AS MEDIA STUDIES Music Magazine Evaluation

Becky Brickwood

Q1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real life

media products?

Q1. Front CoversAMP – magazine (my magazine)VIBE– magazine (official media product) Masthead

Reader’s can usually recognize the magazine through the font of the masthead (especially if the picture covers the wording).

Main image The main image is the central image which helps attract the readers and is usually associated with the main article/topic with the magazine issue

Website Used as an extra form of advertising. Gives more information which the magazine does not.

Barcode Shows the importance of the retailer, these details make the magazine look more professional.

Date & PricingUsually are there to show what time period the information has come from, so people know if they have the latest issue.

Colour SchemeMagazines have between 2-5 colours, too many can make the page look confused. Bright bold colours can attract a reader into buying the issue.

Cover linesThe essential articles inside the magazine are stated through the sell lines.

Strap lineUnderneath the masthead, this gives an insight to the magazine without turning a page.

PinkCream Aqua/BlueGreen (background leaves)

RedBlackGrey

White (background)

Q1. Contents pagePage numbersMost magazines have over 80 pages of content.

Main ArticleThe main article sometimes has a picture on the contents page to highlight the importance of the feature. The main feature article is anchorage to the picture . The artist in the article will have some sort of story (controversial or emotional), are famous or are very talented.

LayoutMost magazines have columns of text to keep the look professional and organised. This makes it easier to find a specific article. Most magazine content is split into Feature and Regular sections. Contents pages don't have any empty space on the page, therefore the audience will think the magazine is a good investment as the magazine is packed of information

Editors noteSome magazines have an editors section where the editor can write about the weeks issue highlighting the importance of anything specific within the magazine.

Font Bright, bold font is usually used to gain the readers attention onto specific articles. The contents page font resembles the front cover.

Text Magazines lure in the readers with text by using onomatopoeia’s and other words such as ‘Exclusive’ and ‘Extra’

Q1. Double Page Spread ArticleMain ImageThe main image of an article can be used in many different ways for example as the background with text over the image or as a bold posed picture with little writing.

Text & FontThe text in the article is no larger then 10pt (apart from headings or subheadings). The font needs to be easy to read and the language needs to reflect the type of magazine for example ‘Formal or informal’ The Article title should invite the reader to come and read, or make the reader want to know more.

Colour Scheme the colour Scheme in the article still has no more than five colours. It should be consistent throughout the article.

Target audience The target audience needs to be reflected in the magazine, for example if the audience is young, there couldn’t be any swearing or difficult words.

Columns The text should be organised into columns to make the magazine look professional and to make it easier for the audience to read and understand. Should also contain quotes that stand out from the article.

Article IntroductionThe article should have an introduction and lure the audience into reading. It should be catchy and appealing.

Q1. Summary I believe that my media product (a music magazine) develops the codes and

conventions of a media product rather than challenging them. I developed my ideas throughout the process of creating the magazine and generally stuck with the media conventions in design of my magazine.

Hopefully my magazine will appeal to the target audience of 16-25 year olds as I have altered the text, language and images to suit the audience.

One area my product does go against media conventions is with the genre of the magazine, as my magazine is based on talented unsigned music artists from all different music genres, whilst most mainstream magazines only focus on one specific genre such as Kerrang magazine is based on rock. However, I believe my magazine provides a unique selling point in filling a gap in the music magazine industry.

I chose the name AMP as I believe it represents my magazine well, AMP is short for amplifier which is a key part of live music. An amplifier makes music louder and I wanted to use it as a way for making a ‘noise’ about unsigned musicians. I think because my target audience are more likely to be of an age to go and see musicians perform they will be able to understand the hidden meaning.

I think my target audience will also be different from the usual readers of music magazines in the sense that my magazine focuses on new and interesting unsigned artists rather than focusing on mainstream trending musicians.

Because my magazine won’t attract people through the content (because there is no mainstream artists such as Rihanna and You Me At Six) I used bold colours to get the audience’ attention. The blue and pink contrast well together, and capture the eye. The model on the front is also wearing blue and has an interesting makeup design therefore people may be intrigued to see what that is all about.

The front of my cover on the third left has all the top information in the magazine. I believe the conventions of the text are all present, as it is catchy and upbeat as well as informal and a little bit unusual.

