Evaluation of Music Magazine

Final Cover:

Contents page:

Double Page Spread:

Evaluation

 In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Whilst researching existing music magazines (both rock magazines and magazines of other genres such as pop) I noticed that almost all magazines had the several conventions in common, such as:

Masthead, main image, bar code, cover lines, main cover line and dates / issue numbers, thus these features are conventional to music magazines. I therefore ensured that I placed each of these conventions on my magazine.  I also researched the Kerrang! Logo, finding that it was black and white (two colours that contrast very well) and has an exclamation mark. Additionally it also had a cracked glass overlay effect, giving the impression that it’s a rock/metal magazine due to the aggressive nature. Furthermore the mast head (logo) often spread across the whole of the cover page. When designing my logo for ‘Smash’ I considered these features, meaning there are many similarities between my logo and ‘kerrang’s’. The word smash also portrays rough and aggressive connections, thus could be linked to the rock genre.

Throughout many magazines, including kerrang, rock sound and classic rock, a black and white colour scheme was very common. This was most likely due to how effectively they contrast, but also this tends to prevent the distraction of colour. Many people prefer the simplicity of simple colour combinations over multiple colours.  Again I decided to include this on my cover page.

The main image on most music magazines (both on covers and article pages) are either a medium shot of a band, or a medium close up of an individual. As I used an image of an individual I used a medium close up. Although I also used a medium shot on my contents page to show what the person of the image was wearing (as it was a stereotypical outfit you’d expect to see a rockstar wearing), an example of codes used on a magazine. The main image of magazines also usually look directly to the reader, providing a more personal interaction with them.

The front cover also has plugs and puffs which are used to grab the attention of and intrigue the reader. Almost all magazines, of all genres, use these forms of convention as they can be applied to any article or magazines content.

Whereas Kerrang tends to cover both rock and metal, my magazine challenges this by solely covering rock. Also Kerrang’s covers tend to be very messy, with many pictures and captions crammed into a small area. Although this does relate to the aggressive nature of the rock genre, it looks very unappealing. As such I’ve decided to tone it down slightly in comparison to Kerrang, with less images and strap lines.

However, as there are different types of rock music (such as classic rock) I also used images of very different people. Unlike kerrang ,for example, who use images of people who are very similar, I used an image of a more gothic, hardcore fan of modern music, and two images of more indi, classical rock fans.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

One of the images in the magazine portrays a stereotypical Goth, which is shown through the way in which he dresses and his appearance in general; characteristics such as very long hair, and attitude (hand gestures) for example. This targets people who listen to heavy metal and hard rock, as these are the genres of music this stereotype listens too and attributed with. In addition, the main image on the cover portrays a pop music artist. Although this is less obvious than the last, the dress sense and features such as hair style are very typical and average. This would suggest that this person is an artist in a more common genre; such as pop. Likewise his taste in music and clothing is more similar to the average persons.  However, I didn’t not use any images of females, which would have helped to represent and appeal to both females and males. I would therefore include an image of a female if I was to do this task again.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

A magazine publication company such as Future Publishing would publish this magazine. The company already has a large range of music magazines, including several rock ones, therefore already has an audience and market for this type of magazine. A magazine production company undergoes the process of creating a physical magazine from an idea / plan. Digital music is much more popular, nowadays, than physical music (CD’s, etc), and e-books are also becoming more popular. Therefore a company may choose to product and sell digital magazines too. This would be much cheaper (as there is no physical materials needed), but could make just as much profit. These e-magazines could also be sold at a cheaper price (as they production costs are lower) and the business could still make a larger profit- the lower prices would also encourage more sales. Money for producing magazines is often self-funded, or paid for through profit the company.  

Who would be the audience for your media product?

