Production Log - entry 10

I researched the WMA's as I think this is a very important award ceremony that I could write about in my magazine as it is related to the music industry. i may add this into my article to make it sound more realistic.

The WORLD MUSIC AWARDS honours the best-selling recording artists from every continent. The WORLD MUSIC AWARDS are presented on sales merit and voted by the public on the internet. There is no jury involved and the Awards truly reflect the most popular artists as they are determined by the actual fans who vote and buy the records. The national member groups of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) provide the organization with the names of the best-selling artists from the major territories. The world's best-selling recording-artists in each category are determined by a thorough enquiry conducted by the organization which includes sales figures and record certifications in 2012. Awards for World's Best Male Artist, Best Female, Best Group, Best Electronic Dance Music Artist, Best Entertainer of the Year, Best Live Act, Best Song, Best Album and Best Video are voted online by the general public.

The DIAMOND AWARD is presented to those select top-selling artists who have sold over 100 million Albums during their career. It is not presented every year. H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco presented the very first Diamond Awardto Rod Stewart at the 2002 World Music Awardsin Monte-Carlo and to Mariah Carey in 2003. Celine Dion received this prestigious award from the Oscar winning actor Michael Douglas at the 2004WMAs in the Thomas & Mac Arena in Las Vegas. Bon Jovi received the Award from Melissa Etheridge at the 2005 WMAs in the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Beyoncé presented the same Award to Michael Jackson at the 2006 WMAs in Earl's Court London on his last public appearance on TV and Ringo Starr accepted it on behalf of the Beatles at the 2008 WMAs in Monte-Carlo. The Award was presented to Ringo by John Kennedy, CEO of the International Federation of the Phonographic industry.

The LEGEND AWARD was created to honour top recording artists who have made outstanding contributions to the Music Industry. Past recipients include Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Prince, Janet Jackson, Celine Dion, Carlos Santana, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Ray Charles, Barry White, Elton John, Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Cher, the Bee Gees, INXS, Julio iglesias, David Bowie, George Benson, Chris Deburgh, Cliff Richard, Status Quo, Deep Purple, Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Tony Bennett, Gloria Gaynor, Chaka Khan and Patti Labelle. Two Music Industry Executives and Producers were given this Award for their outstanding contribution to the Industry. The late Whitney Houston presented it to Clive Davis, the founder of Arista and J Records, at the 2004 WMAs in Las Vegas and Mariah Carey received it on behalf of L.A. Reid, Co-Founder of Laface Records, at the 2008 WMAs in Monte-Carlo.

The WORLD MUSIC AWARDS is the most exciting music ceremony and receives incredible media interest from around the planet. Since its inception in 1989 it has continuously pulled in a stellar line-up. The WORLD MUSIC AWARDS has also been instrumental in helping many upcoming artists achieve global success. It puts artists in front of a huge global TV audience and is beamed to 180 countries reaching a billion viewers.

  

Masthead Designs

These are the design ideas for my masthead. I have decided to choose fonts that look edgy but are still simple enough to read. I have tried to avoid Sans serif fonts as they do not look as effective for a masthead.

The font that I think would look most effective on my magazine is the fourth font on the left row. It is called 'Capture It' and I believe it is simple, yet edgy with a slight quirkiness, which I think is the perfect representation for my magazine.

Chosen Images

How My Photos Will Be Used by

This presentation gives details about how I will use my chosen images. So far, I have only selected  of the main images that will be used. I will decide on the other images to use once I have placed my article into the InDesign document.
The images I have chosen are my favorite images as I think they represent the urban genre better than most of the other photographs and I think they depict Jade as she is written about in the article: fun, carefree and slightly introverted/mysterious.

Existing Mastheads

Existing Mastheads

I have researched existing mastheads of music magazines that are also part of the Urban genre, to get an idea of what my masthead should look like. I have come to understand that it needs to be a simple, bold font that is easy to read.

