Market Research 2 & 3

Kerrang! Magazine Analysis

Rock Sound Magazine Analysis

Rock Sound magazine is “a British magazine which champions alternative music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, whilst also giving coverage to more well known acts.” “The UK edition of Rock Sound was launched in March 1999 by the French publisher Editions Freeway.”

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_sound)

Basic Information:

Name: Rock Sound

Publisher: Editions Freeway

Release: Monthly

Price: £3.80 (correct as of December 2010)

I shall be analyzing the July 2010 issue of the magazine. I shall analyse the front cover of the magazine, the contents page of the magazine, I shall also analyse a double page spread within the magazine, I think that as my double page spread will link to my cover page I should use a double page spread relevant to the cover page, hence I have chosen to analyse the double page about the band on the front cover “Parkway Drive” (pages 64 and 65), this is because their name is advertised along the top line displaying the magazines contents, these are all displayed below:

Deconstruction of Features:

Front cover:

The front cover of the magazine looks very busy, this is made up of a mid shot of the band that is interviewed in the magazine. The background that is used is a shot of the clear sky, this could either suggest a contrast or a similarity to the bands personality, meaning that they are either bright welcoming and happy, or that they are dark and unwelcoming.

Contents page:

The contents page of the magazine is split vertically, the top part is a photograph of a band, and a page number, this is a suggestive photo that makes you want to  They then have a section on the bottom half of the page dedicated to the listings and the editors statement. The use of background in the contents page helps make the divide more prominent, this is because the top part is black and the bottom white/ cream, which is a very sharp contrast.

Double page spread:

This double page spread refers to the cover page, as it is advertised on the cover page. It is an analysis of a rock band (“Bullet For My Valentine”), it describes the first live show that they have played in almost a y ear, this is surrounded by live photos from the venue and of the band and its members when they are half way through the set. The images are contained in boxes and have brief captions which help to explain the story behind the bands live performance. The textual content of the page isn’t as dense as the content of the “Metal Hammer” magazine yet describes in a different way the subject of the page.

LIIAR Deconstruction:

• Language
• Institution
• Ideology
• Audience
• Representation

Language:

The language used in the magazine seems to have a consistently maintained sense of non formality to it, which would make the reader more comfortable and allow them to connect with the magazine on a more comfortable level. The use of small captions containing light humour or puns is a common practice in this magazine, this is one of the many textual styles used in the “Kerrang!” magazine.

Institution:

The institution is represented in the magazines house style and its general page designs because it shows that it is young, fresh and alternative. The use of black and white on the cover create a sense of division between the adverts, yet the colours used seem to bring the articles together as they are all natural tones and do not hugely contrast each other, this could suggest to the reader that all of the bands and musicians on the front of the magazine are brought together around this institution, this could make the reader think that the magazine is the cornerstone of the industries news and works with the artists closely, making them look upon Kerrang! as a more reliable and source for rock news and current affairs.

Ideology:

The ideology of Kerrang! magazine is that the rock scene and the controversial social nature of these bands is important, and is entertaining to the general public, this drives the fact that a lot of Kerrang!’s articles are based around an aspect of a musicians live tour/ life/ social life and contains a relatively small amount of interviews with bands about there recorded material such as albums or compilations. The content of Kerrang! represent the institution as it reflects the more social aspect of the rock scene.

Audience:

The audience of Kerrang! magazine is much broader than the Metal Hammer magazine as it incorporates a lot of different music types to Metal Hammer including the ones displayed in Metal Hammer. It contains a lot of popular alternative musicians and aims at the more mainstream aspects of the genre. The audience of the magazine is reflected in the cover price and the production format (time between each issue). Kerrang! is a weekly magazine and it costs £2.20, I think that this is marketed this way cleverly to attract both readers of a more mature age and also the younger teenage audience, meaning that the relatively small cover price is more affordable and appealing for an impulse purchase. The weekly release of the magazine means that monthly more is spent on Kerrang! than Metal Hammer but as it is small amounts the consumer doesn’t consciously consider this when buying each magazine. The quality of the paper used for the media is representation of both the cost and the audience also as it is printed on relatively low grade paper which is thin and commonly is damaged. This is probably used because it could not be an issue to  the audience, because they may be more bothered about the content of the magazine and getting there “fix” of alternative entertainment gossip.

Representation:

The magazine Kerrang! is made by one of the big three magazine publishers Bauer, which also produce well known weekly magazines for varying audiences. It is represented as being a guide to the industry news and entertainment news  surrounding the rock genre, they tend to market themselves as a contemproary music magazine and most of the artists featured are young and newly acclaimed acts in the rock scene. It also sets a house style for the magazines brand image because of the very recognizable components of the style, this means that the reader will consider Kerrang! to be a household name within the realms of the rock genre.

