Have music magazines affected the type of music we listen to in today's society?

In a particular research task one woman asked 100 people if they would buy a music magazine if it was specific to one particular genre, 75% said yes and the other 25% said maybe therefore showing structure and a not to busy content is seen to be more attractive to the public. This shows that each music magazine produced will have a particular genre that they will pursue throughout the whole of the magazine which has structured information about a specific genre of music. There are also not alot of popular music magazines that make the shelves of news agents and the ones that do both write about the same genre which is indie rock. This means these are the only available magazines you can buy at convenience so buyers will automatically pick up this magazine if they want to read about music, therefore there reading about this particular genre of music and will be interested finding out more about it by listening to it buying albums ect. This form of publicity can shape the way society select a certain genre of music they listen to and find of interest.

As music progresses so does the type of articles magazines write about which can be very influential to those who read them. If an article slates and hates a certain album, artist or music genre, society might be naive and trust what the magazine is suggesting therefore only listen to what the magazine recommends creating popularity for that album or artist ect. Also you don't want to feel out of the loop if everyone has heard this particular song or album and you haven't therefore the majority of people who want to be up to date and on trend with music will listen to what ever is new or of the moment to fit in. You also read magazines to find rising stars before they have made it big time which can be found in music magazines and if only a couple of music magazines provide you with this skill you are most likely to pick up and read this. 

Most of society find music magazines very influential as they provide you with up to date news on the music industry specifisised to the particular genre it is writing about. If you rely on music magazines to feed you up to date information on what is deemed popular of the time then you are most likely to trust the article and follow what is suggested. This shows artists wouldn't be as successful without music magazines as they promote there music or albums ect. There growing publicity and followers might of found out about them through reading or seeing something about them in a magazine or article they have read which shows just how much music magazines shape the genre of music we listen to.

This is why i want to produce a music magazine of the 'indie' genre as it is an influential type of music which is vastly gaining popularity. Therefore more people will want to read about it to seek advise on who and what to listen to and 'NME' or 'Q' can not cover all of it which is why there is room for another music magazine on the shelves. This will also provide the audience with more selectivity to choose from which is what society like and can have a more personal feel of their choice of magazine because the style suits them best which my new music magazine might provide and account for which 'NME' could lack. 

What type of Music Magazines do we find most popular? 

Music magazine's do not seem to be as popular among newsagents stands as fashion or lads magazines, which could demonstrate that their might not be such popular demand for a magazine devoted to music. However the music magazines that are viewable are 'Q' and 'NME' which both seem to carry the same music influence of rock or indie culture. These seem to be the most selling and popular music magazines due to the music genre is accompanies for, 'Q' modestly calls itself "The Worlds Greatest Magazine" which could be deemed difficult to argue. The music magazines both seem to account for not only this genre of music but to the interests of people that listen to this type of music which includes gig's, festival's and everyday life. Both magazine's are glossy and stick to 3 main colours keeping it classy and appealing to a middle class society which could also address the targeted audience it expects and add to why this genre might be so popular as they can afford to attend festivals which is where this genre is most revealed.

'Q' magazine has become so popular it has even set up its own radio, music channel and website to further appeal to their targeted audience allowing them to enjoy 'Q' in what ever way they want. 'Q' has transformed with the technology which could contribute to its popularity as it has it can even be downloaded on an iPad for those who are on the go and maintaining a busy working lifestyle to pay for their further enjoyment of music such as festivals, which do not come cheap! The content of Q magazine includes reviews, up to date gossip, and interviews with the main stars of this particular music industry, which could be why it appeals to the majority of the public as it gives you inside information before the rest of the public find out making you feel privileged as you feel you are receiving something before every one else. 

'NME' is also seen just as popular as it follows the same trend as 'Q' but with an enhanced rock music genre. It is not seen to be as popular as 'Q' but still has a huge fan base following cover stars such as The Killers, Radio Head, or even The White Stripes. 'NME' seems to be less technology based and more about the content as they only have a website which is still however full of reviews, news, blogs, new music and even films and TV. This could add to the appeal to the audience as unlike other magazines 'NME' includes content the target audience wants to hear or read about especially as it focuses solely on the rock indie genre. Furthermore the audience which favourite's this genre of music might be interested in reading about it and getting more out of music than the CD compared to other music genres such as hip hop or pop where they might only listen for recreation and not want to further their knowledge by reading. 

Overall 'Q' and 'NME' seem to be popular magazines that grace the shelves of newsagents, both including content on similar music genres which could show the popularity and high demand for information on this music. Even though it might not seem mainstream it is becoming increasingly popular to the extent where readers only have two music magazines to choose from and might want more of a selection on this particular genre.