Contact Sheet

Contact Sheet

This is my contact sheet of all of the photographs that I took on location at Waterloo Graffiti Park on the bank of the River Thames. It includes all three outfits and photographs that were taken along the River Thames once we left the graffiti park.
I will use this contact sheet to see all of the photographs that I have taken when choosing which images I should use.

Sketches

Below are scans of the sketches that I have drawn of my magazine. I have designed sketches of a front cover, contents page and 2 double page spreads. I got inspiration for the layout of these pages by looking at existing music magazines. My analysis of existing magazines was very helpful when I was wondering what I need to include on each page.

These sketches will make it easier for me when constructing my magazine on InDesign as I will already have an idea of how I would like to lay the pages out, making the process quicker and easier.

Article Draft

Media Magazine Article Draft

Photoshoot Montage

Above is a short montage of some of the photographs I have taken to use in my magazine.

A few days ago I went with my model, Jade to take photographs that I’ll use for my music magazine.

I have decided that the genre of my magazine will be hip-hop music, therefore the location of the photoshoot was mainly at Southbank skate park, which is a small skate park in Waterloo that is covered in legal graffiti. I thought that the graffiti background would help to enhance that hip-hop lifestyle throughout the photos and I believe it was very effective.

We also took a few photographs in Camden and along the river Thames.

As you can see in the photos, Jade is wearing clothes that can be easily associated with the hip-hop culture such as trainers, shorts and hoodies to give her that layed-back style that most hip-hop artists have.

To emphasise the fact that it’s a music magazine, I will try to graffiti music notes onto the pages using Photoshop and maybe add images of headphones and iPods and other products also associated with music.

I used two different lenses when taking the photos, but my favourite was the one where I could make the background out of focus, and Jade in full focus. I was also able to adjust how much focus was on the model, which came in useful as I wanted the background at the skate park to be visible, but slightly out of focus compared to my model.

From now ‘til my next lesson, I’ll be trying to come up with a name for my magazine that represents the hip-hop genre well. I will gather information from existing magazines such as Vibe and Billboard.

Behind the scenes of my Photoshoot

Today my model and I went to a graffiti park in Waterloo.
Using a 50mm 1.8f prime lens on a digital SLR camera, I conducted a photo shoot on location, in the graffiti park and the surrounding area, on the bank of the River Thames.
The fact that the location was covered in graffiti meant that it reflected the genre of music in my magazine and had immediately associates the images with urban or hip-hop music. I used the depth of field lens in order to put the background in shallow focus and my model in deep focus in order to ensure that the attention was on her, even though the background could still be seen and appreciated.

I asked Jade to pick out costumes that urban artists would wear, such as denim shorts, trainers, a hoodie and a crop top.
There were no props used, except from those already in the park such as a slope and a column that was holding the concrete park up. I chose not to use any other props except from the ones that were naturally in the park as I think the background of colourful graffiti was a great natural prop and did not want to take any attention away from that.

Production Log - entry 9

Unfortunately, I missed 2 weeks of school as I was away due to family commitments, however while I was away I researched articles in other urban music magazines such as Vibe and Billboard.

I read the feature articles in detail, examining the tone of the article, the topic(s) of discussion and the type of language used. I also looked at other articles about up-and-coming artists to see the type of things that were mentioned.

As my magazine is meant to be quite a stylish and serious monthly magazine, I decided that it was best to write my article as a report rather than a Q & A interview like you would find more in weekly pop magazines that would be used to entertain rather than inform.

I also decided that the article would describe the journey of the artist and how she started her music career to where she is now and how successful she has become. I will word the article in an informative and truthful, yet entertaining way in order to give the readers exclusive information whilst ensuring that they do not get bored.

I may also add some special features to the article such as tour dates in order to make the readers feel like they are getting even more exclusive and informative information.

Audience Data

I recently created a questionnaire on SurveyMonkey and sent the link out to friends and family who fit the target audience of my magazine. Below you will find the results of the Survey. These results will help me make decisions on key factors of my magazine when I create it.

