Target Audience Research Video

Identifying Competitor Front Cover & Contents page

This magazine is one of the main competitors of the style of magazine I wish to do. The main image is of Cheryl Cole a celebrity that appeals to me which attracts me to buy this. I specifically like that this magazine not only is about music but also lifestyle such as the music stars hair and the latest fashion trends. The magazine has one exclusive story with one main image, the name"CHERYL" is in capitals which draws the readers attention. The writing is in white and is clear to read, it also contrasts well to the background making your eyes be drawn to it.  The logo and sub-story of One Direction are fairly big in size on the front cover which makes this be the second stories we are attracted too. The band along the top saying "Music, Stars, Style" is a cluster of three which is easy to read because if the magazines were stacked in front of each other they would notice this band because of it being at the top. The whole front cover uses colours that correlate well to each other. They have chosen to colour code the important exclusive stories with a yellow background this is bright which captures the readers attention. The magazine also includes lots of smaller images which gives an insight into what the magazine includes. Cheryl Coles lipstick colour is pink and the magazine has used pink as a background for some of the stories this makes the colours contrast and correlate well together so that the magazine isn't too distracting   . "YOU MUST OWN" The writing being in capitals, and the "must" being underlined is a key device that makes the reader especially aimed at girls have to see what they "must" own. The bar code is placed on the right hand side - sideways which follows the conventions of a music magazine but it also doesn't draw away any attention from the key stories. The magazine also includes a chance to "Win tickets to the live shows" this would appeal to the target audience as its a chance to go to a concert and by buying this magazine they have the chance to win this.  The colours are mainly pinks and purples were are stereotypically associated with girls as its an icon of girliness which would attract them to buy the magazine.

The contents page uses different colours to identify the different sections of the magazine I like this because its clear to read and the sections are clearly outlined. The background of the contents page is white which is simple, this is good because it doesn't distract the reader from the content however in my magazine I would want the contents page to relate to the front cover house style which I don't think this does because if I put them next to each other the only similarities are the logo and content itself.  I like how there is a friendly welcome with "Hello!" in a written style front, in a different colour and bigger than the other writing this would attract me to read the magazine because it shows they are friendly and is welcoming. The page numbers and the content of each page are coloured differently so it can be easily read. The layout is slightly titled I like this because it is similar to the style of the music business not everything is perfect. There are also a total of 7 images which aren't distracting but relives the contents page from just being writing which wouldn't attract the target audience.  I like how the logo is included on this page as well because it constantly reminds you who the magazine has been created by. 

Research - My Target Audience

I have decided to aim my magazine at people my age (16-18) because I can ask people aorund me more easily and because I am that age it is easier for me to know what content to put in it to attract their attention.
I decided to make a questionaire to find out what this target audiene already read and what music they liked so I had a better idea about what my magazine should be. I asked 20 students in year 12 to answer this.

I firstly asked whether or not they read a music magazine this was important because the aim of my magazine is to make people want to read it, and by asking this and which music they are into I am able to look for the gap in the market. The result was 14 people said they do not read a magazine and 6 people do.

I then asked the 6 people which magazine they did read in order to find out my main competitor. From the results. The main competitor is Q magazine followed by the X factor magazine I think this is because the X factor magazine is aimed at 14-16 year olds and Q is designed more for young adults.

I then thought it was important to know how often my target audience by any style of magazine to see how much they would spend on avergae on a magazine and how often my magazine should be published.

The final question of my questionnaire was to see what is the best genre to aim my magazine at and therefore attract more of my target audience to buy it. I found out that RnB was the favourite style by close to 50% and pop was a close second, therefore I shall make my magazine genre RnB/Pop.

Overall the questionnaire has helped me to find out that Q magazine is my main competitor, and that the genre of my magazine shall be RnB/Pop as I believe there is a gap in the market to make more people of my target audience to purchase a music magazine. It will be produced monthly as that is when most people buy their magazines.

