Front Cover

After arranging the image behind the mast head I have now put the name of the band and a quote from the band underneath. I have also added a footer for more artist names.

Front Cover

Looking at existing magazines I can see that the image tends to overlap the title and therefore I have done the same with mine as I want my magazine to look as closely like a real magazine as possible.

This is it after I have put the text behind the image:

Front Cover

In making my magazine front cover, I have started with scalling the page correctly to the right size and then transferring my picture that I took and have decided to use onto it. Once I had done that and put that image to size and position of where I want it I then put the title on the top. I have decided for the title to be in red because it has connotations of danger and it is a common convention for red to be used in a rock music magazine. I have used the title 'MUSE' as a temporary title for my magazine however, I may end up using this title depending on how the readers react to it and I will carry out a survey in order to find this out.

Here is my magazine front cover so far:

As a reminder, here is my flat plan for my front cover.

I have now started to construct my magazine on Adobe Photoshop CS.5. I will be posting screenshots of my work in progress and how I have done it. I plan for my feature article to be in a question and answer format so it is like I am having an interview with the band. I think this will make the article far more interesting for the reader to read and it will seem more realistic. It will also make the reader feel as if it is truth and not made up as it is direct words came from the band members rather than something potentially made up about them in a standard article. In my contents page I want there to be real gig pictures as this will intrigue the reader to read more and find out who they are and where they were playing.

Why women are used in magazine front covers

Naomi Wolf, an author and activist, published a book in 1991 called The Beauty Myth explaining society's views on how beauty is perceived and meant to be to the reality of it. She says that in media, pictures of attractive women are used to appeal to women and therefore to sell products to women because women have been conditioned by our patriarchal society to want to look like the current model of beauty. So if they see something advertised with an attractive woman, they are more inclined to buy it as they want to look like her, suggesting that that product makes you look like her. It could be anything from clothing, diets, make-up to music and technology. It’s a way of persuading the reader to buy the product that they are advertising.

A woman on the cover not only attracts females but it attracts males too. Using an attractive woman on the cover creates sexual desire for men which will then make them more inclined to want to buy the product. Taking all this on board, I have decided to use two males and a female on my cover in order to attract both men and women and to hopefully increase the readers who are women as there seems to be a lack of women readers in the music magazine industry.

However, I do not wish to continue in the warping of society’s views of beauty and therefore I will not use models but women in the bands especially since my age range is at a point where beauty is key and society has a lot of pressure upon them to look a certain way. It also shows that it is possible for girls to be in rock bands rather than just a male dominated genre in the industry. Though, this will be difficult to get a women on the cover with most publishes of the magazine as there isn’t many bands or solo rock artists. On the other hand this will make us look for bands with women in or solo artists which will also keep the magazine fresh and up-coming, adding excitement and questioning into the magazine making them want to read more and therefore buy it, so for how difficult it may be, it could possibly work very well for the magazine to keep introducing new artists to the music scene. 

Websites to use for interactivity

There are many different websites that my magazine could use to enhance interactivity and that I could reference in my magazine. Fceook is a good way to keep news updated and to know what either the magazine or the artists are getting up to and news that they have got and to also view pictures. Tw!itter is very big for artists and bands as it can keep the news up to date about what is currently happening and gives a chance for fans to talk to their idols and people who are also fans and are interested in the same thing. !nstagram allows for pictures to be viewed instantly, and it is a very good way for interactivity as it visual which can really make the reader feel involved. YouTbe is another which is very good for the music industry as people can post videos to get viewed. So stars and bands can post their latest music video or just their music, and interviews and with comment and rating features it allows the fans to get involved and interact with their idols. Also the views of each video helps make them gain popularity and also money. It could even be a way for the magazine to show interviews to stars for their readers to then again gain popularity and money. There is also, of course, blogs from the artists and the magazine or official websites that the magazine could provide which could give links to the artists’ websites, blogs, or social networking websites. These will all capture the correct aimed age group of readers for the magazine as the people who use these websites will be the target age for the magazine. So it is a good idea that social networking is incorporated to allow interactivity and popularity to grow for the magazine and to get the target age range.

