Logbook and Planning & Research

James McClements6949 | 64770

Music magazine genre• The music magazine genre is a popular one, and has

been around for many years. One of the most iconic British music magazines is the NME, or New Musical Express, and has been around since 1949. Over the years it has declined in popularity as a paid publication, and its circulation has dropped from 300,000 in its heyday to 20,000 now. Its decline has fueled the rebranding of NME as a free publication, and proves as a testament that the British public is now unsatisfied with the status quo, and purchasing music magazines.

Source: theguardian.com

MAGAZINE OF INSPIRATION

Case Study: DIY• DIY is a free independent music magazine. It

specialises in alternative or indie music, and takes form as an online publication, and the free monthly magazine in paper form. It is only available in UK record shops, and some music venues.

• The target readership therefore is, the music fan/creative who is of varying age, mostly in-between 16-29 due to the youthful nature of the music, and those who belong to the indie subculture.

• However, readership statistics and demographics were unfortunately not readily available, as they utilize a bespoke publishing house – Sonic Media Group.

Masthead

Main headline

Main image

Issue date and number, website conventions etc.

This front cover example has an evident absence of cover lines and is “free”, which I am considering ‘repeating’ (Neale) in my own magazine.

Special feature sticker

Issue date

Main image

Editorial

Editorial team thoughts

DIY team’s best album of the month

News section

Features and reviewsCredits

New music

Drop Capitals

Pull quote

Article interview

Main image

Article title

EXEMPLAR MAGAZINES

• Publisher: Time Inc. UK• Reach: 289,000 Adults / 0.6% of the adult population• Primarily socioeconomic class ABC1 read the magazine• The dominating gender of readership in Men• And the dominating age group of readership is 15-34.

• NME is a weekly magazine, and has primarily national readership, with only a small number of exports for international readers.

• Source: mediauk.com

• From the 18th September, NME will be available outside busy public spaces and train stations for free.

• Timeincuk.com : NME is the “longest published and most respected music weekly in the world”

NME publisher research

I will be analysing the ‘new’ NME model, as I have chosen to replicate this type of neo-music magazine and ‘repeat’ (Neale) codes and conventions from it. The model also ‘repeats’ the conventions from DIY, which is my magazine of inspiration.

Masthead

Special feature sticker

Main Image

Main Headline

This cover relies on ‘star appeal’ and audience familiarity of the main headline. With the absence of cover lines on the front cover, the main headline is the USP.

Issue date

Main image

Masthead

Page numbers

Editorial

Short comic strip

Credits

Q publisher research• Publisher: Bauer Media UK• Circulation: 64,596• Primarily socioeconomic class ABC1 read the

magazine(70%)• The dominating gender of readership in Men• And the dominating age group of readership is 15-24.

• Q’s gender ratio is 31.7% females to 68.3% male.• Source: bauermediaadvertising.com

2012 statistics

Masthead

Main Headline

Main Image

Cover Stories

USP/Exclusive Content

‘Q’ represents a more conservative front cover with additional coverlines, many exclusives and USPs. This is because it is not a free magazine, and it relies on many USPs to “sell”.

These are exemplar magazine front covers from ‘Q’ and (the old) ‘NME’ magazines.

They both offer several codes and conventions synonymous to the Indie/Alternate music magazine genre.

What can be identified by these two media institutions, is the importance of the colour red. Red, being synonymous to the genre.Compared to the more simplistic black and white approach taken by

magazines of the genre from now on:

From the research, the unique selling points, or USP, of NME and Q magazines is more often than not include ‘star appeal’ (Dyer) from the main image, features and headlines. Also, ‘puff promotion’ is synonymous to the genre, and may be in the form of competitions to win concert tickets or albums.However the most significant USP seen from the research is exclusives. Exclusive interviews, reviews or even photos. They bring a sense of worthiness to the magazines, and help copies “fly of the shelves”.

The intended target audiences for NME and Q magazines is mostly socio-economic class B, and more A for the new revised NME handed out to commuters. However, the intended target audience for DIY magazine is more likely to be class E, aimed at students, especially with the attraction of the publication being ‘free’. The general socio-economic class graphic for the genre is ABC1, and covers a variety of paid positions, as the magazines focus on interests and hobbies more than class or wealth as limiting factors.More often than not, ‘social climbers’ (Maslow) are often intended as a target audience, as materialism and music interests can often build status within social groups. Furthermore, the target audience are between the ‘ages’ of 15-29, most likely ‘male’ and ‘British’ (Hartley).

Publisher research• The two publishing houses of my

magazine’s of inspiration are in direct competition of each other. – Time inc. UK publish over 40 publications spread across

the ‘lifestyle’, ‘luxury’, and ‘specialist 'genres, targeting both males and females, with one music magazine, NME.

– Q publish two main music magazines: Q and Kerrang!, covering the Indie/Alternative genres like NME, and also Rock with Kerrang! As well as this, the publisher covers magazines of the same genres as Time inc. like lifestyle and gossip. With Closer and GRAZIA, competing with Time’s NOW and Marie Claire.Bauer Media have more

experience of the music genre, whereas Time Inc. have a far more varied lineup of brands.

My magazineIn consideration of my magazine of inspiration and exemplar magazines of the Indie/Alternative genre, I have come to the conclusion that I will ‘repeat’(Neale) the DIY and NME models of the new, free music magazine. As well as this, the neutral, black and white colours are perfect for a gender neutral presentation, in order to attract a non-gender specific audience. As well as this, I will take DIY’s exclusivity into inspiration, as only being available in independent record stores is socially conscious of today’s commercial world, and helps the industry responsibly. One thing I will ‘challenge’ is other forms of social responsibility of these magazines. I plan to use recycled paper in my magazine, and promote charitable causes related to the genre, for instance, the Amy Winehouse Foundation, and ‘Girls Against’. As well as this, I will be looking for profit in other areas to subsidise the cost of producing the publication for free, such as commercial features and sponsorships, a subscription option, a paid online feature which will yield advertising royalties and more.