AUDIENCE RESEARCH
WHAT GENDER ARE YOU?
Male: 10 Female: 10
Looking at the feedback I got from the audience research, I aimed for an even amount of male and
female participation as the magazine is generalised (so there is a larger target audience). Also there
is a fair amount of questionnaires so having an equal amount of each gender means that it is not
biased.
HOW OLD ARE YOU?
How old are you?
10
9
9

8
7
6
6
5
4
3
3
2
2
1
0

0

27-35

36-45

0

0
15 or under

16-21

22-26

46-54

55+

Looking at the graph I wanted to get a wide
range of age opinions for my magazine. My
target audience are between the ages of 16
and 26 so they are the two groups that I
focused on. I also looked at two other
groups so that there was other
participation. The most common age was
22-26 as that age group falls in my target
audience but would also be a more difficult
group to please, therefore I focused more
on them.
DO YOU CURRENTLY PURCHASE ANY FORM
OF MUSIC MAGAZINES?
Yes:10 No:10
Looking at the results it is clear that there is an even amount of people that do and do not
purchase music magazines making it not biased. By asking this question I can see what other
magazines people purchase so that I have something to compare to. Looking at the
questioners, 4 out of 10 males currently buy music magazines and 6 out of 10 women.
Having an equal amount of people means that looking at the feedback from the questioners, I
can consider more options so that people who currently don’t buy music magazines would
consider buying this one.
IF YOU DO PURCHASE A MUSIC
MAGAZINE, WHICH ONE?
If you purchase a music magazine, which one?

The most bought magazine according to my
questionnaire is Kerrang, but closely followed
by Q and NME. It is important to ask this
when looking at audience research as this
will tell what the main competitors are in the
industry. I included at least 7 options
(including ‘other’) to give a better verity of
options.

0

4
5

2

4

2
0
Kerrang

Rock Sound

Classic Rock

Metal Hammer

Q Magazine

NME

Other
HOW OFTEN WOULD YOU BUY A MUSIC
MAGAZINE?
How often would you buy a music magazine?
0

0

0
0

4

Looking at the data collected, most people would be
happier buying a music magazine monthly. Bi-weekly
and bi-monthly were the other two most popular
options. This was an important question to ask as if
the magazine was over or under published then it
might push people away from purchasing it.

5

11

Weekly

Bi-weekly

Monthly

Bi-monthly

Every 3 months

Twice a year

Yearly
HOW MUCH WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO PAY
FOR A MUSIC MAGAZINE?
How much would you be willing to pay for a music magazine?
7
6
6

5
4
4
3
3
2

2

2

£4.10- £4.50

£4.60-£5.00

Over £5.00

2
1
1
0

0

Under £1.50

£1.60- £2.00

0
£2.10- £2.50

£2.60- £3.00

£3.10- £3.50

£3.60- £4.00

The average price range that people
have agreed is a good price for a music
magazine is £2.60- £3.00. This price is an
average amount when looking at the
magazine industry. This question is
important as you need to charge enough
for the magazine to make money but
also you cant over price the magazine so
then people wont purchase it.
WHAT FEATURES WOULD YOU CONSIDER
MOST IMPORTANT WHEN BUYING A MUSIC
MAGAZINE?
What features would you consider most important when buying a music
magazine?

Looking at the chart, it is clear that interviews
are considered the main features of a music
magazine. This is closely followed by
reviews, latest news and artist features. Asking
what features people would consider the most
important gives an idea of what features are
most important to include in the magazine.
There is a vary in answers therefore several
features are important/ should be taken into
consideration but the options with no votes
can be ignored if needed.

0
3

1
4

1

16

11

8
3
8

5

Interviews

Latest News

Free Posters

Artist Features

Upcoming Events

Reviews

Chart updates

Columnists

Merch Discounts/ Ads

Fan pages

Qustions & Answers
HOW MANY PAGES WOULD YOU CONSIDER TO
BE IDEAL FOR A MUSIC MAGAZINE?
How many pages would you consider to be ideal for a music
magazine?
0
1

8

11

50-100

101-150

151-200

201+

This question is important when looking at audience
research as you don’t want your magazine to have too little
or too many pages. Having too little pages could not give
enough content or a good feel of value for money, if there
are two many pages, content could be boring and also as it
is more printing, costs of the magazine may go up. Looking
at the data collected, the most popular amount of pages is
101-150 which is an average amount for a magazine. This
would allow enough room for all the content and also bonus
material such as pin ups and advertisements.
WHAT DO YOU PREFER TO SEE ON THE
MAJORITY OF THE PAGE?
What do you prefer to see on the majority of the page?
12

10

8

6

4

2

0
Mostly text

Mostly images

An equal amount of both

This question will give an indication as to the
layout of the pages. The question was
generalised so that it can be applied to any part
of the magazine e.g double page
spreads, contents page or other article pages.
The collected data shows that an equal amount
of text and images was the most popular choice.
WHEN LOOKING AT THE COVER OF A
MAGAZINE, WHAT FEATURES DO YOU NOTICE
FIRST?
When looking at the cover of a magazine, what features do you notice first?
18

This question gives an indication as to what
the main focus on the front of the
magazine should be, for example there is
no point creating an amazing mast head
and having an unknown cover star as
(looking at the results) people will not be
interested. The results show that the cover
star is the first noticed feature and
therefore needs to stand out.

