The document summarizes research conducted with a focus group of 6 individuals interested in the indie rock genre to inform the design of an indie rock magazine. Key findings from the focus group included that the magazine cover should feature a prominent image of a band and use bright colors and informal language. Interior pages should include a variety of music-focused content and fashion, with clearly laid out text and informal language. Double page spreads should feature a large, representative image of the subject and include an casual interview formatted to reflect the genre.

1. Task 8: target audience research using qualitative methods such as focus groups.
My research is based upon males and females who are interested in the indie rock genre.
A stereo typical image of my audience is;
- Male or female
- Aged 15 -19
- Social class ABC1
- Ethnicity is white British
- Has interests in going out, music, skinny jeans, jackets, long hair, drinking
- Dressed in skinny jeans, leather jackets, smaller t-shirts, skate trainers such as vans.
- They listen to it this genre because of the uplifting rhythms, the interesting lyrics, and also
because they may aspire to be like their favourite bands.
- They will listen to the music on a regular basis and attend gigs and festivals.
- They would like the magazine to have the latest information and gig news with band
exclusives.
My target audience:
General background:
- Name – Will
- Age – 17
- Ethnicity – White
- Lives in Solihull, West midlands, currently a student.
How he uses music:
- Goes to concerts regularly and is a big fan of indie rock. Downloads music often and listens
to it every day, favourite bands include the Wombats.
Preferences:
- He would like to see bright colours and exclusive interviews with bands with gig news.
- Wants to know the latest news.
Interests:
- Buying clothes
- Going out
- Listening to music
Feelings on music magazines:

2. - He does not buy them as he does not feel that there are magazines that represent what he
wants. Also he believes often they are too expensive to buy on a regular basis. If he was to
buy one it would be NME as it features his favourite music.
Target audience Research:
Focus group – For this task I asked 3 males and females interested in indie rock music. I then
summarised my results so that I know what to include in my magazine.
The people I asked are:
- Will D
- Steff B
- Jess P
- Jack L
- George M
- Layal T
I asked them 12 questions and wrote down the most favoured response:
1. Front cover – what image/s would you like?
I found that they wanted 1 main image of a band or artist that stands out as this would
attract them to the magazine. Also they would not necessarily have to be famous for them
to be drawn in as long as the cover looks professional.
2. Front cover – what text?
For indie rock magazines, there should be 1 main selling talking about the cover star, then
some more to mention other main features. However too much text would put them off
buying the magazine so I need to get the balance right. Also it needs to appeal to both males
and females which means female artists should also be included.
3. Front cover – colours?
People want to see bright contrasting colours that will catch their eye and make reading
more interesting.
4. Front cover – language?
Should be fairly informal with lots of words that associate with the genre such as ‘hipster’.
5. Contents – what image/s would you like?
There should be more than 1 image whit each one focusing on a different aspect that may
otherwise have been overlooked to add variety to the magazine.
6. Contents – what would you like to see?
All things music based but then other features such as fashion as this would add another
selling point to the magazine and keep the readers interested.

3. 7. Contents – text?
The text should be well laid out in columns making it easy for the reader to understand
where everything is with the word ‘contents’ at the top just to make clear what page they
are on. There shouldn’t be too much, just enough to describe what each feature is about.
8. Contents – language?
Again informal language that makes it easier for the target audience to understand and that
relates to the genre.
9. Double page – what image/s would you like?
The image should represent the person better than the words which can be achieved by the
pose that says a lot about the person. Also they should be wearing clothes typical of the
genre to add familiarity and it gives the audience something to relate to. The picture should
be large and fill up at least one whole side.
10. Double page – Article?
Most popular was an interview with a rising star so talking about their journey so far and
what they’re hoping for the future. It should be casual which keeps in with the genre as I
discovered when researching indie rock.
11. Double page – language?
The language should reflect the person mentioned and still in keep with the rest of the
magazine by being informal and relaxed with certain language being used. Also it should be
easy to follow which will encourage the audience to read more.
12. Double page – image or text based?
The double page spread should have a good balance but must have a large picture which is
interesting and more eye catching than words. The images should be fun and different while
the text is informative and straight to the point.