OCR 2015-2016 James McClements

1. Logbook and Planning &
Research
James McClements
6949 | 64770

2. Music magazine genre
• The music magazine genre is a popular one, and
has been around for many years. One of the most
iconic British music magazines is the NME, or New
Musical Express, and has been around since 1949.
Over the years it has declined in popularity as a paid
publication, and its circulation has dropped from
300,000 in its heyday to 20,000 now. Its decline has
fueled the rebranding of NME as a free publication,
and proves as a testament that the British public is
now unsatisfied with the status quo, and purchasing
music magazines.Source: theguardian.com

3. MAGAZINE OF INSPIRATION

4. Case Study: DIY
• DIY is a free independent music magazine. It specialises
in alternative or indie music, and takes form as an online
publication, and the free monthly magazine in paper
form. It is only available in UK record shops, and some
music venues.
• The target readership therefore is, the music fan/creative
who is of varying age, mostly in-between 16-29 due to
the youthful nature of the music, and those who belong
to the indie subculture.
• However, readership statistics and demographics were
unfortunately not readily available, as they utilize a
bespoke publishing house – Sonic Media Group.

6. Masthead
Main headline
Main image
Issue date and number,
website conventions etc.
This front cover example has an evident absence of cover lines and is “free”,
which I am considering ‘repeating’ (Neale) in my own magazine.
Special feature
sticker

7. Issue date
Main image
Editorial
Editorial team
thoughts
DIY team’s best
album of the month
News section
Features and reviews
Credits
New music

8. Drop Capitals
Pull quote
Article interview
Main image
Article title

9. EXEMPLAR MAGAZINES

10. • Publisher: Time Inc. UK
• Reach: 289,000 Adults / 0.6% of the adult population
• Primarily socioeconomic class ABC1 read the magazine
• The dominating gender of readership in Men
• And the dominating age group of readership is 15-34.
• NME is a weekly magazine, and has primarily national readership, with
only a small number of exports for international readers.
• Source: mediauk.com
• From the 18th September, NME will be available outside
busy public spaces and train stations for free.
• Timeincuk.com : NME is the “longest published and most
respected music weekly in the world”
NME publisher research

11. I will be analysing the ‘new’ NME model, as I have chosen to replicate this type of
neo-music magazine and ‘repeat’ (Neale) codes and conventions from it. The
model also ‘repeats’ the conventions from DIY, which is my magazine of
inspiration.

12. Masthead
Special feature
sticker
Main Image
Main Headline
This cover relies on ‘star appeal’ and audience familiarity of the main headline.
With the absence of cover lines on the front cover, the main headline is the USP.
Issue date

13. Main image
Masthead
Page numbers
Editorial
Short comic strip
Credits

14. Q publisher research
• Publisher: Bauer Media UK
• Circulation: 64,596
• Primarily socioeconomic class ABC1 read the magazine(70%)
• The dominating gender of readership in Men
• And the dominating age group of readership is 15-24.
• Q’s gender ratio is 31.7% females to 68.3% male.
• Source: bauermediaadvertising.com
2012 statistics

15. Masthead
Main Headline
Main Image
Cover Stories
USP/Exclusive
Content
‘Q’ represents a more conservative front cover with additional coverlines, many
exclusives and USPs. This is because it is not a free magazine, and it relies on
many USPs to “sell”.

16. These are exemplar magazine front covers from ‘Q’ and (the old) ‘NME’
magazines.
They both offer several codes and conventions synonymous to the
Indie/Alternate music magazine genre.

17. What can be identified by these two media institutions, is the importance of the
colour red. Red, being synonymous to the genre.
Compared to the more simplistic black and white approach taken by
magazines of the genre from now on:

18. From the research, the unique selling points, or USP, of NME and
Q magazines is more often than not include ‘star appeal’ (Dyer)
from the main image, features and headlines. Also, ‘puff
promotion’ is synonymous to the genre, and may be in the form of
competitions to win concert tickets or albums.
However the most significant USP seen from the research is
exclusives. Exclusive interviews, reviews or even photos. They
bring a sense of worthiness to the magazines, and help copies “fly
of the shelves”.
The intended target audiences for NME and Q magazines is mostly
socio-economic class B, and more A for the new revised NME handed
out to commuters. However, the intended target audience for DIY
magazine is more likely to be class E, aimed at students, especially
with the attraction of the publication being ‘free’. The general socio-
economic class graphic for the genre is ABC1, and covers a variety of
paid positions, as the magazines focus on interests and hobbies
more than class or wealth as limiting factors.
More often than not, ‘social climbers’ (Maslow) are often intended as
a target audience, as materialism and music interests can often build
status within social groups. Furthermore, the target audience are
between the ‘ages’ of 15-29, most likely ‘male’ and ‘British’ (Hartley).

19. Publisher research
• The two publishing houses of my magazine’s of
inspiration are in direct competition of each
other.
– Time inc. UK publish over 40 publications spread across the
‘lifestyle’, ‘luxury’, and ‘specialist 'genres, targeting both males
and females, with one music magazine, NME.
– Q publish two main music magazines: Q and Kerrang!, covering
the Indie/Alternative genres like NME, and also Rock with
Kerrang! As well as this, the publisher covers magazines of the
same genres as Time inc. like lifestyle and gossip. With Closer
and GRAZIA, competing with Time’s NOW and Marie Claire.
Bauer Media have more
experience of the music genre,
whereas Time Inc. have a far
more varied lineup of brands.

20. My magazine
In consideration of my magazine of inspiration and exemplar
magazines of the Indie/Alternative genre, I have come to the
conclusion that I will ‘repeat’(Neale) the DIY and NME models of
the new, free music magazine. As well as this, the neutral, black
and white colours are perfect for a gender neutral presentation,
in order to attract a non-gender specific audience. As well as
this, I will take DIY’s exclusivity into inspiration, as only being
available in independent record stores is socially conscious of
today’s commercial world, and helps the industry responsibly.
One thing I will ‘challenge’ is other forms of social responsibility
of these magazines. I plan to use recycled paper in my
magazine, and promote charitable causes related to the genre,
for instance, the Amy Winehouse Foundation, and ‘Girls Against’.
As well as this, I will be looking for profit in other areas to
subsidise the cost of producing the publication for free, such as
commercial features and sponsorships, a subscription option, a
paid online feature which will yield advertising royalties and
more.