Kerrang! is a “rock music magazine published by Bauer Consumer Media in the United Kingdom.”. It “commenced publication on 7 June 1981 and was edited by Geoff Barton, initially as a one-time supplement in the Sounds newspaper, which focuses on the genre New Wave of British Heavy Metal and the rise of other hard rock acts.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerrang!)

Basic Information:

Name: Kerrang! Magazine

Publisher: Bauer Media Group

Release: Weekly

Price: £2.20 (correct as of 08 May 2010)

I shall be analyzing the second released issue in May 2010. This issue’s cover features “The King Blues” which are a band within this music scene. I shall analyse the front cover of the magazine, the contents page of the magazine, I shall also analyse a double page spread within the magazine; these are all displayed below:

Front Cover

Contents Page

Double Page Spread

Front cover:

The front cover of the magazine is very busy, it has several images, linked to several internal articles. The title banner of the magazine rests behind the main image used on the front cover of the magazine, this creates a layered effect. The middle banner explains the cover image and gives the reader a teaser of the content.

Contents page:

The contents page of the magazine is split vertically, the top part is used for promotion of the biggest article in the magazine, in this case an interview with a famous guitar player/ rock artist. They then have a section on the bottom half of the page dedicated to the listings and the editors statement. The use of background in the contents page helps make the divide more prominent, this is because the top part is black and the bottom white/ cream, which is a very sharp contrast.

Double page spread:

This double page spread refers to the cover page, as it is advertised on the cover page. It is an analysis of a rock band (“Bullet For My Valentine”), it describes the first live show that they have played in almost a y ear, this is surrounded by live photos from the venue and of the band and its members when they are half way through the set. The images are contained in boxes and have brief captions which help to explain the story behind the bands live performance. The textual content of the page isn’t as dense as the content of the “Metal Hammer” magazine yet describes in a different way the subject of the page.

LIIAR Deconstruction:

• Language
• Institution
• Ideology
• Audience
• Representation

Language:

The language used in the magazine seems to have a consistently maintained sense of non formality to it, which would make the reader more comfortable and allow them to connect with the magazine on a more comfortable level. The use of small captions containing light humour or puns is a common practice in this magazine, this is one of the many textual styles used in the “Kerrang!” magazine.

Institution:

The institution is represented in the magazines house style and its general page designs because it shows that it is young, fresh and alternative. The use of black and white on the cover create a sense of division between the adverts, yet the colours used seem to bring the articles together as they are all natural tones and do not hugely contrast each other, this could suggest to the reader that all of the bands and musicians on the front of the magazine are brought together around this institution, this could make the reader think that the magazine is the cornerstone of the industries news and works with the artists closely, making them look upon Kerrang! as a more reliable and source for rock news and current affairs.

Ideology:

The ideology of Kerrang! magazine is that the rock scene and the controversial social nature of these bands is important, and is entertaining to the general public, this drives the fact that a lot of Kerrang!’s articles are based around an aspect of a musicians live tour/ life/ social life and contains a relatively small amount of interviews with bands about there recorded material such as albums or compilations. The content of Kerrang! represent the institution as it reflects the more social aspect of the rock scene.

Audience:

The audience of Kerrang! magazine is much broader than the Metal Hammer magazine as it incorporates a lot of different music types to Metal Hammer including the ones displayed in Metal Hammer. It contains a lot of popular alternative musicians and aims at the more mainstream aspects of the genre. The audience of the magazine is reflected in the cover price and the production format (time between each issue). Kerrang! is a weekly magazine and it costs £2.20, I think that this is marketed this way cleverly to attract both readers of a more mature age and also the younger teenage audience, meaning that the relatively small cover price is more affordable and appealing for an impulse purchase. The weekly release of the magazine means that monthly more is spent on Kerrang! than Metal Hammer but as it is small amounts the consumer doesn’t consciously consider this when buying each magazine. The quality of the paper used for the media is representation of both the cost and the audience also as it is printed on relatively low grade paper which is thin and commonly is damaged. This is probably used because it could not be an issue to  the audience, because they may be more bothered about the content of the magazine and getting there “fix” of alternative entertainment gossip.

