MARKET RESEARCH By Daniel Clipperton

MUSIC MAGAZINES IN THE UK By Daniel Clipperton

MUSIC MAGAZINES IN THE UK I began my research by looking into the overall magazine market to establish the content that already existed. Due to the nature of my research, I was only interested in looking at magazines that were published in the UK rather than the USA, for example this meant that I would not be including magazines such as Billboard and Vibe. Through this I was able to determine the features which were associated with magazines in the United Kingdom. Additionally to my research on the internet, I decided that it was best to travel to my local supermarket to see what they had to offer, the brands included Q, Mojo, Kerrang, We love Pop and Rock Sound. All the magazines used a professional photograph of a featured artist upon the cover, so therefore it must be a convention used to catch the audiences attention. Further more the surrounding sub-headings didn’t overlap the artists faces/body, instead they surrounded/circled them drawing your eyes to the centre. Depending upon the demographic of the magazine, the overall style of the cover slightly changed. Those which were designed to appeal to a younger audience, seemed to have bolder, brighter, bigger sub-headings to catch their attention. Whilst those appeal to a demographic of 35+ appeared to use a consistent style with all the sub-headings being the same typeface and colour. Relating to how it’s the content that appeals more to an older demographic rather than the look/design. Each magazine featured an artist that is prominent within their chosen genre, which will most appeal towards their audience. After carrying out my initial research into the types of magazines upon the market, I am going to look more in depth at four of the largest music magazines that are published within the UK. This will help me to develop knowledge about how each magazine appeals to their reader, what their particular style is and gain any statistics.

The Current 2015 Figures Concerning the Majority of the Biggest Music Magazines

MOJO Mojo, which began publishing in the UK in January of 2008 primarily focuses upon the genre of Classical Rock Music. Its regular price, which is the highest of the magazines I have researched, is around £4.60.

Mojo aims to educate its audience, provide a lasting source of information upon the best music. It wishes to provide an opinion on what to listen to, on what music will last forever and on what will be the next top hits. Mojo aims to get more detail, than any other magazine, truly engaging with their audience. They want to provide a high quality magazine that blends the vintage with the all new high tech. They had a readership of 218,000 between January and June of 2010 as well as a circulation of 91,678. The median age of the audience according to a survey between January and June of 2010 was 37, which is significantly older than the previous two magazines. Mojo is known for favouring music across all genres due to its sheer standard, rather than simply reporting on what’s the top in the charts. Mojo want every copy of their magazine that is distributed to their audience to be of an exceptional high quality. The stereotypical Mojo reader is appreciative of both modern music and classical across a variety of genres. They have a significant amount of money to spend upon their growing music collection and are have developed a liking to the finer things in life. Their social life/acceptance is very important to them and they used their love of music to spark conversation. The majority of their audience (66%) is ABC1, which is appealing to advertise for two reasons. Mojo is a well trusted by its audience so they are likely to buy into what is being advertised. Also as the audience will have substantial amounts of money, they are more like to buy assets in the company, if the product if of a high quality. Mojos readers have been shown to be very influential towards others especially surrounding music and technology. Mojo use a range of media platforms such as social media (Facebook and Twitter) and a website to reach a greater audience. They have 99.9k Twitter followers and 6,220 Facebook fans. Like Q, Mojo is published by the Bauer Media Group, which was founded in 1875 and involved in marketing, mail and delivery services as well as print media.

Mojo magazine is published by the Bauer Media Group similarly to both Q magazine and Kerrang, The corporation started in 1875 and is involved in Magazine publication, radio broadcasting and television programme production it also has a partnership with Channel 4 to produce The Box TV, within the magazine brands, It also publishes Golfer, Match and Pop.

 

NME NME magazine focuses primarily upon three/two genres, which includes Rock, alternative and Indie music, although Indie music has a variety of different categories providing them with a range of content in which to cover. The regular cost of an issue of NME was originally around two pounds, although due to a recent reduction in sales it has no become a free publication. Now including a variety of additional content surrounding topics, such as technology and fashion, which it hopes will help reach a wider audience and renew the publication. The majority of NME’s audience are males, who are in their early twenties. Statistics show that the mean age is around 23 years old. They have a well-educated, upper class readership with the majority of their readers being in the category of ABC1. The audience has a strong interest in the world of technology, with 59% of the audience wanting to keep up with latest tech and 67% purchasing a item online in the last 12 months. This shows that NME also has to be advancing the way in which it connects with the reader, e.g. online editions, subscriptions and internet connections. NME is also providing new and different content to their reader as 79% of their audience is interested in listening to a new artist. Finally, 77% of the audience have been to a pop/rock concert in the last year alone and 67% plan on going this year. This shows that music is a large part of NME’s readers lifestyle and that they can appeal to their audience by advertising/reviewing these events. Some of the brands typically associated with the NME reader are PlayStation, Topman, Puma, H&M, Converse, Jack Daniels, Fred Perry, Adidas, Pepsi, Snickers and Becks.

