Set Brief - Print

Music Magazine – Production

Preliminary Task Progression, Log Book and Evaluation

OCR Media Studies – AS Level

Unit G321: Foundation Portfolio in Media

Preliminary Task, Log Book and Evaluation

Name: Harry FramptonCandidate Number: 6902Center Name: St. Paul’s Catholic CollegeCenter Number: 64770

Section 1) – Log Book

The green Gradient was chosen because of the connotations the color it has with the band. The color of the cd in their debut album and their January tour poster is a similar shade of green. This green and the use of the bands font means that the reader will be able to ‘personally identify (Katz) with the front cover if they are fans of the band.

The masthead I chose is “inD”. The reason I chose this name in the first place is due to the successful existing music magazines such as NME, DIY and Q. All of these have either abbreviations or short mast heads. By using a similar format for my masthead I will attract a larger audience as they will immediately know what genre of magazine it is just form seeing the masthead. Also, ‘inD’ is the text talk for ‘indie’, which would attract a younger audience, as they are a part of the social media generation.

The use of the bands font and name creates ‘Star appeal’ (Dyer) within the front cover, attracting fans of the band.

I tried to replicate the band by using the same costume (the blazer, sunglasses, Fred Perry polo tucked into trousers, a tattoo sleeve etc.) and through the posing (crossed arms and machismo of being close together).

The strapline “the UK’s best alternative music magazine” is an example of ‘repetition’ (Steve Neale) from existing magazines. The use of the word ‘best’ connotes that it isn't even worth looking at other alternative music magazines because this one is undisputedly the best one out there.

The cover stories on the left hand side are all names of bands within the alternative/indie music community. There is a mixture of very well known bands such as the Stone Roses and The Libertines, as well as smaller artists like Swim Deep and Only Real. This mixture sets a tone for the rest of the magazine and will attract a larger audience of alternative music lovers. The bigger bands will create ‘Star appeal’ (Dyer) and attract people at first glance because they are easily recognizable. The smaller artists will attract people who are fans of these artists, as they will not often see these artists on covers of other magazines, creating a unique selling point of my magazine. It will also attract people who have not heard of them but are fans of the other artists on the front cover. This is due to the fact they may want to find out about the smaller artists due to their common interest in the bigger artists.

The “win tickets” tactic is used by other existing magazines on social media, as a way for people to talk about the magazine and attract a larger amount of people to the magazine. I decided to put it on the front cover of my magazine as it draws the readers attention immediately, as it is so bold. This opportunity to win tickets to the Stone Roses, a very large band within the indie community which has sold out already would interest many people. I chose the Stone Roses because they appeal to most people within my demographic. They are a band from the 80’s/90’s, so many of the older people from my target audience will be familiar with them. It also appeals to the younger people within my demographic as they may not be in a position financially to pay for tickets to see many bands (they may be in education still and therefore unable to work).

Here I implemented two methods of puff promotion to help to attract a larger audience. I included a ‘free mixtape’ on my front cover to attract people within my demographic. The term ‘mixtape’ could create nostalgia amongst the older members of my target audience, as they may have grown up with cassette tapes. The downloadable aspect of this would appeal to the younger readers, as they have grown up in a world full of downloadable music.

I decided to include convergence to social media on my front cover, as it would attract the younger people within my target audience, as this generation is used to constantly being able to access social media. Social media is a vital tool used in marketing and is used in almost every magazine or film poster. The reason I chose Tumblr and Twitter as opposed to other popular social media links like Facebook and Instagram is because they are more suited to my demographic. What I mean by this is that the indie and alternative community are most active on these sites, over the other two. As a result of this when a reader sees the use of tumblr on my magazine they are likely to be attracted to it, as no other music magazines use this social media site, therefore creating a unique selling point.

I decided to include some more cover lines but this time with additional anchoring text underneath in order to add more depth and realism to my front cover, this convention of having a short piece on what the article or feature is about is seen in successful existing music magazines such as NME. This use of ‘repetition’ will attract readers of NME, as they will be comfortable with the familiarity of the layout. However, ‘repetition alone will not attract an audience’, which is why I chose more obscure artists that wouldn’t male the cut for the front cover of NME.

By including a barcode I made my front cover look like a legitimate magazine, creating a sense of professionalism which would help to attract a mass audience. A person wouldn't want to buy something that was clearly made by a person still in school.

I continued the color gradient of the green from the front cover for continuity, bringing the magazine a sense of realism and bringing it to life.