My magazine is aimed towards people between the age of 15 and 30, as people between these ages tend to have more of an interest in the ‘rock’ lifestyle. The images of the people throughout the magazine are fairly young, therefore are more relatable to the reader. Due to the magazine been aimed towards this age group, the readers would probably not have much disposable income, falling intro income bracket B or C. As such I priced the magazine at a realistic price for these readers at £2. Being as the price is fairly low, this should also prevent people from been discouraged from buying the magazine. However, I now realise that I hadn’t displayed that on my cover. As before, the images throughout the magazine are presented as tidily dressed, supporting the previously mentioned income bracket.

My magazine tends to appeal more to males than it does females. There are no images of females though out, which is something I would consider using if I was to redo the task. This would better appeal to females, who are just as common in the rock music genre. Although there is a lack of images of females, the magazine is still aimed to females to some extent.  The magazine isn’t limited to particular ethnic groups, but is completely in English. As such, it isn’t aimed to people with a lack of English knowledge. 

How did you attract / address your audience?

People who have an interest in rock music would also enjoy this magazine, as this magazine solely covers this genre. By representing the stereotypical fans of the rock genre I was able to address the audience. Being as there are different types of rock, I was able to use images of people who appear to represent different types of the same genre. Whereas one image portrays a typical goth- who would most likely prefer more modern rock music- the others portray people who seem to be fans of more classic rock. This magazine therefore attracts to both types of fans, despite been of the game type of music.

By simply having an effective cover, people will become intrigued and interested. The simple colour scheme of black and white, although not exactly eye catching, does look professional. By having this colour scheme throughout  the magazine is consistent. The target audience is teenagers and people in their twenties, people of this age tend to not be hugely interested in considerable amount of text thus there were several images used too.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Using Photoshop regularly for the design of each of the pages of the magazine, I now feel confident with using the program. Not only did I use it to simply place photos onto a page and move them around, but I also: experienced layers and the order In which images and text can be placed, I edited the Images by removing backgrounds and resizing them, adding relevant filters and effects, used various tools such as the quick selection tool, pen tool and type tool. It was through use of these tools I was able to make improvements and necessary changes to my work.

In addition to using Photoshop, I also used blogger, a blogging site. It was trough using this site that I was able to display clearly changes made and the order in which they were made. This means that the whole process of creating my magazine can be shown, the research done to create said work and what my intentions were whilst creating the magazine.  By combining this site with Slide Share, I was able to link any work done offline, in programs such as Word and Publisher. This is how files such as the layout draft were shown. This therefore shows the whole process of creating my magazine.

Whereas in the first task (the school magazine) I was fairly inexperienced with Photoshop- using it one only a few odd occasions- I gained a lot more experience with it in this task. I also understand better how a magazine can be aimed towards certain groups of people and audiences, through representing people of particular groups, for example. Likewise, I gained the knowledge of how a magazine can interact with its readers through having images of people looking directly at the reader. Use of puffs and straplines can be hugely effective. Using brighter and more varied colours, whilst still using a certain colour scheme makes the magazine more visually appealing- something which I feel I’ve improved greatly upon in comparison to my last task. Another way in which I’ve improved in terms of appearance is by been much more accurate and precise when cutting the background of images. Whereas in my first task the image was very poorly cut out with a very rough outline, I took more time when doing this in this task, so the outcome looked much more professional and appealing. Likewise, I’ve edited some images so they better suit the style of the magazine, whereas on the first task I didn’t.

Improvements

I then asked potential readers for any improvements or recommendations they could offer:

Along side the improvements to the visual aspects of the magazine, I also made several changes to the magazine article. This corrected mistakes and changed the length also:

Here is the old article:

I’m joined today by an artist who until only a few months ago would have been unheard of. Yet, today he’s a household and very commonly recognised name: it’s Restless!

Thanks for joining me today Restless, I’m going to ask a few questions that have been send in by our readers. So, firstly:

 

From where does the inspiration come for your songs?

