Target Audience

Below, is a reflection of the ideal desires, conventions and stereotypical physcological profile of my target audience.

My Target audience can be split into the primary and secondary. My Primary Audience is to be the 21st century teenage generation. Teenagers who indulge in music such as Jamie T, Chase and Status, Flo Rida etc.

The targeted teenagers, however will not be physcologically banded into social groups have music correspond with those sub groups ideologies. RM will pay no attention to social bias and feature a broad range of genres, in order not to alienate potential teenagers. Teenagers are perfect for a primary audience as they are not as confined to music from a certain decade, as much as slightly older people are. For instance, RM is able to stay interesting and up to date by confiding in publishing current events, and still maintain the satisfaction and interest of its primary audience. However, were the magazine confined to covering past decades music and determined genres, they would have a tough time not repeating themselves, and not informing the presumably better musically knowledgeable audience, of what they most likely already know. They is less restrictions put in place when covering modern music, and modern music is the stereotypical, sole type of music teenagers listen to,thus the target audience is easy to cater for.

http://www.teenmusic.com/

This website is solely aimed at teenage audience, note that all the bands featured are from the last decade.


However, my magazine will have a secondary audience. People around the age mark of 30 will be able to identify with this magazine, as they will not be out of touch with modern music, and yet will be able to understand the language used, and their greater age will allow them toidentify some of the codes and conventions of the music magazine genre, and be able to read this magazine just as easily as for instance, Rolling Stone.

Distribution + Publification

My magazine would most likely be distributed by Bauer Media. In order for it to have the potential for it to open up into a big national/ international market, it would need to have an experienced company with a sound financial backing and experience in this area. Bauer Media has all of these. Bauer media produces KERRANG, a magazine that whilst more genre based, is popular with the teenage audience i would like to attract. It also is appealing as it produces a non genre based magazine that my magazine takes great inspiration from. Q magazine. Q is also most likely the favourite magazine for my secondary audience of 30 somethings. Bauer Media also distributes more "teenage friendly magazines" such as Mojo, Kerrang ,Match! etc, as opposed to the other biggest contender, IPC Media. Here is a list of the brands each distributes

www.bauermedia.co.uk/brands

www.ipcadvertising.com/contacts/index.php

I believe at first my magazine would benefit from being sold at WHSmiths. This is because, my magazine has deliberately made sure that it does not prohibit or prejudice against any section of society. Its lack of genre allows all music fans to pick up a copy and read and stumble upon an article that appeases their personal taste and ideology. WHSmith specialises in selling magazines, so to gain maximum exposure, then that would be the place to start. However, were the magazine to gain popularity, branching out to include local newsagents would prove beneficial as it would provide less urban citizens to gain exposure to the magazine.

A Similar non genre confined magazine such as Q, had a circulation figure of around 130,000 monthly. More teenage friendly magazines such as NME and KERRANG, have figures of around 35,000 and 41,000 respectivley. Therefore, as a hybrid style of these magazines, a figure of around 45,000 weekly is estimated.

With the rapid growth of the world wide web in the 21st century, a website is an integral part in advertising the magazine, and providing potential audiences an experience of the magazines conventions and features. using technological convergence is key in attracting audiences. Music Videos, Interactive quizzes, polls, Top 100 lists these are all engaging and appealing to my target audience. In order to attract the young audience of the 21st century, 21st century methods must be used. Incorporating videos such as this one appeals to them by displaying that they are in touch with the modern musical society, and have have great expertise knowledge of all Musical current and future events, whilst conveying this through a way that speaks to the stereotypical teenager.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acV4djX07PQ&feature=related

Interactive polls allow for the viewers to engage the website and feel like they are able to have their views corresponded and represented on the website and magazine. For instance, a viewer who rates an album highly in a best album poll, will most likely feel inclined to return later to find out how the album they view has fared. Also polls allow the magazine to appease the target audience by getting indirect feedback of what the audience likes most, and thus the magazine is able to cover this more in depth in future. For instance take this online NME poll.

www.nme.com/rate/02icons/76

Downloadable music content for free will be beneficial, as teenagers will come on to the website for the music to download, qnd whilst their there, their eyes will wander around the page and be drawn in subliminely by other features. Here is downloadable conbtent form KERRANG!

http://www.kerrang.com/blog/features/

Here are the a few examples of online music magazines

http://www.kerrang.com/blog/features/

http://www.qthemusic.com/

http://www.rollingstone.com/

My Double Page Spread Deconstruction

The use of WOB is done specifically to emphasise the text and simply make it look more presentable. In a mild manner, this is challenging the messy stereotypical teenage ideology, and appeasing to the perhaps more mature, slightly older secondary audience of 30 year olds.

