2. QUESTION 2 - HOW DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT
REPRESENT PARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUPS?
My magazine uses lots of representations such as age, gender, class and sexuality. A majority of bands
featured in indie magazines are male, so I decided to go for an all female band and have an image of them
on the front cover ad this represents sexuality. The women are portrayed in a feminine way as they look
directly into the camera and with the pose they are doing. They're the typical girl you would think of as
they're wearing make up, have long hair and are wearing fashionable clothing which attracts you to the
magazine. My product has challenged the common use of a magazine being predominantly about males,
but I do still have male indie bands within my magazine. They're included on the contents page, along with
the female band and another band which includes 2 females and a male so this balances it out to make
gender me equal throughout.
3. QUESTION 2 – HOW DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT
REPRESENT PARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUPS?
The age group I have decided to focus on is young adults, but my magazine does still appeal to those of an
older age as its sophisticated. I have included young adults in my images so that the audience can easily
relate to them. My target audience being young I know that indie music will appeal to them due to it being
popular. As I am a young person myself I know what my friends and I would like to read or what we would
like included within the magazine so this helped when I was taking my images as I just thought about what I
would like to see. I based the price on the age group as well as young people can't afford a magazine
which costs about £5 so I decided to lower this price to make it more affordable so it appeals to young
people as they will then be able to buy it.
In my magazine I have used all white British people due to the fact that indie bands are predominantly
white middle class so I wanted to stick to this. I think I should of represented ethnicity more by using a
range of different models so that my magazine came across as more diverse. My audience is dominated by
white British ad they enjoy indie music and buy indie magazines more than any other ethnicity.
4. QUESTION 2 – HOW DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT
REPRESENT PARTICULAR SOCIAL GROUPS?
My magazine doesn't have a particular social class as I haven't represented this throughout my work but
the most likely social class would be middle class. Indie bands or artists tend to be middle class due to the
clothes they wear which can be expensive and the lifestyle that they lead of going out can also be costly.
The way in which I have represented social class is through my tag line of my magazine being a
sophisticated indie magazine but I don't want it to just appeal to middle class but also those of a higher and
lower class. People from different backgrounds and classes can still attend festivals and concerts and
enjoy indie music too, so I have represented this in my magazine as people off different classes may chose
to go to a different festival.
5. QUESTION 3 - WHAT KIND OF MEDIA INSTITUTION MIGHT
DISTRIBUTE YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT AND WHY?
Institutions are organisations which are responsible for marketing media products including television,
internet and radio as well as magazines. I would want my magazine to be distributed from the major
companies in the UK, such as Sonic Publishing, BBC, Sky, Bauer Media Group and Time inc. They are all
well known companies who are known for publishing magazines which are deemed as successful. Whilst I
was researching different magazines I found that NME, Q and Rock Sound were all published by different
institutions, but I have based a majority of my magazine on NME so I would like my magazine to be
published by the same company: Time inc. They have a high reader circulation now the magazine is free,
but this was also high previously.
6. QUESTION 3 - WHAT KIND OF MEDIA INSTITUTION MIGHT
DISTRIBUTE YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT AND WHY?
Time inc is well known for distributing the popular music magazine NME. They aim to make readers enjoy
music even more by bringing them exclusive interviews and information. I’d like to publish my magazine
with this institution as they already have a magazine released which is similar to mine so this will be a good
competition. However the institution may not want to distribute my magazine for that reason. This institution
is big so my magazine would be well known all around the country. If my magazine were to be published,
I’d also like there to be an online version so that more younger people will take interest as they are able to
view it on the go on their phone, tablet or laptop. Therefore this also attracts a more varied audience.
7. QUESTION 4 - WHAT WOULD BE THE AUDIENCE FOR YOUR
MEDIA PRODUCT AND WHY?
My reader profile shows who my audience will be for my magazine: The readers of my magazine are quite
upmarket, with readers having quite high disposable incomes with them spending money on gigs, clothing
or on family and friends. The average reader is a student, however the average reader falls between the
ages of 16 and 25 years old. Readers who purchase this magazine like indie music such as Foals, Two
Door Cinema Club etc, but also like artists such as Adele and Beyoncé. Nearly 60% are women with just
over 40% being men with 75% of these being students. This was also shown within my survey when the
question asked ‘what is your age?’ brought back a response from young people. I have also stuck to this
age range throughout my production.
8. QUESTION 4 - WHAT WOULD BE THE AUDIENCE FOR YOUR
MEDIA PRODUCT AND WHY?
Within my magazine it is very clear who the audience is. This is shown through the informal writing style
which carries on throughout the whole magazine. This will engage younger people with the text being
exciting and interesting to read. This creates a relationship between the writer and reader as it makes the
reader feel like they’re involved. The colours burgundy, black and grey create a warming feel but also an
informative and entertaining feel too the magazine as well. The outfits my 'artists' wear match this colour
scheme to show continuity. The pictures I have taken are a mixture of studio shoots and live pictures which
suggest that the readers like to keep up to date with all new fashion but also like to see photos of artists in
action.
9. QUESTION 5 - HOW DID YOU ATTRACT/ADDRESS THE
AUDIENCE?
Within my magazine, I have attracted the audience in many different ways. For example, I have done this within
my photography. On my front cover I have used direct address with the girls looking directly into the camera
which will make the reader feel involved. I have also made the photos look more exclusive to make them look
more like celebrities by using different editing tools on photo shop. The shot I used on my front cover is a long
shot which can make the reader feel influenced by what they are wearing or how they look. To attract the
audience I have also used a colour scheme. I used the colours burgundy, black and grey throughout my
magazine. This attracts both male and females as they are all quite gender neutral colours so don’t
stereotypically suit anyone. The structure of my magazine is also quite simple and broken up due to it being
aimed at younger people. I have done this so it encourages them to read the magazine as the reading is more
manageable and short so keeps you engaged for longer.
10. QUESTION 5 - HOW DID YOU ATTRACT/ADDRESS THE
AUDIENCE?
Another way I attracted my audience was by advertising things that they could win. On the front cover I have a
plug which announces Arctic Monkeys new tour and how you can win tickets to go see them. I used Arctic
Monkeys logo so that the audience could relate and recognize who they were. This can also attract the audience
due to how popular they are and how it’s a once in a lifetime experience.
From my research I have found that most people would like interviews and gigs included
within a magazine. Therefore I have included this within my magazine. My double page
spread features an interview with the new and upcoming band Wolf Alice and also listed on
my contents page is exclusive pictures from a Scars on 45 gig. For my interview I have used
a clear structure by having the questions in a different colour to the answers so this is more
readable.
From my research I have also discovered that a majority
of people would spend between £2-£3 on a music
magazine so I went right in the middle and have priced
my magazine at £2.50. Therefore a lot of people will be
able to afford it and its an appropriate price.
11. QUESTION 5 - HOW DID YOU ATTRACT/ADDRESS THE
AUDIENCE?
Another way the audience has been attracted is by the use of a pull quote which I have used on my double
page spread. I have used the quote 'Absolutely Amazing' as this attracts the audience as they will then
want to read the interview to see what its about.
To address and attract my audience I have used young and fashionable models as they represent those in
the music industry and their clothing also represents this due to it being trendy and modern. The females
were usually wearing skirts which are associated with younger generations.
The vast majority of my models were female which allows
females to relate to them. I also have some live pictured of
males playing in a gig who will be considered as good looking
by females and will be seen as role models by males, therefore
attracting a male and female audience.
