Research: Contents #3

This contents page is a single A4, and consists of one image and consists of 17 story line, 12 of which are regulars and 5 or features of the article which are in a larger font on the right side of the image. The title of “Jazzwise” is san serif and is in grey but the title beneath is serif and is in both pink and grey. All the articles are written in san serif but the sub heading stating regulars of features is written in serif.

The only logo that is on this contents page is the “Jazzwise” but other than that it lacks brand identity.

I think the target audience is females due to these colours I would say this contents page appeals to women as the recognisable features are the pink and purple house style and the simplicity of the background and image.

This page links to the genre as it is a Jazz genre and has a black female which is stereo typically what the audience would expect from a jazz magazine, however other than that I do not feel there is much link to the genre.

There are two columns of text, and the page numbers vary in size depending on if they are regulars or features, but I would estimate that they are 16, and 32. They are placed to the left corner of the article summary.

The image is a medium close up shot of a black woman looking directly into the camera, the model has dark eyes and hair, and a purple lipstick which matches the colour of the font. The model is wearing a white outfit which almost blends in with the very light pink background.

How this research has influenced my planning and creativity
Although I am not doing a Jazz genre and I am doing bhangra I will use this research to provide me with ideas. For example I like the organisation of this contents page and the two column clearly states if the articles are regulars in this magazine or features. I would use an image similar to this to display my genre better as it uses red which is a traditional Indian colour and the bracelets also show the culture.

Research: Front cover #7: Billboard and images of female singers

It is very difficult to find front covers of music magazines of the Bhangra genre. I love this edition of Billboard as her costume is artistic and she represents a traditional woman but also appears fun and confident. Perkins said "Stereotypes are not simple" and this is going to be so true for my magazine. I want to use this style however, my model will be of Indian descent.

The image of Katy Perry is not stereotypical and we rarely see her looking so feminine and often see her as an independent fierce character however this is the oppostite. Her star image is quite different here and the use of pink develops the connotations of femininity.

The visual sign [Barthes] of the flowers signify nature, pretty girls, romance and they work with her gentle facial expression.

I also like the way the fonts have remained consistent throughout and are only different for "Katy Perry" "Sheryl Crow" and "Charl Heat". This cover contains 7 cover stories, and i like the placement of each story as it doesnt take the attention of Katy Perry.

She still has an essence of sexuality and voyeurism due to her make up and short dress however her pose is quite coy and innocent.

I actually really like the layout of this front cover, the head over the masthead, the features on the left hand side.
I dislike the placement of the puff and there is no barcode. I would possibly move the puff to the bottom left and have the barcode on the right side in the bottom corner. There are only 7 features which isn't many for a younger TA, I may add a banner across the bottom so I could add features and links to other technology eg itunes and facebook.

The image I would like for this magazine would be like Mamta Mohandas. She is very popular and extremely beautiful. Her hair and make up is exactly what I want for my front cover image.

I am now considering the location for my shot. I need to choose my model and my location so i can plan my photo shoot.

Research: institutions #6: Bauer Media

Bauer has a younger image that would appeal to my TA.

They target niche and mass markets.  Their TA research is superb. The Millenials are my TA.

"They have the highest media consumption of any segment, at an average 66 hours a week, and exhibit the widest range of media behaviours. They are defined as creative and influential, like their voice to be heard – especially online where they are highly active - and follow trends closely."

I really want my magazine to have access to all technology eg apps, ticket master, QR codes etc

They target national markets - the north as well as the south.
In our area, we are close to Hull , the base of Viking radio. This would provide further marketing opportunities.

How research has influenced my decision making

I will definitely choose Bauer for my magazine.
It completely meets the needs of my TA and I feel they would promote a new specialist magazine better than any other smaller company. They have links to other media and therefore can distribute it more widely.

Research: Institutions #5: Seymour distribution

Seymour Distribution have an international data base so should I choose Blaze to produce my magazine then I would need to use

 Seymour to distribute it.