Representation:

The magazine Kerrang! is made by one of the big three magazine publishers Bauer, which also produce well known weekly magazines for varying audiences. It is represented as being a guide to the industry news and entertainment news  surrounding the rock genre, they tend to market themselves as a contemproary music magazine and most of the artists featured are young and newly acclaimed acts in the rock scene. It also sets a house style for the magazines brand image because of the very recognizable components of the style, this means that the reader will consider Kerrang! to be a household name within the realms of the rock genre.





Market Research 1

Metal Hammer Analysis

Metal Hammer magazine is “a monthly heavy metal magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. It features mainstream and more unusual bands from the wide spectrum of metal music. It is the largest selling metal music magazine in the UK currently outselling Kerrang! and NME and is often viewed as the more underground magazine.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_Hammer)

Basic Information:

Name: Metal Hammer

Publisher: Future Media

Release: Monthly

Price: £4.25 (correct as of July 2010)

I shall be analyzing the July 2010 issue of the magazine. I shall analyse the front cover of the magazine, the contents page of the magazine (page 6), I shall also analyse a double page spread within the magazine, I think that as my double page spread will link to my cover page I should use a double page spread relevant to the cover page, hence I have chosen to analyse the double page about the death of Avenged Sevenfold’s drummer and the new album released in his memory (pages 34 and 35), these are all displayed below:

Front Cover

Contents Page

 Double Page Spread

Deconstruction of Features:

Front Cover:

The front cover of Metal Hammer is very dark, this is due to the cover being linked to the death of the featured bands drummer. The atmosphere of the image used is very dark and sad, the subjects of the photograph, who is the deceased drummers band mates are all wearing black clothes which besides being a popular colour within this particular music culture is the traditional colour worn at a funeral. I think this might have been done to create a sense of sadness and to illustrate that the band mates are trying to remember their friends death.

The image that is behind the band of their band mate imposed on the wall above and behind them with wings could suggest that he is ascending to a greater place which connotes religion.

Contents Page:

The contents page of the magazine is very densely populated, it has lots of images, and lot of text. The images are related to the contents pages listings. The use of the most dominant colour on the page, which is a bright red, is used to draw the eye to the important listings and the promotional items within the contents page.

Double Page Spread:

You can identify that the page is a double page spread by the consistency of the background in the transition of the pages, also the font and house style of the textual content is the same, this coupled with the consistency of the images used (lighting and editing is consistent. The division of the text into columns is done using a strip of images of the band. Including both studio images created specifically for this article and images of the band before the death of their drummer, these are archived images which will be bought/ royalty paid to the creator of the image, this is important because of the intellectual protection on images that is automatically granted on creation.

LIIAR Deconstruction:

• Language
• Institution
• Ideology
• Audience
• Representation

Language:

The language used within the magazine is varying, the content of the cover and the contents are similar and they use short phrases, words or short descriptors, this is because they are used to promote and inform not to give a sample of the articles within. By summarizing one page into one or two words you can advertise many pages within the contents and the cover page, this helps the magazine because there is much more of a chance of the reader picking out select articles that appeal to their individual music tastes. The language used on the double page spread is more intellectual and is written in descriptive paragraphs, this is because they have the room to explain and inform on a larger scale. Also the magazine uses quotations and imagery linked to the band and the situation of the article.

Institution:

The institution is reflected within the design and the content of the magazine, the institution is specifically designed to reflect their link to the metal and hardcore scene, it includes contemporary and up to date features, bands and fashions within the magazine, this represents the institution as being up to date and knowledgeable of the subject/ theme of the magazine.

Ideology:

The ideology of the magazine represents the belief that the metal scene is an important one and should be shown as much attention as popular culture. This is shown in the magazine because they seem to only include music and adverts linked to the metal genre, and rather than advertising popular culture it promotes the smaller or more underground products/ services linked to the metal scene. Another ideology must be that new music and musical style progression are the more important parts of music, this is because the majority of articles focus on musical progression or new music.

Audience:

The audience of Metal Hammer magazine is people that are interested in the sub genres of rock including; metal, hardcore, death metal, heavy metal and alternative. This is because the articles included are all relevant to this music scene. The audience could be described as being relatively wide because of the price and release format. The shelf price of £4.25 could be expensive but acceptable to people that don’t work, students and young people, and could be expected by graduates, highly qualified workers and older people. Due to the release type it could be described as being priced accordingly, this is because the magazine includes a lot of content and a lot of promotion. This magazine does not appeal to a particular gender or age, but seems to focus on appealing  to people that like the rock genre.

Representation:

I think the magazine represents that the publisher has a good understanding on the up to date news within the rock scene, this promotes the magazine making it a reliable source of news for many people. It also represents the magazine to be at the cutting edge of technology because of the imagery, digital art and editing used on the magazine.

