Audience interview

Interview

I have interviewed a random person within the targeted criteria and feel this information is going to help me in making a magazine cover which reaches out to the target audience i intended to reach out to at the start of my research. This will give me the knowledge I need to follow the typical answers given from the people I interviewed

My interviewee's will be a 17 year old male who is known to love this sort of genre

The questions I will ask are as follows;

1. What attracts you to Indie music?
2. What would you expect typically on a music magazine?
3. What sort of information do you expect inside one of these magazines?
4. What layout would you expect on the front?
5. What colours would you expect on the front cover of a music magazine?
6. How much would you be willing to pay for a magazine?
7. Would you be more tempted to buy a magazine if a big name was on the front?
8. If their was special offers inside the magazine would you be more tempted to buy it?
9. What do you like to see on a magazine cover?
10. Have you got any tips for me to making a good product?


The answers to the questions stated above are displayed below

1. Because its different, its not the same as other styles of music it a mixture between heavy rock and pop and it just works especially if you find the right band then you just begin to appreciate it more.

2. Definitely a lead singer of someone in a band who sort of makes the band and without him in it the band wouldn't be the same and their usually quite iconic people on the front and its always people you will recognise.

3.Usually information about tours and promotions for the tours because that is usually why the band or singer are in the magazine, something about their personal life and their background information  then usually there will be the same sort of thing for different bands.


4.A big headline near the person on the front always the name of the magazine as the top at the very forefront you would expect a picture of the lead singer of a band usually or someone iconic and then little small headlines about other news.

5.You'd expect black, grey and white normally.

6. Between about 2-5 pound.

7. Definitely I think thats what attracts a lot of people to buying magazines in the first place because without the big names i dont think many people would buy this magazine.

8. Maybe depends what type of special offers if its free tickets for something then yes.

9. You want it to stand out really bright colours and all the information on the front.

10. Just try and put a range of different information in their because not everyone will want to read about the same thing throughout the magazine and to use bright colours really.

This information is useful because it allows me to look at peoples opinions on indie music and what the target audience would expect to see typically on the front of a music magazine therefore I can use this information to create my product and include the typical things expected to be seen on one of these covers. Therefore i am going to include the things that my interviewee expected to see throughout the magazine.

Audiences Audit

The target audience consists of both a psychographic audience, which is peoples interests and a demographic target audience which is the age, gender, location and social class. For my product I will need to consider both of these to see what type of audience I want to appeal to and maximise the appeal to the target audience I choose.

Demographic Audience

For the genre of Indie/Alternative the demographic target audience would be people aged 16-35 males or females. This is because these are the years in which most of the people are into this sort of music as it is the ages in which people would go to these sort of bands concerts and embrace it a lot more and these are the bands that many people over this age limit of 16-35 will remember from their younger days. The age range is 16-35 as it is quite a wide range and people within this age are the people who are going to be the most likely to go to concerts and be standing while this sort of music is on. This age range is the one i will be using as my target audience, however i am aware that the alternative/indie genre exploded onto the scene especially in Manchester in the 90s when there was big bands around like The Stone Roses and Oasis, this therefore means that people who were in their 20s at least around this time would have loved this sort of music and will most likely still follow this genre now. The location I will be looking for is the richer countries. Therefore my location will be in America and all over Europe. This is because people in these countries are the most likely to have heard of the bands that would be in a magazine. The social class of people listening to this music would be people of the middle class.

Psychographic Audience

The psychographic audience that would be for this magazine depends on a range of things. This could be people who are interested in the Indie/Alternative genre in general and have a genuine interest in music in general and just like to read about all the different music types. This is mainly just going to appeal to people who like this sort of genre as there isnt muchsimilar to others and it should appeal to people who like going to these sort of gigs. This could also appeal to people who want to start up an indie band and want to read up about other well known ones on how they got to where they are.

Company information

Time Inc UK

Time Inc UK is a consumer magzazine and digital publisher in the UK, which has a large portfolio selling over 350 million copies per year. It has a large history of takeovers as it started off being called IPC magazines which then changed to IPC Media due to a takeover in 1998. It was then sold to Time Inc in 2001 and formally changed its name in 2014.

The company owns big magazine types like; NME, TV Times, Super Yacht and World Soccer so owns a different range of magazines which will appeal to different types of audiences. This is therefore a conglomerate as it owns a range of different magazines with a range of different genres.

The percentage of market share Time Inc had in 2014 was 24.9% and for the second quarter the company posted revenues of 820 million dollars.

Regulations for Magazines and Newspapers

IPSO Regulations

There are different ways in which the IPSO control what goes on in the newspapers and magazines. They do this by having a place to make complaints online. IPSO handles complaints about the breaches of the Editors code of practice. The editors code of practice is something that magazines must follow and if they break one of the rules they will be punished for it. The IPSO set out to handle complaints quickly and fairly. The complaints are overseen by the board and will be adjudicated by the complaints comitttee.

