2. Front Cover
The key conventions of a music magazine are, this is what a
normal front cover of a music magazine would include:
• Masthead
Cover lines
Price
Eye catching picture, often a medium close up but not
always
Bar code
banner
I have included all of these on my front cover as you can see
have a clear mast head on the top left hand side of my
magazine. I have cover lines on both sides of my magazine
in grey, black and red. I have a clear banner in grey that
goes across my magazine saying “the new pixie lott”. The
bar code is in a relatively normal place, in the bottom right
hand corner where most magazines have their bar codes,
either on the back or front. My picture is quite eye catching
and it is definitely the first thing that is seen on the front
cover. I think I followed the criteria of a music magazine
quite well on my front cover, I used every resource above
that was meant to be on the cover.
3. Contents Page
The key dimensions of a contents page of a normal
music magazine are:
Letter from the editor
What the magazine includes
Pictures
Page number
Different colours
heading
I have included most of these in my contents page,
I have a clear heading across the top right hand
side of my magazine in a bold grey which stands
out from the rest of the contents page. I have
included a letter from the editor beneath the
heading in clear red writing. Then you can see what
the magazine includes under features, live, reviews
and news. I have 3 pictures which all stand out
from one-another on the page. The page number in
in the bottom right corner with a red background
and in a big bold black which stands out well. I
have included 3 different colours in my contents
page which were the same as the colours that I
included in my front cover.
4. Double Page Spread
The key conventions of a double page
spread in a normal music magazine are:
Pictures
Interview
Quote from interviewee
Different colours
Different symbols
In my double page spread I have included a
number of different pictures, one that
covers the whole of one side of the A3
sheet and two which spread across the
bottom of the right hand side A4. I have
included three different symbols to make
my double page spread more than just an
A3 page with pictures and an interview on
it, I have included the first letter of my title
in the bottom left hand corner as a symbol
for “pulse”, then I have a box and a arrow
with writing inside to show where the
interview is and then I have a plain arrow
underneath the interview and above the
third picture. I have a quote from my artist
on the bottom right of the left side of the
picture to add more to the double page
spread. I have included a number of
different colours in the page, for example
the blue writing for the questions and then
the red writing for the answers, the white
writing in the symbol saying where the
interview is and then the red in the
symbols. My interview is on the right hand
side of the page and includes a number of
different questions and answers that I have
made up.
5. I have represented my age group as 18-25 year old, this
means that most of the people who the magazine is aimed
at will either be a student at university or working. I also
made my clients out to like going clubbing, so most of the
music will be mainstream music, the target audience are
made out to like mainstream music.
I have used pictures of quite fashionable, good looking
people who are quite young. I have used normal language
how most students or people in full time work would speak,
sophisticated but still quite slangy.
My ratio of text to pictures is quite fair, neither one of them
out ways the other, so there is still an interesting read and
good pictures to look at but there isn't too much of either
so people wont get bored and will still be interested in the
magazine when they are reading it. I believe that the
representation of the age group is a fair one as I found from
my research that most people this age liked mainstream
music because it would be what they would hear most of the
time, for example when they are revising, or when they are
in a club or when they are driving. Also the age group that I
have used listen to mainstream music as they like to keep in
touch with what is going in the celebrities and music idols
world by using social networking sites such as Twitter and
Facebook. The representation is neither positive or negative
as it does not say much about the social group, it does not
praise them, neither does it criticise them. however the
social group that has been used is not a representative
sample off all 18-25 year olds as there are some different
social groups that listen to different types of music and
wear different types of clothes, however the majority of 18-
25 year olds listen to mainstream music. This tell us about
their age that they some of the group may seem to be so
called “sheep” as they follow the crowd and the media, as
most of the mainstream artists are in the public and media
eye quite a lot.
6. NME and DJ are companies that already make music
magazines like mine, featuring mainstream artists and news
about fashion, sport etc.
The type of places that will distribute my magazine will be
places that the all ready make the mainstream type of music
magazines or play the mainstream music, also the type of
places that will distribute my magazine will be places where
the age group that is targeted go or hang out. For example
some of these places would be University bars, Clubs that are
mainstream so your average night club that you might find in
your local town or village. Pubs or football grounds mist
distribute it. Also news agents and supermarkets would
distribute my magazine because they would be selling it to
the local public, however the clubs might agree to sell it if
they are mentioned in the magazine.
A company would want to sell my magazine because it offers
different things that other magazines don't, it has sections
about new artists that are new to the business and are
upcoming so it leads readers know to look out for them or
maybe to search them on YouTube to see what they’re like
and to see if they like them. Also a company would want to
sell my product as it includes advice from celebrities about
how to look good at prom, what they think is in fashion and
what they do to relax and chill out! Furthermore we have
celebrities that tell us the latest gossip among the industry,
so in “PULSE” the readers get exclusive tips on how to look
good and chill out, also get told what is going on behind the
scenes that not many people know about.
I believe that my magazine is a gap in the market because it
includes things that no other magazines include, it has a new
way of seeing things and explaining them. Also my magazine
offers free CD’s and posters so the buyers get the magazine
and all of its information and gossip but they also get free
items that they might want. The free items come in every
weekly edition of the magazine.
7. The age group that I have gone for is 18
to 25 year olds. As they are students and
also legal to drink in Britain so most of
they would like to go out clubbing. Both
males and females can be included in the
people who would be interested in my
music magazine. Students have to study
quite a lot hence the picture there. I have
represented both genders by including a
picture about fashion which mostly girls
are interested in. and a picture about the
Barclays premier league which mostly
boys have are interested in. I have also
included a picture which shows that the
age group is generally interested in chart
music as this is what is usually played in
clubs and pubs! I have shown a image of
the Brit awards because the audience
usually like to keep in touch with what is
going on in the media.
8. I included an eye catching picture on my front cover to
attract the audience, the picture will attract both genders,
males will be attracted to picture as a good looking girl is
on the front. Females will be attracted to the picture
because she has a nice figure and girls would aspire to be
like her as she looks like she is in a world of her own. The
front cover has an attractive mast head which will catch the
readers attention, the banner which says “THE NEW PIXIE
LOTT” because of the target audience and what music they
listen to this might encourage them to read more about it
because they might like Pixie Lott. I have included a
number of different cover lines which explain what the
magazine is about and what the magazines best bits are,
the cover lines are interesting and should attract the target
audience because it involves topics that are spoken about
in this genre of music. I have also included a Free CD and
“6 FREE POSTERS EXCLUSIVE HERE!!”, I have also got a lot of
audience feedback to make sure that was I producing is
attractive to the audience. When the audience see’s that
there is free gifts involved it is more likely to persuade
them to buy the magazine instead of putting it off. My
magazine talks to the audience by telling them what's
involved in the magazine and telling them about what they
get out of the magazine.
