TASK 6 

Magazine Distribution!

Distribution of magazines

The distribution company for my music magazine will be Bauer; this is because they publish the Kerrang! Magazine which is a magazine based on the genre rock, hence the reason I want this publishing company specifically to publish my music magazine. The publishers will control the editorial content and design of the magazine, as well as managing relationships between the advertisers, who bring in most of the revenue/profit. The circulation figures help publishers to plan how many issues to produce and distribute. Each publisher uses a network of distributors, who manage the flow of magazines from the printer to the final newsstand, where the magazine is sold. The distribution network for Bauer is the same as any other network distributors; magazines are taken in lorries and to regional distributors, who then move these onto the shops/newsstand. The main shops where magazines are sold at supermarkets or newsagents.

Bauer:

This publishing company gives marketers the freedom to create customised advertising packages utilising the individual portfolios, or a combination of both, depending on the objectives of the campaign. Brands seeking to engage and appeal to consumers emotionally will find value in the Bauer Passion Portfolio, which appeals on the basis of lifestyle choice. Alternatively, Bauer Place will offer brands the chance to engage personally with loyal, local communities in specific geographical locations. [http://radio.bauermediaadvertising.com/]

Bauer publishing company use the media to interact with their audience. Firstly radio is the perfect medium to create a close touch points and an on-going relationship with a demanding audience.  As a medium it benefits from being able to be spontaneous and ubiquitous and has a 2 way trusted relationship as a given. Secondly, to take advantage of the medium’s strength you really need to know the audience and the unique benefit the brand can offer. At Bauer Media, radio is core but we are platform agnostic. [http://radio.bauermediaadvertising.com/solutions/cross_media]

Box TV was the most watched music TV portfolio in 2013. It attracted the most viewers and viewing. The portfolio was also number one for 16-34s, all adults and individuals as well as the highly coveted 16-24 audience. It garnered 3.3bn UK video views for all individuals across all its seven channels. All programmes may be sponsored, with the exception of news bulletins. As a network we’re proud to offer more music than any other and will continue to stand on the frontline championing the finest in music entertainment. [http://radio.bauermediaadvertising.com/solutions/tv]

This specific publishing company uses many media technologies to get a bigger audience and let them know about their magazines and advertisements. Radio and TV content is quite popular to use, as well using different types of apps and ezines. Ezines are electronic versions of a magazine, with similar features such as pages that can be turned, adverts, page numbers. These ezines are usually free, and they will have electronic features such as video clips and hyperlinks that redirect the reader to another source. This link has a couple of ezines: [http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/]

Many magazines now have smartphone or iPad apps with some or all of the content available in the hard copy of the magazine. Most magazines now extend their brand with an online presence, for example on social networks Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. They may also extend into gigs, and other events. This link tells you about these events[http://radio.bauermediaadvertising.com/solutions/events]

By Shahena Islam

Magazine newsstand analysis!

Magazine newsstand analysis:

As you can notice this music magazine is laid out differently, this implies that it was set to be positioned specifically in this way for the targeted audience of this type of music magazine. The magazines are placed one after the other in a vertical position. This suggests that the audience will be drawn towards the masthead of the music magazine as well as the medium close up image on the front page of the magazine. The masthead is named as ‘Kerrang!’ it is bold and big which I assume will immediately catch the reader’s attention towards this piece of article, the masthead is slightly covered due to the medium close up of the image on the front page of the magazine, however, you can tell that the magazine is called ‘Kerrang!’. The medium close up is also used to interest the reader’s, the facial expression of the person on the front page is shocked and surprised, this could imply that the information within this specific music magazine has shocking and surprising information closely linked to the person on the front page of the magazine. The cover-lines on this magazine are fully showed only on the magazine which is placed at the front, these cover-lines attract the reader’s attention as the audience will know what to expect in that particular magazine, and so they are not disappointed. The corner of the music magazine ‘Kerrang!’ does use terminology for teasers to perhaps attract and interest the audience’s attention so that they are willing and eager to buy the music magazine.     

By Shahena Islam

Evaluation of college magazine!

Evaluation

What went well?

