Completed Music Magazine

Studying Magazine Articles

In order be able to write my own article for my music magazine successfully, I decided to look at several existing examples and study the typical use of language and linguistic features that would be expected to find inside an article. Below is an interview with Rihanna taken from RollingStone Magazine which I have analysed in detail:  

Double Page Article First Draft

Double Page Spread Layout

Contents Page First Draft

Contents Page Layout

Front Cover First Draft

Here is the first completed draft of my front cover for my music magazine. I'm pleased with what I have produced though acknowledge that there are a few minor elements that need to be changed in order to improve the page's appearance and professional look. For example, I've noticed that the font that I'm using at the moment for the strapline 'Cori' is a sans serif font and is not cohesive with the rest of the serif font on the page and therefore needs to be changed to improve the consistancy. I also feel the cover would benefit from sub-headings with the anchorage to clearly define the content inside such as 'Featured Artists' and 'Also Inside' which I will add later on. I've also considered changing the colour scheme of the anchorage from the alternating blue and red that I'm currently using to simply all red as I feel this will create a better level of cohesion and will hopefully make my page appear more professional.  

Planning the Cover Layout

Before jumping straight in with creating my front cover for my music magazine, I wanted to have a clear plan of the layout of the page and so I decided to create a quick mockup of where age feature would be placed. I chose to stick to thr regular conventions of a magazine cover - masthead at the top left, central image in the middle with space to add straplines running down either side of the page. I also included space for several graphic features as these can break up the text and help give the page a pleasant, more professional appearance.

Photo Editing

In order to make my magazine have a more professional appearance, I needed to edit my photography. I started by cutting my subject out from against the blue screen background as this would make the image easier to work with and meant I could add in my own background later on. I then went on to alter the Brightness/Contrast, Exposure and Vibrance to make the images sharper and crisper. I also chose the reverse several of the images to fit better with the layout of my magazine pages. This gave the appearance that the photos had actually been taken in a professional photoshoot which is the exact look I wanted for my music magazine.

Original Photography

Selecting a Font

An important part of planning for my music magazine was choosing the font to use for my masthead. It was vital that I chose the correct font as the masthead is possibly the most important part of a magazine as (apart for the central image) it's the first thing the read looks at. I wanted the font to carry the right connotations and suggestions about what my magazine is about and the type of content that can be found inside. I considered several different options as shown above and in the end I decided to chose the font on the right. I really like this font as I feel it's very attractive to the eye and stylish which will appeal to my target audience of teenagers. It reminds me of the typical american college font which is perfectly cohesive with the genre of my magazine. It also has a sleek, finished look to it which I really like as I want my magazine to look as polished and professional as possible. Overall the font carries positive, strendy connotoations which leads the reader to think the content inside will be of a similar nature which is why I believe it's the right choice..

Chosing the Final Name

After considering several different possibilites for the name of my magazine, I have decided that the best option is 'Ego'. As I have already expressed in my last post, I love the connotations that 'Ego' carries and its relevance to my magazine about new music artists trying to build up their Egoes. This title is also perfect for my magazine as it is short and snappy, meaning it is easily memorable as well as being appealing to my target audience of teenageres between 16 and 18. Now that I have selected a name, I will need to experiment with different fonts to see which looks the most effective and attractive for the front cover of my publication.

Creating a Name

Now that I've selected a specific genre for my magazine, the next vital element that I need to decide on before creating my publication is the name of it. It's essential that I make sure that the name of my magazine is appropriate for the genre I have chosen and that it also carries the right connotations. I also want the name of my magazine to be appealing to my target audience of teenagers, therefore i feel that a short, snappy headline for my publication may be the best well-suited. This will also make my magazine eye-catching and instantly recognisable.

I have considered several different options for the name of my magazine:

• Tunes - I quite like this option due to the use of the colloqualism as I feel this will appeal to a my target audience of teenagers.
• USA Today - although tis title does express the main aim of the magazine, I feel this option is a little too corny and inappropriate for an older teenage audience. There's also no real indication of it being a music magazine.
• Ego - I really like this name as I feel it carries both positive and negative connotations therefore causes a little controversy which will be a talking-point for my magazine. I also like the fact it is relevant to my music magazine about new and up-coming artists as these will be trying to build up there own egoes within the music industry. This also fulfills my aims of having a short and snappy name which I expressed above.
• New Music -
• Music Now - I feel these are both strong possible contenders because they ultimately express the main focus of the magazine of introducing new music to the UK.
• Teen Brits - I don't really like this name as I feel the use of 'teen' within the title appears slightly patronising towards teenagers, especially as I have chosen slightly older teenagers (16-18) as my target audience. I also think it's a little misleading although the magazine will be aimed at British teens the magazine will ultimately be focussed on the American Pop industry.

Chosing a Genre and a Target Audience

The most important thing I need to decide upon before beginning the production of my own music magazine is the genre it will be based upon. I also need to ensure that I have a clear, set target audience in mind throughout the process of making the publication, meaning that everything within the magazine will be especially catered to suit the likes and dislikes of my specific audience.

From examining and researching several music magazines of varying genres - including RollingStone, Q, Kerrang and NME - I have realised there is a hole in the market for a British magazine solely dedicated to bringing American pop music across the water and introducing the UK to new and up-coming American talents within the pop industry. Therefore this is what I have decided to focus my magazine on as a genre.

Given that the genre I have chosen is American pop music, I feel that the most appropriate and well-suited target audience will be teenagers of around 16-18 as at this age teens are growing-up and branching out, looking for new, individual styles in music therefore it is an ideal opportunity to introduce them to some of the new music coming out from America.

