The Conventions, Producer and Target Audience of MyText

1.     I plan to have a masthead that represents the main themes of my magazine. For instance if I choose to use the name ‘Horizon’ or ‘Up&Coming’ it will be because my magazine focuses on upcoming talent which the name suggests. This will appeal to my target audience of teenagers because most people in this age range like to know about new music and trends before other people so they will read this magazine to be able to hear about new artists before anyone else. I will keep the font simple because I am also trying to appeal to people in their early twenties who may prefer a more professional look but if I make it too classy then the younger audience may be put off. I have chosen ‘Impact’ as it is legible and simple enough to appeal to all ages. My main image will be slightly covering the masthead but not so much as to make the customer unable to see it. This is because magazines such as NME often have the masthead behind the image because they know they are a big enough brand that it will still be recognised. Having the masthead slightly covered may make people think the magazine has a bigger reputation whereas people who have not seen it before will still know what it is called. The main image I have chosen has light reflecting on the girl’s glasses which creates the image of being under a spotlight. This is a beneficial effect as she is supposed to be the winner of a famous competition so she would be ‘in the spotlight’ at the time. She is looking straight in the camera which is a convention that many music magazines use to make the reader feel more connected to the person on the page. I will use a light red colour in all three of my pages to keep a house style but only a small amount on the double page spread as this would be different in each issue so it would not make sense to have it exactly the same as the contents page and cover.

2.     I would want Future Publishing to produce and distribute my magazine. I feel they would be interested in getting involved with my magazine as they have been in business with music magazines in the past that have not done very well in the market. This is because they are a different style of music magazine than the likes of Q, NME, MOJO etc. which tend to be more successful. While my magazine has elements that these magazines have, they focus on artists that are already in the public eye. While my magazine will incorporate these types of people as a way of appealing to a wider audience, my main focus is on new artists and this is a rather unseen concept. This means there is a niche in the market for my magazine and this company would be interested as it is clear they want to be in business with music magazines and mine would be the one to help them do it successfully.

3.     My target audience is people in their mid-teens to early twenties. It will be aimed at both genders using a neutral colour scheme and focussed more at a specific genre than characteristic. From audience research and personal experience I know that people are often more attracted to a magazine for who is on the cover/ the content rather than what the magazine is, although having a good reputation helps. A large portion of young people now want to be ahead of their friends when it comes to specific trends. I am aiming my magazine at the type of people who enjoy knowing about artists before they appear in mainstream charts. These people are likely to use social media websites such as Tumblr where posts can reach a large audience. If someone buys an issue and posts a photo of it online about a new artist they heard about in this magazine, more people with similar characteristics will want to see what it is. The issues that have well known artists on the cover will also appeal to a larger audience who listen to acclaimed artists. These people are more likely to use websites such as Facebook and Twitter so will be able to reach even more people in different soical groups.

4.     To reach the type of demographic I am focussing on, it would be beneficial to sell the magazine in places like music shops and tattoo/piercing parlours as many indie style young adults are often in these places. As a way of reaching a larger group of people it could also be sold in large supermarkets such as Asda and Tesco as this has worked well for other magazines such as NME and people of all ages go there every day. As these shops sell a large range of magazines, they would be interested in adding a slightly different genre to their collection that would stand out when next to other music magazines. If the magazine was successful enough in the first few months-year then I could make it available as an online issue as from my audience research I have found that a few people would be inclined to look at a magazine online rather than a physical copy. To ensure I do not lose out on a profit I would not have all of the content online or even as an app as if somebody likes what they see online, they may go to buy the same issue or a future one to find out what else the magazine has to offer. Because not a lot of other magazines offer the publication on a number of media platforms, this magazine will be seen as a modern product as well as accessing a larger audience.