Production Log 22.01.09

Today i researched into my target audience and took a look at some of the certain grades and brackets magazines like mine fall into. I researched into kerrang magazine to see their age range and grade, the ratio of male to female and how they attract these target audiences.

I realised that there is going to be a few problems in the way of attracting my audience that i will have to encounter and find ways to get around. For example gaining the reputation that magazines like kerrang have. I also created my original ideas which i will present to my peers and gain feed back from to tell which will be best and which will be easiest. Price is something i shall have to consider because of grades and certain brackets my magazine may fall into, this is also something which i shall highlight in my focus group and with my peers.

Initial Ideas

1. My first idea is a magazine aimed at 14-25 year old, it s a rock/pop/metal magazine. the main feature or something it will feature is a specials section where it has profiles of artists out side of that genre, rap, hip hop dance everything. Even some styles that are a lot different from what we usually here. it may feature a dance/trance artist or a hip hip star.

The main feautres will be gigs and tours all over the UK, detailed for the reader to have all information to attend. reviews on new albums and upcoming artists.

2. A variation on this idea is to make a magazine which contains all bands that are making a name for them selves on myspace and other music networking sites like purevolume. This will be a magazine designed around promoting the small time bands, and giving them a chance to get there name out, like a kick start. The genre will be a lot less heavy than the last, it will be more acoustic style, indie/pop/rock.

3. My third idea is a magazine which i will consider the genre of after some questionnaires and focus groups. it will be a magazine which will detail on 3 or more different genres, i will create a questionnaire asking how far peoples music tastes go. It could be from trance to metal to indie. it will be mostly profiles on the different artists.

Research Into Target Audience

After researching the magazines and the music industry, i have decided that i shall base my magazine around the rock/metal/pop genre because this is the areas i am interested in. Once i had made this decision i looked into the magazines in this industry and saw that Kerrang is one of the popular in this music scene. To gain a maximum target audience i shall look into the target audience of kerrang to see what sort of age and gender my magazine will need to be aimed at.

http://www.ukaop.org.uk/cgi-bin/go.pl/case/article.html?uid=458

Kerrang has a weekly circulation of around 70,000 and a readership of approximately 542,000. Their main aim in target audience is around 15-24, with a ratio of 60:40 male:female. Kerrang magazine most likely aims at the Grade E bracket, the low income bracket which contains students and that age group. The magazine is sold at around £2.20 although prices do vary from time to time. To attract this target audience a well known band is normally placed on the front cover, something new, fresh but something recognisable to the reader. Kerrang over the years has become more of a community as well as a magazine, this creates a very loyal reader, someone who will buy the magazine every week. To create more of a community they have to place something recognisable on the front cover. For example if they place a football on the front, it will appear totally of the subject and will not relate at all, It needs the representation and the iconic ‘Rock’ stars to carry the magazine.

With this research can now aim at the right target audience. I will be aiming at grade E and the ages 14-25, my magazine will contain various genres of music mainly around the rock/metal/pop class. The ratio of male to female is something i would have to research further to see who would buy this magazine, maybe talk to a few kerrang readers and ask them who would buy mine once i have the ideas decided. I shall have to consider the certain things i will have to do to attract both male and female audience if i compare my magazine to kerrang and go with the 60:40 ratio. Where as kerrang uses reputation to sell the magazine, this is something will not be able to achieve unless i can get some picture of a famous musician or artist. So i will have to find another way to make the magazine more appealing and to give it either the representation or USP.