Planning: Front Cover Progress

The title of my music magazine is 'NG' which stands for 'new generation' (as in of the music industry).

I used photoshop to play around with various different fonts (all from http://www.myfonts.com). I prefer the last font as it is bold and large therefore stands out the most. 

I have also used the technique of superimposition, where the placement of the title is covered slightly by the models head. This makes the magazine appear more established as it suggests that the audience are able to recognise it by means of other conventions, such as house style, rather than just the title.

Planning: Front Cover

Front cover from bethanyjmoss

Planning: My Magazine Article

I decided that the first practical step, when starting the production of my music magazine, was to write the article for my music magazine, since this would help me when deciding on cover lines for the front cover, perhaps anchorage of text, and for features on the contents page. 

There was a lot to think about when planning my article, I needed to think about the following questions when writing about my featured artist:

1. What will be the subject of my article? I will be writing about my featured artist, I have two ideas presently... 1) a mix of artists - (two coming together to make a single or album) OR 2) the story of how my featured artist got to where she is now
2. Who will it feature? featured artist "Aerin" (unique name - indie fits with genre) 
3. How will they be represented in the article? (positively / negatively) positively... there will not be much negative representation in my magazine because the purpose is to inform - gratify the audience (talk positively about artists that the audience would be interested in) 
4. Who is their target audience? Who is the TA for the magazine? How will you reach them in the article? TA of magazine will only be slightly different to the TA of featured artist -- she will have a more male based target audience where as I will try to target my magazine at both genders and of ages between 16-24 [LINK TO TA POST]
5. Narrative... why are you writing about this? I want a good feature which will entice people to read it... at the same time I want to entertain and inform the audience

Research: Articles in Music Magazines

There are a few different types of layouts which can be used in music magazines. I bought a copy of Q magazine (the December 2013) and found a few types:

Here are three examples of double page spreads in a 'Q' issue

 

On this one, pictures and text is spread across both pages, there is not an obvious break point between the two pages. There are multiple images, which gives the reader a deeper insight, showing them more 'information' about The Beetles. This type of layout works well for stories or talking about a past/historic band. On the right page, there is an extra box of text which does not relate directly to the main article and pictures. This could be to keep readers amused and informed about different things. The page shows two completely contrasting artists, The Beetles and then Miley Cyrus in the bottom right-hand corner. A pun has been used on the left page 'Let it Beeb' in the main title which captures the reader immediately as it relates to the band. Fans of The Beetles will understand that the title is referring to one of their famous hit singles, 'Let it Be'.

Again, the picture has been spread slightly across the pages. However unlike the DPS layout above, there is only one image which is therefore dominant. The size of the image fills a whole page, which is a reoccuring layout used in magazines and attracts the reader's eye. Dominating the band like this may entice the audience to read the article as they may recognise the band or if not, they may like the look of them/their style and want to read about them. Although the page is taken up by one large image, a usual convention is to have an enlarged quote displayed to break it up a bit. The title 'Q Introduces' suggests that the band are less recognised and famous than perhaps a more established band like Bastille. This could make the reader want to read the article as they may want to find out more about the band and what type of music they make/play.  

Differently again, this layout shows one large image spread across the whole double page spread, used as a background in comparison with the plain white background in the other two examples (this make text clear and easy to read). The text is still significant as it is white against the dark colours of the image. The title is very large and the length spreads from one end of the page to the other which makes it stand out to the reader. It also introduces what the article is about as 'The Changing Man' suggests that it is about the artist 'changing' in some way which would make the reader what to read it.

 

All three layouts are different buy at the same time, have some consistent codes and conventions. The audience can recognise a house-style throughout all pages of red and white which establishes the magazine making it easier for the reader to identify. Images and text are also shown on each page and lastly, page numbers are shown in the bottom corners of all pages.



Research: 'Q' Genre & Target Audience

Q Music Magazine...

Genre and Target Audience

I researched into Q music magazine so that I have a better insight into the general conventions, genres and target audiences of music magazines of a similar genre to my own; indie, rock, pop. 

Planning: Flat Plans for Music Magazine

I thought that it would be useful to draw up some flatplans for my magazine before actually putting it together so that it's easier for me when coming to my drafts and final productions.

 

 

                         Front Cover                                                       Contents Page

 

Double Page Spread

 

I used a grid on my front page flat plan to show the rule of thirds - although this rule says that the top horizontal line should meet the models eyes, although in my plan I added the grid after drawing the model, to mainly plan where coverlines and anchorage would go. It has been useful when editing my magazine, to have these flatplans because they show if the layout would work or not.

Planning: Lexicon of Words

This lexicon of words shows some language which would be associated with the genre of my magazine (indie rock) and some that you would expect to see in my magazine, i.e. articles, contents, cover lines etc. 

Research: Music Magazine Analysis

Research: Youth Subculture

 

Youth Subculture is a youth-based subculture with distinct styles, behaviours and interests.

 

Youth subcultures offer participants an identity outside of that ascribed by social institutions such as family, work, home and school. Youth subcultures that show a systematic hostility to the dominant culture are sometimes described as countercultures.