There is also a place to complain about harassment from journalists and publishing something which is in breach of the rules then the IPSO offer advice on the steps to stop this getting out and can decide if its suitable to go in the newspaper or not. Also journalists can complain if they are being told to act in a way which breaks the laws of the editors code of practice.

IPSO is comitted to working witht the newspaper and magazine industry to maintain and enhance the freedom and authority of the press through effective, independent regulation.

These regulations will affect the content of my production as I will have to follow the editors code of practice which means I could only use people of a cetain age to be photographed. It is important that the participant in the magazine is someone who agrees to take part and its not being forced or done without permission. All things will be kept private and all the IPSO rules will be followed in the crearion of this magazine cover.

Analysing existing products

Codes and conventions

There are many codes and conventions that this magazine covers follows. This magazine is NME which is a music magazine and it shows Noel Gallagher on the front who was part of Oasis.

The masthead is in the top left corner of the page where the masthead is always located for this magazine. It is covered by the feature article photograph which is a sign to its audience that this is recognisable to the audience. The font makes it look big and the masthead is in block capitals so it stands out more. The masthead is also in red because red is quite a dark colour and therefore it stands out of the white in the background.

The feature article photograph is located in the middle of the page and is taken with Noel Gallagher turning to the camera while standing on the side. Noel is looking down the camera with a determined look on his face which shows he is directly addressing the audience and by having the look on his face it shows that he is determined and he has a sort of angry look on his face. This is good as Noel Gallagher is seen as quite a cocky person and this reflects how many people see Noel. There are also hardly any other secondary photographs around this photograph as this makes Noel stand out more as people will be more likely to focus there attention on the main photograph more as there is not others around it.

The headline is to the left of the of the feature article photograph in the space that is left by Noel standing on the side that he does. The font of the headline is like graffiti which gives the article a bit of a informal look and attracts a new target market. This is made this way to stand out to the audience as the rest of the front cover uses a normal font and this one is different so that the quote from Noel stands out to the audience. It is a quote from Noel so they do it in a sort of hand written font to make the audience know that this is a quote. They also use a range of different colours like white and red. These are used in the position it is because the background is black which is a very dark colour therefore they use the quote in red and white to make it stand out to the audience and it sort of jumps out to the audience and the colours make it look brighter which makes it look more visible. Also by putting 'Noel' in big bold letters this makes it stand out. The word is bigger than any other letters on the page this is done to make the audience know the persons name and shows who the magazine have interviewed for the week, as they do with all the other people they have interviewed for the other magazines, they will always put them in bold. This is also in red and overlaps the feature article photograph to display that Noel is the guy on the front of the magazine for the people who may not know who he is. They also use a spotlight for Noel which is quite a powerful image as he was once in the spotlight when Oasis were together and they were one of the biggest bands in the world and he sort of faded out of the spotlight once Oasis broke up and now he is bringing out a new album with Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds and it shows that he is emerging back into the spotlight. The shadow is very powerful as that shows where he was once Oasis broke up as it is him in the dark and then it shows him emerged into the spotlight again.

The date, price and barcode is located in the left side in the bottom corner. The price and date are both located down the side of the barcode and the barcode is also on a slant. These are all put together so that the potential buyer only has to look in one area of the magazine to find these three things. This makes the potential buyers job easier.

This magazine cover also has two pugs. On the left pug it has extra bits of news which will be included inside the magazine which lets the audience know this before they open the magazine and lets them know what they are buying. In the right pug ear it uses another picture of the band REM which they are the second headline in this magazine. This picture is used to make the front cover look more interesting and to show the audience the band which is also in the news as well as just having the feature article photograph. Also there are secondary articles in this located to the side of which Noel Gallagher is facing which is quite a good position to put them in as it is easy for the audience to spot as it is in the empty space next to the feature article photograph.

The mode of address for this is quite informal as it has created quite a chatty tone and has a few different secondary articles. This is obvious to us as it uses a lot of words that aren't jargons and uses more of a simple type of language. This reaches out to people who like indie music or have an interest in music in general.

Denotations and Connotations

The image shows Noel turned to the side looking down the camera. He has a very angry look on his face and is on a black and white background. The look on his face is very important as he is known as quite a serious person and by having this look on his face, it conveys this to the audience. Most of the writing is in red as it is quite a light colour and it stands out more on a white and black background as it is very different to the colours already used in the article as this is a bit less dull than the others. The word 'Noel' is highlighted very well as it is in a very large font and in bright red. This is done because he is the main headline and he is the main person in the article so by using the red font it makes it stand out to the audience as does the large font as it is much larger than most of the other headlines which gives Noel authority and makes us know that he is an important person.

Use of Colour

The background colours are black and white. The black surrounds the white background and the white background has the feature article photograph in it. This is clever as the white is the lightest colour and therefore it is more attractive and catches the eye more than the black so by putting Noel in the white the audience is more likely to recognise Noel off first glance. The colour red is used to make things stand out and on this magazine, the red signifies the importance. This is clear as the title of the magazine is in red and the name of the person on the feature article photograph is in red. The red stands out on this black background because it looks a lot brighter as black is quite a dark colour and therefore this is a lot more eye catching for the audience.

