Question 5

How do you attract/address your audience?

When designing my magazine I have looked at conventions displayed by other music magazines and incorporated this into my own magazine. One of the most powerful influences in a magazine, by far, is the photography. When organising the photoshoot, I specifically selected young females who had the personality and looks of most modern female artists. By taking qualities that a young audience can relate to, I created two successful groups that can be interpreted as role models for the audience and people that they can aspire to. For a male audience, the bands can be seen as a 'crush'. This set up is the most conventional way that music production companies can advertise their artists. The clothing that all of the models are wearing are fashionable and very current ranging from modern edge to revived retro. This is how the audience model themselves which will therefore introduce them to musicians who are just like them. The shots I have used are also all different and aren't repetitive, for example, on the front cover I have used direct mode of address and coupled with the close-up shot makes the face dominating especially in terms of stocking the magazine on a shelf which makes it stand out against the ther magazines. Diret mode of address is also used on the double page spread but I have used a long shot to include the whole group who are all connecting with the audience. However, the contents page contrasts this technique and uses indirect mode of address, which can be seen as quite seductive and used to promote the style of the model.

Another important way of attracting the audience is the use of colour. The mast head is a unique colour but is pale and stands out against the black band. However, it is the red of the flashes and kickers that attract the audiences' eyes to the most significant information on the page that could encourage a further look inside. The other most prominent colours are black, white and green which is complimentary to red and all contrast. This is an interesting variety without being too busy for the readers. For example, on the contents page the red draws the eye to the top left, then again to the bottom right as a natural order of reading and navigating through the magazine. On the double page spread, the title uses the most colour and highlights the name of the band and pull quotes taken from the article to help make the text recognisable to skim-readers. A younger audience needs excitment so the colour is bright but well thought out and engaging.

The language of a magazine can is very important when addressing an audience as differerent ages, gender, social class and personalities are naturally attracted to a certain language style. Since my music magazine focuses on the indie/folk genre the language needs to reflect this. The readers of this genre are usually in the working class and young so overall I have aimed for informal language, as if engaging in conversation with the reader. Considering majority of the audience would probably be students, you have to take into account that they want to read to entertain, not educate. For example, the interview includes language that would be used in everyday speech, including 'slang' such as "just the little detours we were goin' to see on the way" which is more realistic and down-to-earth. It is also more accurate to the band's regional identity. More pulling language has been used for the kickers. The plugs also use engaging language such as "Win" and "Exclusive" where the reader will feel that they have the opportunity to gain fromt the magazine either as a prize or reading exclusive articles that you can't find anywhere else. The text is presented in a mix of bold and italic fonts which highlight different sections of the magazine. Some unorthodox, decorative titles have been used, especially on the double page spread so that the page is fun and sparks curisoity which is what a young audience needs to keep attention on the page. On the left hand side of the double page spread I have used a pull quote to highlight the overall subject of conversation in the article so that the reader does not feel overwhelmed by a big chunk of text.

Overall, these points significantly define the genre and target audience of the magazine, fulfilling it's purpose in addressing the audience. A mix of the imagery and text compliment each other and emphasise the type of music it is representing.

Question 4

Question 4 Who would be the audience for your media product?
by: NataliaMEdwards


Copy of the script:
Who would be the audience for your media product?
The target audience for my media product is a mix of genders but the market's target age are teenagers and young adults as this forms a large percentage of fans belonging to the indie rock music genre. Furthermore, this age group also recieve, on average, £9.13 in pocket money. This audience also mainly under the social classes: C1, C2 and D.
This audience tend to use modern devices to invest in the media so will you promote your product online or use a more conventional approach?
93% of teens aged 12 to 17 go online which makes this a very easy asset to entice the audience, however I intend to keep a onventional print magazine as their is still a high demand for physical reading material as 78% of teenagers aged 12 to 18 will spend on average 13 minutes a day reading a magazine.
What are the audience most influenced by in this music genre?
The music is a major influence, but other factors such as fashion, behaviour and outlook on life can be projeted onto the fan base. Image is equally as important as the music.
What psycographic do your audience belong to?
The psycographic that the target audience belong to would mainly be classes as "Belongers" as the class they belong to stereotypically insinuates that they are average people, with average friends and family. They are also defined by their tendency to become reliable on a particular brand.
Finally, How will your audience know about your product?
Although I am promoting printed magazines, the internet is a major influence on this age group. Social networking is one of the main reasons for this with 73% of teenagers signed up to a social networking site. Advertising through social networking sites such as Facebook and twitter, is one of the most beneficial ways to advertise the magazines presence. The use of mobile devices and other thecnologies such as "ipads" are also used for reading material online which could widen the target audience if a proposal such as an ap for the magazine could be made sucessful.

