Music Magazine Flat Plans 1

Shown below are the flat plans for my magazine. I have done this to get a better idea of the layout that I will be following in my magazine. These will help me when I'm beginning to construct my magazine.

Animoto Mood Board

I decided to create a mood board for my magazine. I used Animoto to create a short video clip that reflects the style of magazine that I wish to create. Similarly to Q, I want to create a magazine that doesn't particularly stick to one music genre, but instead focuses on new releases and upcoming artists.

Music Magazine Ideas

Below is a summary of my ideas for my music magazine. I have presented them in a Prezi so I can easily refer back to it when creating my magazine.

Ideal Reader

I researched on YouGov to find information on my target reader. I then used this information to create my ideal reader profile. This helps me to attract potential companies to buy advertising space in my magazine.

Target Audience Feedback Questionnaire

Below is a video presenting my findings from my questionnaire. I got 30 responses altogether. This proved to be a helpful task as it will help me direct my focus in terms of the design and content of my magazine.

P.s. please don't bother listening to the video, there is only background noise.

Single Charts and Highest Selling Albums

To aid me with my music magazine research, I wanted to research the most popular singles and albums in the UK at the minute. This gives me a better understanding of the most popular artists at the moment. 

According to officialcharts the top 10 singles at the moment are as follows: 

According to iTunes, the top singles at the moment are:

In terms of most popular albums, according to officialcharts, we can see that Ed Sheeran has the highest selling album of 2014 so far.

From this I can see that the most popular artists are solo artists.

Using Social Media for Distribution

I shared the link to my survey on three different social media platforms so I could reach as many different people as possible. 

Below is the screenshot from Facebook.

Below is the screenshot from Twitter.

Below is the screenshot from Snapchat.

Target Audience Questionnaire

I wanted to gather information from my target audience to get an idea of what they want from a music magazine. To collect this information I created a questionnaire using surveymonkey I then posted the link to Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat to reach a wide range of people and ensure that I got a lot of responses. You can view this questionnaire below.

Inspiration for layout

I really like the layout of these pages from Q magazine. I may use inspiration from these in my own magazine.

Kerrang! Double Page Spread Analysis

The second double page spread that I will be analysing is the accompanying feature for the Kerrang! cover page and contents page that I have analysed. This will give me a better idea of what to include in my own double page spread. This also gives me a better view of how Kerrang!'s house style has been applied throughout the magazine.
 

Kerrang! Double Page Spread Collage

I have created this collage of Kerrang! double page spreads to give me a better idea of the house style of Kerrang! and how it is evident in a range of articles. I will also gain inspiration for the layout, content and images for my own double page spread.

Q Double Page Spread

This is my first double page spread analysis. This is the accompanying article from the Q cover and contents page. This will give me a better idea of what to include in my own double page spread. This also gives me a better view of how Q's house style has been applied throughout the magazine.

Q Double Page Spread Collage

I have created this collage of Q double page spreads to give me a better idea of the house style of Q and how it is evident in a range of articles. I will also gain inspiration for the layout, content and images for my own double page spread.
 

Kerrang! Contents Page Analysis

Now that I have analyised the cover of this magazine I will now analyse the accompanying contents page for this issue. This will give me a better understanding of the typical layout of a music magazine contents page, as well as gain inspiration for my own contents page. I can also see how the house style of this magazine carrys through onto the contents page.

 

 

The contents page for Kerrang! is one page. Immediately from a glance at this cover page we can see that it is well laid out and structured, with three paragraphs. We can also see that the house style continues into the contents page through the use of fonts and the colours red, yellow, white and black. The pag numbers are coloured red, whereas the majority of text is coloured black. This is effective as the numbers are very easily found and clear to see meaning that the reader can quickly see which page to go to for a certain article. The background has been coloured white which makes the magazine look very organised and sophisticated. This is important as this would appeal to their target audience and makes it easier to follow. The continuity is very clear from the cover, contents page and presumably the rest of the magazine. The use of the same fonts as those on the cover adds to the continuity and sophistication of the whole magazine as well as improving the overall aesthetics. Similarly to the cover, the colours used are quite gender neutral so this will appeal to everyone. There isn't a good representation of gender on the contents page in terms of images, as none of the images include females.

