inspired two page spread

Before I started to create my two page spread I did some research on other two page spreads which other pop music magazines have produced. I looked at we love pop and top of the pops especially because they follow the exact conventions which I need to follow.

Below is the two page spread which inspired me

 

I particularly liked this two page spread because I liked the layout as it is easy to read and understand. The image of Cher Lloyd is spread across one page so it is vividly clear who the article is about. I also like the layout of the text which is presented as an interview. The questions are not closely put together so it is not hard or confusing to read. Furthermore I like the colour choices as they work really well together and also suit Cher Lloyd personality and the clothes which she is wearing.

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What people thought about the fonts

I decided to do some extra research on the fonts which I may use for my masthead. I needed suitable and accurate feedback so I asked my friends as they are the appropriate target audience for my music magazine. I thought it would be a good idea to see what their opinion would be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The results show that the first font was the most popular which was Majel. I was surprised by this because i thought that they would prefer a font which looked more girly especially as my friends have a girly personality themselves. I thought they would prefer the font 'cutie pop' which has hearts used in it. In my opinion the font which i prefer the most is majel, this is because i think it stands out and would look really nice in pink as it would grab the teenage girl audience.

 

 

 

House Style

Typeface

Below are some of the typefaces I have researched and contemplated to use for the masthead for my pop music magazine. 

I have considered choosing this font because I think it defines the genre pop very well, it does this by using an image of a star for the letter I. This makes it look cool and stylish and the younger audience would be attracted to this.

I also like this font because I like how bold and strong the lettering comes across as. The font is simple and clear so it wouldn't  confuse the reader. Furthermore it doesn't connote any other genre apart from pop, for example it doesn't represent violence or anger which a typical rock font would portray .

This font grabbed my attention as well because it has small even lettering so it is clear to read. Also the sans serif font makes it look less formal which is what I want my music magazine to appear as.

 This font is clearly a totally different style compared to the other three shown above. This font appears to be more girly because of the use of the love hearts inside the letter O and it is also used for the I. So this would therefore grab the girl teenage audience and it clearly implies that the genre of the music magazine is Pop. I know this because the font looks girly and normally pop magazines are associated with girls rather than boys.

magazine sketches 2

     Front cover

Contents page

Two page spread

 

 

 

 

 

magazine sketches one

Front cover

Contents page

Two page spread

 

 

 

 

 

Questionnaire analysis

I asked people whether they would prefer pictures or text inside the magazine. From the results I found out that more people preferred pictures. I think this is because people would find pictures more interesting and exciting rather than reading a long piece of text as it can be quite boring.

I asked the question if people would like to hear about upcoming gigs and festivals. From the results I found out that over 10 people chose yes, so therefore I will feature this in my magazine.

In my questionnaire I asked whether they would like to win prizes such as an ipad or festival tickets. From my results I gathered that most people wanted to win prizes so I will include competitions and games so the audience can have a chance to win these exclusive prizes.

I also asked the question on how they listened to music. The options were Radio, TV, IPod, Internet and other. I asked this question to find out how much music is associated in their lives. My results show that the second highest option was people listen to music by watching the television; i thought this could be heard on music channels such as 4music and VIVA. Furthermore they can listen to the music by the non-diegetic and diegetic sound on TV programmes and adverts. However the results show that most people listen to music on their IPod. Before I collected the results I knew that this was going to be the highest option only because millions of people all over the world now own an iPod and it is the easiest way to purchase and listen to music where ever you are. 

I asked the question ‘How often do you think this magazine should be produced?’  I thought that this was a key question because this could affect the sales of the magazine because if the magazine was released too much or not enough then this would affect the reader not to buy the magazine at all, so it is important that a balanced answer. From my results it shows that 11 people wanted the magazine to be produced monthly. Whereas only 5 people said weekly and 2 people said once a fortnight. I am defiantly going to choose my magazine to be produced monthly because there would be a lot of news to include because not a lot could happen within a week. This would make the audience look forward for the magazine to be realised as there would be a lot of updated news and exciting features to look upon.

The question which was also included in my questionnaire was ‘what price of the magazine would you be willing to pay?’ my results show that 12 people chose £1.50 this was the lowest price of my options. However one person commented on other and chose that they would like the magazine to be priced £1.00. I have decided I do not want to sell my magazine under the price of £1.50 because it will be released monthly however the paper type will not be glossy so it won’t need to be any higher than £1.50. I have chosen the price £1.50 because I think that this would be most suitable for my target audience. In my opinion any price over £1.50 would be too expensive as my target audience would still be in education and may not have a job so they will not be able to afford the magazine above £2.00. So I have decided to sell my magazine for £1.80, I think this is a decent price as it is released monthly and it will contain features such as word searches and quizzes where the readers are able to win exclusive prizes.

