Style Sheet

Pitch Feedback

I pitched my idea for my music magazine to a group of people and recieved both positive feedback and constructive criticism.

Here is the positive feedback:

"Good idea to challenge stereotypes"

"Good name, good price"

"Good idea for double page spread challenging stereotypes in the genre; good price for a monthly issue"

Here is the negative feedback:

"Colour scheme sounds a little off or obscure"

"Have research behind certain ideas"

"Don't like the name, maybe consider a change? It is, however, amusing"

What are the Strengths of the Pitch?
The pitch went relatively smoothly. I felt I spoke confidently and was clear when I spoke. I think I responded to questions well and accepted constructive critisicm strongly. The comments told me my idea for a double page spread was definately a strong point of my pitch. The feedback also told me my price was very reasonable and it can be backed up by my research. Interestingly, I recieved both positive and negative comments on the name of the magazine, 'Drip Drop'.


What are the Weaknesses of the Pitch?
I did originally forget to mention one of the key points of my pitch, the price, but as soon as I realised I corrected my error. One key weakness, as supported by one of my comments, was a lack of research or mentioning of reasearch to back up my ideas and decisions. The other two comments I recieved were very much subjective and down to personal opinion.

What are the Strengths of the Planning?
My survey provided me with a platform to back up my ideas and helped me make decisions on key things, such as price, genre and features.  

What are the Weaknesses of the Planning?
In hindsight, I should have researched my double page spread more and had more evidence to back up ideas behind it. I also probably should have analysed more magazines of the same genre so my magazine would be able to take inspirition from similar concepts.

Pitch for Music Magazine

My magazine will be called ‘Drip Drop’, a reference to ‘Hip Hop’, 'drip dropping' the latest news and reviews on Hip Hop and RnB, the genres my magazine will centre around. The magazine will be aimed mostly at 16-24 year olds.

The style of the magazine will be slightly classier and more mature than the average magazine aimed at this age group, almost like a young person’s Rolling Stone. The magazine will use sans serif fonts throughout. The house style will be light blue, gold and white, with potential for use of black to add gravitas. The front cover will have a light blue title, white background and gold cover lines.

The magazine will cost £3.99. This is the higher end of the prices people who took my survey said they’d be willing to spend, maximizing profit. The magazine will be released monthly. In each edition there will be around 80 pages.

Some sample article ideas include a piece on a white cover artist challenging racial stereotypes in the predominantly black world of hip hop, album and gig reviews and a chart. I could also include a feature on up and coming artists in the genre. The magazine would also include competitions and adverts.

The lead article or double page spread will be an interview with the cover star, a white artist challenging racial stereotypes in hip hop. The article will cover their music, past, present, future and the adversities they have faced.

The magazine will include simple images, equidistant from each other and the text and tidily set out. My lead interview with the white cover star will feature a full page image as well as other smaller images.

Interview

This is the interview I recorded using the interview questions from my previous post. The interview is part of my audience research and gives me added guidance as to the pitch and ideas for my magazine.

Questions for Interview

These were the questions I used for my recorded interview, part of my audience research:

1. Do you have a job?

2. What do you spend your spare money on?

3. What do you like to do in your free time?

4. What genres of music do you like/listen to and why?

5. What are your other interests?

6. Do you read music magazines, if so which ones? (If not, what music magazines are you itnerested in?)

7. Do you regularly buy or read music magazines and if so why?

8. How much are you willing to pay for a magazine?

9. What do you like to see in/on a magazine?

10. Where do you buy your magazines?

Flat Plan - Contents Page Draft Layout

Flat Plan - Front Page Draft Layout

Flat Plan - Double Page Spread Draft Layout

Survey Results - How much would you be willing to pay for a magazine?

This graph shows the results from my questionnaire on SurveyMonkey. These are the results for the question: 'How much would you be willing to pay for a magazine?'.

The results to this question show a solid spread of answers but the category that just comes out on top is '£3.00-£3.99' and therefore I should consider placing my magazine on the market for the upper end of this range, maximizing profit margins and still satisfying customers.

Survey Results - Where do you buy your magazines?

This graph shows the results from my questionnaire on SurveyMonkey. These are the results for the question: 'Where do you buy your magazines?'.

The results show that a large number (66%) of the people that took my survey buy their magazines from supermarkets, and therefore I should consider aiming to place my magazine in supermarkets and also potentially newsagents.

