My final product/evaluation

To gain audience feedback on my music magazine I have set up a poll. There are a series of questions about my magazine and answers to choose from on the right hand side of the page. I created this in order take into account peoples thoughts, opinions and criticism on my music magazine. The majority of people who have completed my poll have been within the ages of 16-24, which is my target audience. This is good as they would be the potential audience for my media product.

Evaluation

This evaluation will look at the development and process of making my own music magazine, the ways in which my product would compare to that of real media products, the alterations that I made to target a particular audience and how I aimed to create, through the use of media terminology a professional, successful media product.


In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

My Indie/Rock magazine 'AMP' develops and challenges the forms and conventions of other real media products in many different ways. Through researching and analysing other music magazines, It enabled me to develop my understanding of the conventions that are needed, and therefore create a conventional music magazine myself. From studying different genres of music magazines, I was also able to identify the features that are commonly found within each genre. I did this by buying music magazines myself and analysing them online too. Looking at different genres helped me to shape the conventions of my own music magazine to suit the genre of Indie/Rock and appeal to my target audience. As I mainly took inspiration from 'NME' and 'Kerrang!' music magazines, my own conventional magazine competes against real media products that are within the market today.

My music magazine AMP conventionally uses a clear, bold masthead on the front cover, which is easily recognisable and captures the readers attention. It is also is located in the top left corner, which follows the conventions and therefore would compete well against other leading music magazines. I have also used conventionally, a manipulated image, plugs, slogan, strap lines, headlines, article titles, date, price and a bar code. These are all necessary conventions when creating a music magazine, which shows that I have followed the general pattern. For the layout and contents of my magazine, I followed the conventions of real media products by using an additional edited image, headlines to section the contents, a brief article, band index, title and an advertisement to subscribe to the magazine. The interview used for my double page spread is again conventionally created as it uses large images of the artist, an introduction to the interview, a series of questions and answers, chatty/informal language, a by line, headline and the word 'exclusive' used to show the magazines independence. I believe that my magazine uses the conventions of other real media products, and would look almost as professional as other leading products on the market.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The social group that my music magazine represents is both men and women between the age of 16 - 21, who are members of bands or solo artists within the music industry. By representing young musicians like these i am attracting my target audience of 16 - 24 year olds. The models used within my magazine portray personalities of attitude and rebellion. This particular mood should be related to by the audience as this is typical amongst youth culture. I also styled the models accordingly to suit the representations found generally within the genre of Indie/Rock magazines. The style and dress sense should attract the audience and reflect too what the audiences appearances may be like. A youthful audience would be interested in fashions and influenced by the styles of different artists. I also considered the mise en scene of the image by using props like guitars to suit the genre and using a particular environment to enhance the attitude of the artist. The artists is positioned in a particular way to create sex appeal but also gain control over the reader. These are all conventional ways of portraying social groups and conveying particular styles, attitudes, emotions through considering cinematography and the mise en scene images.

What kind of Media Institutions might distribute your media product and why?

As my music genre is one of largest in the music industry and rather mainstream it probably would be distributed in small confectionery shops as it appeals to a wide audience. My magazine might be distributed by the institution 'ICP' as this currently publishes NME magazine which my music magazine is inspired from. It would therefore be successful as their is already a market for this genre of magazine and ICP may be interested in distributing my product too. It could be sold in popular music shops such as HMV and Music zone, which would attract music lovers within the store and aim at a concentrated audience who like indie/rock music. After becoming more appealing I could also look into using chain stores such as Tesco and W.H smith who don't just specialise in music goods. Furthermore my magazine could be available on the Internet and purchased monthly with a free issue after they have subscribed for £5.99 a month.


What would be the audience for you media product?

The target audience for my music magazine 'AMP' would appeal to a mixed gender of 16 - 24 years. The results from my poll question on my target audience is hopefully evident to this if I achieved my aim. However my music magazine could still appeal to a more mature audience who are interested in the genre of indie/rock music. It could furthermore appeal to a younger target audience through the use of simple, informal language and large attractive images. The magazine would also not contain taboo language so this wouldn't be an issue for a younger audience. The type of images used too would portray young artists within this age range, which clearly represents who my target audience is, just from the artist image on the front cover.

