1. TASK 4 – RESEARCH INTO MUSIC INDUSTRIES AND INSTITUTIONS
1. What types of magazine and target audience has IPC been associated with over the
years?
Originally, IPC were aimed at the older generations, while releasing hobby-specific
topics such as gardening or hunting etc. In the 1900s, IPC began to release women-
focused magazines such as ‘Woman’s weekly’ (launched in November 1911). In the
1920s, lifestyle magazine begin to hit the shelves such as ‘Ideal Home’, which
included tips on how to keep your house looking great etc. In the 1930s, more
women’s magazines were released – ‘Woman’s Own’, and ‘Woman’ – ‘Woman’s
Own’ promoted its first release with a free cover-mounted gift (three skeins of wool
with every copy), ‘Woman’ was also the cheapest full-colour magazine at this time.
In the 1940s, developments appeared within the women’s magazines. In the 1950s,
‘New Musical Express’ (NME) was released, setting the ball rolling with its
compilation of the first ever official UK radio chart. In the 1960s the three leading
rival magazine publishers ‘Newnes, ‘Fleetway’ and ‘Oldhams’, to form ‘International
Publishing Corporation’ (IPC). In the 1970s, The Reed Group acquires IPC to form the
giant global corporation, ‘Reed International’. There were also more successful
launches such as ‘Aeroplane Monthly’, ‘Sporting Gun’ and ‘SuperBike’. In the 1980s,
IPC announced the formation of European Magazines LTD (a joint venture company
– with a Groupe ‘Marie Claire’ to launch the UK edition of the international title in
1988). A range of new magazines were also released; ‘’4x4’, ‘Eventing’, ‘Chat’, ‘Mizz’,
‘Motor Caravan Magazine’, ‘Wedding & Home’, ‘Country Home & Interiors’, ‘Classic
Boat’, ‘Model Collector’, ‘Motor Boats Monthly’, ‘Practical Parenting’, ‘VolksWorld’
and ‘Bird Keeper’. In the 1990s, a new TV listings magazine entered the market
named ‘What’s on TV’ (in 1991); and also became the UK’s best-selling magazine,
and still is now. NME also became the first major UK music title to get it’s own
internet site ‘www.nme.com’ – destined to go on to eventually become Europe’s
most popular music website. In the 2000s to today, IPC became rename ‘IPC Media’
and ‘Time Inc.’ Acquires IPC Media for a whopping £1.15billion; which was the UK’s
biggest-ever-seen magazine deal.
2. Why might IPC be an appropriate publisher for a new music magazine? What sorts
of genres/music types might they be likely to publish? Why might alternative
publishers like Bauer be appropriate?
Because they are already the publisher of a lot of very popular magazines, which
would allow my magazine to automatically become popular due to IPS’s already-
existing excellent reputation. I believe they would be likely to publish R&B music
magazines, as ‘R&B’ contains sub-genres, which would widen the target audience,
allowing IPC to sell more copies of the magazine. Bauer could be more appropriate
as it is more familiar with publishing music magazines, so they could possibly have a
better chance of becoming successful.