Which kind of artist would you most like to read about in my magazine?
Jessie J - 36%
Rihanna - 36%
Drake - 27%
Justin Bieber - 0%
I found it interesting that the two female artists seem to be the ones that readers are most interested in. I feel this has influenced me more into writing my magazine article based on a female pop star rather than a male as majority of my target audience seem more interested in reading about female artists.
Which features would you be most interested in?
Interviews with music artists - 28%
Reviews of albums - 14%
Ratings (Top 10s etc) - 19%
Gig/Festival Listings - 38%
I was unsurprised to discover that my target audience largely voted for gig/festival listings to be included in the magazine as festivals are incredibly popular amongst teenagers of my age. However I did find it surprising that not many seemed interested in reviews of albums at all - perhaps my target audience are strong minded enough to have their own individual opinion and not be interested in others.
Which freebies would you most like to see in a music magazine?
Posters - 28%
CDs - 38%
Vouchers for iTunes - 42%
Exclusive tickets - 33%
I was previously aware that iTunes is commonly used by teenagers to buy and listen to music of their choice so the majority vote came as no surprise to me. But I did assume in the past that teenagers still had a large interest in posters being featured in magazines and being able to put these up on your own personal space. However my poll tells me differently as only 28% of my target audience voted for this freebie, so I know not to include it.
What would you consider the most reasonable amount to pay for a monthly music magazine?
£2 - 9%
£2.50 - 13%
£3 - 31%
£3.50 - 36%
£4 - 4%
£4.50 - 4%
The majority vote went towards the price range of £3-3.50. I'm pleased with this result as I already had this price range in mind which means I have chosen the right kinds of people to aim my magazine at, from the right social classes.
Thursday 29 November 2012
Sunday 18 November 2012
Article Draft
Our brand new star Scarlett peeks her head round the doorway with the biggest of smiles. Without encouragement she makes her way across the room toward me and the seat awaiting her. “It’s brilliant here!” she grins at me whilst she’s handed a cup of tea. The first thing she does as soon as she’s seated is take her six inch high heels off. Although now a star, little Scarlett Moss still appears lost in the world of fame; she looks around the room expectantly, while I wonder what exactly it is going through her mind. Until she announces, “ugh I’ve had the worst morning, missed my train, what a nightmare, feet are killing me, I hope you don’t mind.” Of course I don’t mind.
Dressed head to toe in designer, the once ordinary girl looks like a runway model on the road. Her appearance isn’t worn, though – unlike most stars I chat with, she doesn’t look like she’s been up all night partying. When I question her on this she simply says “I love to party, just not, you know, all the time. But trust me I know how to party, you can’t live without knowing how to party”. Her words seem carefully chosen and she speaks in a calm and collected manner, with this almost giggly playful tinge to it. She’s the kind of person you want to wrap up in cotton wool and cuddle (of course, I don’t tell her this).
Personally I love Scarlett’s fresh new music, but I always wonder if the big shots can enjoy listening to their own music without cringing? She tells me, “It’s obviously not the same as listening to someone else’s music – that feels normal. Listening to your own music is like being a judge on x-factor, for yourself! It just makes you criticise every little detail of it, makes me think, damn! Wish I could record that one little bit again. Things that no one else will notice, you know?”.
By this point she’s watching me suspiciously as I take notes, so I'm sure to take note of the fact that Scarlett perhaps isn’t used to all the publicity of a famous lifestyle yet. When I bring this into conversation she says “It’s not that I don’t know why there’s so much of it, because before becoming famous, just like anyone else I read the articles, good and bad, about all my favourite celebs. But I just sometimes forget who I am now, where I am or why I’m there. Like today, I know quite well why I’m here, for you to write about me, right? I just sometimes forget, and it just doesn’t feel like you’re writing about me, it feels like there should be someone else in the room. I don’t know, maybe, someone more exciting!” Scarlett doesn’t realise what a little gem she is.
She looks uncomfortable in her seat directly in front of me and I see her eyes drift towards the bright pink sofa. “Would you rather...” - I don’t even have to finish my sentence before she leaps up and onto the sofa, sprawled out and relaxed, almost as if she is at home. I ask her how the jump from normality to fame has changed her private life, she doesn’t hesitate to reply: “I think some celebrities are far too up on their high horse when it comes to their private lives. I don’t care what people think of me so the public can find out whatever they want, I mean, as long as it’s true. To be perfectly honest I don’t see my family as much but they accept that I’m just busy, and it makes seeing them that little bit more exciting. I’ve made a lot of new friends since I started making music; it’s just so easy to connect with others who do the same things as you. But I’ll never forget who my friends have been the whole time, back when I was just a drunken karaoke singer down the pub!” She giggles in the most endearing way, I struggle to not coo at her. “I’m not currently dating anyone though, so right now it isn’t so difficult for me really. Some would say I have it easy for a celeb, but I guess it’s only the beginning.”