In the top left corner the issue number and cover date is displayed. In the top right corner the title is displayed in a black circle. Underneath it states, "it's only 30 days until Download! Oh em gee!" The use of text language here indicates that this magazine is for a younger age group.

On this page there are 7 different images. This page includes most of the artists that were plugged on the front cover, however there are different artists also plugged on the contents page. This is effective as it appeals to a wide range of people and broadens the magazine's potential audience. There are three images relating to articles and four relating to different segments of the contents page. The images relating to articles all have a large white page number on them making it very easy for people to find the related articles. The image are all different sizes making the page seem less uniform and boring.

On the contents page, the main image is not of Jared Leto or 30 Seconds to Mars, but instead Alice in Chains. It is placed in the top left side and immediately draws the reader’s attention. This would be done to attract readers as this is a well known artist in the genre and would appeal to a large number of people. In this image, some of the band are looking into the camera, whereas others are not. The picture is also taken at a low angle, giving the band an atmosphere of superiority over the reader. I don't like this effect as the picture doesn't look very inviting and wouldn't entice me to read the article.

The contents page is split into 8 different sections. The headings are coloured yellow in a black strip. This makes them very distinguishable for ease of navigation. The language used to speak to the reader shows a certain amount of respect for them as the writing assumes a certain level of knowledge, such as the shortening of the name of the band, You Me At Six, to YMAS. However it is evident in the language that this magazine is aimed at someone younger such as, "Jared blasts off again. Next stop... love!" and "JESSE LEACH IS BACK! JESSE LEACH IS BACK! AHEM. JESSE LEACH IS BAAAAAACK!" These types of sentences wouldn't be seen in a magazine targeted towards an older age group, but the are suitable for Kerrang!'s demographic. The language used is exciting and entice the reader to read on, particularly with the use of humour, such as, "Ozzy Osbourne remembers that he left the oven on" and "This week, we find out what's on Ville Valo's shelves! Some pretty weird stuff turns out..." This type if language would be enticing to the reader as it is entertaining to read.

 

Overall on the contents page, over 20 different artists are plugged, many of whom weren't on the cover page. Again, this is very effective as it appeals to many different people with different preferences within the rock genre.

 

Overall I think this piece is very appealing as it is well structured and clear to follow which are important aspects of a contents page. It also contains a lot of information which is useful as readers can get an idea of all of the artists included in this issue. The informal and exciting writing style gives the magazine a friendly and lighthearted tone, which is appealing to readers. This contents page is not only aesthetically pleasing but it is also practical and clear to follow. However in my own contents page I would like to use a wider range of colours to highlight specific aspects of the page. These are all things that I will consider when I am planning my own contents page.

Kerrang! Contents Page Collage

I have created this collage of Kerrang! contents pages to give me a better idea of the house style of Kerrang! magazine and see how it is evident through their contents page. I will also get an idea of the typical layout of their contents pages, language used and postioning of images.This will also give me some inspiration for my own contents page.

 

Kerrang! Cover Analysis

This is my second cover analysis. By analysing more than one magazine it gives me a better idea of the codes of conventions for music magazines.

The second magazine that I have chosen to analyse is May 2013 issue of Kerrang! Kerrang! is published by. Bauer Media Group.

The name Kerrang! is onomatopoeic named after the sound of plucking a string on a guitar.

The masthead is positioned in the top third of the magazine, which is typical of magazines due to the way they arranged in newsstands. The masthead is coloured red, matching the strapline at the bottom of the page. We can very clearly see the colours of the housestylenwhich are black, red, white and yellow. These colours appeal to the target audience and they are fairly gender neutral meaning that they will appeal to everyone. The main cover line stretches across the middle of the cover, drawing the readers attention to it. The featured band's name is displayed in large capital letters over a red strip making it very easy to read. Above it there is a pull quote, used to entice readers to buy the magazine, "everyday I was coughing up blood." This would encourage someone to buy the magazine to find out more about the story. The cover line "Jared Leto's most revealing interview ever" makes the magazine seem more interesting to the reader as the magazine has an exclusive feature that they can't read anywhere else. These coverlines also give the magazine a gossipy feel which would attract new readers.

