EVALUATION

For this project we had to plan and produce a niche music magazine. I chose to create an indie rock music magazine aimed at young males. To develop a professional looking magazine I researched already existing magazines and analysis their conventional features. The first convention I conformed to was having a large title block placed at the top of the page. like the other magazines I observed during my research I made my magazine title big and bold, this is to allow the reader to easily recognise the magazine when under shelving conditions where the front cover may be slightly overlapped. I am aware that on some magazine the central image overlaps the title sometimes even to a point where the letters are barely visible, this is a technique used to focus all attention on the image. I have chosen not to do this because this is only the first issue and viewers are not yet familiar with the look of my title block. Only very popular magazines with an already establish consumer base can afford to not publicize the name of their magazine clearly on the front cover (Kerrang magazine does this very often). Throughout my magazine I have maintained a particular house style. I achieved this by predominantly using the three colours grey, green and white. I have also used the same eroded fonts which I obtained from 1001fonts.com. I chose these particular colours because the darker tones represent an urban environment whilst the green sharply contrasts and looks unique against it, much like how indie music is a source of shinning talent within major cities. I have challenged conventions using my central image, normally on a rock music magazine you would expect to see a more rebellious pose from the artist (similar to Gerard Way’s pose , however here I have used an image where the artist forms a calmer mode of address with the audience. This is to convey him as a normal person rather than a person and put him and the reader on the same level which I hope engages the reader. I aim to create a community between the readers/fans that go out to all the festivals to support small time acts.

Rock in general is a vast and popular music genre that has sparked thrill and excitement within the hearts of the young for many generations. The popularity of rock music spans worldwide and has a very strong influence even in today’s culture. Modern society has been so heavily influenced by the entrance of rock music into the mainstream that even fashion trends and social attitudes have been affected. The music genre of rock being as broad as it is there are many subgenres that fall underneath its title, and each of them influencing their own subculture. The subculture I have aimed to appeal to with my magazine is that created by the Independent (indie) rock subgenre. This subculture, similarly to the many other rock subcultures, takes pride in rebelling against the constraints of society. In the case of this subgenre the artists take pride in maintaining complete control over both their music’s contents and its distribution. They tend not to join large record labels which are more interested in sales and profit rather than just the share fun of creating and sharing music for the sake of expressing individualism. Despite being aimed at a younger age I have decided to write my magazine in a serious manner (A trait more often reserved for a magazine aimed at the older buyer). I believe that most magazines that are aimed at the younger audience are patronising to a degree, and this portrays the younger generation as incapable of engaging with sophisticated text. I wanted to oppose this ideology and present information to my audience in a fun yet educating manner. In my magazine I aimed to portray the artists of indie rock in a positive and acceptable manner, not just to fans but also to people not as acquaint with the genre. My aim is not only to give praise to and promote the good artists but also to let people that might not know much about a band being discussed have an equally informing experience reading through an article. I think I have achieved giving both the hardcore enthusiast and the casual listener of indie the same sense of belonging with my magazine mainly through the way I structured my article. In it I used both proper (“Mike Saunders”) and colloquial terms (“Izzie”) to refer the artist featured in my article.

My magazine is based on the single topic of Indie music. So when researching possible companies that might distribute my product I took into consideration that I need to find a company that is both based in the UK and are known for their niche magazines. At first I considered IPC Media they are an immensely popular publishing company based in the UK, but they are the distributors of the very poplar rock music magazine NME which is a more mainstream rock music magazine that covers many of the subgenres of rock. After my research I concluded that the media institution most likely to distribute a magazine such as mine would be Future. They are the third largest special-interest consumer publisher on the UK news stand and the no.1 licenser and exporter of monthly magazines in the UK. Future publish a number of specialist-interest magazines ranging from the more common interests such as Games, Films and music to even things as mundane as cycling. Their list of already existing Music magazines include Rhythm magazine (for the drummers) and Metal Hammer (for the heavy metal rockers), which appeal to a very niche audience much like my own magazine. The ideologies of my magazine match that of Future’s publications. At Future they base everything on “communities of enthusiasts” and in terms of audience my magazine tries to attract the reader who is passionate about the topic of Indie music. Publishing Magazines is not the only thing the company does. They also own a vast number of websites and take charge of organising events. This provides many opportunities for my magazine as Future can not only help provide a website for the viewers of my magazine to view but also help organise live music events which I feel would perfectly portray what my magazine aims to do, which is celebrate Indie music.