16
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
2

1

1
0

0
The mast head

The cover star

The promotional articles

Free give away

Magazine reviews
WHAT THREE COLOURS WOULD YOU MOST
ASSOCIATE WITH A ROCK MAGAZINE?
What three colours would you most associate with a rock magazine?
0

4

This question consisted of three answers from
each subject filling out the questionnaire. This
allowed a wider choice of answers and a better
result for the research. From the results I can
see that Black, Green, Red and blue were the
most popular choices, followed by Grey, Purple
and White. I can use a combination of the
colours to create a good colour scheme. This
also contributes towards the overall house
style of the magazine.

1

13

5
1

4

3
11

1

10
9

Black

Green

Blue

Red

Orange

Yellow

White

Brown

Purple

Pink

Grey

Maroon
WHICH 6 OF THE FOLLOWING ARTISTS
MOST INTEREST YOU?
Which 6 of the following artists most interest you?
14
12
12

11

11

11

10
8
8

8

7

7

7

7

7

6

4

2

0

8

5

3

3

3

This question gives a clear indication as to
what bands and artists are most popular
with the target audience. Having a feature
on a band that is not popular with the TA
would not be as beneficial for the
magazine as a band who was very popular.
It is clear from the results that the most
popular choice was ‘Guns n Roses’ closely
followed by ‘Cage the
Elephant’, ‘Nickelback’ and ‘You Me At Six’.
No answer got 0 votes so that means that
this selection of artists was good as all are
popular at this moment in time.
WHAT TYPE OF IMAGES DO YOU PREFER TO
SEE ON A DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD?
What type of images do you prefer to see on a double page
spread?
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
mid shot

long shot

close up

This question will give an indication of the most
popular camera shots that can be used to
promote the article on the double page spread.
Having a popular camera shot would make the
photo look more appealing and therefore
promote the article.
The most popular camera shot was a long
shot, this means that not only would I have to
look at the subject but also possibly props and
surroundings as it would be a full body shot.
IF THERE WAS A FREE GIFT WHAT WOULD
YOU PREFER TO RECEIVE?
If there was a free gift what would you prefer to receive?
0
1

The idea of a free gift does help sell/ promote the
magazine therefore it should be something that
people actually want. Looking at the results the
most popular choice was download codes which
could be linked to how technology is moving. The
target audience are more likely to download
music then play it on a cd player so this was the
most popular choice.

3

9
7

Pin Up (poster)

Album

Download codes

Stickers

Badges
ON A CONTENTS PAGE WHAT WOULD YOU
CONSIDER TO BE THE 3 MAIN FEATURES?
On a contents page what would you consider to be the 3 main features?
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

Editors Message

List of feature
content

List of regular
content

Images

Charts List

Band List

Competition info

Requiring about the contents page is also
helpful when considering the layout of the
magazine. When looking to buy a magazine
people look to the contents page as an
indication of what that issue features and
whether is worth purchasing. This question
asked what the most important features are so
that people are drawn in after reading the
contents page.
The 3 most popular choices were ‘list of
feature content’, ‘list of regular content’ and
‘images’. These will all be included when
making the contents page as they are the
most popular choices.
ON A DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD, DO Y0U AGREE THAT
THE MAIN IMAGE SHOULD BE USED AS THE
BACKGROUND FOR THE PAGE?
On a double page spread, do you agree that the main image should be used
as the background for the page?

8

10

2

Yes

No

Makes No Difference

This question is important as people judge the
page on its layout, if they don’t like the layout of
the page then they wont read it.
The results of this question show that although
most people say ‘makes no difference’ the
remaining 10 people all think that it can be used
as a background so this can be interpreted into
the magazine.
WHAT FONT WOULD YOU MOST ASSOCIATE
WITH THE TITLE OF A ROCK MAGAZINE?
What font would you most associate with the title of a rock magazine?

2

The results of this question show that 3 was
the most popular choice. The font is
important as it has to reflect the style and
genre of the magazine. As the most popular
choice is font 3, this is the font that will be
used for the mast head.