How did you attract/ address your audience?
I used a variety of techniques to appeal to attract and address my target audience. This includes asking my friends questions like "would you be interested in a punk revival artist?" and " what type of competitions/giveaways would attract you?" Their ideas, opinions and answers i reflected within my own music magazine, which should hopefully appeal to my target audience too, as my friends are within the age range 16 -25. I also aimed to create a professional, realistic magazine with all the necessary conventions of an indie/rock magazine. However I tried not make it look too sophisticated because this wouldn't generally appeal to my target audience. Therefore I attracted my audience through the use of bright colours that complement each other and I used stylish typography that is clear and stands out. I used language that was both simple and informal so that it was easily understandable and made sure there wasn't too much text over crowding the magazine. My target audience of 16-24 would not generally be interested in lots of text and therefore i made the image the central feature and selling point of the magazine.

The image has been manipulated to create an effective, appealing photo. The audience becomes involved with artist as she is looking directly at the camera. The low angle of the camera too suggest the dominance of the artist as the audience looks up to the them. After showing my friends too, they said that their attracted to the image straight away which is what I aimed for. The name of my magazine 'AMP' would generally appeal to my target audience too as its catchy and memorable. Indie/Rock lovers would also associate the word 'AMP' with this particular genre of music. My friends also recognised that its particularly clever in stating the genre as the name is lingo referring to a particular piece of sound equipment that attaches to an electric guitar.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

I feel I have learnt a wide range of skills through the construction of my media product. I have developed these skills whilst using programmes such as Microsoft Publisher, Adobe photo shop and Paint. I have learnt about all the main elements in publisher in which I needed to create the actual product. I used paint also to convert text that i had created on the Internet(using DaFont.com) into a j-peg image. I did this by print screening the page with the style of text i wanted off the Internet and pasting into paint. I then selected just the text and cutting out the rest of the page information, which i then saved onto a fresh page in paint and saved it as a picture. I did this in order to have original, individual text on my magazine and also so it was easier to transfer onto my magazine into publisher. I have also learnt how to edit photographs to refine the image and gain the correct lighting result in Adobe photo shop. Asides from this i have learnt how to make the image suit my particular style of magazine - indie rock genre. I have also learnt that small adjustments can make a dramatic difference in the representations and attitude of your magazine. This in fact made me aware of every detail on my magazine, and i checked that everything was doing its job in attracting and appealing to my target audience. I think without these skills my magazine would not have looked as professional and realistic as it does now.

Looking back at the preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt what do you feel you have learnt from it to the full product?

I think I have positively progressed and developed my knowledge, understanding and skills since the the first preliminary task. I have become more confident in using different programmes and performing the challenging tasks I carried out in this last project. There is a clear, dramatic difference between the two products when looking at them both, which shows i have learnt a lot since. This project I have researched thoroughly, and put in more time and effort in comparison to the preliminary task. This is why I feel its more professional, creative and believable to my audience and would succeed within a real market. The preliminary task however was a good preparation for the main task, which tested my creativity and my knowledge of basic conventions needed when creating a magazine. I am overall pleased with the outcome of my final product and feel i have progressed dramatically since the first task and learnt lots of new things which I hope to further develop within the second year.


The final product of my Front Cover, Contents Page and Double Page Spread of my Music magazine.





Analysis of front cover
For the style and layout of my music magazine 'AMP' I took inspiration from magazines such as 'NME' and 'Kerrang!'. This is because my magazine is based on the genre of indie/rock music and those magazines follow a similar genre.I created the text for the masthead of the front cover of my music magazine on www. dafont.com, which offers a range of different styled texts. I thought that using this would make the magazine more individual and original which is what one of the main task was to do. I tested a range of different font styles but found this was the most effective because it was clear and bold. This is an advantage of my magazine because it would be easily visible from a distance if it were to be an actual product on a shop shelf. The audience should also become familiar with the text and associate the particular text with 'AMP' magazine.