Another question which I asked was ‘Which of the following would you like included inside the magazine?’ from my results it shows that the least amount of people would like latest fashion trends to be included. However, I may include a little bit about fashion trends as my target audience are young teenage girls and this is what they would like to read about at that age.11 people both chose the options  interviews and chart music, so therefore I am defiantly going to include this in my magazine.

The question ‘What social media sites do you use?’ is important because this is how the magazine is able to communicate with the audience. 7 people chose twitter, I thought that most people would choose twitter as it’s the most popular social media site of today and many teenagers use this site to follow many pop artists and bands and this is where they can be informed on various music events easily. Instagram and YouTube was chosen by both 5 people, Instagram is the second most popular social media site and YouTube allows people to access music videos and to find out the top latest music. 

Questionnaire results

Mood board

I have created a mood board which includes a selection of images, colours, fonts and other elements which I may want to use in my music magazine. 

Questionnaire

I have created a questionnaire which have a variety of questions relating to my music magazine. I am only going to ask females aged 13-18 to fill in my questionnaire because this is my intended target audience so it will give me a clear idea of what my audience wants so I can make the magazine suitable and appropriate as it can be. 

Research into my chosen genre

House style

Target audience analysis

Why does this design appeal to the chosen audience?

The paper type- the paper type of this magazine is glossy, this makes it look clean, tidy and professional. If it was located on a shelf in a shop it would stand out next to other magazines which are not glossy produced, this makes the magazine eye catchy and look more expensive. 

The main image-the main image denotes Cheryl Cole, she would appeal to the audience because she is a well known popular pop star. It also portrays Cheryl in a different light to what she is normally seen as in the press and in other music magazines such as when she featured in 'we love pop'. 






Authority-The strap line located at the top of the magazine denotes the company Q authority. It says 'THE UK'S BIGGEST MUSIC MAGAZINE' this hasn't been proven but it would grab the audiences attention to buy the magazine. 

The pop genre

How do people listen to pop music genres?

Technology is increasing dramatically so there is always new ways in which people can listen to pop music.

YouTube- this is the easiest way to listen to music because pop artists all over the world are uploading their music videos which can be watched by everyone for free. This is their way of promoting themselves to their audience and also for the audience to listen to their music.

ITunes- people can access iTunes on their PC, iPhone, iPad etc. It is quick and easy to find music and its constantly being updated with the latest songs and albums which are categorised into different genres.

Radio- people can listen to pop music on the most popular radio stations such as Capital and Heart. A variety of songs by different artists are played everyday including chart music so the audience would be informed on what the most popular songs are out at the moment. The radio can now be accessed on the internet which is more convenient for some people.

My Target audience

To attract the right audience for my magazine i need to do some research so i can find out exactly what my target audience wants. I will be producing a questionnaire so i can find out who my target audience are and what features they would want included in my magazine. Once i find out all i need to know about my target audience it would be much easier and clearer for me to create my magazine. The audience would make me more determined to produce my magazine and I will also know what to include and what not to include. 

MY TARGET AUDIENCE!

The target audience for my magazine are females aged 12+. I find that pop music is generally aimed at the younger generation (young adults and teens) because the music style is the type that they can relate to. The contents and lyrics of the song are normally based on love and relationships so this would be suitable for my target audience as this would be the type of songs they would like to listen to especially at that age.

 The stereotypical audience profile would be girls who have interests in going out with friends, into fashion, interested in make-up and a typical girly girl. The target audience would listen to this genre because it would reflect the mood of most young girls.

My audience will be positioned to gain knowledge and understanding about pop music and pop artists. The target audience are a essential part to my music magazine as they would help me to make my magazine as good as possible.

Circulation figures and publishing houses

Circulation figures are often used for magazine and newspaper distribution to show the number of copies that were distributed, its not only for the sale figures because some readers receive free copies.

