Music Magazine The Evaluation

1. Music Magazine The Evaluation BY HAYLEY JOSEPH

2. FINAL DRAFT OF MY MUSIC MAGAZINE

3. In what ways does your magazine use, develop or challenge forms and convention of real music magazines? For my AS Media coursework I have designed an Front Cover, Contents Page and Double Spread Page. I’ve analysed other magazines such as what kind of images, fonts, colours and layout is used on the front cover, contents page and double spread. I also took some inspirations out of the real R&B music magazines. The double spread looks like an common magazine interview. Which has images, questions and answer, Quotes, page numbers and lastly I put the questions in different colour to the answer to stand out as most music magazine use this technique. On my front cover I’ve used Sell lines which is in different fonts and colours. To addition my magazine looks like an typical convention magazine, the audience knows it an music magazine by the layout style and photography. My magazine the form and conventions of a real magazine is a new genre however still uses the original convention of a common magazine.

4. How does your magazine represent particular social groups? • My media product represents the social group of Black Afro Caribbean, as the model is black and has is an image of an Neo-Soul artist. The model can relate to certain social group such as the way they dress and the style of their hair which is natural some neo soul singer has locks or thick hair to show they are natural and which my model has. • My magazine represents my social group particularly in a positive perspective compared to an Hip Hop magazine which normally portrayed the social group in a negative way by specking about ‘sex, money and drugs’ which my magazine is completely opposite way my magazine represent my social group which relates to the people as loving and smart as they are singing about love, politics and life. • The audience will straight away know that it is Neo-Soul genre, because of the representations of demographic, the sense of style.

5. What kind of institution might distribute your magazine and why? I thought I would have the magazine online on ‘soulful.com’ however the magazine would make no sales from this method, so I would be selling 'Soulful’ at Newsagents, WH Smith and Waterston's, HMV near the Neo-Soul/ R&B music section in this store and also at the counter. I would want my magazine to be at the eye level on the shop shelf so my audience can eye catch the magazine straight away. If it is at the bottom of the shelf they would not take much notice, because most customer don’t want to bend down to reach an magazine they would prefer to just pick up the magazine and just go and purchase the product. I would set ‘Soulful’ at the price of £2.50 as the competitors (R&B/Soul) prices is around this prices, as well as it is affordable for my target audience to buy, as they are middle class. I would also want my magazine to be advertised on TV such as BET and MTV Base which are music channel and plays this type of music as well as on Radio for example Choice FM and 1Xtra. ‘Soulful’ would be located in the right areas around the UK for example London, this would mean the magazine would get good sales and make a profit because black afro/Caribbean's people mostly live in London. I would also like to sell ‘Soulful’ in the USA as there is a lot of Neo-Soul lovers also there are a lot of black people out in the USA.

6. Who would be the target audience for your magazine? For my Neo-Soul magazine I have targeted my ethnic background to Black Afro/ Caribbean's because most black people mostly listen to this music genre. My age range would be young adult at age of 17-25 till old age as well as my target audience is interested in this type of music, and is creative. My target audience is middle class, as my magazine price is £2.50 which is appropriate. Males and females are also targeted at ‘Soulful’ would attract to both males and females . I used formal language in which all ages of people can understand.

7. How did you attract / address your audience? Throughout Soulful magazine, the magazine is telling the audience about the latest music, artist, Charts and reviews, Tours and interviews. The used of colour, fonts to attract audience, I’ve used bold font to catch the audience eye, so they can purchase ‘Soulful’. The main image for the front cover is of Alika posing lying down. She is looking into the camera which make her interact with the audience, this may attract both males and females. She is smiling with her eyes as she is looking at the camera.

8. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing your magazine? • I’ve learnt about taking photographs shot in different angles and ways, also how to use lighting such as if it is natural lighting or flash ect. I also learnt how to use my cousin camera as it was an high quality digital camera and why the flash had to adjust to the lighting. • Editor changes- I used Photoshop for my front cover to crop out an heater that was in image which made it look unprofessional so I had to crop it out of the image, this was my first time using Photoshop, I just learnt how to use the basics tools. • Lastly I’ve learnt how to use the Wikispace.com such as uploading images and files to my blog.

9. Looking back to your school magazine cover, what do you feel you have learnt between creating that and creating your music magazine? How did the school magazine task help? I generally have improved my creative skills and how magazine work because of the school magazine which was much was easier to produce, maybe because of the double spread was not included but the first task did help me out, for example how to plan my work (font, images), I’ve also learnt how to produce an rationale and what is needed in this such as why I named my magazine ‘soulful’? Overall the school magazine task also allowed me to gain an understanding and knowledge about magazines .