How much would you pay for a monthly music magazine?
£1.00 - £2.99      - 26%
£3.00 - £4.99      - 59%
£5.00 - £6.99      - 15%
£7 +                    - 0%

If you were to buy an Urban music magazine, would you prefer for it to be monthly or weekly?
Monthly             - 64%
Weekly              - 36%

Which social networking site do you use the most?
Facebook          - 38%
Twitter              - 50%
Tumblr              - 12%
MySpace          - 0%
Other                - 0%

If there was a free Smartphone application for a music magazine, would you download it?
Yes                   - 73%
No                    - 27%

Would you rather consume a music magazine online or in print?
Online              - 38%
Print                 - 62%

Would you regularly buy a magazine if it were monthly?
Yes                  - 57%
No                   - 18%
Maybe            - 25%

If you are unable to buy a music magazine, do you visit the website to get the latest information?
Yes                  - 67%
No                   - 33%

The information gained from this questionnaire tells me that my target audience are very active online and enjoy using new technology, therefore I will ensure that my magazine has its own website, social networking sites and smartphone applications. Also, my target audience would be willing to pay more for a monthly magazine as I assume they would expect it to be more detailed than a weekly magazine. Furthermore, I believe that if I can gain a customer base and gain customer loyalty, then my magazine would also get many subscribers, therefore each magazine issue must be just as detailed, exciting and informative as the last, ensuring that the readers are never dissapointed.

Questionnaire

Click here to take survey

As part of my coursework, I have created a questionnaire on Survey Monkey.
The quantitative information that I get from the results of my questionnaire will help me when creating my magazine as it will allow me to understand the needs and expectations of my target audience.

Audience

Audience

Codes & Conventions

Codes & Conventions

Model Release

This is a model release form, which is a conformation from my model, Jade McClune to say she will make herself available for photoshoots and that she agrees to the photographs that I have taken of her to be used in my AS Media Studies Coursework. This will also allow me to edit and manipulate photographs of Jade without further consent.

Equiptment

Equipment by

This is a presentation describing the different equipment and software that i will use in order to create my magazine. This will help me when creating my magazine as I will already know the software that I should use for different parts of my magazine i.e. Photoshop for editing the photographs and InDesign for the layout and content of the magazine.

Audience Profile

Target Audience

This presentation is about my Target Audience of my magazine.
This will help me when making my magazine as I have come to understand the needs and wants of my audience. By meeting their expectations, my magazine will appeal to them more than other magazines and hopefully, this will encourage them to be keen fans who buy every issue.
I will try to appeal to my audience by creating a profile for my magazine on social networking sites as well as having a website and smartphone application. This means that whereever my readers are, they will be able to read articles and get information from my magazine.

Production Log - entry 8

http://www.ents24.com/web/artists/Dance+%26+Urban.html

I have researched the Urban music industry and came across this  website which states the top Urban and Dance artists.
I have created a list of artists that I could use in my magazine:
Tulisa
Jessie J
N Dubz
Katy B
Conor Maynard
Tiny Tempah
Flo-Rida
Rihanna
Emilie Sande

These artists fit the Urban music genre that my magazine is based  upon.  Also, I think the artist who is most like Jade (the fictional  artist who my main article is based upon) would be Tulisa, as they are  both young girls from North London who decided to persue their passion  for music and did not have any formal training, unlike Katy B or  Jessie J who went to performing arts schools. I have based Jades look on Tulisa as they both have dark hair and the  clothing in the photo shoots are reflective of what I would imagine  Tulisa wearing.

Promotional Methods & New Media

After researching how other magazines promote themselves, I have come to the conclusion that the internet and technology is the best way to promote my magazine to its target audience. From the information gained from my research, I have put together a presentation of how I would promote my magazine to its target audience.

