Music Magazine Evaluation

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

To answer this question I am going to compare the magazine I created to a well-known magazine of the same genre. I have chosen to compare my magazine with the popular US Rock magazine ‘SPIN’, and the popular UK rock magazine KERRANG! The following pages show the comparison between my cover, content and double pages with those of a real music magazine. I have begun with the front cover;

First, notice the masthead. On earlier drafts of my cover (right), the masthead had no block behind it just like the masthead of Kerrang. As this didn’t attract a lot of attention to the masthead I placed a green block behind it, similar to the one on the cover of SPIN magazine. The draft to the right also shows that the main image over lapped part of the masthead, this would have shown that the magazine is well known and that a reader would easily notice it if only a segment of the title was shown in a shop or in general. The reason that the image didn’t overlap the masthead in later drafts was that it covered up the letter B resulting in the masthead reading something along the lines of “CHERUP ROCK”. When asking peers to assess my cover, they read it incorrectly, this pointed out that it could be mistaken as the phrase “Cheer-Up Rock”, which sounds far to pop to be the title of a garage rock magazine.

The blocks behind the headline and caption also have blocks behind them similar to the ones on the cover of SPIN. This is also the case when it comes to the list of featuring bands displayed in the left third. This brings me to my next comparison.  Like the two other covers, I have used the left third as a focal point on my cover. This is because it is the part most visible when stacked on store shelves, only the left side is shown.

Now onto the main image, both magazines feature a photo of member/s of a band, although the cover of Kerrang made this clear by using a musical instrument. When taking my photos I made sure to use a model that could be identified as a musician. To do this I made sure to display one or more band members with and instrument or musical object relative to their band role, for example the guitar visible in the front cover or the drum sticks that were in some unused draft photos (right). I have used the rule of 3rds to attract the reader’s attention. The main article of the magazine can also be seen across the front of these photos, it is the biggest thing on the page but it does not distract a reader’s attention from the title.

I have used photos on the outside of my magazine to show the main band that is included. This has also been done on the Kerrang and SPIN magazine cover. A small point to mention is that both the other magazines have used a colour scheme consisting of only three colours, I have used a similar limited colour palette (green-grey-black).

My magazine also features a skyline like the Kerrang cover, but this was changed to a tagline due to peer review. Finally, a barcode can be seen on the Kerrang magazine as well as an issue date, I have done this on my magazine and placed it in a similar position apart from mine is in the left third as a viewer may like to know the price quickly.

Drafts:

Next we will compare contents pages (above), on the left is a content page from the music magazine SPIN and on the right is a Kerrang content page. Notice that both the magazines and my magazine have a title, as well as this they've a main photograph. Again I’ve used the rule of 3rds when placing my photographs. One thing that has gone against the conventions of the two displayed magazines is the titles themselves, as they say “contents” mine says “this month”.

Now look at the structure of the SPIN magazine, one side of is dedicated to the content. I have done the same in my magazine. Look also at the fluff on the Q magazine, it shows eye-catching information about articles in the content. I have used this technique to a similar extent by putting interesting content on my page.

Finally the double spread, on the left is the double spread from Kerrang magazine and on the right is my double spread page. See that the Kerrang double spread includes elements that span over both pages, note also that the images used on the page correspond with the magazine article. As you can see, the elements on my double spread are separated unlike the example. My main image is also on a different side to the example, this could be a bad choice as the first thing a reader sees when turning the page is the left side, and seeing the image is arguably more likely to stand out and interest the reader. On the other hand my method displays the name of the person being interviewed and the band that they are part of, letting the reader know straight away who is being interviewed and what the page is about.

Notice also that the text on the real magazine has been split into columns and start with a drop cap, my magazine also emulates these conventions. To finish the comparison, see that both the Kerrang page and my own have page numbers. Also note that the Kerrang double spread follows a three colour scheme. My double spread also follows a colour scheme, the same scheme as my front cover and contents page. This is because these colours suit a garage/alternative rock magazine as they look very grunge and dark.

Now that I have compared my magazine to those of a real magazine distributer I can strongly say that my magazine hardly challenges the forms or conventions of a real media product, but instead uses them. In the production of my magazine I felt it was best to use and follow the conventions of other popular music magazines as it not only gives me a rough plan to follow but helps guarantee the success of my magazine.

“How does your media product represent particular social groups?”

