Real artefact 1 - Double page spread

The double page spread I have chosen is focused on the band Glasvegas and how they have just released their first single in a while. They have featured a double page spread of this because the band is what the front page shows the most of, as the main image is of one of the band members.

The main image is of the band sat on a sofa. It is a medium to long shot as it shows almost the whole depth of the sofa and the whole length of the sofa. This is to get a full idea of the bands surroundings. The image uses natural lighting from the lights in the room. This is very different to the usual artificial lighting used in magazine photo shoots. I believe this is uses because the magazine is focuses on marketing and selling to a specific audience of fans of music. This allows the magazine to rely souly on the audiences interest meaning they don't have to make the magazine far fetched or exclusive to make them want to read it. The use of surroundings, natural light and relaxed look of the band mates 'chilling' on a sofa also helps converge both audience and band as it makes the band seem on the same level as the audience and that they are all the same. However, there is a second image in the top left hand corner of two of the band members onstage performing. This allows the reader to be reminded of the artists job and famousness which will draw their attention back in as people are interested by peoples lives that are different to theirs and the chances are not many of the readers will perform on stage.

There is the drop cap used of the letter 'N.' It is in a larger font and has a calligraphic style and is in red. The style, size and colour allow it to stand out from the rest of the text that is plain, black and smaller. Because the rest of the text is quite boring to look at, the difference of the N may act as an incentive to continue reading. Also, the use of the drop cap also represent the beginning of a new topic as they are not used on every paragraph. Again this will catch the audiences attention and make them want to read on as it represents new information.

The layout of the page is very simple. The image spreads across the two pages and the text is wrapped around and underneath it. Because the text is wrapped around the image the article is made up of 5 columns. This means the text is broken up into smaller columns which makes it more appealing to a reader as it looks easier to read than back to back pages of writing. The colums are all aligned to the left and in black times new roman. This makes it neat and tidy to look at when glancing at it. This again looks more appealing to read as it is simple and therefore would lead a reader to believe it is simple to read. The use of black times new roman also allows NME to use different colours and more attractive fonts to pick out bits of information the wish to foreground.

The language used is very descriptive and at times metaphoric for example "pushing through darkness into light, seizing the sunshine while it lasts." This represents how they have got through the harder times and made the best of the success they have had. It is quite emotive and this will be because of the relationship they have built with their fans. These relationships are easier to build as bands like Glasvegas have more specific types of music and are not as mainstream meaning there are less fans and therefore it is easier to target them more.

There is the pull quote used of "You're not going to be disillusioned. That's our intention." It, alike the drop cap, uses a red, italic font to make it stand out from the rest of the text. The quote will make the audience grow trust in the bands words as disillusioned means they are not going to try and make the audience believe they are something they are not. This means the audience will read on because they know what they are reading is true.

The house style is continued from the front cover to this double page spread. This could be largely to do with the fact that both front cover and these pages are focused on band Glasvegas. The house style colours of black, red and white are used on the double page spread as well as the front cover. Using black font for the main information and red and white to point out bits of information by using contrasting colours.

Real artefact 1 - NME Contents Page

The contents of NME is split into two parts. The majority of the page is made up of features of this particular issue as it is headed 'INSIDE THIS WEEK' and focuses mainly on the 'NME nominations revealed.' We can tell it focuses most on this as it has the biggest image and also is in the centre of the page meaning it will stand out to the audience and font in this section of text is biggest. It is also an italic font that is different to the rest of the house style plain font, this will help it stand out again against the rest of the contents. Each feature/article of the magazine on the contents page has a number next to it, this allows the audience to easily find the feature they are looking for. The page numbers are in bold, to make it clear for the reader. This is important as the audience will want to be able to easily access this information if they are interested in reading about it. Each main feature of this issue, on the contents page also includes a picture. This allows the reader to put a name to a face which means that they will be able to recognise the artist and decide whether they want to read about them. They each also use a pull quote. For example Glasvegas quote 'Our albums like your own face.' This does not necessarily make sense therefore makes the audience wonder what they are talking about, giving them incentive to read on.

The contents then in the bottom has a 'Plus' section. From what is in it, it seems that this is the regular features, for example 'features, albums, gig guide.'This will be attractive to readers with brand loyalty as they will expect this in every issue and by featuring it in the contents it will reassure them that this content will be inside the magazine. This part of the contents is in plain font that is smaller than the rest. This will be because the audience that look for this will be the ones with brand loyalty therefore the magazine do not need to advertise it as the reader will more than likely already have bought the magazine, rather than looking through it in a shop to see what it's contents is. However NME still put the page numbers next to it to allow the reader to clearly be able to skip to the page that is relevant. Each feature uses different colours, this makes the page attractive to look at, and helps represent the style throughout the magazine as it does use many colours. Use of colour will attract a reader as it will seem more 'reader friendly.'