This summerise's why i should make a music magazine following the same genre as 'NME' or 'Q' as they are the most popular music magazines around. This would mean i would still produce a magazine that is going to sell or be interested in by my target audience so want to boost the popularity of a fresh magazine writing about their favoured genre of music. Therefore i am still producing a music magazine as more are needed among the shelves of newsagents but of a popular and wanted genre any way which most of the targeted audience of music fans would be in to buying any way. 

This is my final piece for my student magazine. I have pushed all the text to the edges of the page to make it even i have also changed the font colour for my subheading of 'Why we love iphone 5' so that it is more visible. Not only that i have made sure 'heres how' links with 'want instant money fast' so now it doesn't look to distant. The things i like about my cover is i have stuck to the three main colours which match the main image of my magazine. I also like how i have a mixture of fonts as it looks unique, i have only stuck to 3 different fonts as it doesn't look to confusing and messy or cheapen the magazine. 

To my contents page i have added extra information under each subheading as it gives you an idea of more of the content and what each category will contain when reading so you can select what you would prefer to read. i have kept each added information the same font colour and size so it doesn't get to confusing and mismatch with all the other fonts added in. I like that i have continued the 3 different colours and fonts as it looks neat and matches my front cover. I also like my title of 'Contents' as it is laid out in a unique way that allows the rest of my content list to fit everything in and make it look like i have a larger content.

This is my final front cover for my student magazine 'Student Choice'. I have added a couple of tag lines on to the front cover and added the Southdowns logo as well as the date so you know what issue it is. 

This is my final draft for the contents page where o have added small images and a background with a mixture of fonts but still sticking to my three main colours this makes it look sophisticated and high end without the price and with more of a relation to students it is fun and easy to read. Each section is under different categories and the page numbers are in a different order instead of chronological which is what most magazines have also. 'Contents' is written in the same font as my title on the front page as it is also a heading of a page therefore keeping it clean and tidy as they are all the same. 

Student Magazine First Draft.

IPC media case study 

IPC; also known as International Publishing Corporation, is the UK's leading consumer magazine and digital publishing house which has targeted and still targets a wide variety of audiences over the years. It contains a drop down of popular categories including, fashion and beauty, lifestyle woman and home, sport leisure, young men and music, teen and women, all of which targets the majority of the populations interests. Notorious magazines are associated with the IPC due to the categories they accompany for such as introducing the first 4 'Women's Weekly' introduced in November 1911. It played a big involvement in the women's magazines as they were hugely popular especially in the 1940s where it played a key role in the war time proving that women's magazines are the most demanded magazine genre, they have also been associated with 'Marie Clare' since 1988 proving they have had links with glossy magazines aimed at working class citizens.

IPC have been associated with a large variety of music magazines and during the 1950s there was an upsurge in the music scene heralding the arrival of 'New Musical Express' in 1952. NME set the ball rolling with its compilation of the first official UK record chart meaning the kickstart of music magazines began and IPC where one of the first publishers to sign on to a major music magazine showing that the company had a good eye to recognise good sellers. NME also became the first major music magazine to get its own internet site in which was designed to boost sale and recognition of the magazine as well as hopes of becoming Europe's most popular music website. With these ambitions IPC would be an appropriate publisher for a new music magazine as it is demonstrated that they know a lot about magazines especially in the music industry and what conventions they need to obtain to become successful. They would also be a well adapted publisher to house a new music magazine as they only publish one music magazine so therefore the audience who want to view a music magazine do not have much of a selection and might also not enjoy or want to read about the genre of music NME provides.

Due to there other selection of magazines targeting all ages and genders the type of music magazine that IPC might be likely to publish would be a popular music genre among everyone and also one that doesn't match that of NME as they could then provide more of a selection that everyone might be interested. Youth or middle age population seem to be the most targeted audience on the IPC website therefore there specifisised music type would be indie or pop as this is seen to be the most listened to and talked about across the majority of the main target audience. They will also want to publish a music magazine that has a different genre to NME as this is the only magazine on there they will want to provide a different music magazine that appeals to a different selection of audience and will gain more enjoyment from reading.

However alternative publishers such as Bauer might be appropriate as they house some of the most popular selling magazines which are mainly aimed at the middle aged women audience, apart from the BRAVO exception, so they could broaden their horizon and house a music magazine targeted to a different audience which could gain a popular rating. Furthermore due to Bauer publishing BRAVO; one of the largest youth magazines in Europe and also dominates the youth magazine market in Germany, it clearly shows there understanding of the youth of today and the new music magazine will most commonly be made to target that of the younger population. This also means the youth audience will be constantly looking at the Bauer website to look at BRAVO and will come across the new music magazine which should immediately intrigue them as both magazines want to satisfy the same age group and audience.              