The main feature of the front cover is the large image of 'Sabina' which is the main feature of the magazine. My particular target audience would be attracted to images more so than text, so the use of a large image of Sabina should draw them in. I took the picture myself of one of my fellow students against a brick wall to show an urban, city environment. This could connote the rough, edgy sound of her music and the strong attitude of her personality. The image is taken from a low angle to show the artists dominance, high status and control over the reader. To add to the Mise-en-scene of the image, I also used an electric guitar as a prop. This was used to connote the particular music genre and ideology that the magazine promotes. This prop is particular effective as it is generally associated with indie rock music which the artists on the cover specialises in. I then manipulated the image in photo shop to gain more effective brightness and contrast to the picture. This helped to gain focus on the artists and also sharpen the detail in the brick work. This also creates a contrast between the harsh background and the softness of her face.

I then focused on the typography of the magazine for the front cover. I used black text against a red box to frame but mainly emphasis the text from the contrast in colours. My masthead connotes rebellion and attitude which is a key feature within rock/indie music. The bright colours should also attract a youthful audience which is another aim of my magazine. I also used language techniques such as short, simple sentences like 'First album: the verdict' to entice the reader and capture their attention. Alliteration is also used in the main headline' Sabina Smashes Up Mainstream'. The repetition of the consonant 's' makes the headline catchy and memorable. The word smash is used for emphasis and effect and could also create imagery of a guitar been smashed. This connotes again attitude and rebellious behaviour. I used the plugs to entice the audience to read on and used different colours for each band to separate them and their slightly different music genres. I lastly included main conventions of music magazines like the date, price, bar code and a slogan for my music magazine which is 'First for new music'. I decided to use this as my slogan because its catchy, due to its slight alliteration and challenges other media products claiming it has all the latest music first.




Analysis of contents page
For my contents page, I gained some useful ideas after analysing one of the NME magazine's contents pages. This helped me to build up the typical conventions which i needed to use and create a realistic look. I continued through onto the contents page of my music magazine using the colours black, yellow, white and red which I had previously used on the front cover. I did this in order to create continuity in my magazine and recognition of the colours used amongst my audience. I again used the same masthead to introduce the contents at the top of the contents page. This again promotes the magazine and the masthead becomes memorable.

I designed my layout similar to that of a recent 'NME' magazine for my own magazine to look realistic and professional. I organised the contents into sections so that the audience is not overwhelmed by the amount there is to read. I also included a brief article of the band 'The Elliot's', along with a picture of the leading artists of the band featured in the article. I did this so the audience know the style and language in which the magazine is written. This language is used specifically so that the audience are familiar with it and therefore relate to it. I also included a band index so that the reader could find their favourite band easily within the magazine. This again challenges other music magazines as my music magazine involves many different bands which can be found easily by the audience. My contents page further promotes itself too on the contents page, by displaying a copy of the front cover and asking the reader to subscribe monthly to 'AMP' magazine for '£5.99'.

Analysis of Double Page Spread
I noticed that lots of music magazines like NME, Kerrang! and Q have images that run across both pages, so this inspired me to create a similar idea of placing three images of the artists across the full length of the double page. This is effective as the audience can see a range of different emotions conveyed through each separate image. After taking these images i manipulated the images in photo shop adjusting the contrast and brightness to gain more of an effective look. The lighting also mainly focuses on the artists which makes her stand out as the interview is all about her. To also add to the Mise-en-scene of the image the artists is wearing dark clothing which includes a leather jacket to connote attitude and rebellion. At the top of the double page spread i included the word exclusive too to create 'snob appeal' that this particular interview is limited to this magazine. I also used a grey text box to organise the text in which is slightly transparent too so you can still see the image underneath. I used an eye catching text for the artists name to state her individuality. The style of text also is iconographic of the 'mod' era which immediately connotes to the audience the artist's genre of music.

Planing for my music magazine

MY IDEAS

Now its my turn to create and produce my own music magazine within a particular genre that i have chosen. For this main task I will be making a front cover, double page spread and a contents page that is original, unique and professional looking.

Here is an example of a front cover, double pagae spread and contents page from the current indie/rock magazine 'NME'.

I have decided to create a music magazine in the style of the popular genre 'Indie/rock' . I have chosen this particular genre to base my magazine on because I share a great interest within that genre of music and feel I would be most comfortable with the conventions of indie/rock magazines in comparison to other music genres.