Institution

Institution

This presentation is about the institution behind a music magazine.
Institution is about the business behind the magazine. This includes where the magazine gets its income from, who publishes these magazines and what their job is, and how zeitgeists of today such as the internet affect magazines, like my own.
This has given me insight into how I should create my magazine, for example, I have decided that I will make a page in my magazine that will be an advertisement for trainers. This is due to the fact that I hacve come to understand how important advertisements are in a magazine as they are one of the main sources of income. Also, all magazines have advertisements in them, therefore this will make my magazine look as realistic as possible.
I chose to make the advertisement for trainers after looking through the photographs I have taken and realising that trainers are an iconic item for musicians of teh urban genre, therefore this advert will appeal to my readers.

 (an example of a KSwiss trainer advertisement)

Props & Costume

Props&Costume by Neha Raithatha

Representation

Representation

This presentation is about the representation behind a magazine. This includes key artists and how they are representd (e.g. clothing style, personality etc.), performance venues, attitudes and political messages.
Throughout my research for this presentation, I came to understand which genre of music I wanted to base my magazine on.
At first I thought I wanted to make a Hip-Hop magazine, however after researching this, I found that the Urban genre would be more suited to my magazine as Hip-Hop is more focused on black ethnicity and is too heavily associated with American, male artists, whereas urban music opens it up to more artists.
I also considered the attitudes associated with Hip-Hop and realized that they are contreversial, therefore I did not want this to have a negative effect on my magazine, and as I result, I decided that the Urban genre was represented in a more positive light and chose to make my magazine of the Urban genre.
I researched the way the urban artists are visually represented (clothing style, body language) and analysed the sterotype of urban artists and they way they come accross to the audience.

Image Ideas

As part of the planning for my magazine, I have created a collage of images that have inspired me and given me ideas about the type of images that I would like to use in my magazine. 

All of these images are those that would be suitable for an urban music magazine, just like the one I will create, with a few coming from existing urban music magazines such as Vibe.

By researching women in the urban music industry and from the images I have gathered, I have started to think about the outfits, props and location that I would like to use for the photo-shoot for my magazine. My model will be Jade McClune and the costume ill probably be tight jeans, leggings or shorts with a crop top or hoodie. I would also like to use a cap/'snap-back' and headphones in order to emphasize the fact that it is an urban music magazine. In my opinion, the best location for the photo-shoot would be the graffiti park in Waterloo as the graffiti will emphasize the urban tone of the magazine & we will be able to use the natural props such as the walls, slopes and columns in the park.

Production Log - entry 7

http://www.slideshare.net/sammipixie/what-is-the-impact-of-the-internet-on-the-music-magazine-industry

Through my research, I have noticed that almost all of the well-known music magazines have their websites too. As a result of technological advancements, the music magazine industry must learn to keep itself from failing and to keep up with the latest online trends (e.g. the twitter craze).
I wondered if the music magazine industry was actually being negatively impacted by the raise in technology, and through my research, I came across the link, above.
It is a presentation, explaining the impact of the internet on music magazines.

Production Log - entry 6

http://www.allyoucanread.com/top-10-music-magazines/

Today I have been researching the best music magazines and trying to figure out what makes them the 'best' in the industry. 
The above link gives a list of the top 10 music magazines, with a brief description of what readers may find in the magazine and also how many issues they publish per year.
It was no surprise to me that Billboard Magazine was number 1, as their name is known worldwide due to their music charts. However, what did surprise me was that a niche magazine, such as Electronic Musician Magazine came second place.
Billboard have 51 issues every year, whereas EMM only publish 12 per year. This is obviously because Billboard is a weekly magazine, whereas EMM is only monthly, therefore Billboard's name is constantly on the magazine racks with their latest issue with exclusive information.
This may be because Billboard have lots of information to give to their readers, whereas EMM may only have enough information every 4 weeks i.e. if they issued their magazines weekly, there would not be enough information in it, and readers may stop buying their magazine due to feeling that they have been cheated of information.

Contents Ideas

I have been researching existing magazines in order to get ideas for the contents of my magazine.
The sources I have used have not only been hard copies of music magazines, but also their websites and twitter accounts.

I have come to understand that even the greatest urban music magazines such as Vibe do not just talk about the music that artists produce but anything that can be associated with the urban music genre e.g. artists (Rita Ora's love life) and award ceremonies (MOBO awards).