Investigating Professional Photography

Magazine Conventions

 

My College Magazine

Front Cover

Contents Page

College Magazine Ideas

I've decided to call my college magazine 'My Prior' as I feel this is personal to the reader as well as being clear and precise about which college it's about. I'm going to create a summer issue as I feel this is the prime time of year when there are lots of events and news to report about. I've chosen a simple colour scheme of red, blue and white to be used throughout the production of my magazine, meaning the end product will have a more professional appearance. My magazine will feature a main article about the building work of the new extension to the drama building over the summer holidays, as well as featuring other smaller articles about students interests and activities.

Student Questionnaire

Media Photos

    

Photoshop Demo Practice

As a practice task and a learning experience of how to use Photoshop I created a fictional album cover. The cover features several different layers - the new york background, the image of Lady Gaga in the foreground and then the text on top. I really like the end product and feel the piece has quite a sophisticated feel and appearance.

Representation Analysis of Lady Gaga

Add caption

Representation

Representation is the act of using certain media, such as colours and clothing, in order to express a particular mood or idea to the audience. Representation is used on anything, including movie sets and film posters, in order to get the audience thinking beyond what they can see with plain eye and what certain things may mean, therefore creating an intenser atmosphere and a more powerful effect. For example the colour red often represents danger and blood as well as love and passion. Theres are three main types of representation:

• Reflective
• Intentional
• Constructive

Stereotypes

Stereotypes are widely circulated, over-simplified images of certain individuals or groups. They are generalisations and often have a negative form of judgement on the groups members. Stereotypes are mostly created upon appearance and behaviour for example many say that being blonde means you must be dumb.

Social Groups and Teenage Tribes

Social groups are groups of two or more people that have a social cohesion and share similar characteristics. These characteristics can include an individuals personality, the clothes they wear, the music they listen to, their interests and their general appearance. Many social groups have become generalised and stereotyped over time to become 'Teenage Tribes'. Teen tribes are simplified and generalised ideas of the social groups that exist among the teenagers of today. These include:

• Chavs
• Emos
• Townies
• Goths
• Indies
• Skaters
• Punks
• Pop Princes/Princesses
• Alternative   

Researchers believe that every teen of today should fit into at least one of the above 'tribes'.

RollingStone Glog

I've decided to create a glog based aroung RollingStone magazine featuring examples of previous front covers in order to help with my research. It has been a really useful opportunity for me to view examples of professional magazine covers as it has allowed me to discover the confessions of a magazine cover and suggestions of how the features can be layed out. I will return to these examples for inspiration, along with others of which I will add throughout the project, when creating my own magazine.

Class Survey

In order to gather a better understanding of what genres and styles of music are popular amongst teens today as well as other general background information about music magazines and the music industry I carried out a quick and simple survey in class. Here re my results:

• Who reads music magazines on a regular basis? Only 2 members of the class out of 20 said that they regularly read music magazines in their spare time, however, I then went on to ask who occasionally read music magazines and this then increased to 8 out of 20.
• Which magazines would you be likely to read? Kerrang and NME were popular choices among class members when asked which music magazines they like to read, although Q and RollingStone were also mentioned.
• Which genres of music are particularly strong in the world today? There was mixed reviews about this question and many genres were named, however, the class was unanimous in saying that both Chart pop and Indie were both leading music genres of the modern day.
• Where do you usually consume your music from? Most of the class said that they all downloaded their music rather than buying physical CDs. Many members said they often download their songs from illegal and free download sites such as Pirate Bay however iTunes was also a popular choice for those who choose to legally buy their music.

Through carrying out this simple survey I have learnt exactly which genres I may want to think about focussing my magazine on - chart pop and indie. I have also picked up on the fact that many people prefer to use the internet to find news about the latest music and in fact, not all that many people choose to buy and read music magazines anymore.

Genre

Before even beginning to plan my magazine it's crucial that I know exactly which music genre I'd like it to be based around. The music industry can be broken up into hundreds of different genres - each perfectly designed to match the likes and tastes of the desired target audience. There are several basic, general genres of which we are all aware of such as pop, rock, metal, country and classical - these are known as the 'core genres'.  However these core genres can then be broken down in to hundreds of different categories in themselves, known as 'sub-genres'. The use of these sub-genres means that music can be crafted in finer detail to suit the exact tastes of an individual. For example, if we look at pop as a core genre, pop is a very vague and wide term to use for music and can include many different styles and sounds meaning it would be highly unrealistic to purely say you liked pop music as a whole. However, if we break pop down into several sub-genres such as acoustic pop, electro-pop, teen pop and Brit pop we can begin to gather a better understanding of exactly where the individual's tastes lie. The list of sub-genres is endless and more and more are constantly being created to this day.

Introduction

I am a big fan of listening to music and am particularly interested in modern day pop and current chart music such as Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Katy Perry. Therefore, the most natural choice of music magazine for me to study throughout this project and in order to gain inspiration for my own publication is a pop music magazine such as RollingStone. RollingStone is a magazine designed to cater for a wide selection of music genres including pop, rock and R&B meaning it will be highly useful for me to study. This also means that RollingStone has a wide target audience and most people are able to find something of their taste and interest within it's pages.

My First Post

This is the first post of my music magazine coursework blog. Throughout the course of this project I will be investigating the different elements and techniques that are used when producing a magazine in order to create meaning for the reader. This will ultimately help me on the journey of creating my own pubication to a high professional standard.