Survey Results - Which music magazines, if any, do you read?

This graph shows the results from my questionnaire on SurveyMonkey. These are the results for the question: 'Which music magazines, if any, do you read?'.

The results to this question show that NME and Rolling Stone are the two most read music magazines as regards to my survey takers. The styles of these magazines should be taken into account when considering the style of mine as the majority of the people that took my survey fall in to my target audience.

Survey Results - What attracts you most to buy a magazine?

This graph shows the results from my questionnaire on SurveyMonkey. These are the results for the question: 'What attracts you most to buy a magazine?'.

The results show that interviews, images and offers are key things to place on the front cover of my magazine in order to attract buyers.

Survey Results - What genres of music do you enjoy?

This graph shows the results from my questionnaire on SurveyMonkey. These are the results for the question: 'What genres of music do you enjoy?'.

The results here were also quite spread. 'Dance' received the most votes closely followed by 'rock'. 'Hip Hop' and 'RnB' are two genres that could be merged in a magazine and therefore should also be considered as a highly sought-after option for my magazine.

Survey Results - What genres of magazine do you read?

This graph shows the results from my questionnaire on SurveyMonkey. These are the results for the question: 'What genres of magazine do you read?'.

Again here I saw a spread of results, with fashion coming out on top. This could be explained by the fact more females took my survey than men. Having decided on a music magazine, I will perhaps have to look at the concepts that make other rival genre magazines attractive.

Survey Results - How often do you read magazines?

This graph shows the results from my questionnaire on SurveyMonkey. These are the results for the question: 'How often do you read magazines?'.

The answers here were relatively well spread, but we did see 10 pick the option of 'slightly often'.

Survey Results - Please describe your race/ethnicity.

This graph shows the results from my questionnaire on SurveyMonkey. These are the results for the question: 'Please describe your race/ethnicity'.

The results show that 16 of the people who took my survey were White (British), with all other groups selected in the survey only represented by one person. This should be considered when decided who to aim my magazine at.

Survey Results - How old are you?

This graph shows the results from my questionnaire on SurveyMonkey. These are the results for the question: 'How old are you?'.

The survey results show that 13 people in the age bracket of 0-16 took the survey, 5 in the 17-24 bracket and 3 in the 50+ bracket. This suggests that the age group to aim my magazine at is likely to fall somewhere between the 0-16 and 17-24 categories.

Survey Results - Are you male or female?

This graph shows the results from my questionnaire on SurveyMonkey. These are the results for the question: 'Are you male or female?'.

The results show that 8 males and 10 females took my survey. 3 chose not to answer the question. This suggests a fairly even split in gender and I may consider this when deciding whether to aim my magazine at a particular gender or not.

Secondary Audience Research

NME Magazine

This graph is taken from the NRS (National Readership Survey) looking at the readership and circulation of NME between January 2003 and December 2011. The graph shows a general decline in readership and circulation, although there are temporary increases in both throughout 2006. The decline in circulation is due to the decline in readership and the decline in readership can be based on a few different factors. Advances in technology will have effected the readership largely, as is evident in NME's decision to branch into TV, internet and radio. Also, we can see a movement into social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and YouTube. This sees NME giving the news and features offered in the magazine in other ways, thus decreasing the readership and circulation figures.

Q Magazine

Q Magazine has a circulation of 89,450 and has a readership of 550,000 as of the start of 2010. This shows the magazine is shifting more units than its competitor NME. A 72% ABC1 reader profile suggest Q's readers are rather affluent and thus inflation and difficult financial times are unlikely to harm the magazines readership. The average age of a reader is 29 and this again backs up the theory that technology is moving in on the magazine market, as younger readers who would bring the average age down are more likely to use the magazine's website and social media to get the content the magazine contains.

Rolling Stone Magazine

A survey of adult (18+) Rolling Stone magazine readers shows a rather large 30% of readers fall into the 18-24 age bracket. The readership proportion then decreases with each increase in age bracket but there is still an impressive 12% of readers aged 55+. This shows a broad range in ages of Rolling Stone readers. An average age of 32.2 demonstrates this and suggests readership is unlikely to fall as dramatically as that of NME due to a more mature audience who are, stereotypically, less likely to embrace advances in technology.

