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Music magazine website research
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- 3. The title/masthead isthe first and foremost feature of the website. Its position – at the top of the page – and black bold letters immediately grabs the audience’s attention. This is a common characteristic of Billboard products; in the magazine’s front covers the masthead is also one of the main focus. Perhaps the strong brand presence that Billboard has is due to the emphasis they put on their titles. Contents click makes the navigation throughout the website simpler for the audience, as it is easier to find what they are looking for, thus making the website more professional and organised: contents are separated into specific categories. The Search Billboard feature also makes the website more appealing, for example, if the person’s interest is a certain artist, by typing the artist’s name on the Search bar the website will gather all the information it has about the artist.
- 4. The website providesthe audience with links to all other social networks where they are able to interact even more with Billboard. This gives the magazine a wider access rate as it is easier to keep up with it from networks that are used on a daily basis, without having to actually buy the physical product. The latest issue of the magazine is available for sale at the website. This allows frequent readers to keep up with the magazine, in case the last edition was not bought.
- 5. News and Featuresmakes the website more interesting for the audience because there is a variety of options to choose from; dance, photos, charts, etc. which gives a sense of the range of qualities and information that Billboard has, it is not focused on providing a specific type of entertainment, rather there are many ways in which the audience can make the most out of the website.
- 6. Billboard magazine Billboard isan American music magazine, originally headquartered in New York City, New York. Now owned by Prometheus Global Media, it was first published on November 1, 1894. It is well-known for being among the oldest trade magazines in the world. The magazine originally focused on bill posting and outdoor amusements before specializing in the music industry in the 1950s. Billboard maintains several internationally recognized record charts, which track the most popular songs and albums across several categories on a weekly basis. Its primary charts are the Billboard Hot 100, the Billboard 200, respectively, ranking the top songs and albums regardless of genre. Song rankings are based on digital download sales, radio airplay and internet streaming. Albums were based exclusively on sales until 2014. Its data are largely based on the Neielsen SoundScan tracking system, which it has been used since 1991.
- 7. Prometheus Global Media •Prometheus Global Media is New York City-based B2B media company. The company was formed in December 2009, when Nielsen Company sold its entertainment and media division to a private equity-backed group led by Pluribus Capital Management and Guggenheim Partners. The company owns and operates a number of major entertainment industry trade publications and their associated digital properties, this includes Billboard. • http://www.prometheusgm.com
- 8. Target audience Billboard isnot focused on one specific genre of music and therefore is available to a wider audience. Wikipedia states that “Billboard is intended for music professionals, such as record label executives, artists, music retailers, and radio DJs - although it is generally considered a business-to-business magazine -.” The Billboard magazine is also read by many young people, usually aged 15-25 who are interested in music, news, celebrities, etc., therefore although the content of the magazine may be business based, it contains many features in order to attract a younger audience, such as celebrity endorsement. For example, the front cover on the right has a very influential young singer as the main image. On the other hand, even though the celebrity is young, it suggests that Billboard is not for children, as she holds a provoking attitude, which would not be suitable for a younger audience.
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- 10. Masthead & Strapline Thepopularity of Billboard is evident in the masthead, which is covered by the model making it not completely readable, this implies that readers of the magazine do not need to read the full masthead in order to still purchase it. Above the title, the strapline gives names of many artists, this could be so that all tastes and preferences are pleased; if the reader is not interested in one artist, the strapline shows others that may be of their interest so that they do not resent in purchasing the magazine. The colours between the letters break the elegant and sophisticated look, this is a common feature of Billboard, even though the layout may vary, the colours of the masthead are always the same, which could be another reason for the strong brand presence this magazine pursues.
- 11. Main image The imagewithin the cover presents an elegant picture of the worldwide singer, Taylor Swift. Due to the sophistication and elegance of the model, along with her personality and music genre, this front cover would appeal to teenage girls/young women. Her body language, direct mode of address and dominant colour (red background) with her pale skin, make the cover stand out amongst others. A second audience is being attracted through the use of a public icon, this is because fans of Taylor Swift may purchase the magazine because she is in the cover, even if they are not usual readers/buyers.
- 12. Colour scheme The samecolour scheme is maintained throughout, with mainly three colours – red, yellow and white – constructing the front cover. This is seen in almost all Billboard front covers – as illustrated by the secondary images –, there is a particular colour scheme for each product, and even though the colours may vary from one cover to the other, they are always kept the same for that specific magazine. This type of layout doesn’t overwhelm the audience’s eyes with a rainbow of colours, and doesn’t make the magazine “funky” or too childish. The colours are another way of pleasing a certain audience. An example is the front cover with Taylor Swift as the model, the colours chosen appeal to both men and women as they are not genre-specific or stereotypical. For example, if the colour scheme was entirely pink, men would hardly be interested in purchasing it.