I have chosen to represent the rock social group/clique as I have produced a rock magazine. I will now explain how this group has been represented in my magazine. Note first at how the models on the front of my magazine are standing, they are seen looking at the camera with a slump, as though they don’t really care what is going on. This is a typical rock attitude and it is a stance taken up by many models featured on the front of similar music magazines, see the Rolling Stones/Black Keys sample below; as mentioned, the cover model of my magazine is displaying the typical vacant stare “I don’t care” attitude. This is an attitude that has been stereotyped with the rock genre which is why I chose to photograph the model in this way.

Next note the female model’s appearance, she is shown with long two tone hair, this style is very popular with women of the rock genre and “rockers” can easily be identified by this hair style, In fact most female (sometime male) members of a rock band will go through this “two tone” hair stage. Both models are dressed casually in jeans, jackets and jumpers. While this may not be the norm for heavy and emo rock bands, it is however the norm for alternative and garage rock bands who prefer a casual look to a darker look. An example would be the photo of the ‘Silversun Pickups’ (a well-known alternative rock band) below. This also applies to the male models hair style, as casual swept back hair can be favoured over thicker longer hair, which is common for males who like ‘heavy rock/metal’. As my magazine is aimed to avoid heavy metal styled rock, I think it is appropriate for my models to stick with the appearance of the represented genre.

Now to the contents page, once again his stance is the typical side slump camera focused “I don’t care”, apart form in this case he is not stood. This continues on the double spread, as the model’s facial expression also gives the whole “I don’t care” influence.

It is also represented through the colour scheme to provide better indication of the genre, as it can seem quite gritty like the dark green used. This also applies to the font of the masthead, as the font “TUCKDRIVER” is cracked and distorted, making it seem quite gritty.

“What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?”

After researching various different distribution companies I feel that Bauer media would be happy to distribute my magazine. I have many reasons for deciding this, some of which will be covered in this report. The main reason I feel that Bauer media would distribute my magazine is that even though they already distribute a rock music magazine “Kerrang!”, the magazine is a generalized rock music magazine that only touches lightly on each rock genre. But this is not a bad thing, in my research I have found the magazine's sales went quickly into decline in 2003, and to solve this they turned to the large emergence of emo and metalcore, Kerrang began to heavily feature this musical trend. However, the revamp was not welcomed by all readers and many complaints were received about Kerrang's sudden emphasis on emo and metalcore music, this even lead to their own readers revolting through Kerrang’s website (see image below). It is speculated that this is because magazines are becoming less popular with the introduction of internet based exhibition methods and music channels but also because the content of Kerrang magazine can be read in almost any other music magazine. Kerrang has become a very general rock magazine over recent years as it has to include content for the many new rock variations that are appearing, meaning Kerrang only touches lightly on each rock genre because it has had to include more rock variants and therefore decrease the amount of content for each rock variant.

I feel that my magazine “Cherub Rock” is a fresh breathe to the industry, as it reports on more detailed, up-to-date and targeted news within only a select few rock variants (Alternative, Garage) and also including what is considered ‘Straight-up Rock’. Even though my magazine targets a more niche market, it offers readers news that can’t be found in most music magazines, giving it a unique selling point (USP) and marketing edge.

Another reason that I feel Bauer media would distribute my magazine is that it isn’t that male orientated, unlike other publishers like IPC with NME, my magazine isn’t really orientated towards one direction more than the other. My magazine also offers advertisement space which could be used free of charge by Bauer media if they were to distribute the magazine, they already have an advertising branch to their company (Bauer Advertising) so this advertisement space would be put to good use. (The fact that Bauer have various different business sectors is an example of vertical integration)

One last reason that I feel Bauer media would distribute my magazine is that as I have already mentioned, the only rock magazine they distribute is Kerrang! And even though this is a general rock magazine its popularity has been dropping and does not offer many readers what bands and content they’re looking for, detailed specific news on their rock variation. My magazine is specifically tailored to the garage world and with Cherub Rock Magazine in its arsenal; Bauer media would not have to include the alternative/garage genre with Kerrang. This would create more space in Kerrang to focus on other rock genres that

In conclusion I feel that the distribution of Cherub Rock Magazine via Bauer media would be both a benefit to the company and the magazine. The company would gain access to advertisement space and would be able to include more content of other Rock Variations (emo, metalcore, heavy metal) in their pre-existing magazine Kerrang, whereas the magazine would benefit by having the support of a pre-established well known and successful distribution company.

“Who would be the target audience for your media product?”