Genre Identification

My magazine will be aimed at an audience that are fans of the rock genre and some of its sub genres, mainly metal, alternative, screamo, hardcore and pop punk . My genre definition will be rock. This is because it is the main genre that connect these sub genres.

I have chosen to make my music magazines genre rock because it is the genre of music that I am the most interested in and the most enthusiastic about, I have chosen to use rock also because I have a larger knowledge base of the style of rock bands, rock magazines and of the rock music scene. This will help me greatly when it comes to writing the article as I shall be more confident in the textual content.

Interpretation of My Brief

I shall produce a new music magazine, that will contain a front cover page, a contents page and also a double page spread, including article . This magazine shall be linked to a specific genre of music, which is as of now undecided.

I shall consider many things when designing, producing and refining my media product. I shall do this by consulting the LIIAR acronym of media features:

• Language
• Institution
• Ideology
• Audience
• Representation

Language

As the magazine I am creating is designed for an audience that is interested in music I have to study what style of language these types of magazines use, the majority of music magazines that I have read are written in an informal style. Meaning that the use of language on most articles is meant to make the reader feel comfortable in reading this on an informal level, which allows the reader to connect to the magazine in the way that the editor/ writer wants you to. I shall therefore write my article and all of my text in an informal language, this will allow me to follow the music magazine conventions that I have picked up on. I shall use language on an appropriate intellectual level as to be able to connect with my chosen audience, these language features will help to let me represent the music that I will chose to mediate better. I shall use a non bias yet promotional style of mediation about the bands I chose to include, meaning that I shall not include negative statements as to not offend peoples taste in music. I shall include fluent content which shall be grammatically correct, this will help make my magazine appear more professional as the inclusion of mistakes in real magazines do not happen hardly. I shall include words associated with the music industry/ music scene but will not include extreme specialist vocabulary (that a amateur music listener would not understand).

Institution

I shall represent the correct type of institution in my magazine, I am going to be representing a music publisher/ music enterprise therefore I shall mediate it accordingly for example I shall present a professional and quality finished product which has had a lot of editing and has been influenced by both qualitive and quantitive research. This will help me as I shall then know if my content appeals to a larger audience sample, whilst also being able to gather the suggestions and criticism of the individual.

I shall therefore only represent the music company/ publisher in a positive light and not include strongly opinionated statements, as this could offend some people, which would give the magazine a negative reputation.

Ideology

I shall consider what kind of beliefs I wish to represent the music magazine having, meaning that I shall mediate the content of the magazine to represent this ideology, I shall include only content that I have carefully considered and have specifically designed to be contained within this magazine. This way I shall keep all of my content relevant and be able to project the ideology of the magazine whilst still appearing professional in my approach. The textual content in my magazine will be the most important aspect of how I shall reflect the beliefs of the magazine, I shall try to include, serious content where it is needed, and try to include lightly humorous or very informal language in parts of my magazines textual content as this will help my magazine appeal to a wide intellectual audience.

Audience

My audience shall be younger individuals, this includes an age ranging from 16 all the way to 30, this is because they are the segment of the population likely to have the most amount of disposable income. I shall consider the sex that I shall focus on mostly using quantitive research and using my knowledge of how current music magazines are marketed towards particular sex’s.  I shall aim it at the music genre of rock, but include many of its sub genres, such as metal, hardcore, pop punk and experimental music. This will allow me to target a wider target market, this is because in personal experience I have found that the people that listen to one of these sub genres of rock are very musically diverse people that are interested in many genres and are tolerable of other peoples music taste even if it does not appeal to them. I shall have to consider the cost of the magazine and the frequency of release very carefully, this is because there are many different types of music magazine ranging in price from around £1 all the way up to £6 – £7. The price is normally reflective of the popularity and how often the magazine is released. Many music magazines are weekly or fortnightly, some are even monthly. I shall have to consider which of these release types would be the most suitable for my magazine. I think that if I can get these two features in my marketing strategy correct that I can appeal to a wide prospective audience and I shall be able to generate a larger demand for the magazine.

Representation

I shall consider how I shall represent the institution through the magazine carefully, I will also carefully consider how I will represent the varying social, cultural, ethical and gender groups, I shall do this mostly by using stereotypes and by trying to configure my magazine to accommodate representations of every bodies beliefs and views. I believe that if I aim to mediate my content so that it is unbiased and fair towards all groups within society that I shall be able to gain a large audience that are pleased by my approach to equality within music.

The Brief

The front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine. All images and text used must be original produced by you – minimum of four images.