The magazine contents also uses a pug to advertise the offer of 35% off the subscription price with free delivery to your door. It is backed with a teal background where the rest of the contents is on a white background, this allows it to stand out from the rest and acts as free advertisement as it is within their own magazine.

The language used is quite informal for example 'um still no idea' and 'still can't get over mario bros.' This creates a relaxed tone that will appeal to the audience as it will come across as an easy read. The magazine also uses exophoric references such as mentioning Mario Bros and jumping on mushrooms to get coins. The would mean that the writer assumes that everyone has played Mario Bros therefore will understand the humour of this.

Real artefact 1 - NME Front Cover

NME is a music magazine that has been published weekly since March 1952. NME stands for ‘New musical express.’ The name is important to a reader as it is the first feature of the magazine they will notice and may be the feature that deciphers whether they buy the magazine or not. In this case the fact that it makes it clear what the name is, is important as it uses the words 'new' and 'express' and this will appeal to customers as they will want the latest news and it gives the customer the impression that'll come quickly by using the word express. However I believe the acronym of NME is more effective as it is short and stands out. It also reminds us of the word ‘enemy,’ which could be a connotation of the stereotypical audience of rock music which is the market the magazine aims at. This is because listeners of rock music are portrayed as being quite angry as their music is heavy and loud. This reminds us of ‘enemies’ as it is not a soft word. Again, the black bold writing also could be a connotation of ‘enemy’ as it is dark and harsh looking.

Throughout the magazine there is a red and black colour scheme. The connotations of this colour also match the connotations of the title. This is important as it allows the reader to remember all the way through the magazine what magazine they are reading. And if they remember it they are more likely to buy it in the future as they will associate the colours with the brand name, and brand loyalty is an important factor of marketing a magazine.

The general layout of the magazine is very clear. With the title in bold in the left hand corner it can draw the attention to the market and also existing NME purchasers will be able to spot it straight away. Also the subtitles are very clear in bold fonts and with white writing on a red background meaning the contrast in colours, results in it standing out but also still sticking to the colour scheme. It has the main story down the left hand side in bold and then other featuring stories down the right hand side in small fonts, but still big enough that they stand out. The subtitles are all wrapped around the text, this means the text is easy to read.

The main image on the magazine is a picture of male artist Glasvegas. He is pictured topless with writing on his chest. He is stood against a background with red lighting. The red lighting allows the imagine to fit in with the colour scheme of the magazine. It also has connotations of evil, as red is associated with this. The idea of writing on a chest or over your body also has connotations of the devil. This evilness that is portrayed is closely linked with rock as rock artists are seen as deep and even frightening. The cover also features other pictures of artists. This allows the intended reader to see images of who they are going to be reading about therefore will grab their attention.

The cover lines use very emotive language for example 'war' and 'bulletproof' and 'R.I.P.' All these terms are very violent. Again, violence being a connotation of rock music. The titles are all very to the point. For example, 'NME AWARDS NOMINATIONS REVEALED.'This is put in bold writing probably to highlight the fact that it is 'revealed' and will appeal to the audience as it is seen as exclusive.

Specific questionnaire results analysis 3

8a.Would free gifts/promotions influence you to buy a music magazine?
The majority of the 30 people that took part in my questionnaire stated that 'Yes,' free gifts/promotions would influence you to buy a music magazine. I think this is because winning something is an incentive to buying something. As it is an almost win/win situation, as even if you don't win the competition you still got a magazine out of it. This works especially well as it could attract new customers with the prospect of winning from buying something for your entertainment. From this I have decided that I will include a competition or promotion where the prize will be relevant to the specific audience's wants.


8b. If so, what gifts/promotions would you like to find free with a magazine?
Out of 30 people that answered this question the gifts/promotions they would like to find free in a magazine are;


Pen - 8
Free Music - 17
Stickers - 2


I believe a pen would have been a popular option because it is very practical therefore appeals to almost everybody. Also, because the magazine is a music magazine and I did the questionnaire in a sixth form the audience will have been older. Therefore a pen would be of use of them. I think the age of the participants is what is responsible for the lack of people that chose stickers, as if it had been a younger audience stickers would have appealed more. I believe the reason for the majority of people picking 'free music' is because music is something everybody is interested in. I will be able to apply this result well in my magazine as it is relevant I will be able to offer the correct genre of music to the genre of the music magazine.