I find it interesting that Scarlett mentions the fact that she’s made a lot of new friends; most new celebrities find it’s more of a dog-eat-dog world in the music industry, especially when you’re the newbie, but Scarlett reassures me: “It only gets bitter and unkind if you get in with those kinds of people. Trust me, there are plenty of famous people I’ve met now who tell me they love my music and I know they’re being honest. That is simply the best feeling, when someone above you tells you that you’ve done a good job, you really feel like you’re getting a pat on the back. Feels almost like being back at school, when your favourite teacher says ‘yeah, this is a really good piece of work’ when you’ve tried so hard on something. I put my all into my album, as it is my first, and I must say I’ve had a lot out of it. The clothes and photo shoots and being in hair & make up all still mind blows me. When I walk into a shop full of clothes to die for and realise I’m not just window shopping anymore, I can actually afford these luxuries! Being able to treat my friends and family feels amazing too, giving something back to your number one fans from day one. But it’s not about the fame for me, or the glamour. It might sound like a cliché, but it really is just about doing what I love the most – making music.”
Dressed head to toe in designer, the once ordinary girl looks like a runway model on the road. Her appearance isn’t worn, though – unlike most stars I chat with, she doesn’t look like she’s been up all night partying. When I question her on this she simply says “I love to party, just not, you know, all the time. But trust me I know how to party, you can’t live without knowing how to party”. Her words seem carefully chosen and she speaks in a calm and collected manner, with this almost giggly playful tinge to it. She’s the kind of person you want to wrap up in cotton wool and cuddle (of course, I don’t tell her this).
Personally I love Scarlett’s fresh new music, but I always wonder if the big shots can enjoy listening to their own music without cringing? She tells me, “It’s obviously not the same as listening to someone else’s music – that feels normal. Listening to your own music is like being a judge on x-factor, for yourself! It just makes you criticise every little detail of it, makes me think, damn! Wish I could record that one little bit again. Things that no one else will notice, you know?”.
By this point she’s watching me suspiciously as I take notes, so I'm sure to take note of the fact that Scarlett perhaps isn’t used to all the publicity of a famous lifestyle yet. When I bring this into conversation she says “It’s not that I don’t know why there’s so much of it, because before becoming famous, just like anyone else I read the articles, good and bad, about all my favourite celebs. But I just sometimes forget who I am now, where I am or why I’m there. Like today, I know quite well why I’m here, for you to write about me, right? I just sometimes forget, and it just doesn’t feel like you’re writing about me, it feels like there should be someone else in the room. I don’t know, maybe, someone more exciting!” Scarlett doesn’t realise what a little gem she is.
She looks uncomfortable in her seat directly in front of me and I see her eyes drift towards the bright pink sofa. “Would you rather...” - I don’t even have to finish my sentence before she leaps up and onto the sofa, sprawled out and relaxed, almost as if she is at home. I ask her how the jump from normality to fame has changed her private life, she doesn’t hesitate to reply: “I think some celebrities are far too up on their high horse when it comes to their private lives. I don’t care what people think of me so the public can find out whatever they want, I mean, as long as it’s true. To be perfectly honest I don’t see my family as much but they accept that I’m just busy, and it makes seeing them that little bit more exciting. I’ve made a lot of new friends since I started making music; it’s just so easy to connect with others who do the same things as you. But I’ll never forget who my friends have been the whole time, back when I was just a drunken karaoke singer down the pub!” She giggles in the most endearing way, I struggle to not coo at her. “I’m not currently dating anyone though, so right now it isn’t so difficult for me really. Some would say I have it easy for a celeb, but I guess it’s only the beginning.”
