Overall Summary Of Target Audience

From my target audience research I have discovered who I will aim my magazine at and what features it will include. My magazine will be aimed at older teenage/young adult females who have a strong interest in predominantly the popular and r and b music genre as I discovered that my target audience were interested in these genres. I also know that I will need to include a wide variety of articles in the magazine; mainly focusing on interviews I discovered that my target audience have a key interest in new music. Therefore I will need to keep my magazine fresh and include new and up to date music as I know that the target audience has a passion for music. The articles will have to be well written to keep the reader interested with well thought out articles and information about the specified genres.

Instituitons

 

The National Music Express (NME) became the best selling music magazine in 1970. It has been an extremely popular music magazine since it was first published in the UK in 1952 and has been published weekly since. NME was also the first paper to include a singles chart. The magazine is published by ipc media which is a leading media company. Time inc owns ipc media, who are then owned by Time Warner. Time Warner is the worlds second largest entertainment conglomerate. The Time Inc division produces approximately 150 titles worldwide. It is the leading magazine publisher in the U.S and the UK.

Target Audience

I chose to look at NME magazine because it is of similar style to the music magazine that I will be producing. From doing research I discovered that this particular magazine is produced by a well known leading magazine publisher in the UK called ipc media which is owned by Time inc. This company is owned by the worlds second largest entertainment conglomerate Time Warner.  

These are the companies websites:
http://www.timewarner.com/corp/
http://timeinc.com/home/
http://www.ipcmedia.com/

A link to the NME media pack (as shown in both pictures) is provided on the ipc website which displays who the target audience are. It also shows how the magazine appeals to them which will help me produce an appealing and suitable magzine for my particular target audience as it is similar to that of NME's. This is the introduction to the NME media pack on the ipc website-

NME has become a truly unique multi-platform media proposition. Across the magazine, www.nme.com, NMETV, NME Radio and the brand's live events and awards, NME reaches over one million music fans every week. NME is the longest published and most respected music weekly in the world.
Every week it gives its readers the most exciting, most authoritative coverage of the very best in contemporary music, including award winning features, the latest releases, live reviews, the definitive guide to the best new bands in its Radar section, as well as a regular look back through the magazine's incredible 58 year heritage.

The media pack provides the reader with important facts about the success of NME magazine. From reading through this media pack i have dicovered that almost 50% of its readers are students and nearly 70% are ABC1 which suggests the ordered, smart layout and nature of the magazine. I have also learnt that NME is predominantly aimed at males. The majority of NME's readers are males between the ages of 18-25 with a median age of 23. Readers of the magazine rely on NME to keep them informed about all new music which is the expectation of the magazine. The readers are constantly interested with what they read in NME which is supported by the quote "Its full of facts that we should all know but don’t BUT we do now thanks to NME.” Various ways of advertisement are used which attract the specific young target audience. For example NME is advertised through clothing, cars and gadgets.

From doing this research into the target audience I can learn that my magazine needs to be up to date and fresh to keep the audience satisfied and entertained. I will need to create an attractive and informative magazine which readers know they can trust for recent updates in the music industry. My magazine needs to be unique yet provide all the required information which will appeal to the audience. The content of the magazine needsto be new and unknown which will keep attention around the magazine. The layout and content are very important factors in keeping the audiences attention, however appropriate advertisements need to be used to appeal to my specific target group. 

Survey Results

The majority of people who completed this questionnaire are female. Therefore I will aim my magazine predominantly at the female target audience. This means I will have to include artists that appeal to this audience. I will also have to make sure the design of the magazine is suitable for mainly females.

From this question I have found out that the most of the people are teenagers or young adults. The majority of people are in the age range 16-20; however one person who completed the survey is 13. From these results I have decided to aim my magazine at teenagers and young adults so I will need to ensure all aspects of the magazine are suitable for this audience.

All of the people who answered this question prefer either the Pop or R and B genre. The majority of people voted for the pop genre though, so I will mainly revolve my magazine around this type of music. I will therefore need to ensure that the magazine features artists from these genres.

From this question I have discovered that the majority of people think a music magazine should be published weekly. Therefore I will make my magazine so that it would be suitable to be published weekly. Taking this into consideration, I will have to include all recent new music from that specific week.

This question has identified many different artists and bands of which I could feature in my magazine. The most popular artists who were suggested more than once, were Example, Jason Derulo, Tinie Tempah, Pixie Lott and Taio Cruz. Therefore I could include these artists in my magazine as I know people will be interested in them.

