final drafts of magazine pages

Evaluation of my music magazine

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

My media product (music magazine pages) takes the structure and layout conventions of existing products such as “Q magazine” and “Kerrang!”, and develops them to fit my magazine “Thrasher’s” own unique style for its heavy metal fan niche audience. The main layout of the pages is similar to existing magazines and conforms to codes and conventions of existing leading music magazines.

My product challenges the forms and conventions of music magazines by mainly focusing on new and existing bands and artists in order to be current and appealing to the niche target audience, but the product mainly takes and uses the forms and conventions of real music magazines and keeps to them. It does this by using the same colour scheme throughout, the layout of the front cover with the use of sell lines and pull quotes is also used by real music magazines such as “Q magazine” and “Kerrang!”

2.    How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My music magazine represents a niche target audience of 14 to 25 year olds that are fans of heavy metal and its related artists and bands. My product represents this group by focusing the textual content and images on the topic of heavy metal, and clearly shows this by the main image on the front cover of the music magazine being a male between the ages of 14 and 25 dressed in the typical clothing and style of the target audience and making a gesture (devil horns) commonly associated with the genre of heavy metal.

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

Bauer publishing would be the kind of media institution that would publish and distribute my product. They would distribute the product using Bauer’s sister company Frontline distribution. This company is owned by Bauer as it personal distributor. This not only makes it easy for the product to be distributed but will also save Bauer money because they wouldn’t have to hire a company to distribute the product, which could be unreliable due to other bookings or commitments to other companies. Bauer bought another company called Emap as part of its growth and expansion.

Bauer has nearly 180 publications to its name some of which are popular weekly women’s magazines but they also publish and distribute music magazines such as “Kerrang!”, “Metal Hammer” and “Q”. This gives me confidence that Bauer as a media institution might distribute my Music magazine.

4.    Who would be the audience for your media product?

The Audience for my Music magazine would be 14 to 25 year olds mainly male who have a strong interest in heavy metal and its affiliated artists and bands. The audience would be people who would like to know more about a band or albums which would be featured in the music magazine.

5.    How did you attract/address your audience?

I attracted my audience using sell lines and pull quotes on the front cover of the magazine which inform them of the artists, bands and other related topics that are featured in that edition of the magazine. The magazine would be a weekly publication to keep the audience informed on the latest upcoming bands and new releases but will also keep them up to date with the goings on and back stage antics of established bands.

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

7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

From the preliminary task I have learnt that the way you structure the magazine using the layout, colour scheme, sell lines and pull quotes is what turns a magazine from an amateur product to a professional one. I have learnt that a music magazine is a lot more complicated to keep to the codes and conventions of music magazines because there is so much variation between the different music magazines available.

Contents pages by KERRANG!

double pages i took inspiration from

Music magazine front cover

Music magazine images

Mission statement

Unplugged is a new style of music magazine which incorporates aspects of the music industry that are not the standard format, such as cartoons of bands as they get up to their weird and wacky back stage antics and reader interviews with artists.

Unplugged is aimed at 14-25 year olds. Unplugged readers are heavily influenced by rock and heavy metal. They have a wild side and are usually a free spirit.

Unplugged contains interviews with bands and artists, a gig guide and a who’s hot who’s not section. Unplugged is all about having fun and the appreciation of rock/metal.

Unplugged will give its readers a sense of what is cool and what they should be listening to.

Unplugged will become a necessary part of a readers life and they will feel lost without it.

The first issue will be available December 2010.