On the left there is a puff stating "6 awesome posters" with 3 small images of the posters depicting popular artists in this genre. This is used to entice readers as the target audience would still be at the age of decorating their room with posters. All of the coverlines have a coloured background so they are easy to read and clear.

At the top there is a black skyline including lines about 2 artists inside. One is about another popular band of this genre and the other states "Kerrang Awards voting inside." Not only does this plug their own awards ceremony but it lets the reader know that if they buy this magazine they are able to vote. At the bottom there is a red strapline and it plugs three more artists. Overall there are 15 artists plugged on the front cover. This is effective as it represents a wide range of people and fans on the front cover to attract a range of readers. At the bottom there are two pictures outlined in white which makes them stand out on the background. This plugs two more bands, widening their reach in terms of potential readers.

The fonts used on the cover are very basic and clear making them easy to read. All text is written in capital letters making the tone seem urgent and exciting used to interest the reader. The colours used are gender neutral, hinting that this magazine is read by everyone. In terms of pictures, females aren't represented although this is expected of a rock magazine as the genre itself is male dominated. However, this also indicates that the majority of readers are male.

The main image is of 30 Seconds to Mars' front man Jared Leto. The image is taken at eye level with Jared looking directly into the camera, giving a sense of equality between him and the reader and creating a neutral, welcoming atmosphere which would encourage the reader to buy the magazine.

The barcode is found at the bottom right. Included in it is the issue number, date, price and website. This is effective as the reader can very easily find this information if they want to. It also adds to the professionalism of the cover as a whole.

Kerrang! Magazine Cover Collage

I have created this collage of Kerrang! cover pages to give me a better idea of the house style of Kerrang! magazine and see how it is evident in a range of past covers.

Q Magazine Contents Page Analysis

Now that I have analyised the cover of this magazine I will now analyse the accompanying contents page for this issue. This will give me a better understanding of the typical layout of a music magazine contents page, as well as gain inspiration for my own contents page.

 

The contents page for this issue of Q is one page, which is unusual for Q as they usually have a double page spread for the contents.

Immediately we can see that the contents page matches the cover in terms of structure and layout as it is neat and easy to follow. We can also see that the house style continues into the contents page through the use of fonts and the colours red, white and black. Although these are the main colours used, a pop of colour has been used for the bubbles including the page numbers. These are effective as they are very easily found and clear to see meaning that the reader can quickly see which page to go to for a certain article. The background has been coloured white which makes the magazine look very organised and sophisticated. This is important as this would appeal to their target audience. The continuity is very clear from the cover, contents page and presumably the rest of the magazine. The use of the same fonts as those on the cover adds to the continuity and sophistication of the whole magazine as well as improving the overall aesthetics. Similarly to the cover, the colours used are quite gender neutral so this will appeal to everyone. There is an good diversity in the representation of gender though the images as there are 4 images featuring males and 3 featuring females. 

On this page there are 7 different images. This page includes all of the same artists that were plugged on the cover, making it very easy for the reader to find a specific article that they saw on the cover. These images all all different sizes and colour tones, such a the black and whit image for Lucidia Williams and the blue toned picture for Jack White. These difference in the images make the contents page seem less uniform and boring. Some of the images overlap the background which adds a more professional style and makes the page more interesting. 

On the contents page, the main image is not of the Foo Fighters like the cover, but instead of Noel Gallagher. It is placed in the top right side and immediately draws the reader’s attention. This would be done to attract readers as this artist is often featured and is famous and the article would appeal to a large number of people. In the image he is looking straight at the camera, encouraging the reader to read on. The heading of each article is the name of the featured artist, again making it very easy for readers to see which article is about a specific artist.