Females are given representation via the use of a female for the model. Interestingly, the dark colours and leather jacket are used as signifiers for the rock genre, and this particular genre,the rock genre, stereotypically is male dominated. Therefore the use of a female is challenging the stereotype.

A juxtaposition is created when you compare the dark background to the light bulb being held. It has connotations of hope and a new beginning, capturing the ideology and style of the artist whilst also making sure the shackles of society do not confound this article to only a certain section of society, that is perhaps more "Grungier" and rock,n,roll.

The text is on the right and the image on the left. This may not seem important but in music magazines, conventionally, this its always is, therefore in maintaining and abiding these unwritten rules, the magazine gives in an expertise sense of professionalism, and convinces the young audience that it is in tune with the business as say perhaps more mainstream and bigger magazines such as rolling stone, and that it knows everything they do.

The language used, is intentionally informal. The magazine aims to try and engage the reader whilst in informs them. As is common knowledge, teenagers stereotypically do not have a willing desire to be constantly taught. In using informal language, the magazine is able to signify a conversation between friends. The language breaks down the strangers barrier, helps further the reading pleasure of the reader, and subtly informs them whilst not overbearing them with a full on teach approach.

The language is also reminiscent of a normal conversation. The meaning for this is polysemic, firstly, it helps add a sense of realism to the interview. The questions don't seem staged, and they generally resemble what the target audience would most likely ask themselves, so they are once again are engaged.

Secondly, the way the person in question answers. They appear as normal people to the target audience. The audience is able to identify with them, and feel as if they are actually having a conversation with their much coveted icons. In answering the questions without using formal language, the subject actually has connotations of truthfulness, as it seems as if the answers come right from the heart.

My Contents Page Deconstruction

The current generation of teenagers are guaranteed representation, noticeably through the images all baring teenagers. This allows the primary audience of teenagers to relate to the music artists within the magazine, so they feel that the magazine really speaks to them.



The lack of a masthead has connotations of confidence, thereby ensuring the audience that the magazine is so popular that it need not broadcast its name on every page as it assumes you know it already. As well as this, teenagers may interpret it as a sign of arrogance, which they feel shows a reflection of their stereotypical ideology and perspective of cool, so might appeal to them in this way.



The pictures help to appeal and challenge stereotypes. You have pictures featuring teenagers out in the sun, in the trees, and in dark rooms. Key to note, all these teenagers have a look of confidence about them. This is important as it challenges the stereotype of say active kids being popular, and the paranoid shut in type kids. The juxtaposition of these pictures signifies a broad coverage of ideologies and their representation and acceptance of views within the magazine



Multiple pictures show that the magazine has plenty of interesting articles, that are not just boring old text, and that the magazine tries to engage its audience rather than simply attempt to inform them in boring terms.



The headings and contents heading, have reversed colours. This is done deliberately, to show that the magazine itself holds conventions, and thus a sense 0f tradition, giving reassurances to the audience, that it does in fact hold an ideology and despite its attraction to the teenage audience, the secondary slightly older adults, can take heart in knowing they are reading a moralistic magazine that does have values and codes and conventions.

My Front Cover Deconstruction

The mastheads colours are key in making it prominent and eye catching to Its target audience. The bright yellow, contrasted by the black font line surrounding it, and a juxatpositioned Masthead thats simplicity has connotations of professionalism and expertise, and modesty, is created. The masthead is only two letters, as it is more prominent to the target audience when being viewed on the newstand this way, and the gold colour has connotations of royalness, which is contrasted by the simplicity of the masthead.



The bold statement at the top allures in the young audience, as with perhaps less experience than the older generation of Music magazine readers, the younger generations may mistake this for an absolute fact rather than a statement of intent.



The background colour is vibrant and abstract, the meaning if this is polysemic. It has connotations of modern technology, appealing to the younger generation of adults," the 21st century people" as well as the abstract acting as a signifier for variation due to the bizarre nature of abstract work. The background creates a juxtaposition with the Model. On their own they are simply a man in a suit and a background, yet together, the background helps to emphasise the cool mindset of the model, and the contrasting colours highlight him, and distinguish him as the USP, which appeals to my primary young audience. His cool smugness makes young men want to be as cool as him, and as stylish, whilst his expression "appeals" to young women.



The way the headings are scattered across the page directly corresponds with the ideology of the teenage market. Teenagers are often seen as slightly confused and not wanting structure in their liefs, this is subtly reflected in this layout. Also by covering more space and spreading them out, the headings seem to fill more of the frame and make it seem like the magazine has more to offer.



The bright colour scheme signifies optimism, challenging the stereotype that teenagers are moody adolescents. The mixtures of colour also represent various different social groups and also challenges the divide between girls magazines and boy magazines.



The ideology conveyed when all these factors form a juxtaposition that is my front cover, is a 21st century modern ideology, where all are represented and all pies of art from different social groups are conveyed into the single musical culture.