The Importance of Interactivity

Interactivity in magazines is very important. It keeps the readers and the fans of the magazine wanting more and therefore buying the magazine on a more regular basis. Reasons for interactivity and how it is important can come from Blulmer and Katz theory and how it forms personal relationships.

Having interactivity creates these personal relationships as it allows the audience to respond to what the magazine has said and it also allows for the readers to talk among themselves. This make the reader enjoy the magazine more as it gives a chance to make new friends and common ground between friends and also more social interaction for them on something they like. From social interaction this helps spread the magazine further to wider audiences and expands the business of it. This is good for the magazine to build a stronger audience and to gain readers which ultimately means it is bringing in more money.

There is more opportunity of interactivity in magazine websites rather than the actual magazine however it is still possible and it is extremely important to make sure that there is still that opportunity in the magazine. For example interactivity in the magazine could come from competitions, but also, the referencing of social networking sites such as Fceook and Tw!tter and their own websites which will also have social networking links on them too. A common one would be YouTbe as it can allow people to view music videos and listen to music with a rating and comment system that can be used for interaction. Not to mention the view count feature which counts how many views each video has got.

Interaction has changed over time due to the internet, had that not been in place, postage would be the way to go for interactivity between the readers and the magazine to allow them to get in contact with the magazine, as well as over the phone. However, as there is internet allowing emails to be sent and received and social interaction opportunities by social networking sites which also allow for readers to interact with their idols. Social networking will help the magazine in numerous ways so it is important that the magazine will reference such sites. It will help by reaching their target audience, commonly the age of users on social networking sites. Also, it makes it a far faster way for the magazine to get more popular gaining in numbers as it may go ‘viral’. It gets more people talking about it, more people reading the magazine and getting involved with it and the music industry.

Uses and gratifications applied to NME

NME uses Blulmer and Katz' theory of uses and gratifications to achieve such popularity and audience as it has.
Through NME's stories and activities such as compotitions and, of course, social networking sites allow readers to have escape and diversion from their everyday life which allows them to enjoy the magazine.
NME provides surveillance and information about the music scene and tries to get the most up-to-date information for their readers to ensure they are satisfied with what they have provided and to keep the current readers and hopefully gain more. Only by having the best and most recent information will NME continue to keep their readers along with gaining new readers.
Personal relationships also are provided from NME either through talking to friends or through social networking sites provided from the magazine which gives the readers more 'friends' to contact and chat about the features and stories in the magazine.
Finally, personal identity is something created for the readers when they purchase and read the magazine. They can identify themselves through the magazine by the genre of music NME concentrate on and the stories that are in the magazine that week. For example, the genre of the magazine allows the readers to create an identity for themselves and classify themselves within that genre of music.

Uses and Gratifications applied to Kerrang!

Kerrang! applies Blumler and Katz' theory to their magazine to gain readers and achieve such popularity and to maintain their current readers. From the four main points of uses and gratifications we can see how they are applied to Kerrang!
The stories that are in the magazine give escape and diversion to the readers as they can make the reader forget about their life while reading the feature stories and thinking about their life instead of their own.
Undoubtedly, surveillance and information is given by the magazine to inform the readers and give them the best most  recent information about the music scene at that current moment. By doing this it maintains its readers and it is also good for gaining  more readers.
Kerrang! uses social networking sites to create personal relationships between it's readers so they can talk about what is going on in the magazine and exchanging opinions about the artists and stories included.
Personal identity is created through the magazine genre of rock and so the readers can identify themselves in the rock scene which also helps them create personal relationships with others in the rock scene.