The target audience of my magazine will range from ages 16-21 years old and will appeal to both females and males. I intend to do this by having a youthful, vibrant outlook on my magazine and include artists both male and female to appeal to an audience of mixed gender. I thought even if i used a girl for my main feature artist, then males will of course still be attracted by their beauty and sexiness which i will aim to create within my photo's.

Possible names that I could call my magazine include: Strum
Bass
Amp
Pic
Lick
Riff

All of these possible titles for my magazine are related in someway to the guitar, whether its a sound, component or just general guitar lingo. I thought it would suggests the genre of music easily to the audience and also give the magazine some attitude too. My two favourites where strum and Amp as i thought they would have more of an impact and effect. However I decided to choose AMP as my magazine title. I chose AMP because it is linked to the guitar which plays the genre of music Indie/rock I will be basing my magazine around. An AMP is basically a device that projects sound from an electric guitar which I feel my audience will either recognise or can relate to. Its also a very short and monosyllabic name, making it easily memorable amongst my target audience.

I of course need to take a range of exciting photos that fit within the genre of of Indie/Rock, so i will be using people who have individual styles, incorporate props like guitars or microphones and also experiment with the locations of my photographs. However i can always edit my photos afterwards in adobe photo shop if i need to make any changes or I'm not happy with the result.

I was thinking of having a girl playing an electric guitar for my main image on the front cover. I will make her headline about how she is an individual breaking from the mould. I will surrond the image with plugs and freebies and promote other new upcoming bands as well as including a date, issue number, price and a bar code of course. I will include both male and female artists within my front cover to widen my target audience and therefore sell more magazines.

For my double page spread i will have a large image on one side of a new artist and write about her love for music and how she couldnt live without it. I will structure it as a series of answers and questions, highlight important quotes within her interview for variation and find a good font for her name to be in at the top show how unique and different she is.

Then my contents page will number all the different reviews, events, interviews, stories etc within my music magazine. I also include pictures to link to the different articles and interest the reader further. I will carry a similar colour scheme so that it blends throughout and is familiar with the audience.

Overal I willl take into account all the necessary codes and conventions that i have identified from analysing other current magazines. I will take what ive learnt and apply it to my own music magazine so that i end up with a successful, professional result.

My next stage in creating my own music magazine is to construct a draft of the front page, contents page and double page spread. I will create this is publisher and point out just the main features of the magazine so that i have a plan of what i want my magazine to look like.

These are the plans for the front cover, double page spread and contents pageof my music magazine - 'AMP'

Front Cover

Double page spread

Contents page

Experimenting with text and colours for the masthead of my magazine:

Uisng Dafont.com I tested a range of different styles of text to use for the masthead of my magazine. I also considered a contrasting colour to black in order for the masthead to stand out and look appealing to my audience. I have decided to use the most simple text which is the second font down as I feel its the most clear, and when enlarged it would be easily visible to my audience. I have chosen the colour red to go as a backgrond colour to the masthead too as i think red and black would fit the genre of indie/rock and also could connote attitude and rebellion.

Analysis Of Diffferent Music Magazines

My next task is to analyse a range of music magazines from different genres to identify the key features or conventions for each type. I will be particularly looking at the Genre, Media language, Representation, Ideology, Audience and Institution of the magazine. This will help me to distinguish the difference between the genres and also help me with what I need to include within my own music magazine in order for it to be successful and appealing.

Magazine 1 - Kerrang - rock/metal/punk



This is the front cover of the current, popular music magazine 'Kerrang!'. It covers the genre of Rock/metal/punk music. The music magazine is produced in the United Kingdom by Bauer Consumer Media and its first publishing was on June 6th, 1981. It still continues today successfully on a weekly basis and displays bands such as Metallica, Panic at the disco, Paramore and many more. Kerrang! is targeted at an audience interested in 'Emo' and 'Metacore' culture and who listen to and follow the trends of bands featured within the magazine. Other music magazines in competition with 'Kerrang' from similar music genres include metal hammer, total guitar, meltdown and rock sound.

