Magazine research

5
Magazine Research

Transcript of Magazine research

Page 1: Magazine research

Magazine Research

Page 2: Magazine research

Research into Q magazine.Q is an indie rock magazine. However it is also occasionally associated with the pop genre. This is because when certain artists gain enough respect and recognition they are associated with a wider range of genres. For most editions of Q, bands and artists such as the arctic monkeys, the editors, the killers ect that are more associated with the indie rock genre are featured in the magazine and on the cover. However occasionally other artists that cross the genres of pop and indie feature in some editions. Such as Adele, Cheryl Cole, Madonna, Lady Gaga etc have featured in the magazine. Q’s typical target audience is made up of older audiences that are rarely addressed in the music magazine industry. Yet in terms of gender the audience is dominated by males as 75% of readers are male and 25% are female. The majority of artists that have featured in Q that cross the pop and indie genres are female. I think these artists, music styles and editions will therefore appeal more to females. Thus as these are only occasional edition, I think that there may be a gap in the market for an indie pop magazine aimed mainly at women, also of an older audience than most magazine are aimed at. Q was originally founded by Mark Ellen and David Hepworth who felt that an older generation of music fans were being ignored. Its current editor is Paul Rees. It has now been running as a monthly music magazine since October 1986. Its current circulations is 80, 418. It was originally called ‘Cue’ magazine (meaning cueing a record), yet it was decided that the single letter ‘Q’ would be more appropriate to avoid confusion with a snooker magazine and as a single letter would be more memorable and recognisable. Therefore for my magazine I want to use an appropriate Letter or acronym that will be easy to remember but will also be relevant to the genre and style of magazine. Q magazine, as many other indie/ rock magazines is closely associated with a festival, in this case Glastonbury festival.

Page 3: Magazine research

Covers:For all editions of Q, the masthead is kept in the same colour, position and size to create memorable repetition. The colour scheme of the house style remains Red, black, white with small items in yellow. The bands/artists commonly featured on Q cover include Oasis, Coldplay, Killers, arctic monkeys, arcade fire, kasabian, and Foo fighters and so on. Plus examples of artists that are featured in the magazine that cross the genres and are often associated with indie pop include Lady Gaga, Madonna, Adele, Cheryl Cole, Lily Allen and Kylie Minogue. Lady Gaga is a frequent artist featured on the cover, one case in 2010 of lady Gaga posing topless saw the cover band as it was seen as inappropriate. Also the fact that the majority of the audience is made up of men, the cover featuring female artist are often very seductive and promiscuous, wearing minimal or revealing clothing to contain the male audience as well as attracting more women as they are female artists. Therefore I feel there is a gap in the market for a magazine mainly aimed at women as well as some men without featuring seductive images.

Page 4: Magazine research

Content:The text of the contents page is usually split up into three sections; features (new, articles of various topics that are not necessarily linked), the ‘every month’ section which included pages such as the crossword, Q mail, Q50 and subscriptions, as well as a section specific to that edition such as the sections are articles related to the edition of a the 80’s issue or the ‘oasis special’ for example. Many editions are specified to a certain topic, event or band/artist. Other typical content of Q include their extensive review section of new releases, music compilations, film and live concerts. As well as information of live evens and gigs including Glastonbury festival. It also features a lot of interviews and popular music artists. Q is also well known for creating lists of many kinds. Every other month Q has a special edition magazine focus on an extremely influential musician, a time of music or a specific genre. Every issue of Q has a different message on the spine subtlety related to the contents of the edition. Since 2008 Q has had its own full service radio station. The station is transmitted on the digital television networks in the UK. The radio station’s launch was assisted by Coldplay who gave an exclusive interview. Also the website www.qthemusic.com is another form of constant music updates on the music and artist news, Q 50 and live performances. It also includes a gallery of music events and a track of the day.

Page 5: Magazine research