Comparing Front cover magazines

Effective selling points of this magazine is that the outfit which Beyonce is wearing is white and the text is also white so gives a consistent house design on the magazine but also the use of white writing attracts the readers attention against the background. Her costume is also quite skimpy with her legs on show this  creates the impression of sexual desire which would attract males as well as females because they want to be like their role model. The writing is easy to read and is fits the conventions of a music magazine because the writing is on the left hand side of the magazine. The red circle also fits the house style because its the same colours as the logo of Q, the golden background also matches Beyonces hair colour so there is no clashing colours and they all work well together. The main image is a huge american star and this would attract the reader particularly if they are interested in her. The shallow focus of the front image makes her stand out, and means the reader doesn't get distracted with the background which would also appeal to the costumer.  The magazine also includes a chart of the '20 greatest albums and tracks of Q's Life' this would attract the reader because its interesting to see these charts.

Effective selling points of this addition of Q magazine is the simple use of colours, Lady Gagas outfit is black and the border of the magazine is black so they contrast well together which makes the magazine more attractive. Q magazine has used its logo colours, and the outfit colour to frame the colour of the strap lines. The mode of address presented by the magazine, is that the star is being quite promiscuous with flesh on show, the magazine is being presented as sexual by her being half naked which would attract males. The name of the artist is positioned behind her which gives her a 3D effect which is attracting as its unusual, the image of her also cover the corner of the logo. Its interesting that the magazine is done with a plain grey/silver background because it puts emphasis on Lady Gaga which the magazine has done, it also correlates to her personality of raunchy, and not afraid of the public opinion which is clearly presented on this cover. I like how the magazine as captured the personality of the star as it makes it more realistic. 

Effective selling points of this edition is how the magazines mode of address is rocky, dark and sinister. A appealing part of the magazine is the rain dripping of the star and raining around her. The magazine also has a sexual feel created by her having her mouth open which her tongue out and being drenched this makes her seem sexy which would attract males but also females because she is a style icon. The magazine again uses the colour of the logo to colour the strap lines giving a consistent style of this magazine but it also isn't too distracting for the reader. A common convention of Q magazine is too include a circle on the the right hand side which an interesting guest star, chart of piece of information. The use of makeup on Cheryl Cole is emphasizing the tone which the magazine wants.  It also includes a chart which attracts readers. The strap line saying "THE UK'S BIGGEST MUSIC MAGAZINE" is in white writing with black background this is effective because it doesn't withdraw any attention from the exclusive story  as its in a different colour and in a smaller size but it also would make people more likely to buy the magazine and its showing it is popular. This is also useful when they are being stocked in a store as if they were stacked on top of each other they would see this top part and pick it up. The star is Cheryl Cole which is also a unique selling point because the star usually makes the reader buy the magazine, and buy choosing a massive UK star more people would purchase it.

The effective selling points of the X factor magazine is that it appeals to teenagers who watch the show and want to find out more information. The magazine as used many images on the front cover this is a good selling point for the target audience because they want to know what the magazine contains without having to read too much information. The images of the celebrities also makes the magazine more likely to be purchased because it attracts people. There is no specific house style and does look too busy for adults too read. The colour used behind the logo is used for the colour of the main article, the magazine has also used different colours for different exclusives in order to show they are different. The text is also placed on a coloured background which is clear to read this is good because it catches the readers attention. 

The effective selling point of this magazine is that all the attention is on Megan Fox the cover girl, she is placed in front of the logo of the magazine which emphasizes the importance of her, the mode of address of the magazine is promiscuous because they have "Americans sexiest bad girl" featured in it. They have set this mood by her wearing a seducing outfit and the way she is positioned this would appeal to males. The Logo is still easily recognized as its in a different colour to the rest of the magazine. The writing is in black on an white background which is plain and simple to read as well as correlating to her outfit which would again attract males.  The magazine doesn't fit the conventions of a magazine though as the writing is on the right hand side rather than the left this is interesting because it still looks appealing, and this could be because they want their target audience to see the image of their exclusive interview with Megan Fox. 