Q2. How Does Your Media Product Represent Particular

Social Groups?

Q2. Music Fans

My magazine contains all sorts of genres, from Rock to R’n’B so therefore my magazine has a wide range of people that it represents. In my feature article the artist covers a wide range of music genres in her music so therefore my magazine (especially the particular article) represents a lot of people who enjoy different styles of music. More people can read my magazine and enjoy a particular aspect of it.

Extract from my DPS

My media product represents females between the ages of 16 and 25 who have an interest in music. Also I think that my magazine also represents people who maybe be looking to read something a bit more unique and less ‘mainstream’ For example...

As you can see, the people in the photographs fit into my target audience. They are all different females between the ages of 16 and 25 who basically like to have fun. Fun is a key theme within my magazine as the text, layout and images I’ve used all represent this.

My magazine doesn’t represent younger and older ages, because I don't think the text/articles would appeal to them. The ages of 16 to 25 are the years in someone's life where they determine what they want to do in the future. My articles within my magazine are there to inspire and give information about the music industry, I would say people over the age of 25 have already set their goal in life.

Q2. Age and Gender

Q2. Social ClassMy magazine isn’t focused on how much or little money someone has. It’s not about someone's social background or upbringing. Its for people who enjoy music and like to read about different genres. My magazine represents the poorest and richest within society and doesn’t create social divisions.

Although some features within my magazine may appeal to people with more money such as certain concerts which may have a higher cost. However, there are some features in my magazine where people with less money can enjoy as well, such as local music venues which are significantly lower priced than ‘headlining’ stars.

Also, the price of my magazine is a little higher than some other magazines in the industry but compared to other music magazines, it is reasonably priced at £2.95. I believe people with less money would be willing to pay that price to read something they enjoy.

I think because most people in the ages of 16-25 will have pocket money from parents or a job of sorts, paying for the magazine won’t be an issue. Especially because the magazine is released fortnightly. Also, you can subscribe to the magazine and save ‘48%’ so that may be a more appropriate money saving option for some readers such as college or university students who want to save money.

Extract from my contents page

Extract from my front cover

Q2. Race and EthnicityAlthough all the pictures within the front cover, contents page and article of my magazine are all of white people. The magazine would have feature articles of non-white musicians as well. Also, my magazine does have a section on the UK/US top 40 which many non-white musicians do appear so I would be incorporating different ethnicities and races into my magazine that way (if not through pictures). For example musicians with different races and ethnicities are:

Nicki Minaj -Trinidad

Rihanna -Barbados

David Guetta - France

Rizzle Kicks - Brighton

Snoop Dogg - California

Q2. SexualityAnybody can read my magazine, no matter what sexuality can read my magazine. It’s primarily aimed at women but does not specify weather they are straight or gay. My magazine doesn’t have any influencing factors that would deter straight or gay people from reading it.In my magazine the musicians sexuality in the feature articleisn’t portrayed. However her poses on the front cover andwithin the article could be seen as flirtatious and sexualised which may attract some female, but mainly male readers.

The ‘artist’ does not have any stereotypical gay features such as:

No makeup

Big Tattoo on arm

Doesn’t care about fashion

Very short hair cut

Overweight or have muscles

Deep Voice

Therefore I don’t think my magazine targets any particular sexuality, straight or gay.

Extract from the Front cover and DPS

Q3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media

product and why?

Q3. Magazine PublishersQ3. Rhinegold http://www.rhinegold.co.uk

Rhinegold is one of the leading UK publishers for music and the performing arts. Although Rhinegold has a wide portfolio of magazines the key reason would be to introduce a new magazine that would reach a wider audience. They also provide a range of supplements that my magazine could be included as a new addition

Rhinegold also publishes a series of directories including the renowned British and International Music Yearbook, together with a wide range of supplements which provide information and useful contact details for music festivals, scholarships, summer schools, competitions and more.

The reason for approaching ICP Media is that it produces over 60 iconic media brands, with print alone reaching almost two thirds of UK women and 42% of UK men – almost 26 million UK adults – while our websites collectively reach over 20 million users every month. The company offers a diverse print and digital portfolio which covers something for everyone, with a focus on three core audiences: men, mass market women and upmarket women. They produce famous women's weeklies including Look, Now, Chat and Woman; TV entertainment brands including What's on TV, TV Times and TV & Satellite Week.