The title of the music magazine is very effective in different ways. The bold, black, capital lettering attracts the reader and can be easily visible from a distance to catch the readers attention. The colour Black is iconographic of the magazine as the colour is often displayed within the magazine too. This means that the colour black will be familiar amongst its audience and they may relate those colours to the magazine. The exclamation mark emphasises the word and also suggests impact with the use of this. The lines that run through the the title could imply the shattering of glass as a result of an extreme volume of sound. The actual name 'Kerrang!' may imply the sound of a guitar being strummed with power and attitude. Alternatively it could also be interpreted as two instruments such as the guitar and the drums playing in unison. So the title is very effective in the way that an audience can identify the genre immediately and therefore expect a certain content within the magazine.

The large, medium shot image used on the front cover aims to catch an audiences attention straight away. The picture of the band 'Panic at the disco' appears to be the most important feature of the magazine, as it even over powers the title. However the audience should be familiar with the masthead on the magazine, so it doesn't lose its effect if the artists heads cover the lettering. It also suggests that the band has power and status. The composition of the artists within the picture is quite popular too within this genre. The main singer in the band is placed at the front, and is generally the best looking in the band which I believe is the the case in this picture. This attracts the female audience mainly by placing a good looking man at the front to capture their attention. However guys may aspire to be like them and look and dress in the same way. Both males and females are displayed on the front cover to reinforce that the magazine appeals to a mixed gender audience. Even though Kerrang is created in the U.K, it not only aims an English audiences but it targets a wider audience too. They do this by using international bands such as 'Panic at the disco' in order to achieve this.

The white text 'Panic at the disco' is bold and stands out against the background picture. It is positioned in the middle across the artists so that the audience can relate the name to the band. The audience then also know that they are the main feature within the magazine. The tag line 'Panic' also is larger than the rest of the title, as it is a powerful word. The background is a pale blue in contrast to the dark clothing of the artists. This helps them to stand out and also break up the features on the magazine so that doesn't become overcrowded.

It is very conventional of a music magazine to include the names of other bands on the front cover. This is done in order to entice the reader into buying the product and read about their favourite artists. Furthermore, music magazines usually offer their audience 'freebies'. The word free is used boldly in white against a red background to interest the reader. With this particular issue their is a free live poster special to promote the magazine also. Plugs, sub lines and side images of artists are used too as a method persuading the audience to read on.

Lastly, the bar code, date, price and issue number are commonly found on the front cover of a magazine. This provides important information to the reader displaying the cost of the magazine and when exactly it was published. This is displayed on every single music magazine and any general magazine, therefore it is a main convention which I will incorporate into my own product.



Magazine 2 - Mixmag magazine - Dance/ Electro

Mixmag Magazine specialises in dance music mainly and refers to itself as "the world's biggest selling dance music magazine". The first issue of Mixmag magazine was printed on the 1st February 1983, in the United Kingdom by DMC (the DJ mailout service). Since then the magazine has been very popular with a readership of 276,000 as of August 2008. The magazine became the source to dance music, events, club nights ad reviews and mixmag had even began to create their own coined phrases and terms for different genres of music.

Artists that have featured on the front cover of Mixmag music magazine include: The Klaxons, Justice, Sam Sparro and Calvin Harris. These are all renowned for their dance based music and therefore appeal to the target audience of Mixmag magazine. The target audience is generally a youthful audience who are interested in dance music and related events who maybe lead a lifestyle that is lively and outgoing.

The title 'Mixmag' has bold, clear white lettering. This is used to stand out against the background and capture the readers attention. The colour white blends in well too, echoing the white in the strobes of light either side of the magazine front cover. There dot on the 'I' of the title could also represent the shape of a record which DJ's mix songs together with. The actual title name is also very effective. The word mix creates the idea of dance music to the audience, automatically highlighting the genre of the magazine. The title of the magazine could also be a cohesion of two different words( mix and magazine to make a completely new one. There is also alliteration within the title with the repeated consonant 'm'. This may be used to make the title flow more and also become catchy amongst an audience.