Uses and Gratifications

What I could offer them

For Bauer, my magazine could offer them a new magazine to publish in the UK to which will be a new magazine with a genre based on rock but has expansions within it to different subgenres of rock so therefore there is a wider audience range that my magazine could attract. Although Bauer is already publishing Kerrang! I still believe my magazine will atract a large audience due to the genre and subgenres in it and how I plan to make it a very up-to-date magazine with the latest news in the music scene. For IPC, my magazine could offer them a new magazine to which they have not had in this genre. However, they publish NME which is a music magazine that used to have rock as there genre, but they have become less focused on this oever the years and therefore my magazine will refresh the company which could attract readers that know IPC for the NME publishing. Also, IPC are only publishing one music magazine which is NME, a very well known popular magazine so I know that they are reliable but it also means that the company can expand onto more music magazines, and the rock genre and sub genres within it could be a good start.

IPC

Again I have carried out further research into IPC Media, another publishing company which I could attempt to get my music magazine published by. IPC also publishes a range of different styles of magazines such as lifestyle magazines amongst others. IPC publishes NME music magazine which is a very popular music magazine and online music magazine with this company. IPC is not an international publishing company and is based in the UK. Although it is not as big as Bauer it is based where I will be releasing my music magazine and therefore they will have a better understanding of the UK economy and have their full attention on what the UK want and need and the economy structure. A quote from the IPC Media website: 'With more than 60 iconic media brands, IPC creates content for multiple platforms, across print, online, mobile, tablets and events. As the UK's leading consumer magazine publisher we engage with 26m UK adults - almost two thirds of UK women and 42% of UK men. Our award winning portfolio of websites reaches over 25 million users globally every month.' This indicates that they are reliable and I could carry out my magazine and for IPC to publish it in the UK.

Bauer Media Group

From further research into Bauer Media Group publishing company, I have discovered that Bauer is an international media publishing company and also publishes Q music magazine which is another popular music magazine. It publishes a range of different types of magazines like lifestyle magazines too. I think Bauer would be a good choice to have them publishing my magazine due to it currently publishing two very famous music magazines. Not to mention, in particular, Kerrang! as this is a music magazine that is aimed at the same genre of music as mine will be, and Bauer is well known for the magazines they publish and therefore, for the readers they will trust the magazine more. A quote from the Bauer Media Group website: ‘The Bauer Media Group is one of the most successful media companies in the world. More than 570 magazines, over 300 digital products, and 50 radio and TV stations reach millions of people around the globe. The company’s portfolio also includes printing companies, postal services and services in the fields of distribution, marketing and media sales. The Group’s turnover is stable at more than two billion euros. With a new global positioning strategy, the Bauer Media Group underscores its passion for people and brands.’ They have said about the sales turnover is stable and they have a new global positioning strategy which indicates in the current climate of economy in the UK it is still stable and therefore reliable for my magazine.

I have conducted some research into two media publishing companies, one of which is Bauer Media Group and another is IPC Media. Bauer Media Group publishes Kerrang! And IPC Media publishes NME which are amongst the most popular music magazines of our time, but I plan to research further into these companies to see which ones would be best for my magazine to be published by and what I could offer them from publishing my magazine.

Improvements of the photo's

My Photos

I do believe the photos that I have taken aren't of the best quality and in order for me to improve them I have pointed out what is wrong with one of the many photos I have taken. This allows me to know what factors I need to consider in the official photo-shoot in the future.

As I have my flat plans made I have started taking photos that I will use in my magazine. I have started with the photos for my front cover. As a quick idea to what I want my models to pose like and how I think it would look, I organised a quick photoshoot consisting of a band of three members.

Flat plans

 

 

 

My reader profile

Here is my reader profile that I made for my magazine:

What is a reader profile?

A reader profile is often used in magazines wich portrays what the readers of that magazine are like and what they are interested in. They often show things such as food, electronics and clothing in image form along with statistics of additional information about the readers of the magazine. It allows readers to connect to each other and gives the magazine a group to aim for as a target for the magazine.

