Market Research

By Georgia Muir

Magazines published in the UKMany many magazines are published throughout the UK, and a good number of them are music magazines. However there is only a handful of production companies that produce and publish hundreds of magazines each. Not only do these companies produce magazines but they work on many other media platforms too. These production companies often work in other countries and also with other companies.

• Kerrang!• Mojo• Classic Rock• Q Magazine• Classic Pop• Prog

Who publishes them?/what else do the publish or own?

Bauer Media GroupKerrang!, Q magazine and mojo are published by Bauer media group. It is a worldwide media group offering over 300 magazines in 15 countries. They also own onlineplatforms, TV channels and radio stations. They were founded in 2008 and are one of the largest publication teams.

Team RockTeam rock are a publishing company who publish Prog magazine and classic rock. They are a UK based company who were founded in 2013. They also own their own radio station as well as publishing four rock magazines.

Anthem PublishingAnthem publishing publish classic pop magazine. They were awarded independent publishing company of the year and are Britain's only publisher of both music making and music listening magazines.Classic pop is the UK’s retro-pop magazine so they are an important publishing team.They also publish different genres of magazines.

Puff- This attracts the reader as they’re getting something free. Also it is in a bright yellow box and the word CD is highlighted red which draws attention to it.

The top strip- This gives basic information about what is included in the magazine. It gives the reader something quick to read that tells them about the most important and the biggest stories/articles inside without having to read too much detail.

The cover as a whole is made to have a 50’s look. From the ‘A date with Elvis’ to the Plug in the top right hand corner, it all has a very 50’s aura.

Masthead- Name of the magazine.

In the right third is a list of the stories inside, persuading the reader to buy by using plugs, bright colours and capital letters as they add a ‘wow’ factor and make the reader want to read.

In the left third is another list of things that are inside the magazine to tell the reader a little about what they can find out about inside, there is also the use of a plug again to draw the reader in and persuade them.

Plugs to draw in the audience.

In the central third is the main image which is the focal point of the cover and draws the most attention. The central image usually makes people want to read the magazine a lot more as it is of someone they admire or someone they want to hear about. It is like propaganda.

Masthead is always in a unique font found nowhere else in the magazine as it is the magazine logo.

The magazine has a tagline

Model is always made to be above the masthead on the cover of the magazine.

Set out in columns which makes it easy to interpret and know where you’re looking.

The contents is bright with a white background which makes it look clean which makes it easy to see where what is and what page you need etc.

Set out with subtitles- Regular articles, what goes on, special edition articles etc. This makes the contents clear and gives the reader an easy read which is what is always wanted.

Images are related to articles that are in the magazine which gives an insight to what the reader will be reading about.

Mojo magazine always include places of where the pictures were taken/where the articles are based.

Each image includes a little tagline/subtitle to show what it is about where to find the article etc.

It is set out neatly in columns which looks tidy and very mature which suits the target audience of this magazine.

They have kept the same theme throughout the article including colours and shapes etc. They have also linked things in together for example the logo has the same types of colours as the photo. The logo also looks like a beermat which links into the photo as it was taken in a pub whilst they had a pint, this shape and colours are also carried on throughout the image.

The article is also produced for the way of the natural eye. As we automatically start in the top left corner, they have included a little bit of text there which will give you an insight and then you follow on to look at the image and then the logo before reading the article.

The background is white leaving the page looking neutral and clean and making everything stand out to the reader.

The article seems to be very relatable as they are in a pub which is a place where we have all been and a place that we can put ourselves. It isn’t a fancy studio. Also as the colours are neutral it helps us to relate.

There is no dominance between the two men as they are both on the same level which is different to the usual main leader compared to others.

The position of man suggests he has a lot of pride about where he is, so maybe about where he’s from or where he spends his time of even his successful career.

Masthead- this is in the typical Kerrang! font which if was seen on another word you would know it was Kerrang! because of how iconic it is for this magazine. It is also cracked and messy and in capitals because it explain the magazine for what it is very well as it is a rock magazine which isn’t very serious and is for a somewhat gothic/rock crowd and it has a young target audience.

Puff- this sort of thing attracts the reader as they are getting free posters of bands they like. It is in very different font and the number ‘6’ is highlighted red and it has a couple of examples of the posters to give an insight to what they will get. This type of thing attracts a lot of readers with Kerrang! Plug- this makes the reader think that they are getting more than they paid for as it says that there is ‘also this’ or ‘plus this’ which insinuates that its something amazing for the ‘bargain’ that the magazine is.

