story line indicated that she is associated with the genre pop and not another genre like rock for example, as the video would tend to be dark and follow a more generic narrative. Katy Perry's bold character is shown within her music and the way she dresses, within my magazine I will incorporate the ideas of which Katy Perry has used in this video of using a 'candy world' as a main idea for the cover and the look in which I am going for.

 

 

Rihanna - Only girl in the world (2010)

Linking with Katy Perry, Rihanna is also an inspirational female pop artist who also in her video of 'Only girl in the world' that reached number 1 in 10 different countries, uses bright bold colours that link with genre pop. The video mimics the carefree lyrics to the song, which suggest that she is the "only girl in the world. The video uses the simplistic theme of predominantly focusing on Rihanna frolicking on a hillside with life size flowers placed near her with an array of artistic sceneries and props. Other scenes include Rihanna surrounded by multi-coloured balloons, riding on a swing that hangs from the sky, lying in a bed of flowers and then dancing in front of a tree covered with blinking lights that adds to the surreal imagery.

 

 

Chris Brown - Yeah x3 (2011)

Chris Brown is a male pop artists who has had various hits, within his video of Yeah x3 it includes Chris Brown directing a mob of kids, teenagers and  residents down a street and then cuts to a dance scene, that is choreographed creating a scene which is not of real imagery.

 

From researching the above pop videos I have come to the conclusion to include in my own magazine a sense of surreal imagery on the front cover, such as for example Katy Perry uses a 'candy world' theme, Rihanna uses a surreal setting of her been 'the only girl in the world' and Chris Brown choices a mob dance crew within a city. 

 





Official top 40 chart

Official top 40 chart 

1. OneRepublic - Counting stars
2. Miley Cyrus - Wrecking Ball
3. Lawson - Juliet
4. James Blunt - Bonfire heart
5. Eminem - Rap God
6. Katy Perry - Roar
7. Eminem - Bezerk
8. Wilkinson - Afterglow
9. Cornor Maynard - R u crazy
10. Iggy Azelia - Change your life

Above is a list of the current top 10 singles from the top 40 chart, most of the artists in the above list are all from the genre of pop this shows how popular the genre is and the wide market range for a music magazine it has. At number is OneRepublic who are a rock/pop band that have had previous success with their hit 'apologize' even though they had their hit in 2006 they are still topping the charts.

Miley Cyrus is in the charts at number 2, she is an upcoming pop artist, from her album cover you can immediately tell that the genre that she is connected to is pop because the colours used on the cover are bright and bold that are associated with pop music. 

Also within the top 10 chart are other upcoming pop artists such as Cornor Maynard and Iggy Azelia, one main artist that has a variety of pop hits is Katy Perry. 

Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter, businesswoman, philanthropist, and actress.With influence from early artists in the pop genre from the 1970's and 80's, Katy Perry has become very influential herself in this music genre pop through her albums 'one of the boys' and 'California Gurls'. If pop music was a popular in the 70's and 80's and if today's generation still listen to pop music from that genre and artists like Katy Perry are already becoming influential artists themselves it proves that pop music is very popular.