Katie Price X5977

Magazine Research – Characteristics of the Genre

I have done some hands on research looking at magazines.

INSTITUTIONS

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. During the period 1972 to 1976, it was particularly associated with gonzo journalism then became closely associated with punk rock.

Q Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology. Q 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.

Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper. Named after the onomatopoeic word that derives from the sound made when playing a power chord on a distorted electric guitar, Kerrang! was initially devoted to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and the rise of hard rock acts. In the early 2000s it became the best-selling British music newspaper

The largest audience for NME magazine is 15-21 year old males. The colours used are non-gender biased; the older copies featured the colour yellow however this is reduced to red, black and off white.

Readers have interest in the rock/indie genre of music and the lifestyle that is attached to this. For example the tattoo on Amy Winehouse is fully visible, many fans as part of the culture will also have tattoos and relate to this. The unkempt appearance of Dave Grohl is fitting with the rough and ready style of music.

The main images are all direct, enticing potential readers. The featured band/artist in each case is in the largest typography, I will take influence from this. The middle cover page has a lot of text, this can take away from the instant attention catching main image therefore I will not be using as much text.

The majority of Q’s readers are male, with the percentage for male readers being 66.2%. The statistics also show that 83.8% of the readers are 15-44 years of age. This shows Q’s ability to make the magazine appeal to a wide range of ages and social groups. Q does this by featuring currently popular artists like Arctic Monkeys and by featuring older artists such as John Lennon.

Male stars are frequently featured as the main image of Q. Also a common characteristic of Q magazine is to only have one image, the main image, on the cover page. This means potential readers are not be bombarded with information to digest.

The name of the featured artist is recurrently seen in the bottom third of the cover page, with emboldened typography.

56.1% of Kerrangs audience are aged between 15 and 24. Their mission statement explains how they engage a wider audience. “Kerrang! will ensure that we are constantly appealing to our spectrum of readers. From the younger teenage readers who are more open to different genres of rock music – from emo to thrash etc, to the readers who respect Kerrang! as an authority when it comes to our scene’s heritage bands.”

Similarly with Q and NME, Kerrang! has a larger male audience of 54.7%. The colours used, red, white, black and yellow are non-gender descript, the typography of the masthead is bold and keeps in house style.

House style reflects the rock genre presented by Kerrang!. Bands rather than solo artists tend to be the main image, the mise-en-scene of which also reflect the rock genre.

DISTROBUTION

Both Q and Kerrang! are distributed by Bauer Media. Bauer Media Group is a large European-based media company that manages more than 600 magazines, over 400 digital products and 50 radio and TV stations around the world. The company

includes print shops, postal, distribution and marketing services. This is the distribution my magazine would aim for due to its similarity to Bauer Media’s current portfolio.

NME is distributed by IPC Media. IPC Media is an entirely owned subsidiary of Time Inc. It is a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a large portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year.

PRICES

Q Magazine: £3.99

Kerrang!: £2.20+

NME : £2.50

Looking at these prices I think it would be suitable to place my magazine on sale for £2.50.

SUMMARY

Considering all the research I have decided the most prominent features, which I shall include in my magazine, are; bold colour choices and typography, direct main images and having the image-copy ratio favouring image. I will ensure that the featured artist has the largest typography as seen in many examples.