market research

My own personal interest in rock music is quite great and therefore i would obviously be enticed into picking up and reading a magazine focused upon this genre, But i realise my own opinions and personal preferences are not share by a vast audience in consideration of this i have decided to do some research into the Sales figures, circulation and consumers of magazines which have the same content to see if i am creating a product which would draw in a real market niché which already exists.

In order to gather my required information regarding the circulation and sales figures for the magazine kerrang! which has a wide cult following.
"Target audience
Kerrang! has a weekly circulation of 70,000, and a readership of approximately 542,000.
The core target audience for Kerrang! is 15-24 year olds with a 60:40 male/female split.
Kerrang! readers are sharp, individualistic and above all fanatical about their music, buying on average 31 CD albums a year.
Kerrangs! readers are immencely loyal and have created a cult following, In essence this courpourate identity creates a club in which people who would normally be considered "different" with a sense of community allowing them too hold the concept there are other people with the same taste in music as them."This shows that the magazines containing this music genre are usually seen as "alternative magazines" have been able to break into the mainstream and now play a vital role in the publicising of rock music.

Considering this research i have gathered i believe there is a real market my magazine would appeal to and therefore my chosen genre is suitable and has potential marketability.

research - already on the market

In this post i aim to decode the conventions of existing magazines already on offer on the market. I will dissect what makes these front covers aesthetically professional and what makes them attract their target audiences.

Firstly I am going to analyse the front cover of popular indie rock magazine NME :

This magazine cover has achieved a look that represents rock indie music, this has been achieve by creating a messy collage of things we stereotypically associate with this genre of music, the iconography is laid out in an uncontrolled manner and this chaos is associated with rock music so this convention establishes the magazine firmly in it's genre and makes it appeal to its target audience of indie/rock music followers.

The text in this cover plays a key role in anchoring the images and also gives an idea of contence with in the magazine. The main text "The Greatest Indie Anthems Ever" has been centered and is in a bold typeface that grabs attention of the reader immediately, this instantly gives the reader information on what to expect from the magazine.

The sub heading under the main heading has been placed on the magazine cover at a canted angle again adding to the disorganised urban look of the magazine.

The logo plays a key role in every magazine, it creates a sense of corporate identity, the logo has been created using a colour scheme that occurs offten in logos of magazine (red and white) this is because these colours are bold and draw attention. I will consider this key convention when creating my magazine.

Initial idea - plan

My initial aim in this project is to create a authentic looking magazine that is focused upon unsigned up and coming rock bands, my reason to base my magazine on this genre is that i think there is a niche market that would subscribe to this magazine. this audience would be any one who has a keen interest in rock music and those wanting to discover new bands.

I aim to research current magazines that focus upon bands with out a record label, i know already of orange unsigned act, this is a well noted magazine that has accumulated a vast following, i will take some of the key conventions that have made this magazine so successful and attempt to apply them to my project to create a final piece that is aesthetically professional looking.

In order for my magazine to be successful it must have a unique selling point, some thing that isn't already on offer in the current market, i believe that looking at obscure unsigned acts is a niche genre that is often ignored in mainstream music magazine so my magazine will address this genre.

As for content I aim to create a front cover high lighting the main double page spread of the magazine, a content page informing what articles the magazine will include and also a double page spread exploring an unsigned up and coming act, for this i will interview and photograph a friends band that i know. I realise from looking at existing magazines on the market that conventions such as layout, colour scheme, imagery, logos, photos and anchoring play a key role in attracting an audience so i will reserch these conventions carefully and apply my finding to my project in aim to create a convincing and authentic looking final product.