Mojo-  85,149 -2.4% sold copies 84,560 (BAUER)

Top of the Pops - 78,352 -20.1% sold copies 78,352  (IMMEDIATE MEDIA COMPANY)

We love pop magazine - 50,505 - sold copies 50,505 - (EGMONT)

Kerrang - 40,203 -6.6% - sold copies 39,950 (BAUER)

After researching circulation figures on music magazines i have found out that there are less magazines circulating. This is because of the new technology which has been brought over the last few years. People can now go online onto various websites to access magazines and read articles. Furthermore it could also be because of the economy, magazines have overall increased in price so they would be to expensive to buy so instead they would download the magazine on laptops and various tablets such as ipads and kindles for free.

Star image

Dyer proposes 'A star is an image not a real person that is constructed out of a range of materials'

Richard Dyer star theory proposes the idea that icons and celebrities are manufactured by institutions for finical gain. Stars are manufactured by the music industry to make money out of the audience. His theory is broken down into three sections; Audiences and institutions, Constructions and Hegemony.

A stars main purpose is to make money, the institution then changes the stars image around the target audience.
The constructions of a 'star' is built only for the audience and not who the person actually is. Each star is unique which differentiates them from other stars. For example Lady Gaga'soutgoing fashion sense and Katy Perry's bright hairstyles and also that she is presented as the typical Californian girl.
Hegemony is the way that the audience can relate to the star and they are admired by them, this develops to idolisation. For instance Demi Lovato had an eating disorder which was presented through a TV documentary. Many people can look up to her and relate to the problems that she had to deal with. Although some stars can come across as negative role models because some may take drugs and consume a lot of alcohol which can lead to fans copying their actions.

Examples of star image

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga'sfull name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, on the 28th of March 1986 in New york. She changed her name so she would come across as unique and the audience would find her name unusual so they would want to find out who she is.
Her first album was released in 2008,the album is representation of what life is like being famous, this is portrayed by one of her songs 'Papparazzi'. In her first music video the audience get a first impression of what Lady Gaga is like and what we cane expect from her. She wears unusual clothing but they are not too revealing. In her music video called 'Alejandro' there is extreme nudity and sexual references in dance routines and shots. It shows more of an unacceptable side to her and a bad role model for her fans. Furthermore Lady fashion hanges dramatically not only to how she looks in her music videos but also to other events across the world. Lady Gaga's most prominent appearance change is the prosthetic bones on her body and face. She had a lot of criticism for this because it could link to anorexia and suffering and would not have a good impression towards her fans especially the young audience. n he 6 years of Lady Gaga's music career her star image has developed astonishingly. She began her music her music portrayed getting drunk and going to parties, whereas now her music is more outrageous.

Rihanna is another example of Richard Dyers theory of star image. Rihanna was formally a pop performer, but the record label DEF. Jam Roc Nation transformed her into a pop star after her album 'good girl gone bad' was released. She had a celebrity boyfriend so she was a main icon in the public eye and became a main focus in a lot of magazines. She was recognized not only for her music but her image.

Audience and institutions:
Rihanna is very popular in todays world and her personality and character are based on the 'trends' in the world at the moment. This attracts the audience too like her and be inspired by her.

Construction of a star:
A star is built for the audience and not for the person itself. Rihanna was constructed by DEF. Jam Roc Nation. Throughout the years Rihanna has changed by the way she looks by her different hairstyles and fashion sense.

Hegemony:
Rihanna has a massive fan base which follows from magazines and social networking sites such as twitter, instagram and Facebook, the audience can see what she is up to all the time. Rihanna is presented as a model to mainly females from 13 +. But she is a bad influence because now and again she is seen smoking, consuming alcohol and taking nude photographs. This portrays a negative view of Rihanna and people who idolize her can copy her actions.

I need to think about my star image when it comes to producing my music magazine. Whilst researching star image on Rihanna and Lady Gaga i now have a greater understanding of Richard Dyers theory of star image.

Institution

Media institution is an established organisation that works with the creation and distribution of information, advertising and entertainment services. It also describes the people who have a role of the production of different media products.

IPC Media is one of the UKs leading consumer magazine and digital publishers, which sell over 350 million copies per year. It publishes a huge range of magazines across a variety of sectors. Some examples of IPC magazines are NME, Look, Now and Ideal home. The main target audiences are men, mass market women and upmarket women.

Bauer Media is a huge German publishing company, which operates in 15 countries worldwide. They also feature  a wide variety of radio stations. The music magazines that they publish are Kerrang and mojo magazine which is a multi- channel publication. 

BBC magazine is the magazine which publishes the BBC worldwide. The magazine focuses on children's TV programmes, cooking, cars, music, gardening and astrology. The music magazines which they have published are top or the pops, it's hot and classical music magazines.