The language used and the tone that is used to speak to the readers shows a certain amount of respect for reader as the writing is not patronizing and assumes a certain level of knowledge. For example, in the first blub, about Noel Gallagher, they refer to him as "The Cheif". This assumes that the reader knows that this is Noel Gallagher's nickname due to the fact that he has been involved in so many different projects. This is effective because no one would want to read a magazine that patronizes them, especially due to the fact that this magazine is targeted towards an older age group so it is important that the writing is exciting without being condescending. The language used is also exciting and entices the reader to read on, for example "where the worlds most exciting rock performer is calling himself and stand-comedian." "In our exclusive interview" this makes the reader feel that this interview will include new previously unseen information as this magazine has the interview exclusively. 

Q has a segment in the contents page called “The Q Review”. This is quite a popular segment of Q Magazine as music enthusiasts regard Q’s opinion quite highly. This section of the contents page has been outlined in a thick black line making it stand out and draw the reader’s eye. This would attract the regular reader as this is more than likely a segment that they would be very interested in. This segment plugs four artists, already mentioned on the cover. The language used is very exciting and would encourage the reader to read the article, for example "Spellbinding turn from the fast rising electro-R&B star." Again the headings are the name of the artists making it very clear to the reader who is reviewed in this months editions. 

At the bottom there are four more artists plugged. Again the name of the artists are the headings and they are bolded making them stand out from the small accompanying blurb. At the very bottom right hand corner the month, year, signature logo and page number is displayed. These small details make the magazine seem professional and well presented. Overall there are 14 different artists plugged on the contents page, from a range of different genres. This is done to try and appeal to as many different people as possible with different music tastes. 

Overall I think this piece is very appealing as it is well structured and clear to follow which are  important aspects of a contents page. The pop of colour is very effective and this is something that I will consider when planning my own contents page. The inclusion of the logo at the top of the page and the bottom adds to the continuity of the magazine and looks very professional. The informal and exciting writing style gives the magazine a friendly and lighthearted tone, which is appealing to readers. This contents page is not only aesthetically pleasing but it is also practical and clear to follow. These are all things that I will consider when I am planning my own contents page.

Q Contents Page Collage

I have created this collage of Q contents pages to give me a better idea of the house style of Q magazine and see how it is evident through their contents page. I will also get an idea of the typical layout of their contents pages, language used and postioning of images.This will also give me some inspiration for my own contents page.

 

Q Magazine Cover Analysis

Before I begin to plan my own music magazine cover, I want to get an idea of the codes of conventions for the cover pages of music magazines as well as some inspiration for my own magazine. Do do this I will analyse two covers. This will help me plan my own magazine as I will gain a better understanding of the elements I must consider when planning my magazine, as well as getting inspiration for my own cover.

 

I have chosen to analyse the most recent cover of Q Magazine. Q is one of the most popular music magazines and is published monthly by Bauer Media Group. It was founded by David Hempworth and Mark Ellen as they thought there was a gap in the market for a music magazine that did not ignore the older generation that are still buying CD's as well as including the new technological generation. Originally named Cue, as to cue the music, however it was changed to Q so that it wouldn't be confused for a snooker magazine. The cover that I have decided to analyse is Issue No. 341, which was released as the December 2014 issue, featuring the Foo Fighters as the cover artist. This issue cost £4.99.

The colours, font and layout of this cover indicate to us that this magazine is aimed at those in their late teens until thirties. The colours used are quite gender neutral appealing to everyone, hinting that this magazine reaches both female and male readers. This is also reflected in the gender of the artists plugged on the cover, as there is a mix of male and females. The layout is neat and structured resulting in a very professional and polished look.

The masthead is positioned in the top left corner and is just a simple white Q inside a red box. The simplicity of the masthead is unique and attracts the reader straight away. This logo has now become famous with the brand, highlighted by the fact that the main image covers the mast head slightly. This indicates that this magazine is already an established brand and doesn't need to be very clear as most people will already know which magazine it is without having to see the masthead fully. 