Quesion 3

Question 2: Social Group

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The social media group I have chosen is Alternative Rock, belonging to the Independent Music group mainly consisting of music that is recognised in the mainstream charts but originated "underground" and are signed by smaller, independent music labels. Included also are bands that could be categorised in the folk genre, whether this is folk rock, folk metal or electric folk, etc.

Example of Alternative Rock Music:



The above video is by English Alternative Rock band "Elbow" and is a classic example of the darker tones that are used to portray this genre of music. The setting plays a big part in this and shows a classic part of British culture ("Pint down the pub"), further portrayed by the clothing, the lyrics and the lighting.

Example of Folk (Rock) Music:



This example relates to folk rock music in particular, as portrayed by the band Mumford & Sons (also English). The music can have similar qualities to Alternative Rock, for example, the artists relate to their audience. Compared to other music genres like Pop music, artists are usually made out to be of higher importance and something the fan should strive to be, whereas the artists featured above prefer to work underground but share music with their fans.

History

Late 1970's to the 1980's - This was the decade where alternative music started to build after "Grunge" music emerged as a sub genre of alternative rock. Grunge music built it's popularity in the Untied States, more specifically Seattle where an active and large music scene had little media exposure compared to the cities of Los Angeles and New York. At the same time, many record companies labelled bands in the UK as "alt-rock". Bands such as
1990's - Alternative rock became popular in the 90's and record labels started to realise that there was a lot of money to be made by labelling bands under this title and selling merchandise. Bands such as Foo Fighters and Nirvana are cassic examples of bands that formed on the Seattle grunge scene and are well known today, even if not for their music. Nirvana formed in 1987 and are a good example of popularity gained through the duration of their career, cut short in 1994 by the death of frontman Kurt Cobain. This is when Foo Fighters formed and took over and equally match in popularity. Both names are internationally recognised.

10 Years Ago...
21st Century
2000's - Compared to the previous 20-30 years, new alt-rock music emerged but until a few years into the new millenium it was considered to have lost it's touch, especially in America. Howvever, this was the decade of a new establishing movement reffered to as post-punk revival. Eventually, alternative rock became referred to as part of the indie rock music genre.

The progression of alternative and folk music has remained more or less the same and, just as it did in the 80's when alternative rock came onto scene, can sometimes even be found in mainstream charts. However, at the time when alternative music emerged, it was seen as a break from mainstream music and was relatively new. Nowadays, "alt-rock" is accepted as a type of music and has developed over the years into a popular genre amongst all ages. Majority of the work created by the artists are successful because of their fans, as opposed to praise from the media. Inspiration for new bands is often taken from their predecessors often with instrumental talents rather than computerised music. Successful bands often gain a reputation and appeal to a younger audience but as their career develops, fans are found to stay loyal to their favourite artists' music into adult life.However, the way the public see these music genres today can vary from positive and negative. Criticism and praise can come from general articles in newspapers and magazines or from particular celebrities that have shared their own opinions.

Some of the criticism they have received for some of the bands that feature in this social group include:

"Asked what he thought of Mumford and Sons, Gallagher replied: "They look like f***ing Amish people. You know, them ones with the big sideys that don't use electricity? Growing their own food and putting barns up. I need music to be a bit more sexy and played by people who look a bit f***ing dangerous."  

Quote originates from The Shortlist (http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/music/the-world-through-liams-eyes/) but has been rewritten for NME magazine (http://www.nme.com/news/beady-eye/57482).

Even social media has been used to, shall we say, express "dislike" (put delicately), towards  this music genre and the image portrayed by the artists:

"Let us forget our conflicts and put our differences aside, for there is a new evil at hand that threatens the very fiber of our being. Humanity must now unite in our hatred for the treacherous banjo b******s Mumford and Sons and join together as one force to ensure that our future is kept safe from the destruction of euphoric banjo anthems sung by annoying upper class waistcoat sporting husky little f***s."

 Quote taken from NME Magazine featuring as an example of the content of the facebook page "I Hate Mumford & Sons": http://www.nme.com/blog/index.php?blog=1&title=mumford_aamp_sons_are_they_really_all_th&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

But this bad image that is portrayed by the media is not necessarily the same opinion for the public, with this music genre dominating the world as household names and creating songs that seem to make a lasting impression as opposed to a short length of time at the top of the charts.

"Elbow had always been respected for their music. The only band in NME history to have four consecutive 9/10 album reviews, they had already been described as 'national treasures' by The Guardian"
Quote taken from: http://www.brits.co.uk/artist/elbow

...and to balance the seemingly bad impression made by Mumford & Sons:

"They avoid the celebrity circuit, are kind to their fans, and love the Royal Family. No wonder the world has fallen for the old-fashioned charms of Mumford & Sons."
Quote taken from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/9742444/Mumford-and-Sons-Pop-stars-Not-us.html

Evaluation - Question 1 by