 

 

Youth music genres are associated with many youth subcultures, such as punks, emos, ravers, Juggalos, metalheads and goths. The study of subcultures often consists of the study of the symbolism attached to clothing, music, other visible affections by members of the subculture, and also the ways in which these same symbols are interpreted by members of the dominant culture.

 

 

Example: EMOS

 

Influences:

• Upbringing
• Social - eg. friends, colleagues, school
• Digital - eg. social networking, music
• Environment
• Peer Pressure

Values:

• Dress in a certain way: stereotypically, emo's are thought to wear all dark clothing, mainly black, with dark make up also
• Behaviour: emo's are stereotypically thought to have emotionally issues, people believe that emo's self harm when they are unhappy or have problems that they do not know how to deal with
• They are also thought to be very rebellious, often with dyed hair and piercings

 

 

 



Research: NME

NME stands for New Musical Express. I am going to use an acronym for my magazine title (New Generation = NG).

Institution: Created by Theodore Ingham and first published on 7th March 1952. Now published by: IPC Media. It was first published in a newspaper format, but gradually moved towards a magazine format during the 1980s and 1990s and transitioned from newsprint in 1998.

Frequency & Price: £2.40, weekly

Genre: pop/ rock

Audience: the publication below shows the reader profile for NME magazine

Research: Target Audience

 

I made this video to represent general interests, likes and hobbies of my target audience for my music magazine. I managed to get a few of my friends to answer brief questions about their music tastes also in the video. It is not too long, but is more like an overview.

 

 

 

 

Overview of Video Content

 

The post before this one shows my focus group, 5 students who I believed would be interested in my music magazine. (http://bethjmoss.blogspot.fr/2013/11/research-focus-group.html)

 

Also, in my prezi of 'Initial Ideas' I briefly mentioned my target audience:

• Age: 16-25
• Female and male but higher percentage of female readers (70% : 30%)
• Mainly students
• Which means that readers will most likely be in socio-economic group E (the lowest group) since students will generally not be earning a massive income
• Psychographic: Explorer - energy - autonomy, experience, challenge, new frontiers. Brand choice highlights difference, sensation, adventure, indulgence and instant effect - the first to try new brands

 

Interests & Hobbies mentioned in video:

• Gigs
• Festivals (V Festival mentioned)
• Skateboarding
• Fashion
• Make-up
• Art
• Magazines (music magazines)
• MUSIC - artists mentioned: Jake Bugg, Haim, Two Door Cinema Club
• Ticket - concert
• Dancing
• Instruments - guitar
• Friends - social
• Downloads (music consumption - ipod, phone, itunes)
• Photography
• Football
• Driving
• Holidays (vacations)
• Television - music chanel (music videos)

 

 Secondary Audience

 

The secondary audience are those who have influence exerted on them by the primary (or target) audience. For my music magazine, the secondary audience would be friends or family of readers, as they may hear about the magazine contents from the target audience who is interested.

Research: Focus Group

  

Name:  Christie Goodchild
Age:  16
Hobbies:  Dance: street, jazz
Music Interests: alternative bands i.e Bastille
Education: college 
Subjects: dance










Name:  Cameron McCrimmon
Age:  19
Hobbies:  video games
Music Interests: Jake Bugg, Vampire Weekend 
Education: Sixth Form
Subjects: English, Geography, Media Studies, Maths










Name:  Kiah Chapman
Age:  18
Hobbies:  singing, art
Music Interests:  The 1975, Haim
Education: Sixth Form 
Subjects: Art, Music, English Language, Psychology 









Name:  Ben Burrows
Age:  17
Hobbies:  
Music Interests: (indie, acoustic) Ben Howard, Mumford & Sons
Education: College
Subjects: Geography

Name:    Marlee Zimmerman

Age:     21

Hobbies:     piano, dance

Music Interests:  Ellie Goulding, Lorde 

Education:   University

Subjects:  Business Studies 

Research: Representation of Male Artists

Although my main feature artist will be female, I will also feature my own male artist, therefore I thought it important to research the representation of male artists in the music industry and media.

 

In the Media...

 

Males are usually represented in the following ways:

1. Dominant (over females) - Strong, intelligent etc... eg. hero
2. 'Bad boy' - takes drugs, associated in fights etc
3. A geek - in film, the geek usually ends up 'getting the girl' or succeeding in some way
4. Violent

Traditionally, males were portrayed as 'macho', commonly in the 1970s and 1980s eg. James Bond. However, more modernly, men are represented as more in touch with their feminine side, showing emotions and taking pride in their appearance, eg. on the TV reality programme 'The Only Way is Essex'.

 

In the music industry, male artists are represented by their music genre. For example, rap artists are usually associated with drugs, alcohol, sex and sometimes violence, like for example Snoop Dog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contrastly, a pop singer has a very different representation since they usually have a younger base fan audience. Justin Bieber for example, when first immerged onto the music scene, was portrayed as a sweet, young boy, appealing to a younger female audience. However, even this pop star was driven off the rails, caught with drugs. It appears as thought fame and the music industry can take its toll on the lives of most celebrities.