This document summarizes the results of a questionnaire and focus group conducted to gather information about the target audience for a new music magazine. The questionnaire was completed by 20 women who listen to R&B and hip hop music and provided data on their reading habits, spending habits, favorite artists and topics for a music magazine. A focus group with 3 R&B fans discussed two existing magazine covers and provided feedback. Key findings from both efforts will inform decisions about pricing, cover design, featured artists and content for the new magazine.

1. Questionnaire/Focus group Analysis
In order to find out more about my target audience, I carried out a
questionnaire. My questionnaire was only given out to women/girls who
listened to R&B and Hip Hop, this made the results more accurate as there
would be no point handing it out to rock or classical fans. It featured a variety
of open questions, to allow the participant to express themselves and think
deeper in to music, it also featured a variety of closed questions which made it
quicker to fill out and also making it easier to analyse and put it in to statistics.
I handed the questionnaire out to 20 people, making the results more
representative of women who listen to R&B.
The first question of the questionnaire was written to find out how often my
target audience read magazines. The results are displayed below.
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Every week every month occassionally never
From this I can conclude that most of them read them on a monthly basis,
therefore, my magazine will be a monthly issue.

2. I also found out that 60% of the people I handed the questionnaire to said they
would spent between £2-£3 on a magazine, this has also helped me on
deciding how much to sell my magazine for. 80% of the people to who I
handed the questionnaire were fans of R&B only; the other 20% ticked the Hip
Hop genre box. This shows that there is a connection between R&B and Hip
Hop, those who like R&B music also show some interest towards hip hop, and
therefore I will be presenting a few Hip Hop artists in my magazine.
In result of the question: “on magazine front covers, what grabs your attention
the most?” it concluded that many of the participants are attracted by similar
features. 50% said the main image, 35% said the heading/name of magazine
and 15% said font, colour or quotes from article (sell-lines). From this, I will
bear in mind to make my main image attractive and heading bold and eye
catching.
The content inside the magazine is one of the most important elements to
consider when creating a magazine, if audiences do not like the topics within
the magazine they will not buy it, that is why I asked what topics my target
audiences would like to see in a magazine. The results are in the chart below.
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

3. This shows that the interviews, posters and fashion are the most popular
topics women like in a music magazine. I will be having an interview on my
double page spread as it is the most favoured, and I will be having a “mystery
R&B artist” poster nearer to the end of the magazine.
I also wanted to find out how strongly music features in people’s lives. One
being the least and ten being the most. I was amazed by my results as the
average number lied between 8 and 9.
Other than main image, I needed to find out what other artists my target
audience like, which I could include in my front cover as featured article
photos. The most common names given were one direction, Mary J Blige,
Rihanna, Jay Sean and Beyonce. I will be using some of these artists in my
magazine.
The purpose of music is also important, why do people listen to music? So in
my questionnaire I asked to describe what music means to them in one word,
so that I can fulfil it. The words I gained were similar, the main ones were:
Inspirational
Love
World
Passion
Rhythm
Relaxation
Beauty
Life
Music magazines are different from lifestyle and other magazines. They are
more inspirational and focus on the success of celebrities rather than gossip
about them. They feature role models we can look up to and interviews of
artists and most of all, it is dedicated to music.
As well as a questionnaire, I carried out a focus group on 3 people who like
R&B. This allowed me to receive more in depth and open answers.

4. Focus group
I presented them with 2 front covers, one with Beyonce from Vibe, and the
other from Top of the Pops. The aim of this was to find out the opinions and
knowledge of my target audience in detail.
Vibe Magazine – the girls could instantly tell that this magazine is a Hip Hop
magazine. They knew this because of the simplicity, language used such as
“Beyonce strips down.” Also, bold font is used, with vibrant colours such as red
and black. Beyonce is a Hip Hop/R&B artist which also reflects on the genre. At
the top of this magazine, four names were listed. They included; Ne-Yo, Rich
Boy, Kelly Roland and Fabulous. These are also artists which reflect the genre
of the magazine.
The first thing that caught the group’s eye was the model. This was due to her
seductive pose, which encouraged them to be like her and share her beauty.
They thought that Beyonce was displayed as a ‘sex object’ in the front cover of
the magazine due to her seductive/wet look. Also the fact Beyonce is a very
successful artist, and well known which intrigues audience and gets them
excited that they know who she is. Another thing that caught their eye was the
heading of the magazine (mast head) as it is big and bold, also the fact that the
name of the magazine is well known.
The font should be attractive as well as readable so audiences can read
without struggle. It also signifies genre, for example, if Vibe were to use a

5. script font for the heading, they would not get the genre across as quick. Also,
the colours should be attractive to lure in audiences and signal genre as well.
top of the pops magazine – the name of the magazine instantly signifies
genre as it has ‘Pop’ in the name. The images also reflect on it as it uses men
that belong to a Pop genre, in this case one direction, Zac Efron and JLS. They
are handsome, clean cut men who are posing in a non confrontation way
which shows that they do not belong to an aggressive genre such as rock or
rap. The words used determine target audience as well as genre. For example,
“OMG” and “Lush Lads Stripped” all imply a younger audience as adults would
not understand this language (mode of address).
The first thing that catches their eyes is the handsome band at the front and
the pink and purple colours used. The colours should be attractive otherwise it
would make this magazine lose its purpose as well as its audience. The
magazine uses a variety of different, eye catching fonts which are easy to read
and stand out.
Vibe or top of the pops?
Two of the girls in my focus group said they would more likely to by the Vibe
magazine as it suits the music they like and interests them more, as it is more
inspirational. However, one of the girls said she preferred the top of the pops
magazine as she found the men in the cover very good looking and the sell-
lines were more interesting. Being R&B fans, they would like a top 10 chart
each month of R&B only. Text which is feminine would also be pleasant for
them and match their personalities. Images of ‘hot’ men would also attract the
three girls I carried out my focus group on.
.
Conclusion
From carrying out both the questionnaire and focus group I have gained a lot
of useful information about my target audience which will help me in the
production of my magazine and make it a success.