Evaluation.

I decide that I should create a main stream music magazine, meaning that the main features will range each issue. Each issue will feature many up and coming music and artists. I have stuck to the typical layout of magazines, simply by using the main feature as the central image with a direct mode of address. With the title block across the top so that the magazine can be easily identified when on the shelves in store.

The media institute that might distribute my media product is IPC this is because the magazine is aimed for an older target audience from the UK. The range of magazines that IPC produces are woman’s magazines to men’s magazines, TV magazines to music magazines, motor magazines to wedding magazines and much more. Here is a list of some of the magazines that they have published loaded, Marie Claire, NME, Ideal Home and Country Life. Although this publishing company has music magazine I feel as if this magazine will stand out and be a niche in the market, because it will be the only magazine aimed at females at the age of 18-25 and be able up and coming artists and up and coming music, there will be reviews of artists, albums and singles.

The main target audience for my magazine will be females located in the UK ranging from the age of 18 to 25, this is because there is a gap in the market where there are many monthly magazines for females which feature many articles on gossip or fashion, there isn’t a magazine for females fully focusing on music as a genre. I will attract my target audience by featuring same freebies, reviews, exclusive features, special offers and in-depth interviews. The main things that will attract the target audience is the up and coming music and artists. The central image will have a direct mode of address to attract the reader. The title block will be across the top of the page so that it will be visible when in store on the shelves. The title block will be bold so that it will stand out for the audience. From my research I decided that the colour scheme for the magazine should be black, white, grey and red. All of these colours easily co-ordinate and they stand out. The red and white will stand the most, hopefully catching the reader’s eye, attracting them to this magazine.

The world wide web is one of the main technologies that helped construct this product. I was able to research similar products and I was able to construct feedback from blogging websites such a Blogger.com. From this site I was able to develop polls so that the target audience were able to vote for the title block that they were attracted most. This means that I will be able to create that product to their desire. Another main part of technology that I used in the process of constructing my product was adobe Photoshop, I hadn’t used this software before, I research from you tube for some tutorials on photo editing, I learnt how to airbrush images much like the professional ones, I left how to delete the background from an image, I even learnt how to change the colour of the image for example some the models make up.

From my preliminary task, I feel that I have improved because I was able to use a range of images; using different shot types for example long shots, mid shots and close up shots. I realised from looking at real magazines that I can attract the target audience by using a direct mode of address. I feel like the preliminary task only targets a small range of readers, but my final product can attract a range of different audiences.

Final Magzine

Draft Contents Page

Draft Front Cover

Draft Front Cover

Images.

Layouts

This is a rough layout for my front cover.

This is a rough layout for my front cover.

The 16-year-old singer started sharing you tube clips for friends and family and ended up a Hollywood Star. Raised on a council estate in East-London, Julia could only dream that she would see her name in the charts, but almost overnight she did.
Interviews by Abbe Uter
Most 16 year olds would be at home studying for their GSCE’S or hanging out with friends, Not Julia she has been flown overseas to record her new album and hanging out with Hollywood stars.
Julia- haha, don’t worry my studies have come with me, my mum got me a private tutor, i will still be getting my GSCE’s my mum likes the idea of me being a star, but she likes the idea of education better.
Other than school work, what do you have to take with you on your journeys?
I wish I could bring all my friends with me; they would love to meet some of the stars that I meet. Obviously i carry my personal camera too see what stars i manage to bump into.
Would you replace your friends, with your new famous friends?
NO WAYY!! They are like family. Nothing can replace my friends, no matter how rich or famous I get, they will always be my friends.
When did this all start?
Well it was 3years ago when my mum uploaded my 1st you tube clip my mum started uploading vids of me singing I thought it was so embarrassing, people started subscribing and requesting all these different kinds of songs. I started doing it as a hobby. It was about 7months when Beyonce signed me. “Who Knew YouTube would get me here?” I still can’t believe it if I pinched myself maybe I would wake up from this dream. This just doesn’t feel real.
What types of songs did you start off singing?
I would sing anything and everything; the songs that I would sing in my vids were songs that my mum wanted me to sing. A lot of Whitney Houston’s, obviously could never hit them high notes, I did try my best. People seemed to like them, people began to ask me to sing more recent r’n’b songs from various artists from Beyonce, Usher, Ne-yo, Alicia Keys, and much more.
Did you ever think that you could ever make it to the charts with you idols?
I would always dream about it, this just shows dreams do come true. Never did I think that I would be able to say that I have meet some of the stars that I have met not to mention be up against them in the charts.
How did you feel when you reached your number one status?
I simply couldn’t believe it. Was so nervous when I heard that I could even be in the top 10, but as I was watching I was getting anxious as i still hadn’t seen my name, when it got to top 3 i was getting ready to turn the tv off because i knew that there was no possible way that i could get a song there. As soon as i heard, ‘unthinkable by Julia Thanh’ i screamed, i couldn’t believe my eyes. Then i started to dance around the room. Haha trying to copy the video, this is something that i would regularly do with friends at home, this time i actually knew the routine, because it was mine.
Where do you see yourself in the next 5years?
Hopefully working on my second album and a world wide tour. Maybe living in New York. I have also written a few of my own songs, hopefully I will get the chance to get to produce some of my own songs.
What have you got planned for the rest of your time here in London?
Well, I’m going back you New York in a little over a week. So I have got to spend as much time with friends and family as possible. My school has asked me if I could go and visit, of course I am going couldn’t reject an offer to see the people that mean so much to me. I will properly hang out with friends and families, go bowling or cinemas. Just the normal things that I have missed out so much of. Then flight back to New York and who knows what I have in store for myself when I get there.
Is Beyonce a good coach?
She isn’t just my coach, she is just like a best friend. I cant believe i said that haha. But she is there for me and she helps me, she pushes me to do things simply because she knows that i am capable of doing it.
What was your reaction when you found out that she wanted to sign you?
When we got the phone call me and my mum both thought that it was a prank call. We didn’t believe a word of it. But when i heard Beyonce’s voice I dropped the phone. I simply just couldn’t believe it. This would be a moment in my life that i will never forget. The next morning after we found out that Beyonce wanted us to fly out to LA, my mum had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, i didn’t sleep all night i was wide awake.
Are your family supportive about your new career?
Obviously, this is a dream of mine which has finally come true. As much as i cant believe it they cant believe it.
Do you get more friend now that your famous?
Strangly i feel as if some of my friends don’t want to know me anymore, they just don’t seem to be the same as what we was. It feels so weird you saying that I have fans. Doesn’t seem right, let’s just say they aren’t my fans, they are my friends.

