1. Question 3
What kind of media institutions
might distribute your media product
and why?

2. Should I make my product
independent or have a media
institution?
To distribute magazines, you can either have them represented by a media institution, or
make your own institution and brand the magazine yourself.
An Advantage of having a music institution to distribute your product is that they know
how to fully promote, platform, market and sell the product to the consumers. Usually if
specific media institution are independent, they are radios, television or newspapers. Its
very irregular that a music magazine doesn’t have a music institution to advertise and sell
their product to the consumers.
An advantage of being independent, is that I get to decide myself how to promote,
platform, market and sell the product to the consumers.
I have decided to have a music institution to distribute my product because they would
have more of an idea of where the gap in the market is for my product, also they
specialise in promoting, platforming, marketing and selling products.

3. My magazines genre is R&B. It is aimed at both the female and male audience as I
found that both males and females read R&B magazine when I did my research. I
have decided to aim the magazine at both genders so it has a wide range
audience. The age range I have aimed my R&B magazine at is teens, as I found
that older teens are the most popular audience for the R&B magazine.
In R&B magazines the conventions include music, fashion and gossip, as I found
from my research that most R&B magazines include articles with music, fashion
and gossip.
R&B magazines are usually distributed by private institutions. For example; one of
the most popular R&B magazines, Vibe magazine is distributed by InterMedia
Partners.
But also the popular media institutions such as IPC media, Bauer Media group,
EMAP institution and Harris Publications also distribute R&B magazines, as they
all publish magazines with different genres.

4. Information Gathered on Media
Institutions
Bauer Media group is Europe's largest privately owned publishing group, which owns over 300
magazines in 15 countries. They own magazines such as “Q” and “Kerrang”. Both of these
magazines are very popular in the market and have had great success with the amount of
consumers buying these magazines. Both Q and Kerrang are different genre’s which tells me it
is open to publishing different genres.
IPC Media has 60 iconic media brands. It is a large media institution which sells their
magazines worldwide to 90 countries and sells around 13 million copies per year. IPC media is
also the UK’S leading news trade sales, they distribute their media brands in supermarkets to
broaden their target audience. Therefore it is available to more people and it increases sales as
it broadens the target audience. An example of an IPC Media iconic brand is “NME” Magazine.
Emap is the second largest magazine publisher in the UK. The business was sold to Guardian
Media Group (private media firm). Emap also owns 40 radio stations which helps broadcasts
the magazines that they sell because the music/ artists on the magazine is played on the radio
stations. An example of an Emap brand is the music TV programme and Magazine “smash hits”
which has the latest songs out on the charts.
Harris Publications is an American media institution in New York which publishes over 75
Magazine titles. They have a specific target audience of young adults and they specialise in hip
hop/ R&B magazines. They own magazines such as XXL which is a popular hip hop/ rap and
R&B magazine in the US. They also sell magazines of the rock genre which tells me they
produce mixed genre magazines, even though they specialise in R&B.

5. Benefits of having the media
institutions distribute my product
I would consider IPC media for the media institution to sell my magazine because they are the
UK’S leading news trade sales. This is good because it means that IPC media know how to
trade their products to the British people, in order for them to want to buy the product, as they
already have 60 iconic media brands in Britain already. Also I think that IPC media would make
a success out of magazine because of where they distribute their magazines. I think it would be
good to put my product in the supermarket because it broadens my target audience, so it
increases sales, which would make my magazine product more of a success.
I would consider Bauer Media group for the media institution to sell my magazine because it
owns over 300 magazines in 15 countries, which tells me they have a lot of experience in
marketing and selling different magazines in different countries. Another reason I would
consider Bauer to distribute my product is because of the large success they had had selling Q
and Kerrang. Both are different genres which is good because it tells me that Bauer has
experience in selling different genre’s, which is a benefit as my magazine is a similar genre to
Q.

6. Benefits of having the media
institutions distribute my product
I would consider Emap as the media institution to sell my magazine because it is the second
largest magazine publisher in the UK. It is good that it is a large popular company in the UK
because Emap will know how to distribute the product in the UK well as they would know how
to reach out to the British audience as they would know what they want and expect. Another
reason as to why I would consider Emap is because it has 40 radio stations, which would help
publicise my product on the radio so it could have a potential bigger target audience.
I would consider Harris Publications as the media institution to sell my magazine because it
specialises in R&B magazines, which is good because then Harris Publications will know how
to distribute my product well as it has had experience distributing R&B magazines such as XXL
which has become a success in the US. Another reason as to why I would consider Harris
Publications is because it is American, which is good because the magazine may be able to be
distributed in America as well as Britain, which will potentially broaden the popularity of the
magazine.

7. The Media Institution I have chosen
and why?
I have chosen IPC media to be the music institution that distributes my product. I
chose IPC media out of the other music institutions because IPC media is the
UK’s leading news trade sales. I wanted a music institution which knows the
UK’s population well enough to know how to distribute my product well in the
UK. IPC media have done well because they have 60 iconic media brands, which
tells me they have a popular fan base in the UK, so they would know how to
stand out and appeal to the UK’s population to make the audience want to buy
the magazine. I also really liked that they distribute their media products in
supermarkets because across the UK there are a lot of big supermarkets so the
product would be seen a lot, easy to get and noticed by consumers. I also liked
that it broadens my target audience because a range of people would see it, and
they might be drawn into the cover and become interested in the magazine. This
would be good because it would increase the popularity of the magazine, which
means there will be a increase in sales, and potentially the product could
become one of the 60 iconic media brands.
As well as liking that it knows the UK and broadening the target audience, I like
that it sells their magazines world wide, so it isn't only available to one country. I
think its good because then consumers will recognise the magazine, and it will
be more easier to consume.

8. Distribution
I chose IPC media because they distribute their products into
supermarkets around the world. This would make it easier for the
audience to access the magazine as it would be in different
supermarkets around Britain and around the rest of the world.
Distributing my product in the supermarket could potentially broaden
my target audience as different consumers could see my magazine,
find it interesting, and therefore purchase the magazine.
I would also distribute the magazine online as on the footer of the
magazine I have written a website. On the website I would allow
people to purchase online copies and have it delivered to their home
rather than them going to the supermarket. I would also put free
copies on the website as samples so that if people have never read
the magazine before they would get a taste of what it is like on the
website. To interest the audience thurther I would put video clips up
on the website of me interviewing the artist who is in the magazine.
For example on the double page spread I have an interview with
Bronwen, I would put a video recording of the interview and put
some bloopers with it to keep the audience interesting so they don’t
feel they are watching what they have just read.