From this question I have discovered that fifty percent of people would be willing to pay three pounds as the maximum price to buy a music magazine. The other fifty percent are prepared to pay two pounds as the maximum price for a music magazine. Therefore I will make my magazine so that it is suitable for a similar price to this.

This question has identified that some one has purchased each one of the listed music magazines except for the Spin magazine.

I asked whether people would subscribe to a music magazine to show how popular they would be. From this questioned I could see that just under 50 % said they would subscribe to a music magazine, suggesting only around half of people would subscribe.

The next question I asked was whether people would prefer the magazine to use formal or informal language. Just over 90 % said they would rather the magazine use informal language. Therefore my magazine will mostly contain informal language.

I asked the audience which features of a magazine would be most likely to persuade them to buy it. There was a wide variety of answers; therefore my magazine will feature many of the listed options. From this question I discovered the least popular feature that could be an aspect in my magazine is competitions. The most popular features were interviews and photo shoots which both had the same percentage of 66.7. I will also have to make my magazine at a reasonable price so it is affordable. This will make people more likely to buy the magazine. I will also include new music in my magazine as it proved to be a popular feature.

Target Audience Survey

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Rewind Double Page Spread

This particular contents page has been taken from the music magazine Rewind which features popular and urban music. One whole side of the magazine is a mid shot of the artist being interviewed in the article. This allows the reader to see who the article is about and what to expect from it. It also makes the spread less intimidating by having a large main image at the side instead of having just text. The title of the article is on the left side of the spread with the image too. The title is in a large black bold font which makes it stand out the most on the pages. This will then attract the audiences attention so it needs to sound interesting. Also, there is a short paragraph underneath the title explaining a brief introduction to the interview and about the artist. This is in simple font so it is easy to read and is on black too. This works well as the background of the spread is white so the text stands out well. Black and white is a good colour scheme to use as the colours compliment each other well meaning it will be easy to read. The beginning of the article had a bold first letter which makes it stand out and draws the reader into the article. The black and white colour scheme had continued through the interview with no other colours which gives the article a theme which is clear. The scheme is quite simple yet very effective. They layout of the spread is quite ordered and easy to follow which will appeal to the audience. It isn't cluttered or busy but is very bold looks quite interesting. 

Rewind Contents

This is a contents page from the music magazine ‘Rewind’. The design is quite simple yet effective as the reader can easily navigate around the page. The page is very clear and easy to understand meaning the audience will be more appealed to it. The layout it very ordered and neatly arranged. It is almost symmetrical. The page is doesn’t have a cluttered and busy style. This would attract the reader as the contents page is precise and simply laid out meaning it is easy to read. There is a predominant colour scheme throughout this particular contents page of black and white. There are four images of featured artists inside the magazine at the top of the page which suggests to the reader the type of music and the genre to expect inside. The images look appealing on the page as they are colourful and stand out against the plain white background. Also, the images are the main feature of the page as they take up the majority of the space, for that reason they need to appeal to the specific target audience which is people who are interested in the popular genre. The title of the contents page is in a bold, large and black font which is appealing and stands out as it contrasts against the white background colour. This will attract the audience as it is easy on the eye and looks professional. The sub headings on the page are also in a black bold font which carries on the theme. However, they are smaller than the size of the title font. The text underneath the sub headings to show what is featured inside the magazine is smaller and isn’t as bold which signifies that it will not grab the attention of the audience as much as the headings. The pages numbers are in a bold font which means that the reader will easily be able to spot where articles are in the magazine. There are only two sub heading titles which are ‘regulars’ and ‘features’ which allows the audience to distinguish where to find things. However, as there are only two vague sub headings and the articles underneath are in a particularly small font, the reader may not be able to find what they are looking for easily. The type of articles featured inside the magazine are things like interviews with current artists, charts, reviews and even some fashion pages. Therefore this magazine may appeal to a younger audience such as teenagers. Along the route of the eye are the main images and the features inside the magazine. These factors consequently will be easy to spot by the audience. Overall, this particular cover is quite simple but looks very appealing as the colours schemes and images compliment each other. However, people may find it quite dull as it isn’t of a cluttered, energetic layout and people may find it difficult to find what articles they are looking for. 

