Research into similar magazines and bands or

artists of this genre

SoundShockwave

BuzzMash up

Beat

Bounce

Font and name ideas:

I will use a bold and clear name for my magazine as it needs to stand out as the masthead. As my magazine will be the first edition it needs to be memorable and easily recognisable for the target audience to remember it and want to buy it again. I feel all these ideas suit the genre of a pop-rock magazine and will attract the target audience. They are all to do with music and will appeal to music fans. My favourite idea is sound magazine. This is because the font is bold and simple and will stand out to the target audience. It is suitable for the genre of a music magazine as ‘sound’ is to do with music and it will appeal to the target audience of young male and female adults.

Article ideas• Instruments- this will appeal to those who are interested in music and the way songs are put

together. Anyone who is interested in starting a band or those who play instruments will want to read articles about instruments.

• New albums/ tours – people who are fans of the bands featured will want to read articles about this as it informs them about when they can see their favourite bands/artists live. As the target audience is teenagers and young adults, many will be interested in concerts so these articles will be appropriate.

• Album reviews- reviews will inform people whether to buy the albums or not. Readers may find this useful when deciding what albums to buy and listen to.

• Latest top hits- the target audience of teenagers of both genders will be interested in the top hits because they will be interested in magazines.

• How to start a band- this links with instruments. The target audience are interested in music and may want to start a band. If I use quotes from famous band members they will be inspired and want to find out more.

• Photo-shoots- fans of certain bands or artists will be interested in this as they can see pictures of them and find out information about them behind scenes etc.

• Interviews with the bands/artists- this will appeal to readers as they may want to be informed about particular artists

• News section- new information in the music world will be interesting for the target audience as they are teenagers interested in music. They may be interested in new bands, music, tours and news about music celebrities.

• New music/ Top 10 chart music- music fans will always be interested in new releases and will want to be informed about new music in the charts.

Music magazines in the UK

• Music magazines were very prolific in the United Kingdom, with the NME (short for New Musical Express) leading sales since its first issue in 1952. NME had a longstanding rival in Melody Maker, an even older publication that had existed since 1926. Melody maker however ceased to publish in 2001. Several other British magazines such as Select and Sounds also folded between 1990 and 2000. Current UK music magazines include Q, Kerrang! and Mojo (all published by EMAP). Magazines with a focus on pop music rather than rock and aimed at a younger market include the now-defunct Smash Hits and the BBC's Top of the Pops, which outlived the television show on which it was based.

All these magazines have a similar layout and they all follow the codes and conventions of a typical magazine. For example they all contain a main image, mast head and cover lines, as well as a barcode and a price. The people on the main image featured usually contain an artist that has a current hit in the charts or someone that is really well known in the music world.

• Billboard published its first music hit parade on January 4, 1936; its first record chart was calculated on July 20, 1940. The Billboard Hot 100, which documents individual singles, was introduced on August 4, 1958; the Billboard 200, which ranks full music albums, was premiered on August 17, 1963. Today, the service provides over 100 charts, which are updated on a weekly basis.

• The Billboard Music Award is an honour given by Billboard. The Billboard Music Awards show had been held annually in December until it went dormant in 2007, it returned in May 2011.

• Billboard magazines sub genre and music styles are pop, R&B hip-hop, country, EDM, Latin, K- pop and feature charts in Artist 100, trending 140, emerging artists, summer songs, R&B hip-hop, Pop, dance/electronic, country, rock, Latin, breaking and entertaining, additional genres, Christian/gospel.

• It is owned by Prometheus Global Media which is a New York City-based business-to-business media company. The company was formed in December 2009.

• Its circulation is 16,327 and its first issue was 1st November 1894• Their masthead is always similar and follows the codes and conventions of a

typical magazine, with a main image of a particular celebrity featured in that magazine issue. This makes the cover recognisable for the target audience so more people will buy it. Their contents page is split up into sections such as features and new hits so it is easy to use and readers can use it properly and find the pages they want. They are both quite simple as too many cover lines and articles can over power the page and make them cluttered. They all have similar articles with interviews, new music info and tour dates as well as festivals, band information and music reviews. Images are always of famous artists in the music business.

Billboard magazine

• New Musical Express, popularly known by the initialism NME, created by Theodore Ingham, is a British weekly music journalism publication, published since March 1952. It is largely associated with rock, alternative and indie music. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s and 90s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, in 14 November 1952 edition. In the 1970s it became the best-selling British music newspaper.

• Its first issue was published 1952 7th march.• The brand has many other events hosted by NME such as: The NME

Awards which is an awards show held every year to celebrate the best new music of the past year. The nominations and eventual winners are voted for by the readers of the magazine. NME sponsors a tour of the United Kingdom by up-and-coming bands each year.

• It also has a website and a following of 19,491.• All of the covers have the similar mast head with the same font and size so

the cover is branded and recognisable for the target audience.• They all have a main image which is the biggest image on the page which

suggests it is the most important. They are always musicians of the genre of music the magazine is for, a mix for this particular magazine.

• The articles are generally featuring new music and albums that want to be promoted by the artists. They are always suitable for the rock-indie genre that the magazine is. Images featured are of bands and artists that are liked by the target audience. This appeals to them and will make them want to read it as it catches their eye.

NME magazine

Q magazine

• Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.• It was first published by the EMAP media group in October 1986, setting itself apart

from much of the other music press with monthly production and higher standards of photography and printing. In the early years, the magazine was sub-titled "The modern guide to music and more". Originally it was to be called Cue (as in the sense of cueing a record, ready to play), but the name was changed so that it wouldn't be mistaken for a snooker magazine. Another reason, cited in Q's 200th edition, is that a single-letter title would be more prominent on newsstands.

• In January 2008 EMAP sold its consumer magazine titles, including Q, to the Bauer Media Group.

• Content includes: new releases (music), reissues (music), music compilations, film and live concert reviews, as well as radio and television reviews. It uses a star-rating system from one to five stars. This will appeal to the target audience of music lovers of that particular sub genre which is similar to my target audience.

• Other Q brands: There was formerly a Q TV television channel in the UK, Q also holds a yearly awards ceremony called the Q Awards.

• Q has featured the world’s biggest artists – from U2 to Adele, Oasis to Rihanna, Radiohead to Lady Gaga and more – on its landmark covers. Every month the magazine creates new stars and identifies what’s coming next.

• The mast head is always the same in the same place, usually the same colour. This makes the magazine branded and recognisable for fans of the brand. People who have bought it before will be more likely to buy it if they recognise the masthead. The main image is usually a woman. It is a medium close up, usually with direct address. This will create a branded image for the magazine. It always features recent music and interviews etc. These all relate and will appeal to the target audience.

All of these musicians will be appropriate to be featured on my magazine as they all fit my sub genre. The target audience will be interested about reading articles and seeing pictures of these artists so if they are featured on the front cover or inside it will be more likely the niche audience will buy my magazine as they will recognise their faces or their names. All of these artists suit the type of magazine it is and they will be able to promote their music and new tours or albums being released to their fans through my magazine.

Target audience:

• Gender: Male/female• Age: 16-25• Class: Working/middle class• Race: All (mainly white-British)• Location: UKMy target audience is as above because I know that most people this age will be interested in music and indie/pop/rock music that is currently popular. The age 16-25 will be able to afford this magazine if they work and as it is aimed at working/middle class the price wont be very expensive so they will be likely to buy it as they can afford it. The content will include things such as live music and new albums which the target audience will be interested in as many young people of both genders enjoy seeing music being played live at concerts or festivals.