9.What contents do you enjoy reading in a music magazine? (Please tick one box)


17 out of 30 people in my questionnaire picked that insights on upcoming artists were the content of a magazine they most enjoyed. I think this will be because it is one the only sources of media you can get this from and can also be exclusive information. 7 out of 30 people said that they enjoyed celebrity interviews most, I think again
this is because they can be advertised as exclusive. This means readers will be attracted to it thinking they are getting access to inside information that not many other people are getting. Professional reviews, quizzes and dates were also other features people mentioned, but not many. However, all of this information will allow me to create a magazine that covers what the audience wish to read.


10. What colour scheme would you choose for a music magazine?
35% of my participants chose that purple would be
their favourite colour for a music magazine. I think this could have been largely dominated by the females however purple is becoming more of unisex colour therefore could be versatile for a magazine. The next most popular colours were white, orange, red and black. I believe black and white will have been chosen because they are simplistic and also would be clear to read or used on different backgrounds. I think orange and red were popular because again they are unisex like purple and also bright. I would use a bright colour like purple, red or orange because I would use the colour scheme throughout the magazine and this would allow an audience to associate this colour with the magazine. Therefore possibly reminding them to buy this magazine when they see the colour. Pink and green were less popular, I think this is because they can be seen as sexist therefore will not have got as much of a variety of people choose that option.

10. Do you prefer more writing or more images in your magazine?

90% of the people that took part in my

questionnaire said that they preferred images to writing in a magazine. I think this is because it is more appealing to a person, as a lot of writing would put a person off. However, because I wouldn't want to create a magazine purely made up of images, I would use different layouts such as text boxes to help break down the text.

Specific questionnaire results analysis 2

4b. If you do read a music magazine, which one do you read?

Out of the 6 people that read music magazines

there was an equal amount of each that read NME, RockSound and Q. I think people will have chosen Q because it is a music magazine with a range of genres. This allows it to be versatile to an audience and therefore appeal to more people. NME, is also a very established magazine company, alike Q. This could result in the market not buying it specifically because of it's content or what genre it is based on, but because it is well known and a trusted brand. I think the magazine 'RockSound' may have been chosen by the one person that chose 'Rock' genre as their preferred genre. And one other person that may have chosen it because it is well known.

4c. Why do you not read music magazines?

The participants of my questionnaires had many different answers as to why they did not read music magazines, the results are as followed;

Available through other media - 1

Not interested - 4

Magazines not specific to mainstream genres - 9

No time - 5

Mixture of brands and genres - 4
Other - 1

Many people stated that they did not read music magazines because they did not focus on mainstream genres. I would classify mainstream genres as R&B and pop as these are featured most in the charts. I can see that this is a problem as most music magazines are specific to the genre of rock. From this information I can spot a gap in the market that could be filled quite easily. This result links closely with the result of 4 people not being interested. This is probably because the music magazine market seems to be largely dominated by rock magazines and not many of my participants chose this as their preffered genre. This, again, is closely linked with the fact that 4 people chose that they do not read music magazines because there is no mixture of brands and genres. I believe Q magazine do use a mix therefore would use this as a style model. The fact that 1 person chose that it is available over other types of media is probably linked with how other types of media are free. I could use this when choosing the price of the magazine and make it cheaper than others, so that the price does not put them off buying it. Also this result could be linked with how easily accessible other media types are other than magazine. Again I could analyse this and use this feedback when choosing product placement and ensure it is easily accessible.

5. How often do you buy music magazines?

8 out of 30 people chose that they buy music

magazines monthly. This could be because this is on average how often magazines are published, therefore one of the only options they have. However there are also 22 people that chose 'less than 12 a year' this will be because there were a majority of people that do not read music magazines. Therefore would apply to this group as 'not buying music magazines' would apply to buying less than 12 a year.

6. How much would you expect to pay for a music magazine?

4 people out of 30 participants chose that they

would only be willing to pay between £0-0.99 for a music magazine. This could be because there were many results showing lack of interest in music magazine, this would result in people not being willing to spend much money on them. However there were alot more people that chose the price groups of £1-3 and £3.01-4.99. I think this is because magazines in general are between these prices, therefore whether it is a music magazine or not this is a generalised response to how much people are willing to pay. Also, because music magazines will be known as being more specific people will be willing or will expect to pay more because they are paying for something that is more specialised to an interest. Rather than something like a newspaper or TV Guide magazine where you can find the information in many places as it not very specialised.

7a. Does a front cover of a music magazine influence you to buy it?

