The document proposes a new R&B music magazine targeted at teenagers and young adults aged 16-26. It will be published monthly and feature both established and up-and-coming artists. The magazine aims to emulate the style of Vibe magazine through visual artist profiles and minimal text. Publicity will focus on social media engagement to attract the target youth audience.

1. Proposal for new music
magazine…
BY ZARA CHOUDHRY

2. Genre
 The type of magazine I am considering to create is an RnB music magazine that will focus on a mixture of
well-known high profile artists as well as new and upcoming people. Having this contrast helps to work
towards the value of my magazine of trying to be current and provide my target audience with new,
relevant information about the music industry.
 I feel the sort of audience I am trying to attract would appreciate this style of magazine which is why I
chose it. The RnB genre arguably can be said to dominate the music industry worldwide with a mass
audience and various ways of the music being transmitted via radio and mainly music apps including
Spotify and Tidal. This style is very current, urban and focuses on the growth in African-American music.
 RnB music has a defined cultural aesthetic. In terms of the artists, there is quite a narrow ethnic aspect
however what makes it appealing is its broad target audience making this particular style quite
welcoming regardless of cultural aspects.

3. Frequency
 I plan on publishing my magazine each month because this means more content
can be included as there is more to cover over the course of a month. The
downfall of publishing every week would be that there wouldn’t be as much to
talk about or discuss. Publishing monthly means I can use other forms of
communication including social media to build the anticipation of the magazine
being released and giving insights into what will be included to create excitement
for the target audience.
 The frequency will impact the content as it will consist of more pages compared to
a weekly published magazine and it can cover music events, controversial topics
and highlight the most talked about aspects of the month.

4. Target audience
 I would like to aim my magazine at teenagers and young adults so specifically within the age
range of 16-26. This is because I feel this age range have more of connection with the aspects
of the RnB industry in terms of how they are more likely to want to be part of the latest fashion
trends and be interested in the most upcoming and current music. This type of audience are
likely to revolve their lives around current affairs and finding alternative ways to define
themselves and create a specific self-image. From my survey that was taken by mostly 16-17
year olds, it was clear that the majority use social media very frequently and had a larger
interest in an RnB artist like Beyoncé compared to a pop artist like Kesha.
 This shows more people in this particular age range care about keeping up to date with what is
happening within the music industry and are more interested in the lives of high profile RnB
artists which is why they would benefit from this magazine.
 There is also no specific dominant gender within the target audience and this will be established
through the monotone and neutral use of colours and display.

5. Similar magazines
 When I thought about creating my magazine, I was thinking a lot about Vibe magazine as I had always been drawn to the way they glorify
their high profile artists using a direct serious studio shot. Also I admired how they present current stories in bold, vibrant typography. The
artist they feature is always relevant to the main article you will find inside. I appreciate the vbery loud use of colours and the defined
aspects of the page, however also Vibe managed to keep it simplistic and not throw the reader off which is effective for their similar target
audience to my magazine.
 Their contents is similarly very simplistic with minimal text and more focus being brought to the studio shot on the featured artists showing
how visuals have more of an impact on an audience.
 The most important aspect of Vibe is the way it alternates its layout, format and design according to what artist they are talking about. It
reflects their values of promoting the style of the artist and wanting to please their celebrities. It emphasises the diversity of the product
and how it aims to keep their audience engaged and not always expecting to see the same thing. Other magazines tend to rely on
consistency to keep their audience engaged however Vibe strays away from this, making it more unique and captivating.
 The lack of consistency could insinuate a lack of embedded identity for the institution as they are not clearly defining themselves. This is
something I will focus on doing more with my magazine to try and create more of an established and recognisable name.

6. Contents
 In terms of content, I aim to include my main feature article which will star my
front cover artists and I am planning to have it discuss their rise to fame and a
personal interview with the artist themselves.
 Vibe include very minimal text within the articles and capture their audience with
the use of quality studio shots of high-profile musicians which is what I wish to
base my contents on.
 I also want to be able to publicise aspects of social media and current events
relating to the music industry such as music awards and ceremonies to represent
the magazine as current, up to date and symbolic of the values of the company.

7. Ideas
 At the point in my planning, I have a clear idea of how I want my front cover to look. It will hopefully
feature a person of Caribbean ethnicity as a way of representing the cultural aspect of RnB. I want my
issue to be of a serious tone so a direct address from the person on my cover will help achieve this and
the use of a monotone grey colour scheme could create a mysterious tone. However, to highlight the
significant features and storylines, I will use bolder and more vibrant colours to contrast the overall
theme and make the magazine engaging for my target audience.
 For my feature article, I have an idea to base the story on how my artist has risen to fame and achieved
a ‘most influential artist’ award and how he feels about his achievement. What the future holds/ how
his life has changed.
 The images I am taking will be studio shots and try to reflect sophistication through the use of smart
attire and body language.
 I want to be able to create an entertaining mood but the seriousness of the mood hopefully will reflect
the values of the magazine company in regards to being known for taking music and artists seriously
and defining the importance of the industry.

8. Publicity
 Publicity is an important part of creating he magazine and attracting a niche audience,
especially a younger audience who have more involvement in social media.
 In order to make my target audience aware of the magazine and ensure their interest, I
plan to constantly display information about how the readers can follow us on social
media sites including Twitter, Snapchat etc. The way the magazine writes and displays
itself on social media reflects the style and mood of the magazine itself which will
hopefully draw more readers in. It also, arguably, is the easiest way for a younger
audience to follow the current affairs the magazine will offer.
 Other ways of publicising the product can be through monthly subscription deals
however personally I feel this wont be an engaging selling point for my particular
audience as they are likely to be leading busier lives so they are less likely to engage in
this.