Summary Of My Final Magazine Ideas

The genre of my music magazine will be hip-hop as, this is the music I enjoy listening to and I feel it will be easier for me to publish this style of music magazine. I will target the audience through the use of conventions on my front cover, contents page and double page spread such as the colour scheme of my magazine which will be turquoise and white. These colours are unconventional and wouldn't typically be seen in a hip-hop magazine. As a result, my audience will hopefully be intrigued. My target audience is young adults (14-30 years of age.) This age group are most likely going to be more interested in this genre of music compared to young girls who may be more inclined to listen to popular music.

Flatplan For My Music Magazine Double Page Spread

I researched many hip-hop magazine double page spreads and discovered what should be included in this sector of a publication and created my own double page spread flat plan

Contents page flatplan

Conventions that must be included in a hip-hop magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread

I looked at existing hip-hop magazines sold around the world such as ‘The Source’ and noted the key conventions I saw in the magazines and put them into a list format 

Research the institutions that might produce and distribute my magazine

I believe Spin Media, a digital publisher in the U.S which owns a number of pop culture websites, including Spin, Buzznet, Idolator, Stereogum, and The Frisky! And Vibe, is an institution that might produce and distribute my music magazine. They already publish Vibe magazine, another hip-hop music magazine which could mean even before I pitch my ideas to Anthony Batt (CEO) he and other important decision makers in the firm may be interested in publishing my periodical. Furthermore, the ideas for this publication are unconventional particularly for a magazine focusing on the music genre hip-hop. The owners may believe that taking the risk will firstly benefit 

their customers as they will be receiving something different compared to the usual hip-hop periodical they may read which they may feel is boring.

Character/Appearance Of A Member of My Music Magazine Audience

Music Magazine timeline

Audience Feedback On My Music Magazine Masthead Ideas

I am currently awaiting audience feedback

Analyzing Mastheads used On the Front Covers of Magazines

All of the magazine mastheads are taken from the front covers of hip-hop magazines. All of them utilize the colours red, black or white or all three colors, with the exception of the Billboard magazine masthead that also includes yellow and blue within some of the letters. Furthermore, all of the mastheads above are relatively simplistic but, the magazines can be easily distinguished from other competitors through methods such as font (font size, font thickness etc.)  Mastheads are important as, they are the identity of music magazine in every genre of music and are essential for music magazine publishers in their attempt to attract audiences through methods such as font, font colour and sometimes the simplicity of a masthead which can be seen in some examples of hip-hop magazine mastheads above.  Overall, my favorite magazine masthead included in the collage above was the 'Rolling Stone' masthead.  I really like and was inspired the style of the font and the font outline. This along with the font color red would in my opinion be intriguing to the read and may provoke them to buy an issue of the magazine.

lighting

Lighting is important in the production of music magazines as it affects how the pictures are presented. Individuals chosen for the purpose of taking the pictures personas are reflected through the pictures utilized in the magazine.

What Is My Initial Idea

The design of my masthead has been inspired by the fact that I am going to inform my audience about current topics of their interest hence my decision to place a speech bubble around the text stating the name of the music magazine. I will probably change the masthead in order to make it look more professional and most importantly appealing to the audience but for now, I believe that this is a good starting point for the development of  the masthead

The History of Hip Hop

For my music magazine, I have chosen to utilize the genre of Hip-Hop. Hip-hop is a Black sub-cultural movement which started in the early 1970s. The man who was the instrumental figure that hosted the historic party was the brother of a young lady celebrating her birthday, Clive Campbell also known as DJ Kool Herc, founding father of hip hop. It was only available to African American’s who lived in the West Bronx, New York City. It is generally known by those with in the Hip-Hop community that there are four strands of the type of music all of which stand for different products of the culture: rap music (verbal), DJ-ing (auditory), dance (physical) and graffiti art (visual). As the music continues to develop across the globe in a variety of ways, these four basic fundamentals provide a clear structure to hip hop culture. The term ‘Hip-Hop’ is normally used in a restrictive manner as identifiable with the verbal representation of rap music. 

Below is a vintage photograph of the legend DJ Kool Herc 

SOURCES: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_hop 
             http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hip-hop-is-born-at-a-birthday-party-in-the-bronx

What is a Magazine?

A magazine is a publication that contains pieces of writing and illustrations, usually on a specific topic or aimed at a certain audience. For example;

A news magazine. Readers of this social media source may wish to be informed about current affairs                                            

   

A music magazine. The audience of this type of magazine are most likely going to be interested in music in areas such as new artists, trending music and interview with established artists

A food magazine. The readership of these types of publications probably enjoy cooking or have a passion for food

Preliminary Task