To what extent should magazines be held responsible for the social ramifications of the representations they offer? 

All teen magazines follow typical conventions to make it appeal to the target audience, they are created to guide young women through tough stages of teenage years and help mould them into the stereotypical woman they want to become. By achieving this the target audience seek advice on health, beauty and relationships, therefore justifying why it is a common occurrence in this genre of magazine to include tag lines tackling these issues on the front. Bright colours are a popular convention for this genre of magazine particularly pink which with holds the connotation of being energetic, flirtatious, feminine and even some sexual undertones which can reflect the personality of the reader. Pink also has tinges of red which capture your attention before any other colour, furthermore more pink is immediately associated with young females as it is a playful girlie colour again readdressing the target audience. Another convention of teen magazines is tag lines and main tag lines are often about beauty and fashion, 'Fall Fashion Guide', '12 beauty bargains celebs love'. Tag lines and main tag lines are used to give short snappy information about the main features in the magazine therefore suggesting that the main content of teen magazines is about fashion, make-up, hair and buying similar products to admired celebrities. 

 Also appearance and body image is mentioned a lot on the front covers of teen magazines and includes tag lines such as  '131 Little Ways To Your Best Body', and even true life stories with tag lines including 'accidental anorexic' again associating the audience to these kind of issues and still linking with the theme of body issues. As these tag lines represent the main content of the magazine it can have a hidden meaning of stating this is what most content of teenage girls in todays society. Furthermore the topic of boys, sex and hot male celebrities frequently arise among the cover of magazines including tag lines such as 'Glees Sexiest Bad boy', 'All new Sex Bible', and 'Is he boyfriend material' which suggest that the target audience are mature before their time.

Due to these conventions they potentially have a negative effect among teenage girls in todays society. With the use of constantly feeding teenage girls information about their appearance and how to get a perfect body quickly it produces

an unhealthy image among the target audience. Girls in this age group are easily influenced and naive which mean they believe and follow the advice religiously, in some cases it can be taken to the extreme which leads to eating disorders and confidence issues therefore the media now targets the youth and are allocated a bad image due to the effects this genre of magazine produces. Many of the sub headings are of how to get a new man or 'sex bible' introducing an older approach to society which should be recognized by readers who have a mature mind set and are comfortable to read and talk about these issues without being influenced by the content of the article. However the target audience of these magazines have not produced these attributes yet and are naive to this subject which is highly talked about among the media and stereotyped young people to be clued up about this certain subject. Due to this the youth feel pressurized to learn as much as they can about the subject as they feel singled out due to the media falsely representing teenagers in this way therefore they feel the need to learn as much as they can to not be left out and unique from the typical 'teenager'. Ounce reading about this subject every month they feel mature enough to act and

dress like an idolized celebrity who is of there phycological age range instead of actual age having an effect of following strict hair, make up and body routines provided in the magazine to look as much as the celebrity as they can, therefore teen magazines make it easy to find information in achieving what you set out for. This also comes across as making it acceptable to be in this mind set about your overall image, furthermore leading back into body and image issues as you are judged if you don't fit into the stereotypical teen girl image. Enhancing this point it produces false images of how boys might want you to dress act and look, so you change your image to make yourself seem more attractive to them instead of focusing on what matters in teenage life.

Teenage magazines could be altered to prevent any of the effects from conventions becoming out of hand into extreme issues such as with holding so much information on how to loose weight quickly but provide an alternative of how to create

a healthier you. This would have a long term healthy effect as there image would be effected in the long term from bad eating habits so this could reverse it and leave a healthy mind set on how you look at food and see your body preventing various eating disorders. Teen magazines should try and provide a range of models who consume most of the page, as most of them are slim white girls brining in a racial theme and also creating images ounce again of how you think you are expected to look like. By bringing in different ranges of women for the front cover can make the readers feel accepted and see them self as normal because they have similarities to a model on a cover of a widely popular teen magazine. One of the subheadings which has a common occurrence among monthly issues is about men, and sex, this could be toned down in telling you what you have to look like or how to act to get a boyfriend and instead compromise with giving relationship advice and real life issues teenagers face around this subject. Therefore teenagers aren't completely alien when they get to this stage of there life but still have room to make there own judgment on this situation and learn from there mistakes instead of being told what to do and false; which many boys find unattractive so have completely opposite views to what you believe. Finally teen magazines should be diverse for all teenage girls as they are a 'teen' magazine and not all teenage girls are the same therefore the convention of having pink on the front cover could be changed to have a higher variety so it appeals to a wider audience and they don't feel so left out in society just because they don't like the colour pink. 