Another convention of music magazines is to include their own unique slogan. It is used to share the ideology and beliefs of the magazine or further persuade the reader into buying the product. The slogan is usually memorable too so that the audience may be able to relate back to it. The slogan for mixmag music magazine is ' The worlds biggest-selling dance magazine' which is positioned underneath the title acting as further information about the genre and ideology of the magazine. I feel that this slogan is effective because it makes a bold statement about how successful the magazine is and 'world' is used to show popularity and that it is an international magazine. It also creates a wide target audience for itself, and this would make the reader trust in the magazine and be willing to purchase it based on those ideas.

The main headline of the mixmag magazine is ' Klaxons!' which is boldly placed across the artists to link to them. The deep yellow colour stands out clearly to the audience to draw them in to the main image. The band name also frames the top half of the band's bodies, making the composition of the magazine neat and organised. The bright white strobes of light pointing diagonally at either side of the artists are used to appeal to the target audience and become eye-catching. It also draws you eyes inwards to the featured band 'The Klaxons' which highlights them as the most important part of the magazine. There appears to be a set colour scheme within the front cover, where colours are repeated on different texts along with another colour that blends in well. The audience may associate colour and the strobe lights with the clubbing scene, as there are many flashing lights within a club or dance event. So these are effectively used for composition, emphasis and iconography. The strap line underneath the headline gives the reader an insight to why the band has been featured on the front cover. It also may leave them wanting to read on and hopefully buy the product.

Just like the first magazine other artists names are featured on the front cover to entice and interest the reader into the contents of the magazine. Artists such as Luciana, Arman Van Helden and Axwell are renowned for producing successful dance tracks and by including these artists the magazine looks more successful itself. It also has a bar code, date, price and issue number for additional information for the reader. This is usually in small print as this is only relevant information if they have been attracted enough to buy the magazine.

There is also a 'freebie' like magazine one, except that mixmag are offering a free CD by 'Simian Mobile' which is like a disco/rave CD which would be highly appealing to the target audience of mixmag. The reader will be more likely to purchase the product if there is something being advertised for free and i think this CD would have been highly effective at the time. It will also encourage the reader to by more and become a regular consumer of mixmag music magazine if there are freebies every so often.

Magazine 3 - Classic FM - classical

Classic FM is a monthly music magazine which is purely devoted to classical music. It was produced by Haymarket for Britain's largest commercial radio station and is claimed to be the U.K's best-selling classical music magazine which includes exclusive interviews with many talented celebrities, CD reviews and behind-the-scenes coverage from the radio.

The title of the music magazine 'Classic FM' highlights immediately that its a current radio station and therefore promotes further their radio station to their target audience. The the title of the magazine is black and red which is a colour scheme that is used throughout many of the different issues of the magazine previously produced. This enables the reader to become familiar with these colours and gradually associate them with the Classic FM magazine. The red also brings a warmth to the page and invites the reader in. It is also happens to be a Christmas issue, so the red is a colour generally associated with Christmas blending in perfectly. The font is large and clear but avoids the typical boldness of many music magazines. This suggests that it may appeal to a more mature, sophisticated audience and this particular font would attract them more. The red colour connotes love and passion which are all positive emotions. The 'f' is in a different font and looks effective because it could resemble part of an instrument or a music note.

The large medium close up image of four choir girls called 'All Angels' is the central feature of the magazine. They are composed within the centre to make space for the rest of the articles within the magazine. A young, innocent, fresh faced choir group is common with the classical genre of music. The girls smiles convey emotions of happiness and peace which the reader will appeal to. The large text 'All Angels' is positioned across the singers in order for the audience to link the text and the picture together. It also frames the girls faces and sections of the bottom half of the magazine for other features. The gold text suggest that their precious, sacred and special just like angels are suppose to be The girls are dresses in white, which is a sign of purity which is associated generally with angels. This gives the impression that the girls are represent and have the voice of angels. The white background could suggest a heavenly back drop, blending in with the theme of angels, innocence, purity and peace. It also breaks up the features on the page and doesn't over crowd the front cover. There is also an image promoting three young choir boys, who are also dressed very smartly to again suggests sophistication and formality. With both females and males displayed on the front cover, both genders would find the magazine appealing.