The key interest in this publisher is that they produce New Musical Express (NME) which means that they understand the music market and all the new trends.

Q3. ICP Media http://www.ipcmedia.com

Q3. UK Magazines http://www.ukmagz.co.uk

UK Magazines contains more than 2,000 magazines. UK Magazines provides you with the information about art, music, movies, food, travel, concerts, movies, videos, CD's, lifestyles, reviews and essays on music, television, films, books, video games, sports, comics, travel, Internet and almost about every topic.

UK Magazines does not provide the service of subscribing to a magazine, but provides you the link where you can get the subscription of any of the UK magazines; and most important UK Magazines will give you the cheapest subscription link (up to 98% off normal retail price). This guide to cheaper subscriptions may be of benefit to my magazine. As people may be lured into buying because of the cheaper price.

Q3. Places That Might DistributeMy magazine will be sold is Britain so therefore I would need to target large stores that are well know throughout the country and also where my target audience (Females 16-25) would shop such as:

Supermarkets

High street Music Stores

Online Shops/Music Stores

My magazine would be distributed in these places because they are reasonably priced and well known around the UK.

Q4. Who Would Be The Audience For Your Media

Product.

Character ProfilesFemales

My product is aimed at woman, and I think the picture represents that.

The picture shows a female studying I think the picture resembles my target audience for my media product the best, as my magazine could maybe provide some light relieve from hard day of work, university or college.

As you can see in the picture, the girl is dressed casually, my magazine is about having fun and taking some time to relax and read about music and get to know some new music artists.

Also, she is working on a laptop so she can easily listen to music and explore social networking sites such as twitter and Facebook, my magazine works closely to incorporate and promote social networking . For example my magazine has information on the contents page.. .

Extract from my contents page

Q4. Ages 16-25

This picture represents people between the ages of 16-25 like to go out to parties and clubs to have a fun time.

The hairstyles and clothing of the girls in the picture shows that they care about their appearance and like to make an effort. My magazine contains tips to how to get the best fashion.

Also, all the images in the magazine the models are dressed nicely and are have made an effort with their hair and makeup. I think people in the age group will appreciate the models making an effort as it gives themselves something to aspire to look like.

Although many people think models are all airbrushed and to skinny, I also will include plus size musicians and advice on being happy the way you are. So people can read my magazine and feel comfortable. However these messages will be subtle as my magazine is basically about music.

Extract from my contents page

Q4. MusiciansMy magazine is also targeted at musicians because it contains lots of different musical aspects.

The person you see on the picture represents people who are interested in or play music. The woman's fashion sense is quite quirky but I don't think that matters to much as it is her musical interest that counts.

My magazine includes all sorts of different music genres so many music fans can enjoy something within the magazine. My magazine isn’t just specifically focused on one genre such as Kerrang! which focuses on Rock music.

My magazine also helps musicians to learn more about instruments for example there is a section in my magazine which helps people to learn the guitar.

Therefore people who are looking to take there music interest a step further can with the help on my magazine.

Extract from my contents page

Q5. How Did You Attract/Address Your Target

Audience

TechnologyI wanted my magazine to be modern and up to date. So therefore I made sure I included lots of ways to keep in touch and updated such as twitter and Facebook. Most people between the ages of 16-25 do spend a lot of time online on social networking sites, listening to music or watching videos. I researched the top 10 most visited websites in 2011 - here are my findings As you can see many of the websites are based on communication, therefore I also thought it would be important for my magazine to help keep people connected.Because most people now have an iPod/iTunes I thought it would be a good idea to keep my music magazine linked with a music download site. I think this would promote the magazine and encourage the target audience to read it.

