Classic Pop magazine

 

Function
The magazine's function is to keep the genre of classic pop music from the 80s alive. The advertisements, unlike other magazines, aren't distracting as they fit in with the genre, therefore they are most likely useful to the reader.

Format

The colour scheme of the magazine is blue and yellow which are complementary colours therefore it is appealing to the readers eye and stands out to potential buyers. The colour yellow is attention grabbing and in contrast with blue, which has a soothing affect, the combination is pleasing to the eye.

 

Frame

The magazine has a consistent frame, the margins are generally the same size but vary in the more main articles. It consists of the normal conventions of a magazine. There is quite a lot of white space which is effective as it balances out the colours and images.

Formula

The magazine gives the reader plenty of album suggestions and concert dates which is useful for avid music consumers. There are lots of interviews with artists which allows the reader to look into the life of their favourite artists.

 
Target Audience

The target audience for the magazine consists mainly of middle aged people from the 80s who remember the music from that time. Also, it is targeted at younger 80s music fans; this younger generation would come under the penumbra effect. It is a mainly male orientated magazine. The demographic for the magazine would be ABC1 as the price is £6 - only employed people would want to pay this price.

 
Ideology

Although the magazine is mainly based on 80s music, the magazine isn't completely rooted in the past as it includes artists like Sophie Ellis-Bextor - this means that younger people might be more inclined to buy it. When looking at the magazine, I genuinely thought it was a copy from the 80s. However, when I started to read an article about David Bowie, it named him a 'late star', which brought me back to reality.

Mode of Address
Overall, the retro effect to the magazine gives the reader a sense of 'being in the past', it is as if the reader is reading a magazine from the 80s. Most of the images are made to look dated and passé.

Design
The masthead is bold and attention grabbing, it is easy to recognise.

 

Exploration of Colour schemes

NRS Readership

 

How is this data useful to you in creating a music magazine?

These estimates are useful when creating a music magazine because they give the publisher an idea on who the target audience is. However, it is not entirely reliable as it doesn't have very clear age groups, unlike the advertising packs that we have looked at -  for example, we have '15-34' and we have '35+'. In my opinion, I think there should be an age group for every ten years e.g. 16-25, 26-35, 36-45. This makes it easier for the publisher to consider what the target audience actually wants.

 

What more would you like to know?

I would like to know more about the reasoning behind why males buy more magazines than females. As a female, I find it very puzzling as music is what I live for. I feel like magazines can be quite sexist. I would also like to know more about the specific ideas that publishing companies put into their magazines when thinking about their target audience. What I can't understand is why Mojo magazine has the least buyers - it's the best magazine on that list! A CD is included with the magazine, surely that should attract lots of music fans. Maybe, the problem is that the magazine is too expensive?



Action Plan for my Music Magazine

• Organise talent - a time, place and location. I will blog the vision I have for the photo-shoot. It will be based at Wicksteed Park and The Yards in Kettering. I need to think about background, costuming and facial expressions of the models.

• I will not create my magazine on Microsoft Word which I did for my Preliminary Task - maybe on Publisher, or an editing program online?

• I want my magazine to look unique and creative - however, I want it to appear consistent and professional. It mustn't look 'basic'.

• I will locate a music magazine online that I'm inspired by, and I'll use that as a frame during practice.

• My magazine will be colourful and decorated, but in a way that makes it recognisable as a Rock/Indie rock magazine.

• Visit font websites and select fonts right for my genre. Visit dafont.co.uk. This will ensure that my magazine has variety.

• The photos will be of a variety - I won't include images from just one photo-shoot.

• I need to consider what I'm going to title my magazine - will it be a one-worded masthead? Will it be a reference to Indie Rock Music? Will it be of a sentimental meaning to myself?

My Ideal Reader

Pictured above is a sketch of what I would imagine my ideal reader to look like; preferably with brightly coloured hair, a plaid shirt on top of a plain or band t-shirt. They would also wear black skinny jeans or 'mom' jeans (pictured) with a pair of Doc Martens, Converse or Vans. They may even accessorise their outfit with dark makeup, chokers and chunky grunge-style rings.

If I had to describe my ideal reader using five words, I would say that he or she would be assertive, eccentric, quarrelsome, edgy, and mysterious. I decided on 'quarrelsome' because my ideal reader will be very stubborn and they will know about music, and therefore they will be very argumentative about the subject. This brings in the quality of assertiveness.

 My ideal reader's motto would be "Some people believe in God, I believe in music. Some people pray, I turn up the radio." This is taken from what a fan said in 30 Seconds To Mars' music video for Closer To The Edge.