The majority of my participants of my music magazine, at 77%, responded that 'Yes' a front cover of a music magazine does influence them to buy it. This will be because this is the first impression an audience gets of a magazine, simply because this is what they see first. It draws their attention to the contents, and the quality of the magazine. However, 23% responded that 'No' a front cover of a music magazine does not influence them to buy it. This could be because some people rely on brand loyalty. This is where they regluarly buy the music magazine, therefore only recognise the brand name, and do not need to see the front cover.

7b. If so, what about the front cover would influence you to buy it?

My participants chose a range of features of a front cover that would influence them to buy it, the results are as followed;

Colour - 4

Pictures - 8

Content - 5

Artist on cover - 6

I think colour will have been chosen because this firstly will help with how the genre is portrayed as their are certain connotations of colours that will help show the genre. For example, red and black will be associated with rock. However colours such as pink and blue have connotations of 'fun' therefore could be associated with pop. Where as colours that are more rich such as gold and purple, may be associated with R&B, as it is mainstream and involves alot of money and glamour. People may have chosen pictures as they enjoy this more than text, therefore will not find the magazine more daunting to look at and can see what the contents is immediately without having to read a block of text. People will have chosen content because if the music magazine does not state what the contents is on the front cover the audience will not know whether what is inside interests them or not. 6 people may have chosen the artist on the cover, again like colour, this is because it helps determine the genre of the magazine. For example, if My Chemical Romance were on the cover they would know it was a rock magazine.

Specific questionnaire results analysis

1. What gender are you?

I chose to send my questionnaire out to equal amounts of male and female. This allows me to analyse the results of the questionnaire without any bias opinions and it also means the questionnaire can equally represent the population of people I would be sending aiming my magazine at. This will be useful when using the results to make desisions on what contents I include, how I present them and other features of the magazine.

2. What age group are you in?

From 30 participants of my questionnaire, 22 were in the age range of 17-21. This is because I handed my questionnaire out in my sixth form where all pupils are between 16-18. This was a convenient place for me to hand out my questionnaires as this the age range I wish to aim my magazine at as I have most knowledge about this market as I fit into it.

3. What is your preferred genre of music?
Out of 30 of the participants of my questionnaire 8 chose R&B as their preferred genre of music. I believe this is because this is currently the most mainstreamed music, being the genre we hear most about and hear most in the media. This is because the charts are dominated by R&B music, this could be because it is easiest to produce, but it is also because it ties in closely with Pop music. These two genres together form nearly half of the preferred genres, this again is because it is most mainstream as the UK charts are dominated by this type of music. R&B is closely followed by Drum and Bass, Dubstep and Grime. I think this is because these genres are very popular with males. And as half of the participants of my questionnaires were males, these results will have come from them. It is most popular with males as it is seen as a 'trend' and is heavier music, which is stereotypically preferred by males. Because of R&B being preferred by the participants I am most probably going to use this, and create a music magazine with R&B as it's genre, also because there is not yet one on the market.

4a. Do you read music magazines?
At 80% the majority of the participants of my questionnaire did not read music magazines. I believe this is closely linked with the results of question 3. The music magazine market is largely dominated by the genre of rock as this is a specialist genre that people interested in will be willing to read about. Because of this and the use of other media such as websites, there are not many R&B/Dubstep/Grime magazines that focus on 'current' mainstream music. The lack of people buying them I do not think depends on the demand, I believe there would be demand and there is a gap in the market to fill with this genre.

Specific Questionnaire

Media Questionnaire.

Please answer all questions.

1.What gender are you? (Please tick one box)
Male
Female

2. What age group are you in? (Please tick one box)
11-16
17-21
22-49
50+

3. What is your preferred genre of music? (Please tick box)
Rock
Pop
R&B
Jazz
Classical
Alternative
World
Drum and Bass
Dubstep
Grime

4a.Do you read music magazines? (Please tick one box)
Yes
No

b.If yes, what music magazine and why you read it? (Please state magazine, and why you read it)

Music Magazine;

c.If no, why do you not read music magazines?

5.How often do you buy music magazines? (Please tick one box)
Monthly
Weekly
Daily
Less than 12 a year

6.How much would you expect to buy for a music magazine? (Please tick one box)
£0-£0.99
£1-3
£3-5
5+

7a. Does a front cover of a magazine influence you it to buy it?
Yes
No

b. If so, what about the front cover would influence you to buy it?

8. a. Would free gifts/promotions influence you to buy a music magazine?
Yes
No

b. If so, what gifts/promotions would you like to find free with a magazine?