Extract from my contents page

Extract from my contents page

Mise-en-sceneI tried to make everything in my magazine aesthetically pleasing so I would engage the target audience.For the front cover I chose quite a feminine colour scheme such as a turquoise blue, hot pink, cream and black, however I felt I stayed away from stereotypical colours associated with females such as pastel colours because I wanted to make sure my magazine was modern rather than traditional. The language I’ve used in my magazine pages is informal and friendly. I think my target audience would be hard workers (either from college or work) and would read my magazine for fun rather than anything else.I think the puffs on the front cover are appealing to my target audience it gives the reader a sneak preview and I think would make them ultimately buy the magazine. For example:

Fashion Today more and more people are fashion conscious and like to follow trends within the fashion industry. Fashion plays a big part in someone's life as they feel they are being judged on what they wear. In my magazine I decided to make my models wear high street clothing that was in trend. I did want to make my model look glamorous so therefore I made her make up bold. I also created pages in my magazine that would give out tip on fashion to my target audience as something extra for them to enjoy reading.

Extract from my contents pageExtract from my front cover

Extract from my music magazine photos

Video Interview

Click the title and open hyperlink to view the video on YouTube.

I interviewed a 16 year old female who fitted into my target audience.

She said she liked my magazine pages and said that the magazine would be something she would be interested in reading. She said is also looked professional and modern which she likes to see within a magazine. Therefore, personally I think I used appropriate methods of attracting my target audience.interviewee

Q6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

In the process of creating my media product I used a variety of different technologies to get

the outcome I wanted.I have learnt a lot about different software,

equipment and editing techniques which have helped me improve my music magazine.

What I used?I used a variety of different technologies when making my media product for example:

- Quark Xpress,-Adobe Photoshop,

-Internet,(Picnik, Blogger and numerous other research websites)

-Microsoft word and PowerPoint, -Digital camera,

-Pen drive

Quark XpressI used Quark Xpress to create my DPS article.To begin with I found using this software difficult to get the effect I wanted. However after practising and learning about the different tools put it to my advantage and hopefully created a successful piece of work. One thing I did like about the software was the way you could neatly organise all the text into columns so you didn't have to measure anything using the ruler, like you do on Photoshop.There was a pre-set A4 magazine layout which I chose for the basis of my work After applying the columns I added my text, I had written quite a long article so I wanted to make sure everything did fit. I made it size 10 and changed the font to Arial. I then added pictures and worked with the layout and changed some of the text to get the desired outcome for my DPS.

PhotoshopI used Photoshop for my front cover and Contents page.I found Photoshop really easy to use as the tools were very simple but effective. I had used Photoshop once before and really enjoyed working with the software I liked the lasso tool where you could cut around people to get rid of any of the picture background you didn't want.The images could be transformed into something completely different using Photoshop. For example you could crop, resize without ruining the pixilation, change the brightness and contrast, change the colour and crop images. Personally, I found manipulating the images easier on Photoshop than on any other software. However, I did prefer using Quark for layout of the magazine pages because I felt it gave my magazine more of a professional publishing style to it.

Original image

Edited image on contents page

The InternetThe internet helped me a lot during the process of creating my magazine pages. It gave me relevant research and ideas for me to create my media product.

YouTube

Research

PicnikPicnik is an editing website for pictures. I used Picnik a lot for personal use so I was familiar with the ins and outs of the programme. It can help enhance pictures or make them more professional by having tools such as airbrush, teeth whitening and blemish fixer. I applied these certain tools to my model to make her look flawless on my magazine pages. Most magazines do this to their models so I thought it gave my magazine more of a professional finish.

Screen shot of PicnikOriginal image Edited image on Picnik

I used blogger to create my blog about my media product. I found blogger easy to use and the process of writing and posting a page was quite fun. Sometimes I found it hard to keep on top of but it was easy enough to post from anywhere. I especially liked the way the posts saved after a few seconds. This helped me a lot and I didn’t lose any work.

Blogger

Screen shot of blog posts from blogger.com

Camera

I used a 16 megapixel Fujifilm camera to take my photographs. I enjoyed using my own personal camera because I knew all the functions it had and how it worked already. Because the camera is 16 megapixels I knew the resolution wouldn't be a problem when using my photos in my magazine.I will definitely use this camera for any other production work because I feel it is a high quality good piece of equipment.

Overall I feel that all of the technology that I used helped me to gather new skills as well as helping me

find easier and more professional way of doing things such as; editing pictures. I think without some of the professional software that I used I would have a less successful and professional

looking magazine and I think it would have bad pixel quality of the pictures and the outcome would have

been a little bit messy.

Q7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt

in the progression from it to the full product?