 

Inspiration can come from anywhere, be it an everyday task or a once in a lifetime experience. I find that the best way to find inspiration is not to look for it, but instead to let it find you. It may be through a series of events or a simple conversation. For example, my first song ‘Lies’ was inspired just that; a lie:

 

When performing my first gig, I was not on a list of people who would be performing- due to it being such short notice. Which, naturally, meant that a group of bouncers questioned whether I should be able to pass. Despite explaining to them the circumstances they didn’t believe me. They just looked me down and assumed I was just another ‘wanna-be’ due to how scrawny I was, and the way I was dressed. In a moment of desperation, I had no choice but to lie and make out that I was the best friend of the owner of the club. By doing so, I acted as though I could get the bouncers fired unless they let me pass. Surprisingly, this worked, and they let me continue to the stage. If it wasn’t for that small lie, I wouldn’t have performed that night, meaning I wouldn’t have been noticed and coincidently wouldn’t be here today! It was that small lie, only told in the heat of the moment that resulted in my whole career. And so we return to my original point; “inspiration can come from anywhere”.

 

Did you always have a love for music?

 

I’ve loved music for as long as I can remember. I distinctively remember getting a cassette player for my 6^th birthday, treasuring it ever since. For months on end I would listen to old cassettes, from a whole host of genres. Be it rock, dance, pop, solo’s or orchestras. Due to this, my parents then bought me a guitar for my 8^th birthday. A guitar that I still have today. It was on this guitar that I learnt to play- as a hobby which then progressed into a career. Even to this day I reminisce over the days when I was a young boy, aspiring to be the next Jimi Hendrix...

 

I then changed the article to become this:

I’m joined today by an artist who until only a few months ago would have been unheard of. Yet, today he’s a household and very commonly recognised name: it’s Restless! Restless enters the room very calmly, with a smirk across his face – this could be interesting!

Personally, I find it extremely difficult to find inspiration, yet Restless has had multiple number ones over the last few months, all of which have a story behind them. So I wondered, were does he find his inspiration? “Inspiration can come from anywhere, be it an everyday task or a once in a lifetime experience.” he exclaimed, “I find that the best way to find inspiration is not to look for it, but instead to let it find you. It may be through a series of events or a simple conversation. For example, my first song ‘Lies’ was inspired just that; a lie:

“When performing my first gig, I was not on a list of people who would be performing- due to it being such short notice. Which, naturally, meant that a group of bouncers questioned whether I should be able to pass. Despite explaining to them the circumstances they didn’t believe me. They just looked me down and assumed I was just another ‘wanna-be’ due to how scrawny I was, and the way I was dressed. In a moment of desperation, I had no choice but to lie and make out that I was the best friend of the owner of the club. By doing so, I acted as though I could get the bouncers fired unless they let me pass. Surprisingly, this worked, and they let me continue to the stage. If it wasn’t for that small lie, I wouldn’t have performed that night, meaning I wouldn’t have been noticed and coincidently wouldn’t be here today! It was that small lie, only told in the heat of the moment that resulted in my whole career. And so we return to my original point; “inspiration can come from anywhere”.

It’s quite clear that Restless has a passion for music, but I wondered: did he always have this passion?  “I’ve loved music for as long as I can remember”, he replied, that grin once again growing across his face. “I distinctively remember getting a cassette player for my 6^th birthday, treasuring it ever since. For months on end I would listen to old cassettes, from a whole host of genres. Be it rock, dance, pop, solo’s or orchestras. Due to this, my parents then bought me a guitar for my 8^th birthday. A guitar that I still have today. It was on this guitar that I learnt to play- as a hobby which then progressed into a career. Even to this day I reminisce over the days when I was a young boy, aspiring to be the next Jimi Hendrix...” Anyone else with a desire such as this would have little to no hope, but this young lad clearly has potential.   

Interview / Questions

I asked a range of people who would be interested in buying the magazine a range of questions.
Firstly I asked about how much they would want / expect to spend on the magazine. Although there were some varied answers, the majority agreed that they'd pay around £1.50.

Next I asked how frequently they would buy the magazine, which the options of: weekly, monthly or other. Most said weekly, with a few saying other. Those that said other also said it depends on the contence of the magazines, and whether they enjoyed the them.