Rewind Cover

Rewind magazine features popular and urban music. It includes all new and recent music in the charts so will appeal to a wide variety of people. People that listen to chart music will tend to buy this magazine so these type of artists will be featured inside. For example on this particular cover Tinchy Stryder is the main image. This will immediately attract the target audience as he is a current well-known artist. The image is a waist up shot of the artist with cameras around him suggesting that he is of the popular genre. The title of the magazine is in the masthead and is in a bright red, bold font which will grab the attention of the buyer. Also, the title is easily recognisable as it has a unique font and design. However, the title is behind the main image on the magazine so it may not be as noticeable and people will see the image foremost rather than the name. This will make it less obvious to the audience what they are buying as it doesn’t stand out. The magazine cover uses a particular colour scheme too, giving it a theme. The predominant colours used are black, white and red which compliment each other well and will make the magazine stand out. The main cover line is in a larger font than the other cover lines which will make the reader spot it easily and suggests it’s the most appealing story. The cover line is in a fancier and appealing font too, which will stand out from the other text. Therefore the cover line has to be interesting and attract the specific target audience. In this case the main cover line is of the featured artist on the cover so will attract the audience as he is of the popular genre. This will easily grab the attention of the reader so needs to stand out. The artists tag line ‘Star in the hood’ is also placed underneath the cover line. Along the route of the eye are the title and some cover lines, including the main feature one. The other cover lines on this magazine are smaller and are teasers of what is inside the magazine, including things like interviews with artists and new recent artists that are currently in the charts. These are all things which will immediately attract the target audience. Also some cover lines are around the hotspot zones which means the audience will see them easily and therefore need to be interesting. The left side of the magazine has no text so the design isn’t symmetrical. All of the cover lines are places on the right side of the page. Overall this front cover design is quite effective as it isn’t cluttered and is easily readable. This will attract the audience as it’s quite simple. However there isn’t a vast amount of text and the cover looks quite plain. This could put people off buying the magazine or reading it as they don’t know much about what genre of music or what sort of stories to expect inside.

NME Double Page Spread

This double page spread was taken from NME magazine. The colour scheme is bright blue and black which already gives the audience the impression that the pages are from a rock magazine as they are bold and quite masculine. The rock genre is generally more preferred from males rather than females so this would be a suitable colour scheme. The bright blue colour really makes the bold black titles stand out effectively. It will also attract the target audience as it is very eye catching. The main article image takes up the whole left left page of the spread which if effective as it looks appealing and is easy on the eye. Readers will be attracted to this spread as it isn't full of just text. The main image is of the band 'The teenagers' lying on a bed. With the band being called 'The Teenagers', this is a good image to use as it shows a typical representation and is stereotypical of teenagers. Need to know facts about the band are included on the bottom left side of the double page spread, which will appeal to the target audience as it is of interest to them. Also, it is an effective way of getting the readers   attention as they are short, quick facts which are easy to read. The main article has two coloums and is on the right side of the spread.

NME Contents

This contents page was taken from an issue of ‘NME’ magazine. The colour scheme is predominantly red, black and white which is an appealing scheme to use as the colours compliment each other well and stand out together. The title of the magazine ‘NME’ is in a quite large font at the top of the page. This makes it obvious and suggests that it is an important factor. It also stands out as the font colour used is red with a white outline against a block of black colour. This gives the name of the magazine emphasis. The title of the page is along the route of the eye so people will spot it easily. There is a strip down the left hand side of the page displaying all the bands that are featured inside the magazine along with the page number they are on. This will attract the audience as they want to know what sort of music to expect in the magazine. The artists’ names are in a red font against a white background which makes it stand out too. There is an image in the centre of the contents page of one of the featured bands which will also suggest the type of genre and music to expect inside the magazine. This image takes up a vast amount of the contents page which suggests it will be one of the most important articles and will be the most popular feature of the magazine. The picture reflects the genre and style of the magazine and suggests to the audience what sort of artists to expect inside. The layout of the page is well presented and organised. The way that the page is quite neatly arranged allows the reader to easily navigate around the page. The sub headings also stand out as they are in a larger font which makes them appear more obvious to the reader. This is good as the audience will know what sort of articles to expect inside. Most of the sub headings are white in a block colour of black which looks eye-catching and will grab the audiences’ attention as the colours are contrasting and therefore work well together. The text used on the cover is quite informal and to the point which is effective as it will be easy for the audience to read meaning they will be more inclined to buy the magazine. The text used on the cover is quite informal and to the point which is effective as it will be easy for the audience to read meaning they will be more inclined to buy the magazine. Articles inside the magazine include things such as reviews, interviews, gigs, news and new music which are all things that would appeal to the target audience as they are expectations of a music magazine. It is very clear to the reader what information and what to expect on each page. There is also an offer at the bottom of the page, along the route of the eye, for a subscription to the magazine which would appeal to the audience as it is very bold and stands out. Therefore the readers are more likely to spot it and consider subscribing.