This image is a print-screen from Vibe's website. It shows the latest news headlines which would also be featured in the hard copies of the magazine and has given me ideas and inspiration of the contents of my own magazine such as:

• Rita Ora rocks the BBC Charity Ball
• Tinie loses his 'tempah' at the MOBO awards
• 'Bottoms Up' singer Try Songz steps behind the bar at London's The Nest

I have decided to use puns and other language techniques in order to create catchy sell lines for the contents page.

I have also used Q magazine to gain ideas for the regular features of my magazine such as:

• BASE mail
• The BASE recommender
• BASE Now: 'Welcome to the concrete jungle'

Sell Lines

Sell Lines by

Production Log - entry 5

Billboard is an international newsweekly magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis. The two most notable charts are the Billboard Hot 100, which ranks the top 100 songs regardless of genre and is based on digital sales, radio airplay, and internet streaming data; and the Billboard 200, the corresponding chart for album sales.

http://www.billboard.com/

Q Magazine - double page spread analysis

This Double Page Spread is From Q Magazine

Ebony Magazine - double page spread analysis

This Double Page Spread Has Been Taken From Ebony

NME Magazine - double page spread analysis

This Double Page Spread Has Been Extracted From an Article in NME Magazine

Blender Magazine - contents page analysis

This Contents Page is From Blender Magazine

Vibe Magazine - contents page analysis

This is a Contents Page From Vibe Magazine

Billboard Magazine - contents page analysis

This is a Contents Page From Billboard Magazine

Colour

Colour by

This is a presentation of an analysis of the colour schemes of three music magazines. After analysing the covers, I have decided that a block colour background is the best option, therefore I will not use one of the photographs with the graffitti background as it will distract from the sell lines and other wording on the front cover. After careful consideration of my images, I will choose a colour that goes well with my photographs as well as the monotone colours of black and white, with the third shade used as an accent colour.

Magazine Name Ideas & Existing Names

In this presentation, I have analysed the names of existing music magazines of different genres such as the rock, pop and urban music.
This was very helpful when trying to decide on the name for my own magazine as I came to understand the different types of names (e.g. acronyms, onomatopoeic words etc.) and the way they are interporated by the readers.
I also came up with ideas for names for my magazine and analysed my final choices. In this analysis, I have included the reasons why I have chosen that name and the representation it will give to my magazine.

When choosing my magazine name, I wanted it to be something that relates to the urban genre, as that is the type of music and artists my magazine wil revolve around. I also wanted the name to seem relevant and up-to-date as my target audience will probably be 15-25 year olds, therefore it must appeal to this young audience.

Moodboard Movie

Here is my mood board for this course. I have decided to make a Hip Hop magazine, therefore I have used images of hip hop clothing, dance moves, artists and culture throughout the video. The background music in this video is a very famous hip-hop song called 'Ni**as in Paris' by Jay-Z and Kanye West (two very popular hip hop artists).
I decided to make my mood board in video form as I thought it seemed creative and believe that it is a better way to project the hip-hop style that my magazine will be based on.

Proposal

Proposal

Production Log - entry 4

Recently I have been wondering about what genre of music my magazine will be focused on. After seeing some photos on Facebook, I came across a location that caught my eye - Southbank skate park. The (legal) graffiti on the walls in that area would be a perfect backdrop for a hip-hop magazine. This gave me the idea to ask my friend, Jade to model for my magazine.
I will ask her to dress like a stereotypical hip hop artist e.g. rolled up jogging bottoms, a tank top, a 'snapback' cap and many large gold chains. This weekend I hope to visit a prop store to buy the gold chains and a large 'boombox'. If they have many other props to choose from, I would also like to buy a large candy cane, and possibly a pink wig, which I could use for other images in the magazine. That idea was inspired by Katy Perry in her California Girls music video. I believe it will give the cover model of my magazine an interesting and unique image and will definitely go well with a pop music theme.