Market Research on Media Institutions

Magazines in the UK are produced by different companies, here are two of the larger producers:

Bauer Media

Bauer Media contribute to the media through many different channels including magazines, television and radio. The genre of magazines they produce are varied and they don't follow a particular trend. Magazines produced by Bauer include Match!, Digital Photo and Classic Bike, as you can see, a broad range. The music magazines produced by Bauer are 'Q' and 'Kerrang!'. This shows us the that the demographic for Bauer Media is very broad and they reach an audience of all ages and classes and tastes.

IPC Media

IPC Media supply mostly websites and magazines. The magazines mostly cover lifestyle, culture and home. This shows a diverse production line. The music magazine they do produce is 'NME', a magazine that is difficult to categorize in terms of genre. I would judge IPC Media to have a slightly more mature demographic, yet still relatively open and flexible. 

NME Contents Page Review

The header of the NME contents page features the NME logo, in a similar position to how it is found on the front cover. The header says "This Week" as opposed to contents, which is a slight variation. Underneath we can see in small print the date of release for the magazine. Throughout the whole page the colours white, red and black remain consistent, as does the bold sans serif font.

A less common feature is used down the right hand side, as a long list of all the different bands featured in the magazine tells the reader where they can be found. This shows the diversity of the magazine and variation in genres featured.

The image is of both Gallagher brothers from Oasis playing. We witness a change in font for the phrase "the moment that", this is the only noticeable font change on the page and draws extra attention to it. The central feature to the contents page is almost a mini-article on Oasis' return which is short and easy to read but gives a feel of more to come. It shows a covering of current affairs in the music world. 

Underneath the centrepiece is a black box with text in saying "Subscribe Today Save 33%" which is in yellow text, the only variation from the colour scheme of the page, drawing the reader's attention to it. This is a kind of plug to the reader, offering them a good deal when they look at the contents, drawing them in to buying the magazine.

Down the right hand side is a column giving direction to all the various features. The features are split into categories, like news and reviews, and shows the magazine gives a well-rounded, diverse view on music. Next to the appropriate feature is a red arrow drawing attention to stories and articles mentioned on the cover, giving the reader an easy time finding the articles.

Q Magazine Contents Page Review

The Q Magazine contents page features a header with the 'Q' logo in the same position as it is found on the front cover. The banner at the top tells us that the page is the contents and use a consistent sans serif, bold font throughout. The colours used, black, red and white, maintain the house style of the front page. In the top right is the date and issue number of the magazine.

Down the right hand side is a column that tells the reader where, firstly, the features (unique selling points found on the cover) and in this issue's case, the "Oasis Special", which in itself could be classed as a feature, can be found. At the bottom of this column is a section which shows us where the "every month" components can be found, such as the crossword. 

The main image is of the band The Courteeners, with a cover line over the image telling us the name of the band, the page it can be found on and a quote from the interview, a device to entice the reader with an anecdote. The band are could be classed as rock and this is fitting with image of the magazine and what you would expect to find in the magazine. The image is set in the hills, a field-like scenery that represents the festival association with rock.

At the bottom is a 'Q Review' which gives the reader directions as to where to find the different review articles. The box again follows the house style of the magazine but there is a slight variation with an almost blue wash background, establishing a difference between that particular section and the rest of the magazine.

Rolling Stone Magazine Contents Page Review

 

The contents directly follow the front cover and play a key part in securing the sale of the magazine. The content heading follows the house style of the Rolling Stone magazine and the white on red look gives a classy look and finish to the magazine. The fonts are consistently serif throughout the contents and front cover and maintain three main colours of white, black and red.

Down the left-hand side are three pictures relating to the articles we know are found in the magazine as they are mentioned opposite in the contents. The images are striking in their own ways and can draw the reader in. Once drawn in, the reader can find the article the picture is associated with as the page numbers can be found on the image. The three pictures emphasize the diversity of Rolling Stone magazine. One is of female hip hop artist M.I.A., another is of Led Zepellin band member of Robert Plant and the other picture is of a wild bird in the Gulf of Mexico, suffering from the controversial BP oil spillage of 2010. This shows that the magazine covers different genres of music and also other things, like current affairs. 

The more detailed writing on the right-hand side shows the three main concepts of the magazine: features (stories featured on the cover etc.), national affairs (the news/informative/political issues discussed)  and departments (music and other media forms, like film). The diversity shown in the choice of cover stars for Rolling Stone showed a ranging covering of styles and genres which is reiterated by the different reading offered inside. At the bottom there is a guide to the pages at which different sections start, offering a good guide for the reader to be able to find the articles they wish to see.