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Media Institutions Research

All magazines are produced and distributed by different media institutions. I chose to look at the production and distribution of NME magazine.
From this i found out many different things about how the magazines are produced and what different process' they under go.
IPC media is the name of the company that are behind the production of NME magazine. They are one of the UK's leading consumer magazine and digital publishers. In 1963 it was formed as International Publsihing Company. Then in 1968 the company bought the Daily Mirror and became the IPC-Mirror group.
IPC media groups titles under five different divisions and these consist of Connect (women's weeklies such as Now Magazine and Look), Inspire (leisure and specialist), Ignite! (men's lifestyle and entertainment), SouthBank (women's lifestyle and home interest) and TX (portfolio of television titles). In addition, there is Marketforce, the UK's leading magazine distribution business.

Audience Research

Also when thinking about my target audience it was important that i focused on not just the age and gender of the audience but that i carefully considered their identity. Looking at the attitudes ( how they act/behave) also their values( what they consider important to them) and finally their beliefs ( what they believe is morally right, factually right/wrong).
In order for me to get a full insight into the target audience of my particular genre which is indie music i aslo thought about other elements of media that they were maybe influenced by. For example websites, t.v programmes, radio stations, clothes they wear and the shops they shop in and finally any other hobbies or interests that they have.
Whilst carrying out this research i came across a t.v programme called 'skins' and i felt this was something that people of this genre would watch and relate too. It is a programme all about a bunch of teenagers at school who like to live the 'rock and roll' lifestyle. They enjoy to go out partying and just generally having a laugh. Although there are things in this programme which represent real life factors and events. For example teenage pregnancy, drug taking, getting into trouble with the law and also issues like parents splitting up. In this programme its all about breaking the rules and living on the edge and not giving a care in the world to what anyone else thinks.
Also i looked at other areas of media texts that may influence my particular genre. For example magazines like NME and Q. These maagazines are presented and in a similar way that i aiming to present my ideas. They are edgy and musically are of the same genre. These magazines contain the same genre of music that i am aiming to attract an audience of this will also relate to radio stations like Kerrang And NME where they can listen to the particular genre of music that they enjoy.
Also i looked at things such as concerts as generally if someone is willing to buy a music magazine of the genre that they are particular interested in then they will be interested in live music such as concerts and festivals. A good example of this would be a festival like Reading and Leeds where they experience the whole live music all weekend. Also another example of festtival that may appeal would be Gladstonbury as this is a festival that caters for all music tastes but includes a specific tent or stage for the indie genre. But it is also appealing to my audience because of the way for the weekend they can live the 'rock and roll' lifestyle, camping with their friends, drinking and enjoying the music that they believe is a big part of their lives. It's not just festivals that are appealing to this genre of music but its also general gigs and these are anything from local up and coming bands to huge world wide recognised musicians.
Another thing that i researched when thinking about my audience was the places in which they shop and purchase their clothes in order for them to reach the image that gives them that 'indie' feel. Shops like topshop are a huge appeal to my audience and give them inspiration and confidence to wear more 'individual' styles of clothing. Also they may use internet sites like ebay and such places to find more edgy and vintage looking clothing. This way they can can get the look that fits in with the music scene. Places like Portobello market in London tend to attract the Topshop and ebay type of shoppers. Here you can purchase many vintage pieces from fur coats to handbags. Especially as this is somewhere that it's all one off pieces this is an attracting feature because of the way in which everyone in this scene of music likes to consider themselves individual and one off.

Target Audience

In order for me to create an effective magazine i had to carefully consider my intended target audience. I already had an idea of the type of magazine that i wanted to create but in order for it to be a complete success i had to find the types of people and age groups that would be interested in my particular genre of music.
The intended target audience for my magazine is for 16-18 year olds, although this is not the set particular age and there will more than likely be exceptions which must be considered.
My magazine can cater for both a male and female audience.
The female audience would be a teenager between the ages of 16-18 years old, they will be a sociable sort of young girl who enjoys spending time with friends and having a laugh.
Topshop is the sort of image that will appeal to this female audience she will like to look individual and stand out from the crowd. The edgy and 'rock and roll' image will be what will suit the intended female. Also because of the way that topshop does a range of clothing in the London Oxford Street store that is purely one off designs and styles. Inspiration for clothing and such things also comes from reading magazines such as NME and Q.
The male audience who will be attracted and interested in my magazine will also be a teenager between the ages of 16 and 18. The male will be a loud and sociable type of guy who enjoys going out with friends and having a general laugh. They also will want to live the 'rock and roll' lifestyle, enjoying things like sex, drugs and partying. Although that is a generalisation that will not be the case for the all the males interested in the Indie genre of music. Some may be more the quiet and shy types who would rather just listen to their music and perhaps enjoy things like reading a good book.
The male audience will like shops like Topman and vintage clothing, shopping also in places like charity shops and so forth. They will also read magazines in the Indie genre such as NME and Q as these have particulary large influences on them due to the fact they contain things of the same genre and intrests.
I carried out a pre-questionnaire and i believed that this would help me determine what genre people of the teenage/young adult age group people were interested in.
The pre-questionnaire went as follows:

1. What genre of music do you listen to ?
2. What three colours would you associate with this genre?
3. What would you expect to see in this particular magazine?
4. What artist do you associate with this genre?
5. What type of style/clothing would you associate with this genre of music?

