DPS Analysis 2- Research

DPS Analysis 2, a photo by jordantaylor4 on Flickr.

DPS Analysis- Research

DPS Analysis, a photo by jordantaylor4 on Flickr.

Reader Profile- Planning

Mood Board - Planning

Reader Profile- Planning

Music Magazine Initial Ideas- Planning

My target audience will be a unisex demographic aged 16-24. The main focus of my magazine is to entertain the reader, I want the magazine to be fun to read and enjoyable, with a creative music taste to it. The idea is to make a good profit by aiming at a large demographic and entertaining a large majority of people with a magazine that is a little bit different from the normal music magazine. The advertisers would benefit because they would be advertising to a young audience so can make sure they appeal to them, allowing them to access a certain target audience.

The magazine wouldn't focus on one specific genre which would provide variety for my audience. They may also discover a genre that they never listened to before, but however that is not totally my aim. Although my magazine is a music magazine, I want that to be something that is incorporated to help along with entertaining the audience, however it will still remain a large part. My magazine will be monthly because I think this will ensure that more people will buy it. This can also mean that I can keep production costs down and have enough information worth putting in the magazine that has built up over a month. The team of people who source the unsigned acts also need time to contact them as they most likely won’t have a manager.


The price of the magazine will be £2-3 as I don’t want to put people off by having it pricey. Social networking is going to be a big part of the advertising campaign as most of the target demographic own a Twitter and Facebook account.

Survey Analysis- Planning

Audience Survey

I have created a 10 question survey to ask the potential audience of my magazine. This is due to the fact that it will give me a better insight into what the audience wants, therefor helping me establish what to put into my magazine, how it looks etc. This will ensure that my magazine is the best it can be for the audience that would be interested in it, so it becomes successful.

Overview of the Magazine Industry

The UK music press is made up of:

• Large corporations
• Small independent companies
• Independent magazines published by small groups of people.

Future PLC is a British company that publishes magazines in the UK, US and Australia. Its titles include Classic Rock, Total Guitar, Total Film, SFX…. This is an example of a small independent company.

Some magazines belong to large corporations, who have an even wider multi-platform presence. The Bauer Media Group owns Q and Kerrang, as well as part-owning The Box with Channel 4. Owns NME, but is itself owned by Time Warner, the world’s second largest media conglomerate. Other Time Warner companies include Warner Bros, HBO, Cartoon Network, New Line Cinema, CNN……..

Types of Music Magazines

Recording the Music Charts:

A magazine that is generally aimed at music professionals, this US Weekly published the music charts. It now features DVD info and the internet download charts too.

Serious Music Journalism:

Weekly, up to the minute info on record releases, articles on artists and the music. NME and MM dominated the news stands on he 60's and 70's when music was central to youth culture. They had a reputation for serious journalism and covered both mainstream and non-mainstream music. They weren't interested in glossy images. Their cover price was their main source of income until the 90's when they were forced to update or die. They merged in 2000, went glossy and the new NME compromised the it's 'newsy' identity in favour of a more glossy mag style.

Amateur Mags- The Fanzines

Paul Williams first issued his fanzine 'Crawdaddy' in 1966, It's still going, online. Fanzines are written by fans for fans, and keep pace with new scenes more quickly than the music press. In 1976, Mark Perry's 'Sniffin' Glue' helped validate the New York punk genre.

Music + Culture

Rolling Stone was launched in 1967. It saw music as an essential component of youth culture and it has always featured a mix of music , social issues, politics, fashion, photography and lifestyle. It launched some serious music journalists like Cameron Crowe and also photographers including Annie Leibowitz.

Genre Specific

Smash hits (1978) was the first genre-specific music mag. It brought pop to teenagers and paved the way for celebrity obsessed magazines. It was full of music as well as pics and gossip about the artists and bands it featured. Other genre-specific mags include:

• Kerrang (1981)- Rock and Metal
• MixMag (1990s) - Dance/Clubbing
• Hip Hop- Hip Hop
• Classic Rock- Nostalgic Stuff for the older fan

The Glossy- for Music and Lifestyle

The Face (1980) put style over substance in a ture reflection of the 80's. It catered to the post-youth market and offered a mix of music, fashion, lifestyle and advertising. More 'image heavy' but light on 'text' style mags followed including Q, Select, Mojo and Vox.