2. BLUMLER & KATZ (1974)
They both suggested that people use the media to satisfy
their needs. This is called ‘The Four Needs theory’. It
has four main parts;
1. Escape and diversion from everyday life
2. Surveillance and information
3. Personal relationships
4. Personal identity

3. ESCAPE & DIVERSION
1. Music magazine and websites can provide an
escape from people’s own everyday life; the
audience can get involved with different
artists and stories; they can get carried away
with drama or excitement and forget about
their own lives and worries for a while.

4. SURVEILLANCE & INFORMATION
2. Music magazines and websites provide
various kinds of information about
music, artists and the music business
itself so the audience can learn things,
and find out what is happening ‘out
there’.

5. PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
3. The audience can chat to each other
about music, artists, events and stories,
sharing opinions and information and so
on. It provides an opportunity for social
interaction.

6. PERSONAL IDENTITY
4. Some audience members can compare
themselves with people in the stories,
imagining how they would react in similar
circumstances. Some people like to identify
with a type of music and describe themselves
as ‘Metal’ fan or a ‘Rap’ fan, for example.

7. MODE OF ADDRESS
Look at the mode of address – language and images
that treat the readers as
knowledgeable/colloquial/informal language –
allows the audience to relate to the contents, so
they’ll be more likely to buy the product. Obviously,
this depends on the magazine. The mode of address
of Top of The Pops magazine is different to Mojo,
which in turn, is different to NME.

8. INTERACTIVITY
Think how significant these points become when
you stress the interactivity aspect point three.
Magazines to take this interactivity further;
you need to think of ways that your magazine
will allow for interaction between fans,
between fans and the magazine and, in some
cases, between fans and the artists.

9. INTERACTIVITY
The editor of Kerrang!, James McMahon, went on Twitter
to ask fans about who should go on the cover of their
new music special. He’s also invited demos from new
bands and applications from aspiring writers. This is a
great example of how music magazines keep their
audience by engaging them, infiltrating their daily lives
and making them feel like they have a say in what
happens.

10. INTERACTIVITY & WEBSITES
Think what a website can offer – flash and streaming technology allows the
audience to watch videos and listen to music; music can be downloaded,
legally or illegally; sites can offer audio interviews, links to social network
sites where reviews are posted straight after a gig or a listening session – or
indeed, during either thanks to smartphone technology – pictures can be
uploaded instantaneously; content can be continually updated – even by the
second; AND flash technology offers a better platform for advertisers than
the static print media. Music magazine websites, fan and critic blogs, band
websites, social networking sites devoted to artists are part of Web 2.0
media. In other words, instead of the static pages that dotted the early web
landscape (and the pages of the print magazines, of course), they’re
interactive with the user.