I have attained three comments for the creation of my college magazine of a front page and contents page. I have received both positive and feedback on how to improve on my college magazine, they have each made comments on my masthead, the colour scheme, the images and the overall layout of my magazine. I have received good and helpful comments about my front page of my college magazine which will help me to improve it. Person 1 commented that ‘the fonts used are good as there is a variety of different fonts, so it doesn't look plain or boring’; person 2 also stated that using different fonts makes the magazine ‘look energetic’.  Person 3 commented that ‘for your contents page, you have used the same fonts and the important textual details have a larger font, which is suitable for the readers’. All three comments included my use of different colours and how I consistently used the same colours which indicated that I had a colour scheme, and person 1 commented that the ‘colour scheme is eye-catching as there is more than one use of colour’. Person 3 also stated that the use of different colours attract attention from the targeted audience towards the college magazine. I have asked my audience what they think of the text layout, person 1 mentioned that ‘the text layout is varied throughout so it doesn't look boring’, person 2 pointed out that the ‘contents page is very clear as it is sectioned into two clear parts’ which makes it easier for the audience to read what it is saying. I then asked my audience what they think of the terminology used for the teasers, person 1 stated that ‘the teasers used are appealing to the target audience’, and person 2 commented that ‘they are suitable to the audience and appealing’; person 3 mentioned that the ‘terminology is good, as the use of repetition for the word “Gossip” is used to suggest there is lots of gossip that will be talked about.  Also, the buzz word “free” is used to create a vibe, as there is a give-away available. The final question I had asked my audience is that if my college magazine is suitable for the college students, person 2 pointed out that ‘it relates to the audience because it represents college life, and person 3 mentioned that the images relate to college life therefore, it will attract and relate to the target audience whom are college students.    

What do I need to improve on?

However, I did receive a few improvements from the commentators. Person 3 believed that ‘the front page should maintain just one font, unless your masthead has a totally different font style’. Person 3 also pointed out that I didn't have a specific text layout on the front page and suggested I should have one, however, this person also stated that this gave my college magazine ‘life’ and made it look realistic and interesting to look at. Person 2 commented that ‘the text could be layered out neater to enable easier understanding’ of the information stated on the college magazine.

Three key points for development when producing the main task- music magazine:

·         Next time I need to make sure I include a text layout in my front page so that it is clearer for my targeted audience to read and understand what is written on the front page.

·         Have a consistent colour scheme so that the magazine is arranged and organised.

·         Use appropriate terminology for teasers in the music magazine to attract more readers. 

By Shahena Islam

College Magazine!

Front page and contents page of a college magazine!

This is my college magazine, during the process of creating this I have learnt quite a bit about photoshop and Indesign. I've learnt how to crop and edit images using both photoshop and Indesign. Although at first I did struggle to use photoshop, however, by making notes and following the basic instructions I have quickly adapted to using the software and managed to successfully create a front page of a college magazine. Even though, we don't get marks for doing this task, we do however, lose 15 marks if we don't do this task at all.

Questionnaire-

Please could you answer these questions:

1. What do you think of the fonts used?

2. What do you think of the colour scheme?

3. What do you think of the text layout?

4. What do you think of the terminology for the teasers used?

5. Does it relate to the target audience?(15-18 year olds)

By Shahena Islam 

Ideal college magazine!

SKETCH OF AN IDEAL COLLEGE MAGAZINE!

I have completed a sketch of how I would imagine my front page and contents page to look like for the college magazine. I have used various of colours to attract my audience as my magazine will look arresting and bright, catching the reader's attention. I have decided to label the masthead 'LSC Weekly' due to the fact that I am studying at Leyton Sixth Form college.













I have also used rows and columns in my contents page to layout the information in an organised way so that it is easy for my readers to find the information they are looking for inside the college magazine. Whilst conducting this task I have learnt more about magazines and the features of a magazine. Having extra knowledge is very helpful when creating a magazine from scratch. 

By Shahena Islam

Photoshop Skills!

How to use Photoshop:

1. Open up Photoshop and click on file and select new, this will open up a rectangular box, then select preset and click on international paper, then select OK, this will then automatically create a new document for you so that you can use the Photoshop software.