The results of this pre questionnaire showed that the most popular genre of music between the teenagers aged 16-18 year olds that i asked was Indie music which influenced me to choose this particular genre this is because i want to offer something to the youths that would be interested in and actually want to buy and read. Out of the 50 people i questioned both male and female 33 of them chose this particular genre and this is a very large majority.

So when asked what particular colours they would associate with Indie music as it was the most popular choice the colours that were suggested were ones such as red, yellow, orange and black. This was perhaps because all these colours are all considered as being quite bold and lively. There is nothing dull about them and they are also very attractive to the eye. Having lively colours will help them to back up the point about wanting to get out there and enjoy things such as live music.

When asking what they would like to see in the magazine it was clearly suggested things like information on live concerts and gigs. Also feature articles introducing new and up coming bands that haven't been heard of before are popular. The reader would like to feel as though they are the first person to find out about the new things. Also they said that they would expect to see posters of their favourite bands and what they enjoy.

When asked the question what artists do they asssociate with this specific genre because the majority went with the Indie genre this is the example i shall use. They mentioned bands such as Kings Of Leon. Kasabian , Artic Monkeys and Florence and The Machine.

Finally when asked about the style of clothing that they would associate or say relates to this genre they picked items such as skinny jeans and hoodies was mainly chosen for male , along with shirts and cardigans. For females they mentioned items of clothing like skinny jeans also but leggins, blazers and other such pieces.

Exsisting Magazines

In order for me to create a successful magazine cover i had to begin by identifying the codes and conventions of exsisting music magazines. This is so that i am able to develop my ideas so that they follow and also challenge the codes and conventions. I chose to look at NME and Q magazine as my examples. This was because i felt that they were magazines of the same genre and gave off the same vibe that i wanted my magazine to have.

The first magazine that i chose to look at was NME. This magazine follows the common codes and conventions. It does this because it has a masthead, uses a main image, a logo and a strap line.
The masthead of the magazine is in large, bold font and located in the top left hand corner. This follows the usual codes and conventions as the majority of magazines have their masthead in that particular format. The title of the magazine 'NME' stands for 'New Musical Express' this gives the impression that this magazine is presenting it's target audience with new and fresh news, up and coming bands that have never been seen before and the word 'express' makes the reader think about newspapers meaning that this magazine is a newspaper for music, it's regular and 'reliable'. The masthead uses four main colours and this is a common theme throughout alot of magazines. There is one main image on the front of the magazine and this is a mid shot.It has also been taken in a studio location and this an affect which means they have more than likely been told how to stand and be positioned to make the image be presented in the best possible way to the intended target audience. Having only one image on the front cover creates a more dynamic affect to the magazine making it more appealing to readers. This image follows the typical conventions because the shot of an artists face is recognisable and what the reader wants to see. Although the image does intrude on the masthead this isn't that important because the magazine is already well established therefore the audience know what they are out to buy and are just looking for the 'hot' new bands and news on these.
Additionally the NME magazine has many cover lines these provide extra information about what else is to offer inside the magzine. These are located in different positions all over the front cover and are highlighted in such ways as boxes and circles to attract the reader.
The Q magazine is slightly different to the NME one although it still uses the same codes and conventions. The masthead is once again situated in the top left hand corner. There is also a very large image on the front but this time it doesn't intrude on the name of the magazine. Also on the front of this maagazine there is a single image of Lily Allen whereas on the front of NME it is a group shot of The Automatic.
The cover of Q also uses straplines and cover lines to keep the audience engaged and attracted to buying the magazine. Although the Q cover is alot less complex and 'busy' than NME it still follows the correct codes and conventions of a magazine and therefore creates the right affect for its intended audience. Compared to the NME cover the cover of Q gives off a more 'sophisticated' feel this is also where it challenges the conventions of other magazines as it provides a more versatile style and affect.
The third magazine cover that i chose to analyse was the cover of Vogue. The image on this cover is a close up shot and is quite obviously taken in a studio location and this is made clear by the way that a backdrop is used in the background and unatural settings are shown.The image used is left in the centre with no intrusion from the masthead or cover lines. The masthead is written across the top of the magazine which is not typical of usual codes and conventions this is because usually it is situated in the top left hand corner. Although it is not in the usual place the masthead is still in large, bold font which is always good as it makes the magazine more easily recognised. Vogue magazine keeps to simple colours and usually just uses one main colour throughout the whole of the magazine. For example on this cover it uses white for the masthead and for the smaller cover lines.
The cover of this magazine is quite simple although it proves to be affective in the same way.

From this research that i have produced on looking at existing magazines covers i can begin to create a music magazine which follows but in some ways also challenges the codes and conventions of magazines that already exist. This is so that i can affectively attract my target audience.

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