The current number of copies sold (within Circulation) is 33,875, which is lower than other popular music magazine providers. NME’s circulation has reduced since the start of 2014 to 15,830 and therefore has become a free to purchase magazine. NME magazine is well known for trying to build a trustful relationship with its readers, which will develop therefore into a strong bond. The magazine has a large influence upon its readership and is able to convince them into what to purchase as well as what music to listen to. NME is published by Time Inc.UK, which is owned by the Time Warner Cooperation. They also publish newspapers such as The Sun and The People, specialist magazines, e.g. IPC Business Press and books. The third biggest television provider after Walt Disney Company and Comcast. They have major assets in HBO (An American Television Provider) and Turner Broadcasting (administrates subscription television broadcast networks).

KERRANGKerrang is a music magazine that primarily focuses upon the genre of Rock, although it still reports on some other genres. The regular cost of Kerrang is £2.20 , which is lowest cost out of the magazines I have research except for NME, which is a free publication. The mean age of the consumers of Kerrang is 22 years old the lowest mean age across the previous four magazines. As it is appealing to a younger market it reports on technology, games and film, widening its appeal. Kerrang aims to have articles upon a variety of genres of music in order to appeal all their readers and their individual tastes. They want to provide the articles on what the audience desires whilst balancing it with recently released music. They want to present older music to a younger generation and reporting on what’s happening in the world around us. Readers of Kerrang are driven by their love of rock music it rules their lives. There readers are organised in everything they do, they aren’t interested in fitting in with the crowd, they prefer to develop their own personal style. Usually surrounding their favourites rock bands. Kerrang’s readers secondary interest usually surrounds some form of technology, therefore relating to why Kerrang have such a large presence online in order to connective with the reader, (see final paragraph). Finally, Kerrang's reader has a strong sense of loyalty, to the artists which have gained their trust. Kerrang mission statement “Kerrang! Takes its readers into the head, hearts and lives of the people who make rock music. It creates emotional connections.” This shows the true connection Kerrang are aiming for between the reader, Kerrang and the music. Kerrang wish to become the point of intersection providing the viewer with all their musical needs. They had a partnership with Paco Rabanne, which involved readers competing for a record deal with Search and Destroy records, allowing them to widen their audience appeal and through doing so they were also able to increase their internet exposure. Kerrang has a 69% influence over its reader, due to its authority, knowledgeable appeal, conversational topics and inviting language. Between January and June of 2014 their circulation was 37,603 and their readership was 294,000. Kerrang is available upon multiple media platforms such as radio, television, social media and a website. Kerrang has 431,000 Twitter followers and 421,355 Facebook friends. They have their own awards ceremony to celebrate the best of music and work alongside the Download Festival, being the only magazine to gain coverage. Similarly to Q, Kerrang is produced by the Bauer Media Group, which also publishes magazines such as Empire, Garden News and Heat magazine.

QQ magazine does not have a specific musical preference, instead it focuses upon the music that is within the interest of the whole audience at the time. A regular issue of Q magazine costs around £3.99.Q is the largest music magazine in the UK with a readership of 550,000 (January-June 2010 according to the NRS). The majority of its audience is male, with a median age of 29, also according to the NRS, which is slightly higher than the previous NME magazine. The majority of the audience (72%) is ABC1, so the magazine appeals to an audience with a significant of expendable income. Q appeals to people with a deep interest in music, who want to stay up to date with music scene in all genres. It has an extensive readership and great influence upon its readers, it therefore is favoured by advertisers in order to promote and sell their products quickly. Q aims to present the best music across all genres making it the best mentor, for what to listen to. They take their time to produce a magazine of the greatest quality, using the best photography and articles to get a complete view of the story and interest the reader. A stereotypical Q reader’s life is ruled by music, it documents the important moments in his life. He always goes to the latest festivals and introduces his friends to next big hit. The reader has a level of disposable income to be able to purchase the latest music, technology and clothing. Q has the best connection to top stars and are able to show the reader what their really like. Q has a vast knowledge across all music genres allowing them to provide the best content on what to listen to. Q is an inviting magazine that wishes to draw in the reader to inform and entertain. A virtual copy of the Q magazine is available which includes access to videos, links and image slideshows. Every year the Q magazine holds an awards ceremony bringing together fresh talent and classic icons. It’s previously been hosted by top celebrities from the world of television and film. Q are able to appeal to large audience through the use of multiple media, such as social media and the radio. Their magazine is aimed to appeal to viewers with a relaxed music interest to hard core music fans. They work alongside the Glastonbury festival, producing the programme, daily newspaper as well as the review magazine once the festival is over. Q has access to a variety of media platforms including television and radio meaning it can reach a wider audience and push its brand identity. They also use social media, in the form of twitter, to connect with their audience, which is necessary as the younger demographic are predominant users. They have 15,000 twitter followers. Q magazine is published by the Bauer media group who have assets in television, 50 radio stations, 400 digital products and 600 magazines. They also are involved in other well-known magazines, such as Kerrang (Rock Music Magazine), Empire (Film Magazine), Closer (Celebrity News) and Grazia (A Women’s Magazine).