I took inspiration of the layout of my contents page from the old NME layout, as it looked very professional and I wanted to use a winning formula. NME is one of the most successful music magazines of all time, so I decided to use it as an exemplar to follow and ‘repeat’ (Steve Neale) the conventions.

I inserted the image and the accompanying cover line at this stage. I chose the costume used in the image based on the dress sense of the artist, as seen above. Rat Boy, also known as Jordan Cardy wears a lot of pink with black skinny jeans and white socks, accompanied by ‘old skool’ vans. This has become one of his signature looks and is therefore the look that I tried to replicate. By doing this the audience is immediately aware of who the artist is if they are a fan. I also chose the venue to be the o2 Brixton academy, as I saw him live there during the time of the production task. Fans of the artist would appreciate this little touch and so the magazine would seem more legitimate and professional.

This convention was ‘repeated’ from the NME contents page as it is very easy to follow and simplistic, which follows the theme of the rest of my magazine. It also is suited to my target audience as they are younger people so may not have a lot of time on their hands, meaning the easy-to-navigate nature will attract them more.

I decided to make the font of each sub heading ‘WetDreamz’ in order to establish continuity from the masthead and create a sense of a coherent, legitimate magazine. I created this feeling through the color of the background of each subheading.

The editor picture in the contents page is a convention replicated from the new ‘NME’ (as of 2016) in order to establish a ‘personal relationship’ (Katz) between the editor and reader.

This is a convention from the Q magazine contents page, replicated on my contents page because I thought it was a very good way to help the reader navigate the magazine. Instead of just reading what the article is about they are provided with a visual aid, which may stimulate them more and interest them more in the content of the magazine. By doing this my magazine may be more suited to a younger readership, which populate the majority of my demographic.

I chose each shot from a number of photo shoots where miscellaneous pictures had been taken in order to help with future production. I chose the individual pictures based on how aesthetically pleasing they were or how they fit my stories. For example, the mise en scene of the bottom picture resembled the artist Rat Boy once again, so I decided to make it one of my thumbnail images, linking it through the page number in the bottom right hand corner.

The editorial was included to give the magazine a more personal feel, possibly creating a ‘personal relationship’ (Katz) between the reader and the editor. By doing this it creates a unique selling point for music magazines, as often the existing magazines seem like they are too big for the reader to be able to interact with anyone at the magazines offices. Although magazines like ‘NME’ have editorials, they are not often placed in the contents page. Using Steve Neale's theory that ‘repetition alone will not attract an audience’ I decided to defy this convention’s typical placement but still use it, as the first thing a reader looks at is the contents page, meaning they are more likely to read the editorial of ‘inD’ magazine and therefore more likely to feel the ‘[personal relationship’ they might not feel when reading a magazine like ‘NME’ or ‘Q’.

I then decided to add some more features as there was blank space, and leaving this would create a lack of professionalism and realism. Also, the more features on a contents page the more likely it is that a reader will see something which will make them want to continue reading.

I decided to include an example of puff promotion encouraging readers to subscribe to the magazine. This feature is used in all magazines that are not free, no matter the genre. This convention would appeal to my demographic as although they do have disposable income they may not have a lot of it and so would take any opportunity to save money. The use of pink would help to draw their eye to the puff promotion and increase the likelihood of them subscribing to the magazine. I also created the cover for another magazine in order to include it in this box to give readers something to look forward to.

I also added links to the magazine's website and also their YouTube page to give extra content such as video exclusives. This would attract more younger people which fits my demographic more

Magazine contents analysisThe ‘band index’ is a unique selling point for NME, displaying all of the bands featured in the issue and their corresponding page number in a clear, concise way. I wish to have the same effect by coming up with a new way to do the same thing, therefore creating my own USP.

The subscription box convention is used in contents pages of magazines that are not free in order to encourage readers to buy their magazine for the entire year, saving the customer money and making the magazine company money at the same time. I will include this feature in my magazine, as it will not be a free magazine.

The masthead of the magazine is often included in contents pages in order to remind the reader what they are reading and draw people in as NME is an established brand and they may see someone reading about something in the contents page that may interest them, making them want to read the magazine.

An issue date is within each magazine’s contents page whatever the genre may be. This is to ensure the reader that they are reading the most up-to-date issue, if they had not seen it on the front cover.

Subheadings are used in magazine contents pages in order to make navigation of the contents page that little bit easier for the reader, attracting an audience that may not be that intelligent as well as people who are, so appealing to a mass market

Magazine contents analysis

Thumbnail images with numbers corresponding to the pages is something done by many music magazines and a convention I wish to ‘repeat’ (Neale).

The issue date is within each magazine’s contents page whatever the genre may be.

