Task one – research and planning

1. Task One – Research and
Planning
Lucy Williams

2. What is a music magazine?
O The purpose of a music magazine is to give
information and provide entertainment for the
intended reader – covering the specific music
of their choice. May that be R and B, Pop,
Jazz, Rock and many more. Along with this
primary purpose, it also advertises a variation
of different things to intrigue the reader to
purchase albums, merchandise, tickets and
so on. The target audience for a music
magazine is generally music lovers and
listeners, or people whom are involved within
the music industry.

3. What content would you
expect to find in a music
magazine?
O In a music magazine you would expect to
find;
O Articles
O Features
O And many visual images that all have a
significant link with music.

4. What images would you expect
to find in a music magazine?
O The images you would expect to find in a
music magazine would be of music artists,
upcoming events (venues or studios),
instruments – depending on the genre of
music and merchandise. Usually, if there
is not a main topic that the music
magazine is informing us about, they tend
to fill pages up with famous and influential
people within the industry.

5. Identify general characteristics or
features that you would expect to
find in all music magazines
O In most music magazines there is normally a
specific language used which is slang. They tend
to use this sort of language because it is
understandable for the desired audience – making
it furthermore appealing to them. As well as this,
the format of a music magazine is generally a
glossy, thin paper that is more attractive on the
eye. However, the magazines that are around
£2.50 and are published fourt-nightly are normal
paper; juxtaposed with a more high end magazine
that ranges to £5.50 and a thicker paper.

6. Identify the
features/characteristics they all
have
O In a music magazine, visual images are a
big aspect and this is what you would find
most of in the magazines. The publishers
decide to use visual images to attract the
eye and thus resulting in the public to
purchase their magazine.

7. What type of magazine is this?
O This magazine does not belong to
any music genre. Because it has a
general mainstream audience.
Although Beyonce is known as the
‘Pop Diva’, the content of the
coverline tells the audience
something different. Billboard
seems to aim their magazine at
what is popular during that time
and who is inspirational and
influential. Lastly, another reason
as to why this does not belong to a
genre/sub-genre is the fact that
kids will want to read about what
sounds great and Billboard
focuses on the industry in more
depth.

8. Who is the target audience?
O For this particular
magazine, the target
audience is people who
are more interested
beneath the surface of an
artist or a band and who
are involved within the
music industry. I know this
because the magazine is
not informing us on the
‘scoop’ of the band/artist;
but who is more
successful and as the
cover line says “…most
influential players”.