Genre

In this magazine, it is easy to see that the magazine is about music. The generic signifiers for this is it has lots of secondary articles that are only about music and no other subject therefore the audience knows that this magazine is only made for people into music and most of these are indie bands therefore it is made for people who are into indie music. The demographic target audience would be males aged 16-35 and the psychographic target audience would be people who like Oasis or Noel Gallagher, people who like indie music and people who take a general interest in music.

Codes and Conventions

There are many codes and conventions that this magazine cover follows. This is the Rolling Stones magazine which is a music magazine but is very different to the NME magazine.

The masthead is in the top of the page and spreads right across the top of the page. Some of the masthead is covered by the feature article photograph which shows us that this is a recognisable masthead that many people should know and shows us its a well known and popular magazine. The colour red is used for the masthead as it stands out a lot more on the background. The theme of the front cover is black and white which gives it a sort of old look to it however by having the masthead in a very bright red it makes it stand out on the page and to the audience as soon as they first glance at the magazine as it is very eye catching and makes it look quite professional. The font is also quite formal however the 'R' is very cleverly used as the flick on it is similar to the band The Rolling Stones' tongue logo which is very recognisable to people.

The feature article photograph is in the middle of the page and shows Lana Del Ray leaning on a wall looking directly down the camera. Lana is brushing her hair away which all girls with long hair do and many people see Lana as a beautiful girl and this is shown in the picture as she is showing quite a lot of skin. The look down the camera is quite a look of a bit of anger in her face and is actually bodes well with the type of music she makes which is based on when she broke up with her boyfriend and this sort of look on her face bodes well with her personality.

The headline for this article is very telling as it is the person shown in the feature article photograph who is the main headline. This is quite a powerful message as it is giving Lana authority and shows she is quite a big star to have her as the headline as not many people would buy this magazine edition if they didn't have much of an interest in Lana Del Ray. They also use a different font to make it stand out to the audience and to add importance to it. They use the colour black for the headline as it contrasts well on the very light background and therefore it is eye catching for the reader when they first glance at the magazine. The sub-headline describes Lana as a modern day icon and this is conveyed in this photo as they make her look like someone that young girls could look up to as a role model. This could attract both males and females as Lana is a very good looking female which could attract men to buy it and females as she is a role model to many. Also the red which is used to underline the sub-headline is makes the colour scheme consistent by using red, white and black throughout this magazine colour and the red makes things stand out more as it is the most colourful out of the 3 colour schemes. This makes the sub-headline seem a lot more significant.

Similar to the NME magazine, the date and price are both very small and is just above the name of the magazine. The price is around £2.80 for this magazine. The barcode is in the corner of the magazine is located in the bottom right corner. The barcode is essential to buying the product and this is on view to potential buyers. The magazine also has a mini advert on the front of the magazine which is for the warped tour which is a music festival. This could reach out to an audience that is interested in this sort of festival reaching a larger target audience.

The mode of address is quite formal but it is also quite brief. This is good as the writing doesn't take up most of the magazine and it is easier to see the rest of the magazine. This magazine reaches out to people who like pop music which is quite different from the NME magazine.

Denotations and connotations

The image shows Lana leaning on the wall and looking directly down the camera. She has a very provocative look in her eyes and the magazine is in black and white. The look on her face is very important as it is drawing the audience in and Lana is seen as very good looking to male audiences which makes this magazine appeal to males. The black and white theme of the magazine is very clever as it gives it a back in time sort of theme and looks like it is made back in time which is a lot different to what many magazines do nowadays. The title is in bright red on this background which is very cleverly used. This is used as the black and white theme is used throughout the magazine and the title is bright and stands out on the darker background which makes the audience see it straight away as it is one of the only bright colours on the whole magazine and by having it in bold, this stands out more also. The main headline is also in a very bold font. This is used to make it stand out and be the thing that the audience sees when they are looking for the writing and also shows she is a very important person.

Genre

In this magazine, we can see that it is all about music. The generic signifiers for this is it has lots of secondary articles that are only about music and no other subject therefore the audience recognise that this is a music magazine and is mainly for people who like the pop genre. The demographic target audience would be for both genders but predominantly females aged 15-30 and the psychographic target audience would be people who like Lana Del Ray and her music, pop music in general and people who have a general interest in music.

Initial Idea

Initial Idea
My initial idea for my coursework will be to do a printed image for either a music magazine or music poster. I have the idea to do a music magazine as I like listening to music in my spare time and think it would be very good to analyse and would be enjoyable. I had the idea for a music poster as music is what i listen to in my spare time and I feel it would be good to annotate.

These are examples of the types of magazine cover or music poster I would like to produce as I think these are very interesting and it would be a good and enjoyable thing for me to do which I think is essential for a piece of coursework like this.