NME Cover

NME is a popular music magazine and therefore features a range of different types of new music. The target audience for this magazine is quite widespread so needs to be suitable for most people, especially the younger audience. It is aimed at people who are interested in new, in style music and who like to keep up to date with music. The font colour scheme used on this cover is black and white which is quite simple but stands out and work well together. Also, the type of font used is the same throughout the cover, giving it an individual style and theme. The font style used is quite simple yet effective as it is easily readable which will make the reader more inclined to buy the magazine. The title is in the masthead which is in a much larger, bold font in white. This stands out against the dark main image. Also the title is also in the foreground which makes it clear and easy to read, making it obvious to the audience and easy to spot. In the route of the eye, there are some cover lines with the main one being at the bottom of the page. The text is in a bold, large font so it stands out. This is because it is the main cover line so it needs to attract the audience and be an appealing story. This particular cover line is about the cover artist who is currently in the charts and therefore will attract people who are interested in the popular genre. The other cover lines are in a smaller font as they are less important but still stand out against the background colour. Some of the cover lines are in the hotspot zones which means the audience will spot them easily. One cover line is a list of new artists which will be featured in the magazine attracting the target audience as they know who will be reading about inside. This particular cover has few cover lines and is more about the image. Having fewer text on the cover could make the audience less attracted to the magazine as they won’t know what to expect inside. The image is the focus of the magazine so needs to be appealing and attract the target audience. Therefore it needs to be a current music artist as it will appeal to the specific audience. The cover lines appeal to the specified target audience as they include things such as ‘the state of music today’ so it will include current music. The cover is also the second of ‘10 special edition covers’ which would attract the audience more as it is different from the usual. Also this particular cover line is along the route of the eye so people will spot it easily meaning that they will be more likely to buy the magazine. The overall look of the cover is quite simple yet very effective as the colour and font schemes work well together.

Q Double Page Spread

       

This particular double page spread has been taken from Q magazine. One  wholeside of the double page spread is a medium close up of Rihanna to show that she is the artist being interviewed. The main colour in the photograph is black and the clothes she is wearing are black which makes her face, hair and megaphone stand out. The artists hair is bright red so the black background works well as the colours compliment each other. Rihannas photograph is very glamourous and would appeal to both males and females. The black colour scheme in the photo makes the photograph a sense of mystery and her expression on her face makes her seem fierce. This connotes what her music is like, and what the article is focused on. Also, what the reader will expect from her music. The article colour scheme is very plain, and bold which makes the article more clean cut and easier to read. The text stand out so it is easy for the reader and makes them more likely to read the article.The questions are in a bold font, which is useful  if you are looking for her response on a particular subject then you could find it quick without reading the whole article. The heading for the title, is in capital letters, and is short and simple. It tells you what this article is going to be about ‘RIHANNA’. 

Q Contents

This is the contents page from an issue of ‘Q’ magazine. The name of the magazine ‘Q’ has been placed on the top left corner of the contents page along with the title of the page ‘Contents’. This stands out as it is in a white font against a black bordering block. As black and white are contrasting colours the look works well. Both the name of the magazine and title of the page are along the route of the eye so people will spot it easily. The date is also placed and website of the magazine is at the top of the page too. The website is across the route of the eye so people will spot it easily, meaning they are more likely to visit the site. They are both in a smaller font though as they are less important. Although, the name is quite small on the page, it still stands out as it is larger than the rest of the text and a white font in a block of red colour. These colours compliment each other well too. This suggests that the name of the magazine is an important feature as it stands out. The layout of the page is well presented and organised. The way that the page is neatly ordered allows the reader to easily navigate around the page. The article information is located on the left hand side of the page whereas the images are positioned on the right hand side. The sub headings also stand out as they are in a white font with a red blocked border around them. They are bigger than the other text on the page, except for the title, as they need to attract the audience to the articles. The main image on the contents page is of the band ‘The Courteeners’. This image takes up most of the contents page which suggest it is the most important and will be the most popular feature of the magazine. The picture reflects the genre and style of the magazine and suggests to the audience what sort of artists to expect inside. The colour scheme used on the contents is black, white and red and it the same for all ‘Q’ magazines. However, this particular contents page has gold text as it is a ‘Oasis’ special edition which emphasizes the band. The text used on the cover is quite informal and to the point which is effective as it will be easy for the audience to read meaning they will be more inclined to buy the magazine. For example words like ‘dodgy’ are used which is quite casual language. This would appeal to the audience as they know the magazine will be an easy read. It is very clear to the reader what information and what to expect on each page. Readers’ reviews are shown at the bottom of the page. The magazine is referred to as ‘the world’s biggest and best music magazine’ which would encourage the audience to buy the magazine. 