College magazine front cover Music magazine front cover

Comparisons

LayoutCollege magazineI quite liked the layout of my college magazine front cover, I like the way the picture is positioned on the page in the centre. However I do not like the way the sub-articles cover the models head in some places. I think this looks unprofessional and draws the attention away from the image.

Music magazineI think the layout of my magazine is a bit different from other magazines. I put a triangular blue side banner on the cover to break up the picture and text, I felt by doing this the text stands out more but doesn’t distract your eyes from the main image. I used anchorage to the main image by using a speech bubble I think this makes the magazine look more fun and informal.

Colour SchemeCollege magazineFor my college magazine I used 4 colours, I thought the colours stood out on the cover but didn’t look very good together. The target audience for my college magazine was males and females ages 16-19 I don’t feel the colours reflect the male side of the audience as I think they look quite feminine.

Music magazineI used 4 colours on my front cover like the college magazine however I felt they contrasted together well for example I used black and cream which are fairly neutral so the blue and pink could add brightness to the page. My target audience was females ages 16-25 so I think the colours are appropriate by being modern but not too ‘girly’.

FontCollege magazineI used about 10 fonts on my cover page ranging from Arial Black to Rosewood std. which looking back I think it looks messy and like there is too much going on.

Music MagazineI have used 3 fonts on my font cover the main one being “Tahoma” which I felt was easy to read and more modern looking. I have also added shadows behind the text to make it stand out more from the pictures which also, makes it easier to read.

PhotographyCollege magazineIn my college magazine I felt I had quite a high standard of pictures. I used a model and chose clothes and applied her hair and makeup. I used a high megapixel camera as well so the pictures had a good resolution.

Music magazineIn my music magazine I felt the pictures were of good standard. I used the same camera and again, chose her clothes and did her hair and makeup. I made the music magazine photos more glamorous than the college magazine photos but I feel both sets of photos were equal in quality.

College magazine

Music magazine

EditingCollege magazineI used little editing when choosing which photos to use. For the main image on the front cover I cut around it using a tool on Photoshop, looking at the finished front cover I could have done a better job as I feel the cutting is not up to a good quality.

Music magazine I used a website called ‘picnik’ which has photo editing tools for example on my magazine front cover I changed, contrast, brightness, teeth whitening, reduced redeye and reduces blemishes this gave my images more of a professional finish.

Original image Edited image

Writing StyleCollege magazineWhen I produced my college magazine I didn’t take my audience into consideration as I didn’t realise how relevant it was to think about them. I mainly thought about making the magazine sound fun and lively.

Music MagazineFor my music magazine I did have a greater understanding of how important it is to make sure the magazine appeals to my audience. I did this by making sure that all the wording was fun and catchy, but also by using slang words such as ‘LOL’. I felt this would make my magazine appeal to a younger audience (under 19) but still get the older target audience to enjoy the magazine.

ResearchI used both market and audience research to find out what I needed to include in my music magazine.

To do this I created a questionnaire which I gave to 20 people. I analysed the data I had received. This helped with the development and design of the magazine. For example the responses to the questionnaire helped me choose the name for my magazine (AMP).

Using the responses from the market and audience provided me with a better insight of peoples needs and wants for a music magazine. This then helped me to come up with my niche market for my magazine. This being a focused on unsigned music artists, which is different from any other music magazine. It gave me an idea of what catches their eye when looking at a magazine stand (mainly bright colours)

For my market research I search for music magazine online websites to look for what there regular content was and also how they promoted feature articles.

I also bought a few magazines such as NME and Kerrang to see how they appealed to their target audience. This gave me better understanding of how to use font, colour and language to attract my target audience.

OverallIn comparison to my music magazine, my college magazine does not look very professional. It looks very simple and is not of a high standard. Although I had the basic knowledge of what to include on the things I should and should not do, it seems I did not fully understand how to create a successful magazine. There were aspects of magazine production that I had not learnt. However in constructing my music magazine I was able to apply the skills I have obtained. In the production of the music magazine I experimented with the technology available to me to introduce different styles and features. I used QuarkXPress and would certainly like to develop my skills further if time allowed. In following a planned process I was able to gather information and understand the aspects of magazine production which helped me develop my music magazine. In the preliminary task I wanted to create a college magazine that I thought would be fun. In the production of the music magazine I created a product that was more focused on the audience having fun.