 On Friday nights, my ideal reader would possibly go to gigs to watch really obscure bands play live or would stay in with their friends and listen to really old school bands like Nirvana and Pixies, and have really deep conversations about the lyrics in songs. They would question whether or not Blink-182's Adam's Song is a reply to Nirvana's Come As You Are.

 

Their favourite record would be Under the Bridge by Red Hot Chilli Peppers after their mum introduced it to them, and their favourite album would be Doolittle by Pixies as it reminds them of road trips with their aunt. However, occasionally, to jazz up their life a bit, they'll love a bit of Amy Winehouse and listen to Valerie.

The reason why my ideal reader would buy my magazine is because it involves the rock/indie rock genre - it will include reviews of bands, 'Top 10' lists and will suggest new and upcoming bands. It may even include exclusive posters or a CD.

My ABC1 demographic would be C2DE. My target audience is aimed at people between the age of 16-25, therefore this demographic is affective as it involves people who are unemployed (students) and semi-skilled workers.

The Penumbra Effect

Penumbra is formed from the Latin word paene which means "almost" + umbra which means "shadow".

Therefore, the Penumbra Effect describes "peripheral or indeterminate groups" that are not included in the Target Audience.

Throughout the Decades

1930s

 

 

1940s

1950s

 1960s

 

In the 1960s, we begin to see a sense of individuality to each magazine cover. On the left, we have a striking image of a young Barbara Streisand which conveys perfectly the fashion of the 1960s. It is a very minimalistic design, which we usually expect to be quite modern. On the right, we have a Rolling Stone magazine cover which features John Lennon and Yoko Ono in the nude.

 

 

1970s

In the 1970s, punk rock music developed in the US. UK, and Australia which is portrayed on the magazine cover on the left. On the right, we see an issue of Time magazine - this is a typical magazine of the 1970s as it conveys the androgynous hippie look and use of bright bold colours. There is a sense of hypnosis to the cover which suggests that it was influenced by the psychedelic culture, which emerged in the late 1960s.

    1980s

 

On the right, Annie Lennox of Eurythmics is featured.  In the 1980s, apparel and makeup tended to be very bright and vivid in appearance hence Annie's brightly coloured hair and the block colours used on the magazine cover. Also, on the front cover of Interview magazine, Cyndi Lauper is featured. She was one of the most influential artists of the 1980s. Her song "Time After Time" has been covered by over 100 artists and was ranked at #22 on Rolling Stone's 100 Best Songs of the Past 25 Years and at #19 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 80s. Lauper' individuality and distinctive idiosyncratic appearance  is expressed in this front cover as there are a lot of pastel colours. The image used of Cyndi as well is made to look like an illustration which suggests that Cyndi was thought very highly of by many people in this decade.

 

1990s

 

Again, here we see the recurring idea that Rolling Stone have appeared to have grown accustomed to: to use nudity to sell their magazines. They have featured the funk rock band Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Sassy magazine conveys the popularity of grunge (in both fashion and music) as it features Kurt Cobain, the frontman of the 1990s grunge band, Nirvana. Each of these artists were very prominent in the 1990s.

 

 

 

 

2000s

 



The Noughties saw the increased popularity of Hip Hop music as it merged with mainstream pop. Drake - who is featured on the cover of Vibe - initially gained recognition as an actor on the teen drama television series Degrassi: The Next Generation in the early 2000s. Also,  Hip-hop fashion generally was the most popular among young people of both sexes during this decade.

 

2010s

 

It is clear that this decade doesn't have a distinctive magazine style. We see throwbacks, recurring patterns and a classic black and white image. Again, Rolling Stone have included an image of a naked person on their front cover. With Wired, it's very minimalistic and there's a use of bold and bright colours which is a throwback to the 1960s and 1980s. Also, with Interview, there is again a sense of individuality, because it features an image of Katy Perry unlike any way we've seen her before. It's classic, but also has a modern twist to it because of the use of pink.

 

Qualitative vs. Quantitative

 

 Primary research - this involves gathering new data that has not been collected before. For example, surveys using questionnaires or interviews with groups of people in a focus group.

 

Secondary research - this involves gathering existing data that has already been produced. For example, researching the internet, newspapers and company reports.

During my research period, I have gathered information from websites like www.Wikipedia.org and www.bauermedia.co.uk. These websites provide great detail on music genres and music magazines like Kerrang! and Mojo. Studying these magazines in depth have given me an idea on what I want my magazine to look like - these magazines are already published which is beneficial as they give me idea on how a successful magazine should look like.

Rock Moodboard

 

The mood board above involves things that are related to rock music.