A main image is often present within a contents page of a magazine. This may be of a significant cover story or the main story in a music magazine. This provides a visual aid for people reading the magazine to interest them in that particular story.

Headers of each section of the magazine are provided in order to aid the reader on what each article is tonally. This would improve the speed of their navigation and make the magazine more easy to use. This convention is seen often in music magazines.

An editorial is often included in magazines, but not always in the contents page. The new NME (circa 2016) includes its editorial within their contents page. Editorials help to form a ‘personal relationship’ (Katz) between the reader and the editor of the magazine.

Double page spread analysis

The drop down capital is a convention used in more or less every double page spread article among all genres. I will replicate this convention within my own magazine in order to create a sense of professionalism.

This double page spread only contains one large image, as opposed to some that are accompanied by smaller images. I will also do this in my own magazine, as it matches my minimalist theme which will be continued from my front cover, as I will not include any smaller images on the front cover either.

This bold quote convention is seen in most double page spreads in order to attract readers in a quick way, by teasing them on what the article will contain. I will use this same convention in order to achieve the same effect.

This double page spread includes a small summary of the band for people who aren't familiar with them, urging them to find out about them. This is seen in most double page spreads within the music magazine genre.

The article has no title, just using the ‘Star appeal’ (Dyer) of the band. I will go against this convention by including a title as well as the bands name in order to attract people that aren't aware of the band. Above this title is a logo and title of the section of the magazine, making the reader aware of what the following pages will contain, I will also ‘repeat’ (Neale) this convention.

Established Magazine for my Research

Mastheads are essential in successful magazines in order to attract fans of the magazine and notify them that they are reading the right magazine that they may have formed a ‘personal relationship’ (Katz) with the magazine as they have been following it for a long amount of time.

Main headlines are often the main form of ‘Star appeal’ (Dyer) in music magazines, and are often bold to help draw a large audience of fans of that artist.

Barcodes are a necessary to sell magazines and therefore give them a sense of legitimacy needed to attract people to the magazine.

Cover stories are a good indicator of what else is in the magazine apart from the main headline. If someone didn’t like the artist or issue covered in the main headline the cover lines may convince them to buy the magazine, therefore attracting a larger audience.

There are also often other instances of ‘Star appeal’ (Dyer) to appeal to a mass market within the genre of music the magazine is covering.

Straplines are often used by magazines to flaunt their reputations to people that may not be readers in order to attract a larger readership

Target Audience - Katz, Maslow, Hartley and/or socio-economic needsAccording to Katz’s uses and gratifications theory Q magazine helps to encourage a sense of ‘diversion’ amongst their readership, as they will be entering into a world of the music industry when reading the magazine. Music helps a lot of people to forget about their worries and so people are likely to want to buy the magazine in order to achieve this sense of escapism and immerse them into the world of music even more than they would be just by listening to it. The magazine also ‘informs and educates’ the reader on new artists, information about artists they already know and upcoming gigs in their area. By doing this, after reading the magazine the reader may feel enlightened and so will want to purchase the magazine again.According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs the target audience for Q magazine fall under the self-actualization section, as it fulfills their need for creativity and the acceptance of facts. The sense of creativity is fulfilled by either reading about other peoples creativeness or by encouraging the reader to make their own music. The need to accept facts is fulfilled through reading factual information within the magazine’s articles and different features. In reference to Hartley’s Seven Subjectives both male and females and females purchase Q magazine, though the readership consists predominantly of males (the percentage for males being 66.2%). There is no specific target audience when it comes to ethnicity, as a range of different types of music and artists are covered within the magazine, from Florence and the machine to Kendrick Lamar, there are artists for all ethnicities. 83.8% of the readers are 15-24 years of age. Q targets the UK, as this is the only country it is sold in.According to socio-economic class , 70% of the target audience for Q fall into the ABC1 category, so most disposable income, though some are in better jobs than others.

Q’s USPFrom the research completed into this media product, I think the USP is the coverage of older bands. Although other music magazines such as NME also do this occasionally, Q magazine is much more frequent in its coverage of older bands and so by doing this attracts a mixture of older and younger readers. From looking at previous front covers of Q magazine it was made apparent that they covered newer artists around 70% of the time, and older artists around 30% of the time, in other words the majority were newer artists, but older artists were covered much more than any other modern music magazine. By doing this Q create the opportunity to have a mass audience and so live up to their strapline as ‘the worlds greatest music magazine’. Another unique selling point is their compilation of expansive lists each issue, for example, “the 100 greatest albums of the 90’s”. Finally, Q is known for utilizing puff promotion like no other magazine, by giving CD’s and books out with their magazines, the January 2006 issue included a free copy of "The Greatest Rock and Pop Miscellany … Ever!”.