Conventions of a music magazine

• The masthead is at the top of the magazine.
• Strap line occasionally appears over the masthead
• up to 12 lines of writing giving an insight into what the magazine contains.
• Clashing colours of masthead attract readers attention. 
• The writing is in a range of colours and fonts.
• Usually contains a star/artist/band to make people want to buy the magazine.
• Bar code and price
• Chart of music is commonly used. 

Electronic Annotation of a Music Magazine

Music Magazine Research

By typing into google I found 15 British music magazines however there are many more than this.

TV/MUSIC GENRE

• The X factor magazine this would be aimed at teenagers this is shown by the artists would aim their music at this audience.  Teenagers are also the age group that watch the X factor so is another reason why it is aimed at them. The purple and orange colours suggest that it’s aimed towards girls more than boys because it talks about the celebrities’ hair and fashion. It’s quite a busy looking magazine and this wouldn’t appeal to adults. The publishing house of The X factor magazine is:  Haymarket Network. 
• The link to this magazine is: xfactor.itv.com/2010/xmagazine/
• Top of the Pops magazine aimed at 10+ it is aimed at girls because the main articles are to do with “hot” boys in music. It is again a busy looking magazine so wouldn’t appeal to an older audience. This magazine is designed for children 10+ shown by the simple language, and advertising games and quizzes in the magazine. The Publishing house of the Top of the Pops is: Frontline distributors with Emap and Haymarket; BBC Haymarket Exhibitions; and Galleon, for subscriptions.
•  The link to this magazine is: www.totpmag.com
• These magazines are produced weekly for a cheaper price of £1-2, this is because it is designed for teenagers/children and they won't read a thick magazine as well as the fact that the parents don't want to pay too much.
• The magazines would be distributed in mainstream retail this is because the magazines would be brought by parents when children would be shopping at the supermarket with them. The X factor magazine is also sponsored by tesco's so this is exclusive to this retail supermarket. 

No specific genre, just relevant music

• Q, magazine this is aimed at older teenagers and young adults this is shown by the more sophisticated look compared to the children’s magazines.  The image above of Q magazine is Lady Gaga half naked; this would appeal to boys of the older teenager/young adult but not to adult men or male children. Q magazine is published by: Bauer Media Group Bauer Verlagsgruppe  
• The link to this magazine is: www.qthemusic.com
• NME magazine appears to be focused on the latest music and key TV and media stars, so it doesn’t have a specific theme but focus on what’s relevant at that moment. It created the first UK singles chart.  It would be aimed at young adults and adults because the content is in depth with quite a lot of writing which wouldn’t appeal too teenagers, the stories however are quite up to date with charts and new music so wouldn’t be targeted at the middle aged or older. NME is published by ICP media.
• The link to this magazine is: www.nme.com/magazine
• Rolling Stones magazine doesn’t have a specific theme, it focuses or stories of celebrities and TV, it has in depth stories and can focus of political situations at the time. The audience of this magazine would be adults and middle aged because of the depth of the stories and the focus of politics this wouldn’t appeal to a younger age group.  The publishing house of this magazine is ACP.
• The link to this magazine is: www.rollingstones.com
• The magazines are produced monthly at an average price of £4 this is because it is a thick magazine, glossy, and can fill the magazine more information than weekly updates as well as the fact that the target audience of adults wouldn't buy a magazine weekly, but occasionally. 
• These magazines would be sold in mainstream retail, but subscriptions of these magazines are also available. 