How my research has informed my decision making

This would be quite difficult for a new niche magazine and I now feel that I need a bigger company that could both produce and distribute it.

Research: Institutions #4: Struti

"Sruti is an English language magazine on the performing arts and Indian music and dance, published from Chennai, India."

30-Yr-Old Sruti Music Magazine Hits Right Pitch

There is an interesting article about the appeal of Sruti.
"The magazine also touched south Indians living elsewhere. Executive editor S Janaki remembers reading it while living in Dhanbad in Jharkhand. “The salary was meagre at first but I stayed on because we were documenting the arts. Getting to know legends like dancers Padma Subrahmanyam, Sonal Mansingh and Vyjayanthimala Bali was great,” says Janaki, who is also a Bharatanatyam dancer. - See more at: http://www.sanmargroup.com/latest-updates/30-yr-old-sruti-music-magazine-hits-right-pitch/#sthash.elKs91me.dpuf"

This implies there is a market for my magazine globally. They are looking for more subscribers "The magazine, which survived a lean period following Pattabhi Raman’s death in 2002, is now owned by the Sanmar Group and is trying to win more subscribers. - See more at: http://www.sanmargroup.com/latest-updates/30-yr-old-sruti-music-magazine-hits-right-pitch/#sthash.elKs91me.dpuf"

http://www.sanmargroup.com/latest-updates/30-yr-old-sruti-music-magazine-hits-right-pitch/

Unfortunately, the Sanmar Group do not seem to publicise or market the magazine any longer.

Research: Institutions #3: Blaze Publishing

Straight away I was impressed with Blaze. They are forward thinking and have recently moved into music magazines. They a re an independent company who specialise in niche magazines.








They currently only have four music magazines:

Accoustic, Drummer, Base, IDrum.

They do attend events but they don't seem to have many technologies that would appeal to my TA.

Research: Institutions #2

There are very few institutions that produce and distribute music magazines of the Indian/ Bhangra genre. However, I want to sell my magazine to a wider market. My TA is young teens and young adults who possibly are not of the Indian culture. I believe there is a huge gap in the market for this music genre.

Blender (magazine)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Blender

Issue 2.1 from 1995, featuring Björk
Editor in Chief	Joe Levy
Categories	Music
Frequency	10 times per year
First issue	1994
Final issue	April 2009
Company	Alpha Media Group
Country	United States
Based in	New York
Language	English
Website	Blender.com
OCLC number	34610465

"Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities. It compiled lists of albums, artists, and songs, including both "best of" and "worst of" lists. In each issue, there was a review of an artist's entire discography, with each album being analyzed in turn.

Blender was published by Dennis Publishing. "

This may be worth looking into as they may be interested in producing a new music magazine of my chosen genre. 

Owner Alpha Media Group closed Blender magazine March 26, 2009, going to an online-only format in a move that eliminated 30 jobs and reduced the company's portfolio of titles to Maxim alone. 

However, i need to go straight to Alpha Media - if this does not seem fruitful then perhaps i could try to encourage a more global Media Institution to publish my magazine. 

Magazine institutions that appeal to my TA are :

Bauer

IPC

Seymour

Anthem Publishing

The following are niche:

Blaze

Rhinegold [ link to performing arts] 

Goldkey

Blender did produce an Indian edition

Blender India

Priyanka Chopra on the November 2008 cover of the Indian edition of Blender
Editor in Chief	Sam Lal[3]
Categories	Music
Publisher	Piyush Sharma[4]
First issue	May 2008
Company	Dennis Media Transasia India
Country	India
Based in	New Delhi
Language	English

"It commenced publication with its May 2008 issue, which featured Mariah Carey on the cover.^[5][6] The magazine was targeted at educated male city dwellers age 18-34.^[4] The magazine was launched through Dennis Media Transasia India, a joint venture between Dennis Publishing and Media Transasia,^[7] which also publishes the Asian versions of Blender and Maxim.^[8] The joint venture was based in New Delhi^[9] with offices in Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai."

Ironically this magazine was targeting males. My magazine will target males and females.