 

For me, rock music holds a distinctive style which seems to revolve around darkness, black magic and the occult. "Occult" is a Latin word which means "Clandestine, hidden, secret". In common English usage, occult refers to "knowledge of the paranormal". The term is sometimes taken to mean knowledge that "is meant only for certain people" or that "must be kept hidden", but for most practicing occultists it is simply the study of a deeper spiritual reality. This is reflected in rock music - it is meant only for certain people, for those who understand it.

 

Also in the mood board, I have included an image of Slash - the lead guitarist from Guns N' Roses - as he conveys the classic 'rough and ready' rock look; leather jacket, leather trousers, and long curly hair. As well as this, to appear as more original, Slash wears a top hat and aviator glasses.

 

An image of a mosh pit has been added as well, which was invented by fans of punk rock music. The mosh pit can sometimes be known as the "wall of death" as a few deaths have occurred during moshing, therefore this links back to how rock music is connoted with violence.

 

Famous brands like Vans and Converse are common within the rock music fan base, which is why I have included images of the typical checkerboard Vans and a pair of red Converse. Also, fishnet is commonly worn on the legs and arms by practitioners of Goth and Punk fashion. This started to get popular in the 1980s: The Stray Cats recorded a song entitled Fishnet Stockings on their European debut album in 1981, Morris Day recorded the song Fishnet for the album Daydreaming in 1987, and nearly every major character in The Rocky Horror Picture Show is seen wearing fishnets during the film.

Delta Blues case study

The Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of blues music, dating back to the early 20th century. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, a region of the United States stretching from Memphis, Tennessee, in the north to Vicksburg, Mississippi, in the south and from Helen, Arkansas, in the west to the Yazoo River in the east.

 

Steel Guitar

Guitar and harmonica are its dominant instruments; slide guitar (usually played on a steel guitar) is a distinguishing characteristic of the style. The harmonica is also a common instrument used in Delta blues. Vocal styles in Delta blues range from introspective and soulful to passionate and fiery.

 

Delta Blues was first recorded in the late 1920s, when record companies realized the potential African-American market for "race records". It is believed that Freddie Spruell is the first Delta blues artist to have been recorded; his Milk Cow Blues was recorded in Chicago in June 1926. Other Delta blues artists include Robert Wilkins, Big Joe Williams, Charley Patton, and of course Robert Johnson.

 

Robert Johnson: one of only three verified photographs

Robert Johnson is well known because not only is he a part of the 27 Club, he allegedly sold his soul to the devil (Faustian myth) at a crossroads to achieve success. As a nomad performer who played mostly on street corners, in juke joints, and at Saturday night dances, Johnson had little commercial success or public recognition in his lifetime. Johnson is now, however, recognized as a master of the Delta blues style and was thus inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early influence in its first induction ceremony, in 1986.

Delta blues songs are typically expressed in the first person narrative and often concern love, sex, the traveling lifestyle and its misfortunes: sin, salvation and death. Several blues musicians were imprisoned in the Mississippi State Penitentiary - also known as Parchman farm. It is the oldest prison and the only maximum security prison for men in the state of Mississippi, and it  is referred to in songs such as Booker 'Bukka' White's Parchman Farm Blues and the folk song Midnight Special which has been recorded by Paul McCartney.

Still from the episode Crossroad Blues in Supernatural

The Delta blues mythology has become very common within popular culture and appears as the main storyline in many songs, movies and TV shows. For example, things that I have watched include the movie Crossroads (1986) and  an episode from the fantasy horror television series Supernatural.

Delta blues was also an inspiration for the creation of British skiffle music, from which eventually came the British invasion bands, while simultaneously influencing British blues, which led to the birth of early hard rock and heavy metal. Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode stated that the group's album Delta Machine was inspired by Delta blues.

Mojo Magazine

Mojo Magazine case study

Mojo is the world's largest UK music magazine. David Crosby of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young says "Mojo is the only real music magazine left in the world."

Mojo is a monthly magazine which brings you a "definitive cover feature on an iconic act". In fact, the first issue of Mojo had Bob Dylan and John Lennon as its first cover stars, which highlights how successful the magazine is as many wouldn't expect to have such an iconic figure on the first issue of a magazine. With each issue, a custom made CD is attached which is especially put together by either the editorial team or a major musician.

 

Since its launch 22 years ago, Mojo has been under two different publishing companies; Emap, and since January 2008, Bauer.

Its masthead was chosen as a reminder of the magic at the core of music and as a demonstration of respect to Delta blues mythology. "Mojo" is also a word that relates to middle-aged people as it was a common phrase used in the 1980s.