4
2
0
0
1
1

11

Font 1

Font 2

Font 3

Font 4

Font 5

Font 6

Font 7

Font 8

Audience Research

  • 1.
  • 2.
    WHAT GENDER AREYOU? Male: 10 Female: 10 Looking at the feedback I got from the audience research, I aimed for an even amount of male and female participation as the magazine is generalised (so there is a larger target audience). Also there is a fair amount of questionnaires so having an equal amount of each gender means that it is not biased.
  • 3.
    HOW OLD AREYOU? How old are you? 10 9 9 8 7 6 6 5 4 3 3 2 2 1 0 0 27-35 36-45 0 0 15 or under 16-21 22-26 46-54 55+ Looking at the graph I wanted to get a wide range of age opinions for my magazine. My target audience are between the ages of 16 and 26 so they are the two groups that I focused on. I also looked at two other groups so that there was other participation. The most common age was 22-26 as that age group falls in my target audience but would also be a more difficult group to please, therefore I focused more on them.
  • 4.
    DO YOU CURRENTLYPURCHASE ANY FORM OF MUSIC MAGAZINES? Yes:10 No:10 Looking at the results it is clear that there is an even amount of people that do and do not purchase music magazines making it not biased. By asking this question I can see what other magazines people purchase so that I have something to compare to. Looking at the questioners, 4 out of 10 males currently buy music magazines and 6 out of 10 women. Having an equal amount of people means that looking at the feedback from the questioners, I can consider more options so that people who currently don’t buy music magazines would consider buying this one.
  • 5.
    IF YOU DOPURCHASE A MUSIC MAGAZINE, WHICH ONE? If you purchase a music magazine, which one? The most bought magazine according to my questionnaire is Kerrang, but closely followed by Q and NME. It is important to ask this when looking at audience research as this will tell what the main competitors are in the industry. I included at least 7 options (including ‘other’) to give a better verity of options. 0 4 5 2 4 2 0 Kerrang Rock Sound Classic Rock Metal Hammer Q Magazine NME Other
  • 6.
    HOW OFTEN WOULDYOU BUY A MUSIC MAGAZINE? How often would you buy a music magazine? 0 0 0 0 4 Looking at the data collected, most people would be happier buying a music magazine monthly. Bi-weekly and bi-monthly were the other two most popular options. This was an important question to ask as if the magazine was over or under published then it might push people away from purchasing it. 5 11 Weekly Bi-weekly Monthly Bi-monthly Every 3 months Twice a year Yearly
  • 7.
    HOW MUCH WOULDYOU BE WILLING TO PAY FOR A MUSIC MAGAZINE? How much would you be willing to pay for a music magazine? 7 6 6 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 2 £4.10- £4.50 £4.60-£5.00 Over £5.00 2 1 1 0 0 Under £1.50 £1.60- £2.00 0 £2.10- £2.50 £2.60- £3.00 £3.10- £3.50 £3.60- £4.00 The average price range that people have agreed is a good price for a music magazine is £2.60- £3.00. This price is an average amount when looking at the magazine industry. This question is important as you need to charge enough for the magazine to make money but also you cant over price the magazine so then people wont purchase it.
  • 8.
    WHAT FEATURES WOULDYOU CONSIDER MOST IMPORTANT WHEN BUYING A MUSIC MAGAZINE? What features would you consider most important when buying a music magazine? Looking at the chart, it is clear that interviews are considered the main features of a music magazine. This is closely followed by reviews, latest news and artist features. Asking what features people would consider the most important gives an idea of what features are most important to include in the magazine. There is a vary in answers therefore several features are important/ should be taken into consideration but the options with no votes can be ignored if needed. 0 3 1 4 1 16 11 8 3 8 5 Interviews Latest News Free Posters Artist Features Upcoming Events Reviews Chart updates Columnists Merch Discounts/ Ads Fan pages Qustions & Answers
  • 9.
    HOW MANY PAGESWOULD YOU CONSIDER TO BE IDEAL FOR A MUSIC MAGAZINE? How many pages would you consider to be ideal for a music magazine? 0 1 8 11 50-100 101-150 151-200 201+ This question is important when looking at audience research as you don’t want your magazine to have too little or too many pages. Having too little pages could not give enough content or a good feel of value for money, if there are two many pages, content could be boring and also as it is more printing, costs of the magazine may go up. Looking at the data collected, the most popular amount of pages is 101-150 which is an average amount for a magazine. This would allow enough room for all the content and also bonus material such as pin ups and advertisements.
  • 10.
    WHAT DO YOUPREFER TO SEE ON THE MAJORITY OF THE PAGE? What do you prefer to see on the majority of the page? 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Mostly text Mostly images An equal amount of both This question will give an indication as to the layout of the pages. The question was generalised so that it can be applied to any part of the magazine e.g double page spreads, contents page or other article pages. The collected data shows that an equal amount of text and images was the most popular choice.