Example of a reader profile

Here is an example of NME's reader profile:

 

In order to create a reader profile I need to look at existing models but also, I need to find out what my target audience like and therefore put into my reader profile. As I have completed the survey to find out what audience I will be targetting in my magazine and what genre my magazine will be, I can now find out what my target audience like and for it to be out into a reader profile for my magazine.

From carrying out a survey I have been able to see which genre and audience my magazine will attract. I have discovered that rock magaznes are generally bought by males rather than females and so my plan is to encourage more females to read my magazine without losing any male readers. I do not think this will be overly hard to do because of the genre of music I have picked, but to increase the attraction to female readers I have been researching how I could acheive this; using a girl on the cover ultimately attracts females, just like fashion magazines as they use a female on the cover to attract females to read the magazine. Also, certain types of poses draw different attentions, so I could use a girl on the cover of my magazine in a certain pose in the hopes of attracting more females as an audience range but on par with males. Although, the reason more readers are male is because more males listen to this genre of music and this I cannot change for females.

Survey breakdown

Survey breakdown from AlexandraMediaStudies

Market research survey

Click here to take survey.

Conventions of music magazine articles

Conventions of music magazine contents pages

Conventions of music magazine front covers

Pitch

My project is to create a music magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread following conventions of current music magazines on the market now. To help me do this I will research and analyse four of each front cover, contents and articles of different magazines. All of which I will be using Adobe Photoshop. I have come up with some ideas that I will use as a plan to making my music magazine. The genre of music for the magazine I plan to use is rock, but within it, it has all the sub genres so I get a wider audience range. In doing this it will attract more readers and therefore there will be a higher selling rate thus better profits. I have chosen rock as my genre of music for my magazine as most music magazines are rock or rock related, expanding into metal and all sub genres, so buyers of music magazines are concentrated in the rock genre. Also for a very informative and good quality music magazine, these are the genres that people tend to go for, rather than pop. My primary audience for my magazine are from the ages of 15-25. This is because the population of young people getting interested and involved with the technicalities of the music scene is growing. It gets them involved and makes them feel closer to their idols. I have chosen this age range because they are at a competitive age where they want to have the most up to date news first, and with this magazine (as a competitor myself to other magazines) I plan to have the latest news released quicker. Luckily with this genre, there isn’t only an audience of the specified age range of 15-25, but also to later years. So as my secondary audience I plan to have a 26+ age range. I don’t think it will be entirely difficult to incorporate these ages together because of the diverse genre I have chosen. Whereas, had it been another genre, such as pop again, it would be far more difficult to achieve this.

For my first project, I had to create a front page and a contents page for a school magazine. Firstly, before starting any work on Photoshop, my group ( Becca, Jordan, and Josh) and I went out and took pictures around the school of the architecture, students and teachers using the facilities which I will use in my magazine. Once we had collected all of our images needed I started on my front cover. Here is what I produced:

 

 

 

I kept a plain background so that the images and writing weren't over powered by any background as there is a bright mix of colours. I chose the colour theme to be blue yellow and red because of the school logo consisting of these colours. I chose the official school logo to show that the magazine is the schools magazine and is about the school. with the pictures that i used, I had them in a coloured box to stand out fitting with the theme. the font that I used was in different sizes so different bits of text could stand out and makes you read that first. this is a classic convention of magazines. i also used social networking logos to show people that information is available online because there is an increasing demand for online usage. so this could be a better way to get more readers, especially due to readers being in school who will use the internet more rather than physically reading the magazine.

Next I carried out a contents page for the school magazine, this is what I produced:

 For the contents page I carried the same colour scheme from the front cover so it still has the same theme and adds to the fact that it is Heworth Granges magazine as it is their colours. I used more pictures to give an insight to what is in the magazine. The background is a picture of the interior of the school and over it there is boxes which are faded so the we can still see the background. In the boxes is the actual contents which is not faded so they stand out.

As this is my first project at A level i can look at my mistakes and I know how to improve them, some being smaller writing on the front cover and contents page and a more typical magazine cover, which now I know I can improve on in the future.