At the bottom left hand corner of the cover there is a pull quote from the main article. It ends on a cliff-hanger, used to entice the reader to buy the magazine to see what he was talking about when he said “It was turned upside down”. There is another pull quote included on the right hand side including an extract from Jack White’s feature; “I see myself as a stand-up comedian”.  This will interest readers to read on and find out what the artist means when he says this. On the cover there are 11 artists featured. This is done to try and appeal to as many different people as possible. There are only two images used; the main image and a small image in the top right hand corner. The corner image is small enough so that it doesn’t distract attention away from the main image. The main image is shot straight on with the Foo Fighters looking directly into the camera. This sets a neutral tone with them and the reader, encouraging them to read it and perhaps encouraging people who aren’t already fans of the Foo Fighters to read it too. The background of the main image is white, a usual detail of Q, making the people stand out and be the focus. 

Beside the image of Prince there is a puff, including Prince’s symbol, letting the reader
know that the Prince article is a 20 page special. This will entice anyone that is a fan of Prince and is interested in the article. The main house style of Q is red, white and black. We can see that they heavily use these colours, as well as some accent colours such as grey and purple. Symbols are used on the front cover, such as the grey plus and grey quotation marks. This adds a different element to the magazine cover and makes sure that it is not too text heavy as the focus should remain the main image. On the right side there are a number of cover lines. The biggest one is about the most famous artist, Noel Gallagher. The magazine doesn’t include his surname, assuming that the reader would already know who they are talking about. This shows a certain level of respect from the magazine to its readers as it doesn’t patronise them. Underneath “Noel Returns!” there is a smaller cover line stating “… but is he really talking to Liam?” This cover line adds a gossipy tone to the magazine making it seem that it’s not all just facts but adds an fun, lighter side to the magazine.

On the right side there is a large 31 and underneath states “Pages of essential reviews” and then 5 artists are listed. The use of the number 31 rather than the word, again makes sure that the magazine cover is not too text heavy. The size of the number draws the reader’s attention. This is chosen because Q is regarded highly in terms of music reviews and music enthusiasts often trust their reviews and have done for years. For this reason it has become one of their most popular features in the magazine.

The text used is all capitalised adding an importance to all of the cover lines. It also makes the text look more uniform and improves the aesthetics of the overall cover.

At the bottom right corner there is the barcode. This includes the month, year, price and website address. This is effective as the reader can clearly find the website and the price, as well as issue.

Included in the December issue of Q is a cover mount. It is a CD including sessions from various artists recorded on Q Radio. This would entice readers to by the magazine as they are getting a free CD and more for their money. Above the masthead there is a large bright yellow arrow which points down to where the CD is stuck on the magazine. Inside the yellow arrow are the words, “Exclusive CD!” in black writing. This makes the font stand out on the yellow arrow and draw the reader’s attention. This also lets the reader know that there should be a CD attached, and if not there are instructions down at the bottom where the CD should be telling the reader to alert their newsagent. 

Q Magazine Cover Collage

I have created this collage of Q cover pages to give me a better idea of the house style of Q magazine and see how it is evident in a range of past covers.

Music Magazine Research

Before I can begin planning my music magazine, I have to carry out research on the music magazine industry. I decided to research multiple magazine publishers and two different magazines. The publishers I chose to research were Emap, Bauer Media and Time Inc UK. The magazines I chose to research were Kerrang! and Q.

Music Magazine Research from Shannon_Media

My Favourite Music Video

Shown above is my favourite music video: Kings and Queens by 30 Seconds To Mars

Queen's Open Day '13

Here is a photo of me with some friends this time last year

Introduction

My name is Shannon Murray and I am a student in St. Catherine's College.

The subjects that I am currently studying are Geography at A2 and Media Studies at AS level.

I enjoy listening to music, travelling and reading. My favourite band is The 1975 and my favourite television programmes are Friends and American Horror Story.