The audience for my media product is primarily males ages 14-22 that live in the major cities in the UK and share an interest in Indie Music and the musicians (old and new) that contribute to the genre. I have chosen to target this audience because at this age they are still students and I believe there is a gap in the market for a magazine that can boasts intellectually engaging articles. With my magazine I aim to abolish the rock star stereotypes and give realistic accounts and views based on different artists. Rather than talking about how many fan-girls throw their underwear at them whilst on stage, I want to discuss what inspires the artist’s and learn what their aspirations for the near future are. In doing so I hope to inspire a younger generation of musicians that may have similar aspirations by allowing them to relate to established musicians despite their level of fame.
Over the course of this media project I took advantage of two main technologies. Photoshop and Blogging. For them I have both learnt new skills and have improved upon my already existing ones. Presenting my work via Blog uploads is an experience I am new to. Prior to this course I had not ever used Blogspot.com, not even for social reasons. From doing this project I have learnt how to make multiple blogs and uploads text and images to them. I think Blogging is extremely convenient, this is because I can access and upload my work from anywhere provided I have an internet connection. It also gives others the chance to read and review the work I have done, and then from this feedback I can easily edit what I have done using the website. There were however a few problems I experienced with using blogs, for example, at some points I was not able to upload my work due to unknown errors. This was not my first time using Photoshop, however my knowledge of the software prior to this project was very basic. Photoshop is an amazing image editing software pack that is even used by the professionals in the media industry to alter and enhance images. From this project I have learnt how to custom crop and images using a combination of the lasso and pen tool, evidence of me using this skill is on my front cover where for the central image I removed the background to make it look like the image was taken in a white studio. Additionally I learnt how to use layers. Using layers in Photoshop allowed me to move objects around with ease, I could place them behind or in front of other objects and edit a layer individually. At first it seemed daunting due to the fact I was continuously making new layers, but for maximum control over the many objects I was using. To maintain order and control I organised different areas of the magazine into different groups of layers and named each layer so it would be easy to locate a specific one if editing is necessary.

When comparing my preliminary task to my final project it is clear to see that I have learned a variety of new skills. For the central image of my college magazine I simply went around the college and took pictures of the students I saw. For my music magazine I put a lot more thought into the construction of the central image. I organised a specific location, dress style and use of props. I did this with intention to clearly convey what the music magazine is about. However I should have put more thought into the actual poses chosen for the images, they don’t look as though they conform to a specific representation of the artist and are rather bland. Again when looking back at my preliminary task the cover of my college magazine I only conformed to the most basic of magazine conventions, the title block was at the top and it had a central image. With the AMPD magazine front cover it looks more feasible as an actual magazine cover due to the inclusions of the smaller conventions such as puffs, buzzwords and an overall house style. On the cover I have listed the names of popular idie rock bands, this is another clear way to appeal to the target audience because the more bands of particular interest to a person featured in one magazine, the more likely they are to buy it. On the front cover I believe the central image and the overall style attract the audience. The central image is of a musician (clearly denoted by the fact he is holding a bass guitar) which tells the audience that this is a rock music magazine, the style is mostly eroded mimicking an urban environment (this choice being inspired by Kerrang magazine’s own shattered masthead) and showing it is aimed at inner city kids. One the contents I have listen section based on what the interests of the average idie music fan. Festivals and Gig being of primary importance due to the independent publicity of most of the artists, also it is a good chance for the reader to hear new and original music.

Magazine drafts designs

First magazine draft design for contents page

first magazine draft design for front cover

Edited images

Images for magazine

Feature article Draft

This issue we have an exclusive interview with the new solo artist Mike ‘Izzie’ Saunders. His music style is a clever fusion of hard rock and country blues which can be considered unique in this age of generic emo-pop. A fresh touch is exactly what we need; he also provides a reminiscent homage back to the days of now ancient rock, in other words considered to be the good stuff. The guy has already been proclaimed as the new age Jimi Hendrix, complete with big hair. This comparison is kind of a big deal for the young artist, after all jimi Hendrix is only considered to be one of the greatest electric guitarist of all time.

