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.

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.

NME Double Page Spread Review

The image of Lily Allen in the double page spread taken from NME can be interpreted in various ways. You could argue she is dressed very much like a boy, a more masculine style that challenges the expectations of young women in magazines. The checkered shirt is loose and does little to show of her figure or shape, reducing the sexual quality of the image. However, the shirt is only half done up, which then brings back an amount of sensual, sexual feeling, perhaps a small attempt to make this very much rebellious, 'boy-ish' image acceptable and to help it comply with the male gaze. Allen's hair is short, messy and jet-black, again adding to the rebellious, alternative image that is being presented. Her hair could suggest she is playing the role of a challenging teen, perhaps a move from her record label to provoke interest and help young teens relate with her, increasing her fan base, record sales and thus profit. Lily Allen is posing in a sensual manner but this stance is almost completely ineffective as her shirt covers her shape and means she cannot emphasise certain parts of her body. The necklace around her neck could be a sign of wealth and success, which relates to her so far successful and profitable career.

The quotation that dominates the page opposite to Lily Allen is in a striking font style, with bold white letters on black squares, almost like a ransom letter or a piece of child's work. This adds to the rebellious, dangerous image painted of Allen and suggests, as a ransom letter does, bad things could happen, possibly signifying Allen's opposition to conformity. The quote contains the words "People think..." which is very typical of a teenagers, who often complains about the prejudice they suffer. She claims to be "honest" which is also a very teenage trait. 

The text is much more organised and in a consistent sans serif font, with a bold "I" to signify the start of the article. This is almost the house style for NME, judging by their logo. Her name is highlighted in red in the blurb-like text underneath the quotation, emphasising that the article is about her. The red signifies danger, passion and perhaps love, emotions most teenagers would claim to have or are perceived to have.

NME Cover Review

The title of 'NME' is in a pink font, a change from the old red, all encompassing title that is normally used, as this edition is a special edition cover. The pink shows a movement towards a more feminine feel, which relates to the cover star, Rihanna. The title is dominant and surprisingly is in front of the image instead of behind, which may just be due to the change in colour affecting its brand and the ability for the standard reader to recognise the title if it were behind the image.

Next to the title is a hook. The hook says "Introducing the new NME" and the underneath "4 of 10 Special Edition Covers". The use of the buzzwords "new" and "Special Edition" help attract the reader and create excitement or more interest in the magazine. The use of the statistic "4 of 10" demonstrates to the reader that there is more that just this edition and could propel the reader towards collecting all 10 editions.

The lead story or cover line of "Rihanna" is also in bright pink, in the same font as the NME title. This is again relating to the femininity of the cover. The other cover line is also in the same bold, pink font and I think this emphasises the uniqueness and speciality of the edition. It shows that this edition is a striking change from the normal cover's look. 

The placement of Rihanna's name on here chest, over a rather restrained top shows a surprising lack of sexuality in the image, something often tied with Rihanna's image. She stills satisfies the male gaze and is in a rather provocative pose but it is fair to say the whole image is very safe for a character like Rihanna. Her top is very masculine in its fit and the shoulders and cut of it give her a much more male-like shape to the top half of her body which challenges the perceptions of not only her but the magazine's special edition which is filled with pink and feminine statements. The bird on her shoulder and the skirt she is wearing are both blue, as is her eye make-up, the colour contrasting, stereotypically, to that of the opposite sex, pink. This again challenges perceptions. The skirt she wears is mostly cut out of the shot which again reduces the sexuality of the shot. Rihanna is however wearing a pink lipstick and nailvarnish that matches the other pink on the page. You could suggest that the cover is one that shows how women can be powerful, dominant and have other stereotypically masculine qualities and yet still be sexy and satisfy the male gaze. The bird creature on her shoulder is also in blue and this suggests it is masculine, as most bird tamers, as such, are men and therefore this further challenges the stereotypes of sex and suggests that Rihanna can tame a bird and have control over it. The bird is however shiny, like it is encrusted with diamonds, giving a feminine touch too.

Underneath the lead cover line is a quote from Rihanna's interview which says "You need people who aren't afraid to tell you when you're f**king up". The text is in a contrasting serif font, which is white on black, standing out to the reader. The use of the word "you" addresses the reader and helps place the reader in Rihanna's shoes and make them want to know more about her situation. The use of the swear word, "f**king", with the middle two letters starred out creates drama and suspicion, and gives a rebellious, almost nonconforming view of her. However most of us do swear and therefore we can relate to her. Going back to the challenging of the sexes, swearing is a slightly more masculine trait and therefore she is again challenging her sex.

The menu strip to the left names many different artists from different genres and this opens up the broadness of the NME audience and shows there is something for everyone.