I then asked about what article they'd like to see in the magaine, with an open choice of answers. The results were very varied, some asking for a story about the growth of the artist(s) and others asking about their first song. Many agreed though, that the article shouldn't be overly long. When asking what they considered to be too long, most said a page should be the maximum.

These results show that images would take precdence over text, thus the article shouldn't be any more than a page- else it may but readers off. Also that the article should be intreseting enough to bring the audience back to the following magazines (to keep up to date with the artist/artists) and that the magazine should be priced around £1.50.

Images Used

When gathering images to use for my magazine, I considered the way the people were portrayed. For example, one of the images used was of a stereotypical 'punk' dressed in dark clothing showing an aggressive attitude.  Although the other images weren't to the same level as this, they were all clearly relevant- this was shown directly through a guitar been visible or the clothing worn.

If I was to re-take images for the magazine, I'd get ones in which the person was looking directly into the camera- creating a more direct connection with the reader. I stand by the decision of using a medium shot, showing the face and body of the person in the images, but could have tried placing the image on the cover over the top of the mast head; which would emphasise the importance of the person in this image.

Codes and Conventions of the Rock genre.

Codes/ Conventions of a rock magaizine:
Through researching existing and successful magazine companies that sell rock music magazines, I was able to gain an understanding of what is typical of this genre.
The layout tends to use medium shots of the artists and uses the sans serif font. The photos of the artists sometimes have a dark effect applied to them also, adding to a black and white appearance of the page. These images are also fairly large, covering the majority of the page.
The mast head of magazines of this genre often reflect the style of this genre though a dark colour scheme being used. Simialrly, effects such as glass smashing are used to reflect the rough  nature of the genre, which is very rough and somewhat 'hardcore'.
For the most part, the target audience wont be overly enticed by special offers, but have more preferance to instresting stories and articles, or their favourite atrists. Due to this, the plugs I use will focus more on the stories of the magazine as opposed to promations or offers.
The colours of the magazines tend to be very consistent with few bright or vibrant colours used. Black and white are by far the more popular of the colours used.

After analysing these magazines and gaining an understanding of the codes and conventions I'll confidently be able to incorparate some aspects into my magazine.

Draft Layout

I considered the way in which large music magazines (such as Kerrang)  structured their issues, and the layout they use. By doing so I could use some of their ideas as inspiration for the layout of my magazine. Once I did so, I sketched out a very rough example layout of what my magazine could look like. This sketch was both of an example cover, and example article page. The sketches would act as a size comparison, primarily. After drawing the sketches, I then added annotations of different features that were present. These annotations explained what each feature was, details of the feature (ie colour) and how it was effective or why it was present.

 I continued by creating a draft layout on publisher, based on these sketches. This layout didn't consist of any images. Instead it had boxes where I was planning on placing images and text in the finished magazine. The boxes were coloured accordingly, and by creating this draft layout I was able to ensure that the images and text of the finished magazine didn't overlap, and the layout looks tidy and structured overall.The feautres presented in the draft were all (commonly) used in magazines of the same genre; rock.


 

I also considered inital ideas for what would be on a rock magazine, for both the double page spread and the front cover page.

Front Cover:
Main image- Single person; solo upcoming artist, image should take up most of the page
Mast head- Large, grunge effect
Colour scheme- Black and white, some gray (background), yellow?
Plugs- Up to 3 different stories
Secondary images? would be much smaller
Coverline- subtle

Contents Page:
Colour scheme- consistent with colours, black, white, gray, some yellow?
Small images- refrers to the stories of the different pages
Title head- Similar style, grunge effect

Double Page:
One main image- positioned in the middle?
Text- Article topic; writing a song? Two columns?
Border?
Quotations- Bold, larger than the rest of the text
Same font used, consistency

Comparison of Music Magaines

I also decided to analyse music magazines' covers, taking into account the differences between a music magazines cover layout and the layout of another type of magazine (eg film, fashion, ect). Although many of the features between the magazine genres are the same, I noticed some slight differences, as mentioned in the above analysis. In addition to this, I also analysed several different music genres to see how they differed; which they did quite largely.