I find it interesting that Scarlett mentions the fact that she’s made a lot of new friends; most new celebrities find it’s more of a dog-eat-dog world in the music industry, especially when you’re the newbie, but Scarlett reassures me: “It only gets bitter and unkind if you get in with those kinds of people. Trust me, there are plenty of famous people I’ve met now who tell me they love my music and I know they’re being honest. That is simply the best feeling, when someone above you tells you that you’ve done a good job, you really feel like you’re getting a pat on the back. Feels almost like being back at school, when your favourite teacher says ‘yeah, this is a really good piece of work’ when you’ve tried so hard on something. I put my all into my album, as it is my first, and I must say I’ve had a lot out of it. The clothes and photo shoots and being in hair & make up all still mind blows me. When I walk into a shop full of clothes to die for and realise I’m not just window shopping anymore, I can actually afford these luxuries! Being able to treat my friends and family feels amazing too, giving something back to your number one fans from day one. But it’s not about the fame for me, or the glamour. It might sound like a cliché, but it really is just about doing what I love the most – making music.”
Friday 16 November 2012
Colour
My photos of my main model contain mainly white and red as a colour scheme, and my other photos contain darker colours such as black and brown to feature on my contents page. The colour scheme for my magazine will be based around red, but will have a complimenting colour as well, such as a pale green colour to background my magazine. As my model is wearing a red belt, heels and lipstick, I will try not to use much more red throughout my magazine as I feel that red is too commonly used, especially amongst music magazines. To keep my use of red to a minimum, I will only have my masthead and the occasional title in red.
However, I decided not to use the photos from my first photo shoot in my magazine as I wasn't happy with the quality of them. In my second photo shoot, I chose to give my model more basic colours to wear, such as grey and black, as I didn't want to overdo the amount of colours featured in the magazine. I chose to do this as I already have teal and purple as a house style, so added colours could be too overwhelming.
However, I decided not to use the photos from my first photo shoot in my magazine as I wasn't happy with the quality of them. In my second photo shoot, I chose to give my model more basic colours to wear, such as grey and black, as I didn't want to overdo the amount of colours featured in the magazine. I chose to do this as I already have teal and purple as a house style, so added colours could be too overwhelming.
Thursday 15 November 2012
Sketches
Double Page Spread
Front Cover
Contents Page
These are my sketches for the ideas of my magazine. Although these are just rough drawings, I feel that this will help me build a basic template for what I would like the magazine to look like. I plan to do more than one double page spread but I only have ideas for one yet, which I have drawn out above. I feel a contents page that is spread across two A4 pages looks more professional and will allow me to contain more information in the contents, as well as images and information for subscriptions or online accounts e.g. twitter. I plan to use one large, relatively close-up photo of my artist for the front cover page, and one very close-up photo to fill an A4 page of the first double page spread that I have planned.
Monday 12 November 2012
Promotional Methods
When my magazine is first released I will give out some free copies to promote it and make people aware of it, as well as giving them the opportunity to have what is almost a trial run - they may not want to spend money on a magazine if they haven't tried what it's like first. I will hand these copies out in places like Westfield, where I think I will attract the right kind of audience as many teenagers shop at Westfield, especially those who would have the kind of money to afford my magazine monthly, as shops at Westfield are rather expensive.
As well as this, I will post images of my magazine front covers onto motorway billboards around the country to be seen. I believe this is a successful method of advertising because many drivers find themselves waiting in traffic on the motorway in their car with nothing to do. If a billboard with my magazine on were to catch their eye, this could create the idea in their mind that if this same situation were to occur again in future, they should purchase my magazine so that they could read it to pass the time.
Monday 5 November 2012
New Media
After doing some observational research I have come to the conclusion that Facebook and Twitter are the two most commonly used social networks by people aged 15-25 years, which is my target audience.
So to ensure that my magazine is noticed on these commonly used social networks, I will create an account for both Twitter and Facebook to represent my magazine. Readers will find out exclusive information from these accounts such as which artist will feature in the next edition. As well as this, readers will be able to share their personal opinions on the magazine and debate about what they like the most, and I will be able to consume this feedback. Also due to the obvious proliferation of mobile phones, I will also create a smart phone app for my magazine for readers to download, so that they can consume my magazine on the go and in a cheaper form. Information will be more regular - every edition of my magazine will not be posted all in one each month, but rather small articles or pieces of information will be fed to the public gradually.
So to ensure that my magazine is noticed on these commonly used social networks, I will create an account for both Twitter and Facebook to represent my magazine. Readers will find out exclusive information from these accounts such as which artist will feature in the next edition. As well as this, readers will be able to share their personal opinions on the magazine and debate about what they like the most, and I will be able to consume this feedback. Also due to the obvious proliferation of mobile phones, I will also create a smart phone app for my magazine for readers to download, so that they can consume my magazine on the go and in a cheaper form. Information will be more regular - every edition of my magazine will not be posted all in one each month, but rather small articles or pieces of information will be fed to the public gradually.
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