Many people criticise the magazine for its frequent coverage of classic rock acts such as Bob Dylan and The Beatles. However, it has featured many newer and "left-field" acts. It was the first mainstream magazine in the UK to focus on The White Stripes, whom it has covered as enthusiastically as many older acts.

Mojo is well known for its many "Top 100" lists. To celebrate 150 issues, the magazine published a "Top 100 Albums of Mojo's Lifetime" list. The top five for this list were:

1. Grace – Jeff Buckley (1994)
2. American Recordings – Johnny Cash (1994)
3. OK Computer – Radiohead (1997)
4. Time Out of Mind – Bob Dylan (1997)
5. Definitely Maybe – Oasis (1994)

In 2007, the magazine determined "The Top 100 Records That Changed The World".
The top ten on Mojo's 100 Records That Changed the World list are:

1. Tutti Frutti - Little Richard (1957)
2. I Want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles (1964)
3. Heartbreak Hotel -  Elvis Presley (1972)
4. The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan -  Bob Dylan (1963)
5. Autobahn - Kraftwerk (1974)
6. King of the Delta Blues Singers -  Robert Johnson (1961)
7. The Velvet Underground & Nico -  The Velvet Underground and Nico (1967)
8. Anthology of American Folk Music (various artists) (1952)
9. What'd I Say -  Ray Charles (1959)

The average age of a Mojo Magazine reader is 41 years old and it has an ABC1 profile of 70%. The magazine is loved by its readers and artists alike because it engages them on the subject they love the most: music itself. Mojo targets its audience by concentrating on classic rock artists like Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The White Stripes etc. Both females and males are targeted which is highlighted through the general colour of the masthead: white or black, which are neutral colours.

Front cover

The masthead on this front cover is large, bold and has  3D effect behind it to make it look different and more superior to the rest of the cover. It is in white to contrast the dark background and it has been slightly covered by the slogan and puffs which connote that is has been branded and therefore the audience already know of the magazine and do not need to see the whole masthead. The main image is the singer from Soiuxe and the Banshees, the main image is linked to the main cover line. It is a medium close up of her and the masthead covers her which suggests that the masthead is more important, however the cover lines don't overlap her which shows how significant she is. She has heavy makeup on and as the genre of the magazine is music and the subgenre is indie/classic rock, the stereotype of indie singers is their originality which is expressed through her makeup. It has been placed in the centre of the front cover so it will be one of the first things that the reader will notice - this is a common code and convention of magazines. The cover lines have been placed around the main image so that they don't cover any details, this is a common code and convention of magazines. They follow the colour scheme - which is red, white, black and blue - and are all written in the same font except some are in bold and some are bigger than others. Everything in the cover lines refer to something important inside the magazine and give slight details about it as well to make it more appealing to the target audience. Every cover line links to the genre/sub genre of the magazine.

 

Contents Page

Mojo is very clear and bold at the top of the page to make sure that the reader can easily recognise it . Names of cities have also been included underneath the masthead, telling us where the magazine is iconic for music;  which is in London, Memphis and Okemah. The house style of black, gold and grey has been used which is very simple and neutral -  the neutrality of the colour highlights that this magazine is both for males and females. As Mojo is aimed at an older audience these colours would appeal to them as they are not too bright or vibrant for their eyes, meaning it can easily be read. Stories have been separated by using bold writing and putting information about the story below it. Mojo has made the cover story stand out by separating it from the rest of the text by placing gold lines around it. Also, they have included a lot of information underneath the band name so this makes it look more important to the other features on the contents and it shows that it is the mains story. The image of the subject is at a head shot angle. Also, as he is looking straight at the camera, this makes the reader feel more involved in the magazine and it creates intimacy, pulling the reader in to buy and read the magazine.

 

 

Bauer Media

Bauer Media Group is a European based media company, which is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany and manages a portfolio of more than 600 magazines, over 400 digital products and 50 radio and TV stations around the world.

 

Bauer Verlagsgruppe has been managed by five generations of the Bauer family. Originally a small printing house in Germany, Bauer Media Group entered the UK with the launch of Bella magazine - a women's weekly magazine - in 1987. Under the name of H Bauer Publishing they became Britain's third largest publisher. Bauer further expanded in the UK with the purchase of Emap Consumer Media and Emap Radio in 2008.
 

 

Yvonne Bauer is worth 2.8 Billion USD

The current CEO of Bauer Media Group is Yvonne Bauer, after her father transferred 85% of the company to her in 2010 and 5% to each of her older sisters, Mirja, Nicola and Saskia. She is the great-granddaughter of the original founder of the company, Johann Andreas Ludolph Bauer.

Bauer manages the following music magazines/channels:

• Kerrang!
• Empire
• Mojo
• Q
• Kiss
• Magic