Plugs and sub lines help to further sell the music magazine, along with a free CD of classical music by the main artists featured ' All Angels'. The free gift could persuade the audience to buy it and become regular consumers, of the magazine, knowing that they will get a free CD every month if they buy it. Especially around the festive season the readers may want to listen to their classical music more than any other month.

Designing My Own Music Magazine

Introduction


After analysing the main conventions of college magazines and creating my own, I am now going to look at a different genre of magazine. Our main task is to design and create our own front cover, contents page and a double page spread of a music magazine. The magazine has to be of an original design, and include a minimum of four images produced by ourselves which fit the genre of music magazines.

There is currently a wide variety or music magazines to chose from specialising in particular music genres . Examples of different music genres are:



- Punk and Hardcore


- New-wave and Synthpop

- RnB and Soul


- Reggae and Ska


- Metal


- Rock and Pop


- Rap and Hip-Hop


-Alternative


- Classical


- Latin and Jazz


- Country and Folk


- Electronic and Dance

Here are some examples of current magazines that cover some of these different music genres:

This is the front cover of vibe magazine. This particular magazine covers the genre of R'nB/ Hip-Hop music. The magazine was launched in 1993 and its success still makes it popular today. Music artists that have appeared on the front cover of vibe magazine include: Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Snoop Dogg, R. Kelly, Jenifer Lopez, Keisha Cole and Lil' Wayne.

This is the front cover of mixmag magazine. The magazine was created in 1982 and it specialises in music genre of dance. It also claims to be the largest selling dance magazine in the world and with such a large audience attraction, it has without a doubt been very successful over the years and has still managed to keep its popularity.

This is the front cover of classical magazine. Just from the title we can tell that it is devoted to classical music and in this particular issue Myleene Klass models the front cover who is very talented pianist. Other artists who have appeared in classical fm include

The music genre that most appeals to me and I take a great interest in is Indie/Rock/Alternative music. It happens to be one of the most popular genres of music too and the magazines promoting this genre are very successfully.


Here are some examples of current Indie/Rock/Alternative magazines:


- NME(new musical express) indie/alternative/rock music magazine







Kerrang - indie/alternative/rock music magazine



I will choose to base my own music magazine upon this hybrid genre and will research the Language, Ideology, Institutions, Audience and Representation of this genre. It is important to consider these key concepts when creating my own magazine in order for it to look professional and be successful in the magazine industry.


L-LANGUAGE - these are the technical terms used to create a magazine front cover. These include: masthead, headline, splash, strap-line and plugs. I will need to use these in my own music magazine so that it looks professional and draws the reader in, engaging their focus.

I - Institutions - This is the companies which are in charge of producing the magazines. For example: a popular company called Emap, which produces over 150 consumer magazines controls many popular music magazines such as: - Kerrang , Mojo, Q, Mixmag and Sneak. As Emap are a very successful Magazine company and manage to distribute their products to a global audience, i feel i would benefit from looking at these magazines in the hope that my own magazine would be as professional if my product was produced in the real word..

I- Ideology - This is the values and beliefs in which the institution of the magazine follow. Their main focus is on music and bands of course and i will consider a similar ideology for my own music magazine. My genre of magazine will value and believe in Indie/rock/alternative bands being the main centre of attention and update their target audiences with news, interviews, new bands, music and upcoming gigs linked to this genre.

A- Audience - These are the consumers of the media text and in this case the readers of music magazines. These of course will be people who are interested in their music but different genres will affects the type of audiences that are attracted to the magazines. Everyday magazines usually attract a wider, more general audience but music magazines approach more minor and concentrated audiences who follow a particular genre and style.


R - Representations - these are the stereotypes, style and cultures represented within the magazine. Music magazines usually represent musicians and their way of life. The style and culture of their target audience is usually reflected in the magazine to, in order to be appealing. My artists within my magazine will involve mainly the stereotype of 'indies' and who believe that they dress individually. However, seen as it has become a general stereotype within our society, we can begin to identify the typical dress sense and styles which they have. Arctic monkeys for example follow this particular trend of long messy hair, skinny jeans and other retro clothing. I will take into account these representations used within other music magazines of the same genre and try to recreate a similar style and effect in order to appeal to my target audience.