Before we dive right into the thick interview I think it is appropriate to acknowledge that Izzie’s solo carrer was not his first attempt to break into limelight. Before going solo he could be found playing the bass guitar in small band called the called "TheStandStill”.

Bands live then die out. Known fact. However the heights that a band reaches before finally being drowned out by an unforgiving wave of the newer rockers, is hard to determine. Only a hand full of great rockers such as ACDC, The Rolling Stones but most notably The Beatles, have managed to stand the test of time and changing fads. Others that don’t become as popular are reduced to but a near silent echoe.

TheStandStill consisted of 3 bands members. On lead guitar and vocals was terry McNavin, on Bass was our young wonder Izzie, and on drums Patrick Dufont. I remember writing a review on them after attending the London Numuzak festival which sampled the best up and coming artists on offer from a variety of genres. As a band they weren’t too bad, providing some pretty catchy tunes for the night. As my brutally honest reviewing told, they didn’t immediately offer me a reason to expect them to become a big hit, their lyrics just seemed bland and manufactured. Their music just felt as though something more was to be desired. It seemed the British public agreed with my views. TheStandStill were not very popular at most they managed the odd gig and the privilege of being the back-up band at larger scale concerts. In 2007 they must have finally come to realise this as the year brought about the breakup of the three lads. Each decided that they would peruse careers separately. Come 2010 and the debut album of young Izzie it is clear that he has risen to become the most successful of the three.

We stop by at his studio (located in the suburbs he has based his album on) to talk to the young guitar specialist. He gives us a personal account of how it feels to have persevered and become so successful despite hardly being recognised first time round. He also shares with us the perks that came with his climb to fame.

For the interview I started off with a light question to break him and get his words flowing. I did this with full intent of later burrowing into the more intimate questions. We begin with me asking him “So what is it that rockers eat for breakfast?” He seemed a bit startled by the question but releases an amused chuckle before leaning forward with intrigue. “Breakfast!” he starts “a great way to start the day and even better way to start an interview. I dunno if this applies for all rockers but for me and the guys I work with breakfast is PEAK! Especially if I’ve had a gig the night before. When ya wake up with a splitting headache there’s nothing better than the taste of Sausage, bacon and eggs.”

Below are the 4 different title blocks I am considering to use for my magazine.

Title Block 01

Title Block 02

Title Block 03

Title block 04

Analysis of feature article Kerrang

The artists chosen for the feature article are All Time Low. They are a relatively new band (established in 2003), and their music genre is classed as punk-rock. They are known for their energetic performances and high jinks. They are going on tour and Kerrang magazine is covering what happens off stage and are giving each band member an opportunity to share their personal views of the experience. By choosing to cover things from behind the scenes, the magazine anticipates that the audience are aware of both the band and the fact that they are on tour. This is backed up by the size chosen to display the band’s name; rather the largest text on the page is “DISCOVERY” which shows that the article is concentrating on their experience. The band consists of 4 young males, depicted by the central image. This not only appeals to young males who aspire to follow in their lead but to young girls also who find the members of boy bands attractive.

The language used in this article serves as further evidence that this magazine is aimed at a younger generation. They use many colloquial terms such as “pubes” and “booze” The topics discussed also revolve around subjects associated with being young and having fun in a modern society. So this means there is much talk about alcohol and even more talk of girls. This serves to relate to the male reader by appealing to their common interests.

A relatively simple font is used for the article, this is to ensure legibility. They maintain the use of the same font throughout the article to assure a house style kept. The text is arranged in thin columns which is a conventional feature for magazines. The article is structured in a way that even those that are not so familiar with the band can follow it. The article starts with less serious topics like what the members have been getting up to in their free time. Later however it focussed more on their experience of performance, each member sharing a profound bit of information based on this.

Each page of the article is unequally distributed between text and image. In this article the Images are dominant on every page. This magazine is targeted at young people and the layout of each page does reflect this. The large and colourful images help to attract the target audience’s attention. The images serve to primarily to depict the band on tour. However the strange variety of images chosen to be publish with the article depict the band’s fun loving and cooky nature, which is how the text is portraying them. They way Kerrang has used the imagery shows that they value pictures to help better portray what is being said in an article.