Rock magazines

• Mojo magazine is a sister magazine to Q magazine.  It’s shown to be a rock magazine by the colours of white, black and red which are quite bold and are commonly associated with rock.  The target audience of this magazine would be adults and middle aged but also may appeal to some people of a younger age, the reason its aimed at these people is because it includes music heroes from the era in which they could be growing up, and includes articles such as the greatest songs, so a younger audience may not be able to relate to these.  Publishing house is Bauer Media Group Bauer Verlagsgruppe .
• The link to this magazine is: www.mojo4music.com
• Kerrang is a rock magazine shown by the font of the mast head which is rebellious. The colour’s of the magazine are also dark with has connotations of rock and enhances the genre. The target audience of this magazine would be adults because in today’s society the big rock bands and artists are middle aged.  The house style of the magazine however would appeal to young adults and the group “Emo’s” who stereotypically are associated with rock. The publishing house is Bauer Consumer Media. 
• The link to this magazine is: www.kerrang.com
• Rock sound is a rock style magazine, which is shown by the house style being quite fierce and the title. The fonts used are quite chunky and bold, and looks quite wild. The target audience is for adults because it discusses 1980s and before hand which is the time when they would be growing up.  The publishing house is Freeway a French publishing company. 
• The link to this magazine is: www.rocksound.tv
• The magazines may be distributed in main stream retail, which some possible subscriptions  kerrang  for example. The genre is rock so the magazine 'Rock sound' would also be sold in specialist music shops, where the target audience would purchase it.

R&B Style magazines

• Vibe is an RnB style magazine this is shown by the main picture of a topless toned male, which is associated with hip-hop/RnB; the male is also wearing a chain which is an icon of bling and urban music.  The target audience is teenagers and young adults because its up to date music, promotes RnB music stories but without too much information.  The publishing house is InterMedia Partners.
• The link to this magazine is: www.vibe.com
• Blender magazine is an older teenager/young adult magazine, as the front cover is simple which appeals to the audience as well as providing information on the latest music gossip.  I think it’s aimed at boys more than girls because the magazine usually has a female celebrity in her underwear which would appeal to males.  The colour’s are bold which is stereotypically associated with boys whereas pastel colours are associated with girls.  It is published by Alpha Media Group. These magazines are less commonly found in mainstream retail however they are in limited amount, the most common distribution is online subscriptions.  
• The link to this magazine is: www.blender.com

Soul/Jazz magazines

·         Clash is a magazine that focuses on legends of the past or today’s soul singers, this is shown by the stories that it promotes but also the main article, Duffy is a soul singer. The link to this magazine is: www.clashmusic.com/magazine
·         Jazzwise is a magazine dedicated to jazz music, this is shown by the name and the front cover. The brass instrument enhances the genre. The magazine is aimed at middle aged and older people because it has a suit which indicates smartness which is stereotypically associated with older people, the magazine also contains a lot of writing which wouldn’t appeal to other age groups. The jazz ear was also the early 1900s so would attract the age group that grew up with this genre.  The publisher is Jazzwise®  The link to this magazine is: www.jazzwisemagazine.com

·         ‘Echoes’ is a soul magazine, monthly black music.  Its aimed at adults as it has middle aged music celebrities and basic writing which would attract this age group. The publishing group is soul radio. This link to this magazine is:www.echoesmagazine.com
      These magazines are found in specialist music shops, and online conscription's because they are less commonly well known, and the magazine 'Jazzwise' would be in a jazz shop because it would target the people who purchase items from there. 

Unusual magazines

• Wire magazine seems to be an indie or rebellious style magazine; it doesn’t contain much information on the front of the magazine, and contains a strange image.  The magazine would be targeted at artists, or indie style lovers because of the strange nature of the magazine.  Published by The Wire Magazine Ltd. The link to this magazine is: www.thewire.co.uk
• Froots appears to be a culture music magazine shown by the traditional costumes on the front cover.  The target audience may be students to learn about different cultural music or cultured people living in the UK. The link to this magazine is: www.frootsmag.com
• These magazines would be online subscriptions because it appeals to the minor amount of people and by mass producing these magazines they would loose money.