task 4

1. ResearchTask 4: Researchintomusic industries andinstitutions
1. What types of magazine and target audiences has Times Inc (formerly IPC) been associated with over
the years?
2. Why might Times Inc be an appropriate publisher for a new music magazine?
3. What sorts of genres of music/types of magazines might they be likely to publish?
4. Why might alternative publishers like Bauer be appropriate?
I will be linkingquestions 1-3 together as one question.
1. Lookingat the start of the article, the magazines listed which Times Inc has published over
the years are all mainly white male orientated. Magazines such as the “Horse & Hound”,
“ShootingTimes”and“YachtingWorld” are all promotinganexpensive,upperclass lifestyle
which means the men would have to have a disposable income. The only real magazine in
thislistwhichspecificallytargetswomenisthe “AmateurGardening”. During the 1800’s and
1900’s the womenwere house wivesandwould stay at home and look after their husband,
so gardening is an activity they would very much take apart in. Apart from that one
magazine, all the others are for men.
During the 1920’s, Times Inc published a new magazine called “Ideal Home”. This caters
againto women andtheirrole as housewives,seenasthey don’t work they are expected to
look after the house so the men do not have to. Even though all the other magazines are
gearedtowardsmen,thisaddedwomen’smagazineisastepinthe rightdirectiontoequally
publishing both men and women’s magazines.
In the 1930’s, Times Inc realised that women were becoming the most avid magazine
readersas theywere the oneswiththe mosttime ontheirhands,due to fact that they were
stay at home house wives. This is why they started bringing out more and more magazines
with a female target audience in mind. Yet, they were still bringing out male orientated
magazineswitha range of leisurely activities such as the “Caravan”. In 1932, Woman’s own
was introduced with a free cover-mounted gift. It was used as a promotion technique to
entice people to buy the magazine; this would be great for a new music magazine as most
people are likely to buy a magazine if it has something free attached to it (like a CD or
merchandise).
It was alsointhistime that TimesIncfirstpublishedthe firstfull colourmagazine.Thisshows
me that TimesInc keepsuptodate withthe everchangingadvancementswithintechnology
which is key when being able to promote the magazine and have it looking the best it
possibly can. This would be crucial when creating a brand new magazine.
Betweenthe 1950’s and 1970’s, the sport andmusic industryboomed.ThismeantTimes Inc
up their game and moved with the times in order to encompass everyone’s hobbies and
interests. They started to bring out more male orientated magazines again, due to this
sudden boom in male dominated sports. However, they did not focus purely on the male
audience,butkeptpublishing the femalemagazines also. This also shows me that Times Inc
keepupwiththe timesandpublishes the latest interests which would be appropriate for a
new music magazine. Due to the fact they take into account all hobbies and interests they

2. wouldmostlikely to publish a range of music genres and see which ones sell the most and
then focus specifically on that genre.
Duringthe 1980s there wasa muchbroaderrange of magazinesaboutleisure activities;such
as “Model Collector”and“ClassicBoat”. There wasalsoverygender neutral magazines such
as “Practical Parenting”,thisshowsthatTimesIncare now treatingwomenandmen equally
as they do not need magazines exclusively for one gender.
In 2010 TimesInc.baseditsmagazinesaroundthree main magazine target audiences: men,
mass-market women and up-market women.
2. Bauer might be a alternative publishing company as they manage a portfolio of more than
600 magazines, over 400 digital products and 50 radio and TV stations around the
world. Thiswouldbe more appropriate formymagazine asit couldbe publishing onto more
than one media platform and therefore gain a wider audience and bring in more money. It
alsopublishesin17countrieswhichfurthermeans that I would generate a wider audience.