Bauer publishes other music magazines such as ‘Kerrang!’ and ‘MOJO’, both successful music magazines.

Publisher researchThe publishing company for Q is Bauer Media UK, a European-based media company, headquartered in Hamburg that manages a portfolio of more than 600 magazines, over 400 digital products and 50 radio and TV stations around the world.

The circulation (how many magazines are distributed) of Q was 64,596 as of 2012, the highest circulation of music magazines that year.

Bauer take pride on being ‘the UK’s most influential media brand network. 83.8% of the readers are 15-44 years of age. The majority of Q’s readers are men (66.2%).

The Q music brand has expanded to Radio and Television, and hold an annual music awards show in the UK.

Music magazine conventionsMasthead Puff promotion of “the

ultimate gig guide” helps to give NME a unique selling point, as other magazines will not contain the same in depth gig guide that NME is renowned for. This would appeal to the target audience of NME as 67% of the Audience will be attending a live music festival this year, meaning they would be interested in such events.

Main headline

Barcode

Cover stories will help to the audience ‘personally identify’ (Katz) with the magazine if this is not done through the use of the headline.

‘Star appeal’ (Dyer) is evident in this magazine as it names many artists synonymous with the alternative music genre, which would attract fans of the genre to read the magazine. NME is targeted at fans of this genre and so is appealing to them through the use of this convention.

NME’s target audience is aged between 17 and 30. It’s a unisex magazine, though it is mainly male dominated. Only 27% of the readers are female, therefore 73% are male readers. The language used within the magazine can at times be explicit, hence why the target audience is no younger than 17.

Publisher research

77% of NME readers have been to at least one pop/rock concert (figures from 2007). 67% of the Audience will be attending a live music festival this year.

The NME is the “longest published and most respected music weekly in the world” according to time inc. UK. Costing £2.20 it is a standard priced magazine aimed towards working class citizens (ABC1) who are interested in music. As of 18 September NME will be freely distributed outside train stations and other busy public places.

Reach: 289,000 adults (0.6% of the adult population)Publisher: Time Inc. UK

Target Audience - Katz, Maslow, Hartley and/or socio-economic needsAccording to Katz’s uses and gratifications theory NME ‘informs and educates’ the reader, as they are provided with information about upcoming tours of bands in their local area, upcoming albums and information about music artists and television shows that would interest a UK audience. By doing this the audience are able to learn whilst reading about their interests, meaning they are likely to be fulfilled by reading it and will purchase the magazine again. In reference to Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs the audience of NME fall under both the self-actualization and esteem section. The audience may gain an understanding of a certain culture surrounding a particular artist or music genre which is not the norm, for example folk music. This understanding will help them develop respect for others’ music taste as they will understand the appeal. Self-actualization is achieved in a similar way, creating a lack of prejudice through an acceptance of facts. NME also encourages spontaneity, as they advertise “this weeks top 10 gigs” which could encourage people to buy tickets last minute to see if they really are worth all the praise.According to Hartley's seven subjectivities NME’s target audience is aged between 17 and 30. It’s a unisex magazine, though it is mainly male dominated. Only 27% of the readers are female, therefore 73% are male readers. The language used within the magazine can at times be explicit, hence why the target audience is no younger than 17. The magazine is only distributed in the UK, and this is treated by featuring a lot of British artists within the magazine as well as advertising gigs in Britain. The NME is the “longest published and most respected music weekly in the world” according to time inc. UK. Costing £2.20 it is a standard priced magazine aimed towards working class citizens (ABC1 in reference to socioeconomic class) who are interested in music. As of 18 September NME will be freely distributed outside train stations and other busy public places. This means that more lower class people will be able to read the magazine, increasing the audience size.

NME’S USPFrom the research completed into this media product, I think the USP is the gig guide, which features on many issues of the magazine’s front cover, in order to attract an audience of those who enjoy going to gigs. This would appeal to NME’s target audience as 77% of NME readers have been to at least one pop/rock concert (figures from 2007). This therefore means that they are likely to be interested in going to more gigs, which is made easier through this convention. Another USP for NME magazine is that they sometimes cover television on their front covers and within their magazines, not just music. This means that not only fans of music can enjoy the magazine, but also fans of television, expanding NME’s target audience and allowing for a larger audience to purchase the magazine. Not many other music magazines do this to as large an extent as NME do, meaning it is a unique convention that helps to sell the magazine.