The model is above the masthead as it makes them stand out for publicity.

The top strip consists of puffs and plugs which is different to the first cover but it is also more related to Kerrang! and Kerrang! readers.

The cover is set out in thirds but it is set out messily with things all over the place, for example the twenty one pilots subtitle is taking up room in all thirds and things are slanted and the writing is more extreme rather than sophisticated and neat which suits the younger audience they have. The picture of twenty one pilots also seems to be messy from their stance and they aren’t just in the central third which is where they normally are.

The text on the Twenty One Pilots story is very unprofessional and shows that the magazine is for the younger generation as it relates to them more.

The cover has a colour theme which is based around the main image of red and black and orange. This makes the magazine look a lot more put together.

The image takes up two thirds of the page whereas the contents only takes up one making it quite small in comparison which makes the reader think that they have less to read which appeals to them as media prints aren’t supposed to be just reading.

There is headers on the contents page which makes it easier to read. For example if you are looking for one particular thing you can just look for the heading it comes under instead of reading through the whole thing.

The whole page seems to be quite arty with illustrations all around it for example near the ‘Contents’ title. This adds a more relaxed element to the magazine instead of being serious and sophisticated.

The picture of the guy shows that the magazine doesn’t hold much seriousness as he isn’t in a serious pose or pulling a serious face. He is messing around and seemingly relaxed instead of posing professionally. Also the background isn’t a posh studio backdrop, it is something arty and strange again which adds to the aura and genre of the magazine.

There is also the theme of yellow and black on the contents and down the right hand side there is what looks like warning tape used for blocked off areas. This would entice the reader as it is ‘dangerous’ and it shows the genre of the magazine and also what could be included.

The contents area is a clean area with simple texts telling you about stories inside whereas the rest of the image is quite messy from the stance of the person in the picture and also the background.

You can tell that this article is an interview as the questions are in a brighter colour compared to the answers which is the biggest clue.

This article also includes a plug which draws the attention to the reader. The word ‘big’ being the main thing that draws the attention. People like to know big news and when they see some advertised they have to read on therefore it gains more audience.

This page has the same theme as the contents page with the black and yellow ‘danger tape’ border. This entices the reader just as much as the ‘big news’.

The background is black whilst the writing is white. This is switching the normal around and creating something unpredictable. This makes the article seem unique.

There is a section of the interview that they have taken from the text and quoted on the main picture of the article. It doesn’t give much or anything away which would intrigue the reader and make them want to read to find out what it is about. This is like a plug.

There is small pictures to entice the reader. They can look over them and wonder what they’re about or if they are a fan of the people in the magazine then they will enjoy having small images of them.

The image isn’t a studio one. It doesn’t look set out and fake and edited. It looks natural and real. It seems as though the people in the image are in their element and doing what they enjoy. This is nice for readers to see and it makes them want to know about them if they already don’t.

This version of the magazine is very different to every other edition as it is celebrating the 100th anniversary. Usually it follows the same theme from colour to layout. As it is celebrating a 100th anniversary it has many different images of different music artists from the 90’s as that is what this edition is about.

The masthead on this cover is in a small square in the top left corner of the magazine. It is in the typical red and white ‘Q’ magazine logo style which instantly stands out to you and tells you which magazine it is.

There is a top strip which contains information about what would be found inside but also one at the bottom with the same. Because it is an anniversary cover, the only areas that you can give the reader information about what is inside is by putting it around the edge to not disrupt the cover.

In the middle of the magazine is the headline for the anniversary cover and what is obviously the biggest and move important story in this issue of the magazine which is why the headline is so big and prominent. Also the headline is in the typical ‘Q’ magazine colours whereas nothing else on the page is which shows the importance of it.

There is also a puff which intrigues the reader and draws their attention and it also a persuasion technique.

It has taglines on it for the anniversary which is somewhat a persuasion technique and also metaphorical which always stands out to readers and so it would draw them in and make them want to read the article.

There is a puff that includes information that tells the reader what kind of people they can read about inside the magazine. This would attract the reader if they’re a fan of one of the music artists. Also it says ‘Relive your 90’s’ which would make someone want to read to remember their past and who they used to listen to and it would also make them remember old memories of the 90’s and everyone loves reliving good memories so of course it would make them want to read on.

