Task 5

By Rosanna Todd

Task 5

• Research into similar music magazines on which you could base your magazine. Map out possible ideas for your music magazine including names, possible musical genres and ideas for articles.

NME- magazine research. Examples of front covers, contents pages and double page spreads for the magazine NME:

Examples of front covers, contents pages and double page spreads for the magazine NME:

Examples of front covers, contents pages and double page spreads for the magazine NME:

NME

• NME readers love the atmosphere of live events so there are normally a lot of articles on festivals and gigs. This interests the reader so therefore relates to and attracts the target audience. The target audience for NME magazine is men and women aged 15-24. We can know this from the content, language, imagery, layout and colours used.

• The New Musical Express (better known as the NME) is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, in the 14 November 1952 edition. In the 1970s it became the best-selling British music newspaper. During the period 1972 to 1976 it was particularly associated with gonzo journalism, then became closely associated with punk rock through the writing of Tony Parsons and Julie Burchill.An online version of NME, NME.COM, was launched in 1996. Today NME.COM has 5 million users per month. Krissi Murison was named the magazine's eleventh editor on 29 July 2009.She took over as the first female editor in September 2009. NME.COM is currently edited by Luke Lewis.History: The paper's first issue was published on 7 March 1952 after the Musical Express and Accordion Weekly was bought by London music promoter Maurice Kinn, and relaunched as the New Musical Express. It was initially published in a non-glossy tabloid format on standard newsprint. On 14 November 1952, taking its cue from the U.S. magazine Billboard, it created the first UK Singles Chart. The first of these was, in contrast to more recent charts, a top twelve sourced by the magazine itself from sales in regional stores around the UK. The first number one was "Here in My Heart" by Al Martino.

• According to the latest traffic figures, NME.COM now has 5 million monthly unique users (source: Omniture SiteCatalyst, 2011), making it the largest magazine website in the UK.

• In May 2011 NME.COM launched a sister site dedicated to video, NMEVideo.com, which has featured interviews with the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Arcade Fire, Muse, Coldplay and Foo Fighters.

• Also in May 2011, NME.COM unveiled the NME Festivals smartphone app. Sponsored by BlackBerry, it featured line-ups, stage times, photo galleries and backstage video interviews. The following month, NME launched its first iPad app, dedicated to Jack White.

Reference:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NMEStuff off Wikipedia

What was on the website:http://www.nme.com/

What was on the website:http://www.nme.com/

What was on the website:http://www.nme.com/

Q- magazine research

Front covers, contents pages and double page spreads…

What was on the website:http://www.qthemusic.com/

What was on the website:http://www.qthemusic.com/

Information:• Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.The target audience is males aged 14-

24. We can know this from the language, images and content used.• Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was

ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology. Q was first published in October 1986, setting itself apart from much of the other music press with monthly production and higher standards of photography and printing. In the early years, the magazine was sub-titled "The modern guide to music and more". Originally it was to be called Cue (as in the sense of cueing a record, ready to play), but the name was changed so that it wouldn't be mistaken for a snooker magazine. Another reason, cited in Q's 200th edition, is that a single-letter title would be more prominent on newsstands.The magazine has an extensive review section, featuring: new releases (music), reissues (music), music compilations, film and live concert reviews, as well as radio and television reviews. It uses a star-rating system from one to five stars; indeed, the rating an album receives in Q is often added to print and television advertising for the album in the UK and Ireland. It also compiles a list of approximately eight albums, which it classes as the best new releases of the last three months.

• Much of the magazine is devoted to interviews with popular musical artists.• The magazine is well known for compiling lists. It has created many, ranging from "The 100 Greatest albums" to

the "100 Greatest '100 Greatest' Lists". Every other month, Q — and its sister magazine, Mojo (also owned by Bauer) — have a special edition. These have been about musical times, genres, or a very important/influential musician.Often, promotional gifts are given away, such as cover-mounted CDs or books.

• Every issue of Q has a different message on the spine. Readers then try to work out what the message has to do with the contents of the mag. This practice — known as the "spine line" — has since become commonplace among British lifestyle magazines, including Q's sister publication, Empire and the football monthly FourFourTwo..

• Usual features include The Q50, wherein the magazine lists the top 50 essential tracks of the month; Cash for Questions, in which a famous celeb/band answers question sent in by readers — who win £25 if their question is printed; Ten Commandments, wherein a particular singer creates their very own ten commandments by which to live; and Rewind, in which they take us back in time through the history of music via archive issues of Q. On March 4, 2007, Q named Elvis Presley the greatest singer of all time.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q_(magazine)

Stuff off Wikipedia

Possible ideas for my music magazine• Names: Noise, DTM, Sound, Pulse, Studio, Exclusive• Musical Genres: Indie/rock, pop, Hip-hop • Ideas for articles: • Interviews with band members or new upcoming artists • Review on latest gig • Review on a festival• What an artist is doing with their life• Band pictures• Latest 2011 tracks• Music reviews• Target audience:• Male and female aged 16-24• From researching other magazines, I think that the genre for my music

magazine will be indie/rock. The target audience will be male and females aged 16-24. I will include articles on festivals and reviews on gigs; I may also include an interview. I will use colours and fonts that will attract the target audience and relate to the genre of music that my magazine is representing.