  • 11.
    WHEN LOOKING ATTHE COVER OF A MAGAZINE, WHAT FEATURES DO YOU NOTICE FIRST? When looking at the cover of a magazine, what features do you notice first? 18 This question gives an indication as to what the main focus on the front of the magazine should be, for example there is no point creating an amazing mast head and having an unknown cover star as (looking at the results) people will not be interested. The results show that the cover star is the first noticed feature and therefore needs to stand out. 16 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 2 1 1 0 0 The mast head The cover star The promotional articles Free give away Magazine reviews
  • 12.
    WHAT THREE COLOURSWOULD YOU MOST ASSOCIATE WITH A ROCK MAGAZINE? What three colours would you most associate with a rock magazine? 0 4 This question consisted of three answers from each subject filling out the questionnaire. This allowed a wider choice of answers and a better result for the research. From the results I can see that Black, Green, Red and blue were the most popular choices, followed by Grey, Purple and White. I can use a combination of the colours to create a good colour scheme. This also contributes towards the overall house style of the magazine. 1 13 5 1 4 3 11 1 10 9 Black Green Blue Red Orange Yellow White Brown Purple Pink Grey Maroon
  • 13.
    WHICH 6 OFTHE FOLLOWING ARTISTS MOST INTEREST YOU? Which 6 of the following artists most interest you? 14 12 12 11 11 11 10 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 6 4 2 0 8 5 3 3 3 This question gives a clear indication as to what bands and artists are most popular with the target audience. Having a feature on a band that is not popular with the TA would not be as beneficial for the magazine as a band who was very popular. It is clear from the results that the most popular choice was ‘Guns n Roses’ closely followed by ‘Cage the Elephant’, ‘Nickelback’ and ‘You Me At Six’. No answer got 0 votes so that means that this selection of artists was good as all are popular at this moment in time.
  • 14.
    WHAT TYPE OFIMAGES DO YOU PREFER TO SEE ON A DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD? What type of images do you prefer to see on a double page spread? 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 mid shot long shot close up This question will give an indication of the most popular camera shots that can be used to promote the article on the double page spread. Having a popular camera shot would make the photo look more appealing and therefore promote the article. The most popular camera shot was a long shot, this means that not only would I have to look at the subject but also possibly props and surroundings as it would be a full body shot.
  • 15.
    IF THERE WASA FREE GIFT WHAT WOULD YOU PREFER TO RECEIVE? If there was a free gift what would you prefer to receive? 0 1 The idea of a free gift does help sell/ promote the magazine therefore it should be something that people actually want. Looking at the results the most popular choice was download codes which could be linked to how technology is moving. The target audience are more likely to download music then play it on a cd player so this was the most popular choice. 3 9 7 Pin Up (poster) Album Download codes Stickers Badges
  • 16.
    ON A CONTENTSPAGE WHAT WOULD YOU CONSIDER TO BE THE 3 MAIN FEATURES? On a contents page what would you consider to be the 3 main features? 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Editors Message List of feature content List of regular content Images Charts List Band List Competition info Requiring about the contents page is also helpful when considering the layout of the magazine. When looking to buy a magazine people look to the contents page as an indication of what that issue features and whether is worth purchasing. This question asked what the most important features are so that people are drawn in after reading the contents page. The 3 most popular choices were ‘list of feature content’, ‘list of regular content’ and ‘images’. These will all be included when making the contents page as they are the most popular choices.
  • 17.
    ON A DOUBLEPAGE SPREAD, DO Y0U AGREE THAT THE MAIN IMAGE SHOULD BE USED AS THE BACKGROUND FOR THE PAGE? On a double page spread, do you agree that the main image should be used as the background for the page? 8 10 2 Yes No Makes No Difference This question is important as people judge the page on its layout, if they don’t like the layout of the page then they wont read it. The results of this question show that although most people say ‘makes no difference’ the remaining 10 people all think that it can be used as a background so this can be interpreted into the magazine.
  • 18.
    WHAT FONT WOULDYOU MOST ASSOCIATE WITH THE TITLE OF A ROCK MAGAZINE? What font would you most associate with the title of a rock magazine? 2 The results of this question show that 3 was the most popular choice. The font is important as it has to reflect the style and genre of the magazine. As the most popular choice is font 3, this is the font that will be used for the mast head. 4 2 0 0 1 1 11 Font 1 Font 2 Font 3 Font 4 Font 5 Font 6 Font 7 Font 8