This is more of a messy layout of a contents page compared to others. It is still simple and easy to read but the contents are more spread out rather than being in one section with a picture in the rest. It has a lot more pictures in between each contents area and there is more to be said about each section.

The contents page follows the same colour scheme as the ‘Q’ logo which makes the magazine look more put together as a whole. It also makes you think of the ‘Q’ logo more which would make you think of it more in general and so it is a marketing technique that ‘Q’ use.

They keep the main articles in one section and then the articles which aren’t as important are on the next page under the ‘also in the issue’ subtitle. This draws attention to the articles they think people would prefer and read more which would make it easier for the reader. It is set out in columns,

3 on the left page and 2 on the right. This makes it look neater and easier to read.

The page numbers are big and in brightly coloured bubbles which stands out the reader and makes it easier for them to find the article rather than having to read through the whole of the contents.

The title of each article is bigger than the rest of the text as people know where to look when they’re looking for one in particular.

Much like the contents page this article looks clean and tidy and very easy to read.

It follows the same colour theme of the rest of the magazine, using black and red text with and white background with a cream coloured box at the side.

The picture doesn’t seem to be in a studio environment but it is co-ordinated and planned rather than a natural image taken during their work or show etc.

There is an extra section which contains more information about other artists. This is a marketing technique as it advertises those artists too instead of just the ones that the article is about. As the section is another colour to the rest of the page it makes it stand out a lot more.

There is a quote from the article which is printed bigger than the rest of the text and it is made to stand out in black and red text. This brings attention to the reader and makes them want to read more as they would want to know what it is about and have it expanded on.

It contains a little bit of graphic design which is used as a part of the title of the article. It connects in with the article and the images on the page.

There is a few plugs on the pages. These make the reader want to read on and let them know extra information. ‘The month in music’ plug is at the top left hand side of the page which would already draw attention as it is the way of the natural eye. There is also the box in between the writing that says ‘must know’ on it. This draws attention because people are interested as soon as it seems compulsory to know something. Both boxes are also filled in red which is another thing that draws attention.

This tells me that the majority of my audience are from a younger generation and so I will need to create my magazine to suit this audience age group.

This also tells me that not much of the older generation are as interested in music and so for a successful magazine it would need to include things to draw a younger audience rather than things more suited to an older audience.

This tells me that the majority of my audience is female and so the music magazine would need to be more female based regarding colour schemes and things included in the magazine.

However there is still a big amount of men which means that I would most likely need to make my magazine suitable for both genders. If I did this it would attract more audience.

The majority of people chose pop as their preferred genre of music with almost 43% and 9 people and so it would most likely be a good idea to create a pop magazine.

However the same amount of people chose rock and alternative when the two are added together which means that I could also do a rock/alternative magazine as it would attract the same amount of audience.

This tells me that the majority of people don’t seem to buy music magazines at all with 7 people choosing never and 9 people choosing rarely. However out of the monthly and weekly option, the one with the most was the weekly option. This tells me that I would need to create a magazine to be published weekly.

This means that my magazine would maybe have less pages as there is less to update and it would also affect the content.

This tells me that the majority of people who answered my survey mainly read a rock/alternative magazine. This would mean that it would be the best idea to create a rock/alternative magazine as it would get more reads.

However 8 people skipped this question which may suggest that they don’t read magazines or there is a magazine on there that they do not read.

There was a vary of answers with this question. The majority of people chose the artists inside option. This tells me that people will be more interested with content and the type of content there is and so I need to choose things/people that my audience would be interested in. Some people also chose the articles advertised which shows that I need to think about which articles will be on the cover as the ones on the cover will attract the most audience.

This tells me which articles to include in my magazine the most. The majority of people prefer interviews and so that would provide more readers as it would contain something that they want to read.

A lot of people also said that they prefer gossip articles and so more of them would also get more readers as they will want to read and hear about the gossip.

This gives me an insight to how much people are wiling to spend on the magazine which helps me to realise what limits there are when it comes to actually buying the magazine. The majority of people chose £2-£3.

This tells me an average of how much my magazine would need to cost. It also shows me what my limit is as it limits how big my magazine is and things like that is it reduces/increases my budget.