9.What contents do you enjoy reading in a music magazine? (Please tick one box)
Up-coming artists
Celebrity interviews
Professional reviews/coverage
Quizzes
Other

10. What colour scheme would you choose for a music magazine? (Please tick one box)
Black
Purple
Pink
White
Yellow
Red
Green
Orange
Grey

11. Do you prefer more writing or more images in your magazine?

Writing
Images

Miss D

some good understanding so far of your results but your question 1 anlysis contradicts itself!

Inititial questionnaire results analysis continued

4a. Do you read music magazines?

Yes - 13
No - 17

Out of my 30 participants of my questionnaire, 43% read music magazines however 57% did not. I think this is because I focused my questionnaire on a range of different people, with different interests therefore got a very equal amount of results.




4b. If so, what magazine?

NME - 2
Kerrang - 0
MOJO - 1
Smash Hits - 1
Top Of The Pops - 2
Q - 4
Other - 3

Out of the 13 people in my questionnaire results that read music magazine the majority, of 4, read Q. I think this is because this is the most generalised magazine and follows music artists that are publicised the most and feature in the charts such as 'Radio 1 Top 40', therefore attracting most of the people I handed my questionnaire out to. The next best option was 'Other,' this shows, again, because I used a range of different people to ask to answer the questions on my results, it resulted in there being a bigger range of favourite magazines than I expected.

5. How often do you buy music magazines?

Monthly - 6
Weekly - 3
Daily - 3
Less than 1 a year - 18

Out of the 30 people that took part in my questionnaire, 18 of these people read less than 12 magazines a year. This group is largely influenced by the 17 people that do not ever read music magazines. The other 1 that buys less than once a year, may be a consumer that only buys special editions, therefore buys one if it is based on something they are specifically interested in. The second most popular answer was 'monthly,' I think this may be because this is how magazines are usually released, and it is very uncommon for a music magazine to be released weekly as there is not weekly demand for it because of the expense. There was also 3 people who picked daily, these people must buy different music magazines, this could show they have a general interest in music and a variety of genres.


6.How much would you expect to pay for a music magazine?

£0-0.99 - 2
£1-3 - 5
£3-5 - 20
£5+ - 3

The majority of participants of the questionnaire chose that they would be prepared to pay between £3-5 for a music magazine. I think this may have been chosen because it is the general pricing group and magazine publisher uses. Also it is more of a premium price compared to things such as general gossip magazines or newspapers. This could be beacause music magazines target more of a niche audience therefore can afford to rise their prices and the market are prepared to pay this. This is proven by the participants who were willing to pay 5+. However the pricing gap of £0-£0.99 may be chosen by 2 of the people that do not read music magazines, resulting in them inevitably not willing to pay very much for something they have no demand for.

Initial questionnaire results analysis

Media questionnaire analysis

Question 1 - What gender are you?

Male - 13
Female - 17

I sent my questionnaire out to 30 people. I had more females answer the questions.

Question 2 - What age group are you in?

11-16 years - 8
17-21 years - 11
22-49 years - 7
50+ years - 4

I chose a range of different age groups to send my questionnaire out to, so that I could collect results that represented the population. Because I sent out the majority of my questionnaires to students in my class, the majority of the people answering the questions were in the age group 17-21. But I still tried to get a variet of ages, and have managed to do so.

Question 3 - What is your preferred genre of music?

Rock - 5
Pop - 5
R&B - 9
Jazz - 1
Classical - 5
Alternative - 1
Drum and Bass - 1
Dubstep - 1
Grime - 2

There was a variety of different preffered music from the participants of my questionnaires, the majority being R&B. I think this is because R&B covers a large market, is mainstream and the charts are dominated by this type of music. The next popular genres were rock, pop and classical. Again, I believe this will have been because they are the most well known genres, and most publicisied.

Initial Questionnaire

Media Questionnaire.

Please answer all questions.

1. What gender are you? (Please tick one box)

Male

Female

2. What age group are you in? (Please tick one box)

11-16

17-21

22-49

50+

3. What is your preferred genre of music? (Please tick box)

Rock

Pop

R&B

Jazz

Classical

Alternative

World

Drum and Bass

Dubstep

Grime

4a. Do you read music magazines? (Please tick one box)

Yes

No

b. If so what music magazine? (Please tick one box or state other)

NME

Kerrang

MOJO

Smash Hits

Top of the Pops

Q

Other ­­­­­_____________________________________________________

5. How often do you buy music magazines? (Please tick one box)

Monthly

Weekly

Daily

Less than 1 a year

6. How much would you expect to buy for a music magazine? (Please tick one box)

£0-£0.99

£1-3

£3-5

5+

Timetable