NME Article

Depending who the feature artist is then the target audience will resolve around them, so the target audience will differ based on who is the feature artist. Basically if the feature artist is a Pop star, than their target audience will be fans who are interested in pop music. The choice of feature artist will be very important to attract the correct target audience. The type of language used is quite informal, there isn’t any need to have much academic quality, and most people will be able to read this article. Obviously because the article is written in English, it is aimed for people who are able to read English. This language appeals to the target audience as it is easily understood. “As all dead rock stars know” if this line was in another article it could be taken from a different aspect for example, if it was in a newspaper, then it would have a completely different concept, it would be seen that a rock star had passed away. Another example is “Fuck it, we’re gonna pretend like all this isn’t happening for a hot minute” as this was said by a rock artist is would be over looked at his fowl language however if the same expression would have been said by a politician in newspaper than the article would be seen as a bad representation for him/her, but because rock stars already have this image, so this doesn’t affect their status. I think that the tone that the magazine uses to address the reader is an informed intelligent fan, because although they speak with formal language they can be informal and relate to the target audience because but they also have are intelligently informed. They know the factual information about the band also. The text style of the text is plain, easily eligible, but is really small. All the other pages have similar fonts. The titles are a bigger font size than the font size of the article. The layout of the page is very organised as the text are assigned in columns meaning that the article is easily read and looks very presentable. One whole page is taken up with an image, with a quotation from the article. The next page is taken up by at least three quarters of the page with at least font size 72 which is another quotation from the article, this text is aligned to the centre of the page making it stand out more, also each line has a different font colour one line is a light green the other is a dark green. Then the interview begins with a brief opening paragraph, that doesn’t have any alignment and is approximately font size 16. Underneath this section the name of the person who has written this article is aligned to the right. The interview is then split into two columns that look as if it is in the middle of the page, the font size is rather small, and the article begins with a capital ‘A’ that is much bigger than the size of the other text. For the next two pages the article is split into three columns, one page has an image that takes up at least one quarter of the page
The tone that the magazine is using is that they are an informed intelligent fan, this is easily displayed because the text is formal, and if it was by a close friend or a member of in crowd then there will be some kind of slang words used. Through the image the artist is represented in a fun, quirky way. The images of him in the photo booth and the images it’s self. His fashion style is very Goth like. There aren’t any captions for the images. The images themselves are action shots, as if he was in the middle of doing something. There is also a shot of him performing at a concert.The only thing that is similar to the house style is the fact that the magazine title is at the bottom of the page. There is also some sort of similarity with the contents page and the article, because some of the words are in a coloured box.

My Title Blocks

Analysing Title Blocks

Kerrang!