My target audience would be the typical alternative/garage rock fan, generic rock fans could also by the magazine as they may find that their rock variant (heavy, indie, emo) isn’t too distant to the type of music that may be displayed in my magazine. Although this doesn’t mean that the magazine will go out of its way to appeal to other rock variants, as this is what Bauer media tried with Kerrang, and it led to a decline in sales and popularity.

My magazine is not more male orientated than it is female orientated vice versa, although it is more common for males to go out and buy rock magazines. The age-range of my target audience are those from the ages of 16 and above, this age covers the typical concert goer, and also musicians who actually produce rock music. The appearance of my target audience is going to be those who dress casually and slobbish, like those who are in alternative rock bands, an example would be the image of the band Jimmy Eat World below. Although my magazine is focused on a specific rock variant, it won’t mean that fans of generic rock will not buy it. They are those who will be wearing black and dark hoodies, basically clothing that represents the rock genre.

My magazine is aimed at those who like alternative rock, and would be part of the rock social group; these people would generally hang around together, so my target social group would be that group of people.

The group would not only consume alternative rock, not only through listening to it, but also through television, magazines and the internet.

“How do you attract/address the audience?”

As my audience is alternative rock, I have chosen to include elements of the alternative rock genre in my magazine to attract that audience. Obviously if they see something they are interested in they will be more likely to have similarities with it and then buy it as a source of news, or even as a hobby to go along with their preferred music genre. This was done by using dark colour schemes to provide better indication of the genre, as it can seem quite gritty like the dark green used. This also applies to the font of the masthead, as the font “TUCKDRIVER” is cracked and distorted, making it seem quite gritty. I also gave my magazine the title “Cherub Rock” which is the title of a well-known alternative rock song by The Smashing Pumpkins who in turn are a well-known alternative rock band.

I also used a model that was a fan of alternative rock, this allowed people who saw the magazine to relate to the model, and then they could relate to the magazine. This also is a good way to represent the rock genre. Also to help target my audience better, I used a kicker on my front cover that advertised a competition to meet an alternative rock band. This would encourage my target audience to buy the magazine as they are interested in these types of bands; therefore it is tailored to them.

“What have you learned about technologies from the process of constructing this product?”

Before answering the question I thought it would be best to find out what software/hardware professional firms use when creating their industry standard magazines. A lot of magazine producers use off-the-shelf software such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign. This surprised me as I felt as the industry is so big it would have specially designed software for the production of magazines. The fact that the software used by real magazine producers is readily available to the public gave me a starting point in the production of my magazine; I used Adobe Photoshop and a Still camera in the production of my magazine.

I used these technologies for different elements of my magazine production, I had used a camera to go out and take pictures which were to be included in my magazine. Then I used Adobe Photoshop to edit a select few photographs that I had taken. I also use Microsoft Publisher to organise text into columns for drafts. I chose to use Adobe Fireworks to create text and banners to place on my magazine. Before starting the production task I decided that I would try to only use Adobe software, allowing me to maintain compatibility between software formats.

Using Adobe Photoshop I have learnt to;

·         Create and use image masks

·         To edit, improve and adjust photographs with various tools (burn, crop and export tool etc.)

·         To cut a person from a photo and place them onto a new background      

·         To adjust colour and saturation to give an image a different look

·         To perform adjustments on a specific part of an image without adjusting the entire image

·         To generally improve my quality of photographs

Using Adobe Fireworks I have learnt to;

·         Create adds and banners

·         Create custom text and titles

·         To edit pre-existing graphics

·         To create custom graphics

·         To import created graphics into other Adobe software without having to export its format and lose image quality

Using a still camera I have learnt to;

·         Consider the position of the people in a photograph in relation to what they’ll be used for

·         Consider the background of a model to make photo editing easier (white background etc.)

·         Generalized better photography

After completing the production stage of my project I feel I have a much broader knowledge of photo editing, magazine creation and photography. If I was to do the task again I feel id complete it a lot faster and with a more advanced collection of tools now that I know exactly how those tools can be put to a good use.

“Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you has learnt in the progression from it into the full product?”

Over the period of time from the preliminary task to the final product, I think I have increased my knowledge of conventions and institutions like the role of thirds and the vocal points of an image, basically what goes into a magazine, as I did not know anything about that when doing the college magazine. Although I did know a lot about how to make a magazine through Photoshop/Fireworks through my national diploma in IT, I have certainly widened my knowledge of the software. I also have gained the ability to attract a target audience through specific methods. These are the reasons for the differences in quality between the preliminary task and final product.