Q Cover

 Q is a popular music magazine and therefore features a range of different types of new music. The target audience for this magazine is quite widespread as it has a great variety of different new music, so it needs to be suitable for most people, especially the younger audience. It is aimed at people who are interested in new, recent popular music and who like to keep up to date with what’s in the charts. The main feature of this particular cover is an image of an artist who is currently in the charts. This will appeal to the target audience because this magazine is aimed at the popular genre. All of the text is placed over the top of the picture making the writing clear and easy to read as people want to know what’s inside the magazine. The title of the magazine is in the masthead and is in front of the image which makes it stand out more. It also makes it appear bolder. The title is also in a much larger font compared to the cover lines which makes it stand out the most and makes it appear obvious to the audience and tells the reader straight away what sort of magazine they are reading. The name of the main artist featured stands out from the background due to its large font size and colour. The fonts used throughout the front cover are very similar making it clear and simple to read. The clear circle on the right hand side of the page stands out as it is in a circle. It advertises another artist featured in the magazine and tells readers about it before they open the magazine. There is a particular theme used on this magazine cover. For example the colour scheme used is black, grey, red and white. This is an eye-catching scheme to use as the colours compliment each other and will catch the audience’s attention. It will appeal to both females and males too. Some of the cover lines are highlighted in a white colour which makes them appear more noticeable so people will tend to look at them. Therefore these cover lines needs to be interesting and attract the specific target audience. Also, some of the cover lines are in the hotspot zones which means the audience will spot them easily. Along the route of the eye there are many cover lines including the main feature one.  The main cover line stands out amongst the rest as it is in a much larger, bolder and bright coloured font. This will easily grab the attention of the reader so needs to stand out. The other cover lines on this magazine are smaller and are teasers of what is inside the magazine, including things like interviews with artists and new music. These are all things which will immediately attract the target audience.

Initial Research Of Different Genres

This music magazine, Vibe, is mainly aimed at younger people who like and are interested in popular music. I know this because it predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, such as Kanye West, which are usually associated with the interests of younger people. The colour scheme used on this cover stands out as they are contrasting colours. There is only one font used on the cover which makes it more professional and gives the magazine a theme making it look unique. Different font sizes are used for the cover lines to make them stand out and to display the importance of each one. The mast head is in the largest font however, as it needs to be prominent. It is in the background behind the image though, and is hard to read. The main feature of this front cover is the image in the centre which would attract the specified target audience. The image is a simple head shot with no props.

Kerrang is a rock music magazine so is aimed at people who like this genre. The title is in a black font against a white banner which makes it stand out and emphasizes the name of the magazine. Also, the type of font used is suitable for this genre as it looks quite masculine and fierce. This is good as males tend to prefer this sort of music rather than females. The magazine layout is quite cluttered and busy suggesting an energetic feel to the magazine. This would therefore appeal to people who are interested in the rock genre. There are several smaller images of artists featured inside the issue used on this front cover as well as the main image which will appeal to the specified audience. The main image of the band also looks quite aggressive. There are teasers on the cover telling the reader of things inside such as a poster.

NME is a popular music magazine and therefore features a range of different types of new music. The target audience for this magazine is quite widespread so needs to be suitable for most people, especially the younger audience. It is aimed at people who are interested in new, in style music and who like to keep up to date with what’s currently in the charts. The cover is also the fourth of ‘10 special edition covers’ which would attract the audience further as it is different from the usual. This specific cover is quite simple yet effective as the colours used compliment each other well and the design is quite ordered. The title of the magazine is over the top of the image which will make it appear obvious to the reader. The cover is to the point and easily readable so will attract the audience as it isn’t to busy. The plain background works well too.

I have analysed three different genres of music magazines which were R&B/hip hop, rock and popular music. From making this analysis I have decided I am going to base my magazine on popular music. This type of magazine features new and recent music which are in the charts. The layout of this genre of music magazine is quite simple yet appealing.  I think this type of magazine would be easiest to design and make. Also, the pop genre of music is of interest to me.