The target audience for Kerrang magazine is 15-25 years olds who are interested in to rock/punk/grunge/ indie music. More males read this magazine than women. The publisher of the magazine is Bauer. This is a niche music magazine and from the front cover I can tell that there will a lot about bands and music inside. They have a range of bands and artists; this is so they can attract a wide range of audience. The title is bold and black as it made to stand out and make a statement. The word Kerrang is the sound that a guitar makes when it is struck really hard, this is known as onomatopoeia. The exclamation mark helps to emphasize the sound, make it seems as if it is really loud. The design of the block title tells me that the magazine is quite edgy. This is because the title looks like it has been smashed. It has the effect of a smashed glass or mirror which is quite edgy and again alternate. Showing the recklessness and loudness of the rock music also including their many sub-genres. The font type looks similar like graffiti and looks as if it has been stamped on to the page making it seem as if the name is being branded and will be able to be easily recognized, this gives an informal representation of the magazine. The colour scheme of black and white and the fort type portrays and image of roughness, edginess and uniqueness, which can be easily stereotyped throughout the audience. The white background helps the black font stand out but contrasts with the image as it can be mistaken for a formal text.

Rolling Stone

The target audience for Rolling Stone magazine are people from the age group 18-40. This magazine is devoted to people who enjoy music, politics and popular culture. The font used for this main stream magazine looks very classy and stands out due to the bold red colour and the white and black outline. This American magazine has a celebrity that it hot at the moment on the front cover to draw in the readers. Much like a tabloid newspaper, the title block is red making it stand out and possibly indicating that the information given is slightly more biased. The writing is really curvy and rounded joining together at some points making it look as if it could be a laid back image, as the magazine is easy going on what is published. The fact that all of the title has a dark shadow makes it stand out more. For some reason the font reminds me of an American dinner from the 60’s also from the band.



NME

NME, which is abbreviated from New Musical Express, is aimed for teenagers from 16-19 who are interested in indie/rock music. The publishing company for NME is IPC. This is a rebellious newspaper that started out as a newspaper but is slowly braking out to become a magazine. The magazine includes youth culture and what is the popular music at the moment. Not only does the red colour of the font match a tabloid newspaper the articles published are also like tabloids as they are much more like a gossip magazine. The font stands out as it is bright red. However it looks as if it is indented into the magazine as there is a darker shadow around the harsh edges, giving the wording some depth. The font type is kind of basic, but it is bold and capitalised making it stand out. Q

Q magazine is for music lovers from the older generations, who buy CD’s rather than downloading music. It is a sister magazine to Mojo, both are published by Bauer. This magazine includes in depth interviews and new released and up and coming talent. The magazine gives away promotional gifts such as cover mounted CD’s or books. The font type looks as if it is the classic “times new roman” making the title look formal as it is only one letter it is short and sweet and easy to remember. What does Q mean, the font style is very formal so does it mean, Queen or maybe it could mean Question as the questions that people have on the music industry can be answered in this magazine.

Questionaire Results

Proposal and Questionaire

The genre of the magazine that I will be producing will be newly released or up and coming music. The audience will vary with their interests in all music types and would like to be able to have in-depth interviews. The age group of the audience should be from 18-25 a more older audience as the most of the magazines are targeted for younger generations. This magazine will be aimed for females as although there are many glamour or fashion magazines that are aimed at mainly women, there are not many music magazines targeted for them.

This is a questionnaire that I have produced so that I can find out what will attract my target audience to buy my magazine. Please circle what answer applies to you.

1. How often do you buy magazines?
Everyday Once a week Once a fortnight Monthly
When something interesting is inside
2. How much are you willing to spend on a magazine?
£1 or under £2 or under £3 or under £4 or under Over £5
3. What attracts you to magazine?
Freebies Celebrities Posters Interviews Competitions
Exclusive features Reviews Articles Clothing
4. What do you prefer in-depth interviews or factual information on artists?
In-depth interviews Factual information Both
5. Can you suggest a name for the magazine?
...............................................................................
6. What is your favourite colour/s? (no more than two)
................................................................................
7. Do you find it difficult to find out about new music or artists?
Yes No
8. Do you find it difficult to find out about up and coming music or artists?
Yes No

Preliminary Task

Front Cover.



Contents Page.

Mojo Contents Page

There’s is only one image used; this is the main focus of the page as it covers the whole page. the text covers the image, and the trees that are in the background are blurred so that the main focus is Corinne Bailey Rae, who is an up and coming artist this matches the style of the magazine because they focus on up and coming/new music or artist. The image has been made the background. A house style is being developed as you can see the central image is black and white then the text is white, black or red. The black and white image is supposed to support the front covers image white is meant to resemble the 70's. The information is organised in two columns diving the page in half, this make the magazine look very formal and easily understood. The writing then curves around the central image, this is so that the central image is visible. There is a section that is surrounded by two lines, this has been separated from the other text making it stand out as it is telling us what page the article from the front cover is going to be on. There isn’t any promotional feature on this contents page. The magazines title block is at the top of the page, this shows that it is very dominate as it takes up a lot of the room. There is also another logo at the bottom of the page but it is only small next to the page numbers.

