2. Working Title
The working title for this magazine is THE PITCH. I’ve
chosen this title because of the subtle double meaning,
as it refers to both the musical term and to pitch
something to an audience. Since the magazine will focus
on new, on-the-rise music, it’s ‘pitching’ the music to the
readers. It will attract new readers, as they will instantly
realise the musical connotations of the title. It’s simple
and clean; it’s reflective of the magazine’s mature and
smart tone and should help communicate the style of the
magazine to the audience. Instead of using just the
singular noun “PITCH” as the title, I’ve included “THE” as
a prefix as it makes the title more professional and
noticeable.
3. Genre
The genre the magazine will focus on is indie. It will cover the
genre as a whole, including all its subgenres and cultural
associations. This is an interesting genre for a magazine to
cover as it’s incredibly diverse. The online magazine Pitchfork
is the most obvious competitor, however Pitchfork is only
available online. Concerning physical print, there are very few
popular indie-focused magazines. From my audience research,
it can be inferred that indie is currently very popular among my
target audience, therefore a magazine such as this one would
be very welcome in the community.
4. Frequency of Publication
The magazine will be a monthly publication. According to my audience
research, the vast majority of people prefer to purchase magazines
monthly. Popular magazines that publish monthly include Q and NME.
This means that releasing issues at this rate will appeal to my target
audience. This also ensures the quality of the magazine, as a weekly
publication could be rushed and contain a lot of filler content. On the
other hand, a yearly publication could also contain out-of-date
information – which would defy the magazine’s intention of presenting
upcoming music – and not be a frequent enough publication to
maintain an audience. A monthly rate is the perfect balance between
the two and is the best frequency for the audience.
5. Cover Price
The magazine will have a £4.99 price per issue. I have selected
this price as audience research indicates my target audience
are primarily middle class. Therefore, I have selected a price
that I think is affordable for these consumers according to their
monetary status. I have also selected this price as the
publication is monthly and as the magazine will cover content
relating to the genre from the entire month it’s released, the
amount of content for cost is fair.
6. Reader Profile
Jude is a 22 year old guy. Jude’s had a passion for music from a young age
and has more than enough experience in the indie scene. If asked what type of
music he liked, Jude would reply “good music”; he has open music taste and
loves music of various genres but his favourite is and always has been indie.
Jude doesn’t like to push his music taste on others, but loves to converse about
music with his friends or other music fans. Jude knows what he’s doing and
where he wants to end up and he works a stable full-time job with good income.
When not working (or listening to music), Jude spends time socialising with his
friends and having a good time. Listening to music is a constant activity for him,
and nearly any activity Jude does at home will be accompanied by the sound of
the records from his collection. He’s always open to new methods of music, and
dabbles in Spotify and audio streaming regularly, but Jude’s partial to the
vintage sound of his extensive amount of vinyls. Much of Jude’s income is
spent on music, whether it be on the latest records, the best quality
headphones, or festival tickets.
7. Mission Statement
“Bringing Indie to the Forefront”
If something’s happened in the indie world: maybe a brand new album’s been
released; perhaps the latest, greatest artist is back on tour; or possibly they’re
putting a classic band back together, the news can be found in the pages of
The Pitch. We cover any sort of indie: old or new, quiet or loud, acoustic or
electric – all of it good. The Pitch gives its readers information on the latest
festivals, gigs, and albums; as well as exclusive interviews and articles on their
favourite musicians. But to call The Pitch just a music magazine would be to
understate its coverage of all aspects of the indie genre, such as the culture
and fashion that’s part of it. It’s safe to say there is no magazine quite like The
Pitch. Are you interested in indie? Then The Pitch is, indisputably, essential.
