IPC has published magazines targeting various audiences over the years, including magazines focused on men's lifestyle, women's lifestyle, sports, music, and home & lifestyle. In the 1800s, their magazines targeted wealthy audiences. In the early 1900s, they launched women's magazines targeting housewives and wealthy women. They launched their first music magazine called NME in the 1950s, targeting people in the music industry and fans of indie music. In 1969 they launched a football magazine targeting sports fans. They would be a suitable publisher for a new indie/rock music magazine as they only publish one such magazine currently, NME. An alternative like Bauer would also be suitable as they publish magazines across different music genres like rap.

1. Task 4 What types of magazine and target audiences has IPC been associated with over the years? IPC has been associated with magazines such as Men’s lifestyle, Women’s lifestyle, sports, music and home & lifestyle magazines. In the 1800’s IPC launched the magazine ‘The Field’, which featured 24 pages. Other titles also followed such as ‘Country Life’, ‘Horse and Hound’, the target audiences associated for these magazines were rich people because in the 1800’s only rich people will be going to horse and hound events and shooting games. In the early 1900’s IPC launched there first Woman’s weekly magazine and also a ‘Homes and garden’ magazine, the audiences associated for these types of magazines were house wife’s or rich women who had a lot of free time in there hands. In 1920’s Odhams Launched a magazine similar to ‘homes and garden’ which was called ‘ideal home’. In the 1950’s IPC launched there first music magazine ‘NME’ which told the audience about the UK record chart, the audience associated for this will be people who are in the music industry or enjoy indie music. In 1969 IPC launched there first football magazine ‘Shoot’, audience associated for this are people who enjoy there sports and mainly football. In the 1990’s IPC launched ‘what’s on TV’ and is now the UK’s best selling magazine for TV the audience associated for this magazine are people who are interested in drama and mainly working class people. NME also was the first magazine to make website which become Europe’s most popular music website. In 2000 IPC also launched a woman’s magazine ‘pick me up’ with a £6 million marketing investment, the audience associated for this magazine would be working class woman.

2. Why might IPC be an appropriate publisher for a new music magazine? What sorts of genres of music/types of magazines might they be likely to publish? Why might alternative published like Bauer be appropriate? IPC would be appropriate for a new music magazine as is only publishes one Indie rock style music magazine which is ‘NME’, they are likely to publish Indie Rock music magazines and not magazines which will probably be related to rap/hip hop. Alternate publisher like Bauer would appropriate to publish a new music magazine because it publishes two music magazines which is Q and Kerrang and it doesn’t have a magazine which is related to the rap genre. In 1994, the company bought a small magazine called For Him Magazine which is now the core of the best-selling international multi-platform brand FHM and Bauer would be appropriate for my music magazine because it can make it a international magazine and could compete with other magazines such as ‘VIBE’. In 1996, Bauer acquired digital music TV channel The Box , as a route into the small screen business, which has grown into Box Television, a seven channel joint venture TV business with Channel 4, Bauer could be able to publish my magazine and associate it on there music channel which will advertise the magazine and people will be aware of it