Deconstruction of a magazine cover: 

• The title is also known as the master head all the way across the cover so that the audience can see part of the title from the left hand side when looking in a shop as retailers stack them with the left hand bind showing. It will grab your attention as it is a bold black sans serif font therefore it is clean and suggests it is produced for a mature sophisticated audience. The colour also links with this theme as it is black which is associated with elegance, formality and power again linking to the personality of the target audience. 
• The main image takes up most of the magazine as this is the first thing which grabs your attention and is made up with a young celebrity which is of the time and can inspire young females who are the target audience, it also means less writing will overcrowd the front all at ounce. 
• It includes the price in a spot/ plu, which means it is an important small piece of information which is of most significance for the buyer. 
• The main cover line is distributed across most of the main image and in bright colours to make it stand out, also the start of the cover line starts on the left side as it is the place most people look to first. 
• It contains cover lines surrounding the main image and they often include main interesting stories which will appeal to the main audience as it will persuade them to buy it to read the stories included. 
• It has a dateline a month prior to the month it is to be released just like other conventions of a monthly magazine. 
• A model credit is placed next to the models name "i'm loving being engaged' which is a key quote that sumerirses what they will be talking about and as it is around the theme of weddings it attracts the audience even more as the audience are often the age group in which people who are thinking and talking about getting married. 

Magazine Design Terminology:

• Masthead- also known as the title it promotes the visual branding of the magazine, it is made to standout so that it is easily recognizable and stand out. It is either across the whole of the top or on the left hand side as it is where most people will see it. 
•  Puff/Plug- this is where there are stared pieces of information on the page, they can be in all different sizes and often contain a number or a small bit of information that stands out and informs people instantly. 
• Model Credit- usually found on fashion magazines as it is from the model or celebrity on the front, it is often a key quote that summarize what they are talking about in there article and what you would be most interested to read about. 
• Left third- this is vital for sales in shops where the magazine as a whole is not shown and only left of it is to make space therefore all of the key ideas and advertising your main content so it is recognizable in display of other competition. 
• Dateline- show the month and year of publication often with a price, monthly magazines usually are on sale a month before the cover date states.
• Main image- often takes up most of the magazine as it draws your attention instantly if it is an inspirational celebrity or someone you find of interest, this allows the writing to be kept at a minimum so you are not overcrowding all at ounce. 
• Cover lines- a lot of cover lines are usually used and distributed around the whole of the magazine cover often containing stories that will attract the main audience. 
• Main cover line- usually bigger than a normal cover line and is a color and font that stands out from the rest as it is a main feature and main priority on the cover. 
• Selling line- some magazines include a selling line underneath the magazine title as it is a sharp description of the magazines main selling point, e.g.. 'Cosmopolitan: The worlds No.1 magazine for young women'. 
• Sans serif font- this is a smooth font with no extra flourishes often seen as a sophisticated font for a title as it is clean cut and visible among a variety of different texts.
• Serif font- this is usually a font that has flourishes or extra detail on the word this makes it more girly and addresses the target audience ounce seen. 
• Barcode- on the front or back of every magazine to track sales by retailers. 
• Promotion- there are sometimes articles on the front of the magazine cover to sell products or an item that might be of interest to the audience. 

Things you can do with Blogger: 

• Update pictures, profile, and added information whenever you want. 
• Allow adds to be shown on your blog in exchange for a certain amount of money monthly. 
• you can dismantle and sell parts of your blog that are of no use for you any more. This is usually for professional bloggers who use it to make a living for them self. 
• You can merge it by adding posts from an inactive blog to an active one therefore you have more articles on your blog. 
• It can be used as a billboard so if you have something you want to promote then you can put links and adds anywhere on your blog. 
• Interact with other bloggers and members of the site. 
• Update old posts you want re blogged. 
• Update the content of popular posts you want re blogged and have high demand.
• Conduct a topic analysis so it can tell you what to write about to meet various goals. 

How I Think a Blogger will be useful for my Coursework: 

• You can edit work ounce you have already submitted it if you need something changed to it quickly and efficiently without printing out a different copy and searching for ages it is there to find easier than if you had it saved in a file or on paper.
• It can be used to inspire other students if they are stuck on an idea they can just look at my blog to get ideas and to help proceed with there work. 
• Can receive feedback from other students for peer mentoring and also lecturers can give you marks and grades as soon as they have looked at it which you might find more useful as you can then proceed to do something about it. 
• You can merge it with older posts so work from different topics don't get mixed up. 
• It will look neat and organised, also it will be easy to find as lecturers can search it in the search box. 
• It allows multi media to be shown so there are more and exciting ways to present your work. 
• It is environmentally friendly as you are not using as much handouts and print outs. 
• It ensures none of your work gets lost or misplaced as it will all be on one site.