My Front Cover

My front cover was finally designed and published after much hard research and analysis of other world wide recognised music magazines. In order for my magazine to be successful, it had to take inspiration from the successful conventions of the music magazine to appear professional and top class. Magazines for my front cover such as Q magazine, which is the type of music magazine format I aimed to duplicate, were analysed and studied, in order to perfect my front cover.

The layout of this page was an inspiration to my front cover

The central focus of the model, perfectly centralised, identifies him as the USP of the magazine, and he becomes the most prominent and eye catching figure when the target audience gaze at the news stands. The way the text is positioned to fit around the model, and still fill the frame, without running too much across him, is a fantastic technique to inform the audience of the content of the magazine, without diverting their focus from the eye catching USP. The simplistic Masthead, is reflective of having connotations of simplistic and expertise opinion, as opposed to attempting to be ridiculously unique and edgy which in order to make my magazine appear professional, Insightful and appealing, is key to make sure I keep it not to "Over the top". The background is very clever. In creating a well lit, and prominently lit background, the model stands out and is emphasised due to their clothing contrasting with the background, therefore, I saw fit to use this my magazine.

I ananlysed this front cover, simply due to the pose. Whilst not completley identical to my models pose in my final project, the way Bruce Springsteen body language seems rather laid back, signifies a sense if smugness that in the late 20th and 21st century we have come to expect from musicians, therefore incorporating this in to my magazine makes perfect sense if I am to portray the arrogant smug music icon that teenagers envy, and as they are my main audience, It strengthens the position of the model being the USP, as is conventional in the Music magazine genre.

First, I needed to create a background that would be contrasting to my picture of my model, in order to make him appear as the USP and stand out, making him more eye catching and prominet to the primary target audience. Here are a few shots of the creation of my front cover, for the full set of screen shots, please see my scrap book page 23.

The background was created in photoshop by using renders, and filters. After the background was created, it was merged with my model image in indesign and with some headings and fonts added, my front page was finished.

The Deconstructions

These deconstructions, are useful in creating and maximising the potential for my magazine to appeal to its target audience





This Contents page is derived from Kerrang music Magazine, Kerrang is a rock magazine, which follows modern events rather, than nostalgic different eras of music, therefore, it to is needing to appeal to a modern young generation for their target audience. The picture to text ratio allows the reader to identify all aspects and features of the music magazine without being overwhelmed with information, this ratio was duplicated for my magazine, and the use of language, was copied in order to maintain that the language I used was appealing to my target Audience.





Through deconstructing and evaluating this contents page, I was able to learn of the conventions of the type of modern magazine I wanted mine to be, therefore, I saw factors that I liked and appealed to me, and as I am a young person who would be included within my target Audience, I took inspiration from them.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-E-z9yUNf2ucyuLpNVi8DiSs0xT4OvYV49P4QHjUdRvLvKtsay6zsiKK9Xu7bh8aqrMwPF8H0Tiedo_vMisS_Zvg4PRtBNhVoo8ltK9AkwkAQKF2oojt27L4xpcoUQ6VDo1tPmr2pxs/s1600/contents.jpg

The Brief introductory paragraph, and front cover image, was appealing, as it gave the magazine a feeling of trying to engage with the audience on a personal level and distanced it from say, a magazine that intends to appear as simply an informative piece of writing, rather than magazine that will appeal to the younger audience by informing them in a form of communication that engages the audience, so that it feels more like a conversation rather than a dictation of information. As you can see it is always there in the top corner, thus becoming a sort of convention for the magazine.




The use of the mixed colour scheme with light and dark, has connotations of a balanced and mixed view on music. I developed this convention and expanded upon it by emphasising the contrasting dark black, bright yellow for the font, as to empathise the different views and ideologies displayed within the magazine.

Through this deconstruction, I learned important facts about the layout of the contents page. In order for a magazine to attempt to distance itself from a distinctive musical genre, breaking the convention of the text of the right hand side with the Image slightly to the left may be used. For instance, here is the music Magazine of Q that covers a broad range of music. http://natashamedia.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/q-contents.jpg, the content layout is the direct reverse of the layout of the kerrang magazine. However, I chose not to follow this concept of attempted uniqueness, as I felt that my magazine, should try and show that It covers a broad range of topics, however, it abides by its own conventions for instance the language it uses, despite what type of genre is being covered in that section.

I followed a convention when it came the images. In the magazine industry, contents pages all tend to either have a big main photo, of the USP, and then small photos around it, or they simply have one photo that takes up the whole page. I did the former.

The Masthead is often prominet on contents pages. However, I thought it would be cunning to break this convention, and my mast head isnt even properly feartured, except for on the image of the front page. This is because, my magazine is intended to have connotations of reputation, therefore, broadcasting its name on the contents page is not a neccesity.