Mojo Front Cover Analysis

The type of magazine is a monthly music magazine that is aimed for predominately male audience ranging from the age of 25-50 .

There is a free CD that is on the front cover of this magazine. There will also be 10 of 2010’s new music preview, this shown by the puff words.The central image has a direct mode of address, he is looking directly at the audience, and to me it looks like an ID picture for example a passport image.

The relationship that will be built up from this image would friendly however he isn’t smiling but because his eyes are looking directly at you, it catches your eye. The image is in black and white this is so that the other colours stand out more, also to represent the past as he is from a band from the 70's, relating to the past. Also it looks as if the image had been edited because it looks as if it has been pixelated.
Led Zeppelin is on the front cover of this magazine, as he is currently releasing some new footage, which makes him currently new gossip as such. There isn’t a slogan.The central image is black and white, so that the CD can stand out. The black and white image makes the magazine look very old fashioned. Also the white font stands out.The main thing that is used to attract the audience is the free CD, also because the image has a direct mode of address the audience will feel as if they are being welcomed by the image.

NME Contents Page

The contents page has two images; one image is enlarged and is the main focal point of this page. Unlike other contents pages, this already has an article on it. The second image is a small copy of the previous cover, promotion the offer of a subscription, at a discounted price. A small strip on the left hand side is dedicated to the articles that will be in the magazine. Much like the title page, the colour scheme is black, white and red. This is a house style that has been developed. All the information given is aligned into sections making it very presentable for the audience. There are three different sections, one section is dedicated to the page titles and page numbers, the second section is dedicated to the central image and text about it and finally the third section is the section that has been dedicated for the advertisement of the subscription. The magazine logo is in the top right hand corner, this is not very dominated as it is only small, but it is being used so that it can brand the product

NME Front Cover Analysis

From the front cover we can see that the box office draw is going to be able My Chemical Romance as he is the central image, the image is placed over the text showing his importance. The anchorage text indicates that the articles will be about their “comeback album”. One of the anchorage text state “vampire weekend” which is a band and doesnt relate much to the central image or colour scheme, but it can show why the colour scheme is red, white and black. These colours make a bold statement making the, the white and red font is visible with the black background. The colour scheme looks very professional and can be easily spotted and stands out, the vibrant red stands out.
The target audience for NME magazine is teenagers from the ages of 16-19, who is interested in rock or indie music genre. The magazine included music that is popular at the moment.
The central image, also reflects the on the puff words “Vampire weekend” he is wearing black attire and white shirt, making him look formal but the long trench coat could imply that that trench coat is a cape and he really is a vampire. The lighting is very bright around his face, producing a shadow to one side of his face obstructing one side of him again implying that he could be a vampire, also showing that there is an hidden part of him that is going to be released his album. The lighting also makes his face seem pale, like the vampires. the image doesn’t have a direct mode of address, this adds to the edginess of the image, the male artist isn’t looking directly at the camera his eye is covered by the shadows and his body is at an angle. This gives the reader the impression that the photo shoot could have been an action shot, meaning that while he was posing for the image he could have been moving. It could also show that not all is being revealed at this moment and time. This image is really strange as his feet seem to be framed in the centre but his head is more framed on the right and side, it could even be mistaken that he is jumping out the image at you because his back seems very long.
My Chemical romance is on the front cover because they are a rock band and they are going to be releasing a comeback album. They are used because they match the criteria for the target audiences and it helps them promote their album. The anchorage text “My Chemical Romance, with their punk comeback album” states that they are making a new album and it will be part of the punk genre. This would imply that the artist is making a change to the kind of genre that they usually use.

The overall message that the artist represents is that edgy. He looks very fashionable in this image looking very swave.

At the top of the magazine there is a buzz word, the word NEW seems as if the audience will be the first to get their eyes on this, it makes them feel as if it is exclusive. Also at the bottom of the magazine there is a buzz word, the word plus makes it seem as if they are give the audience just that little bit extra.

The title block is the abbreviated version of the full title and stands out as it is block capitals, the font with white and black outlines. The edges of the font type are edgy sharp, this added to the whole edgy vampire theme.

There isn’t a slogan but under the title block it includes the full name of the magazine New Music Express, although this isn’t the slogan, it is placed in the space where slogans are usually found.

The colour scheme is black, white and red. This helps to add to an edgy atmosphere, also because this is a classic colour scheme that can be easily identified.
A lot of the font is bold, so that it can stand out and the audience are able to read it. The font type is a basic type, so that the it is illegible.