2.  You can use the control button (Ctrl) to zoom in and zoom out onto your work. Ctrl along with the – sign to zoom out and Ctrl with the + sign zoom in.  Ctrl T (transformers button) you can move/edit the image you have, however, keep your finger on the shift key at all times when using this key.

3.  To set rulers on your document you need to select ‘view’ on top of the Photoshop software and click on ‘rulers’, this will then give you rulers and you can then align your lines on your paper.

4.  Layers- if one of your layer list is blue, then it means it is active and you are currently using that layer to edit your work. Important tip: make sure the texts have different layers, otherwise you will get confused and it will be difficult to use. You can also double click on the text layers to add a text colour or glow to your text box.

5.  Type tool- make sure your text is above the image otherwise your text will be placed behind the image layer- you can alter this through the layer list.

6.  Save as Photoshop, not as jpeg otherwise you cannot change or alter the work again, until you have are fully finished using Photoshop only then you can transport it into a jpeg file without having to alter or edit your work again.  

By Shahena Islam

College magazine analysis!

Magazine analysis: College lifestyle magazine

Front page:

The masthead of this college magazine is bright and bold, perhaps, the magazine company did this to attract the audience’s attention and make them directly focus on the front page of the magazine. The colour orange is used for the title of the magazine. This colour is a calm and neutral colour which suggests that the atmosphere of the magazine will also be calm and peaceful, which suggests that the magazine is easy to read and it is not very heavy worded unlike other different types of magazines. However, the information given on the front page of this college magazine seems to suggest that there is information given to students in the magazine. However, perhaps not as much in words, instead, they maybe talking to the audience through images and diagrams. The front page also includes educational information about universities this suggests that the target audience are college/university students. The image in the front cover is a medium close up of perhaps a student, he is dressed in all white which focuses the reader's mind onto the image which is on the centre of the front page of the magazine. Couple of images are used in the front cover of the magazine, perhaps they did this to ensure that they do not bore the college students with too much writing. Images are also used to give the audience a sneak preview of what is inside the magazine and so that they are aware of what to expect. The barcode and the issue date is also placed on the front page of the magazine so that the customers are aware of the price of the magazine. Different fonts and sizes are used on the front page, this suggests that the magazine company did this because they wanted their magazine cover to look interesting and exciting so that the customers would purchase the magazine. Even different colours are used in the front cover of the magazine so the cover looks stimulating so it encourages the audience/customers to buy the magazine article.  

Contents page:

The contents page of the magazine is pretty simple, which makes it easier for the audience to read and understand. As well as written words the contents page includes images of students perhaps, this is to show the audience and make them aware that this magazine is a college magazine and will include information based on educational matter as well other information linked with college and teenage students. The title of the page is ‘CONTENTS’ in a bold and black writing, this suggests that the magazine company want the audience or readers of this magazine to notice which page is the contents page so that they are able to find all the information on the magazine using the help of the contents page.     

By Shahena Islam

R&B Music analysis!

­­­­­­Music analysis: R&B Music magazine

Front cover: ­                                          

A common convention of a Vibe magazine is the masthead, the title of the magazine is placed behind the model in the background image. This could draw attention to the famous act at the front page of the magazine and this could connote just how good and popular the magazine is to the reader and to the target audience. The rhetorical question on the cover brings the reader into wanting to answer that question; this will then lead to them buying the magazine and intriguing them to read the article. The bold title shows the audience who the model is and that they are representing the magazine. The barcode on the front cover shows the audience that the magazine isn't free this will then draw their attention onto looking at the price of this magazine. The catchy splash at the bottom is a convention of Vibe magazine; the graphics representing the Vibe website could encourage the reader to go to the Vibe website more than they possibly would if the site was written in black. Another splash on the cover page is a plus sign; this shows the reader that there is more to the magazine then just the cover lines shown. The hair colour of the model relates to the rest of the magazine through the continuity of the colour scheme. The tiara on the model and the choice of dress shows power within the image, definitely having that connection through her eye line. This also reaches to the reader so the model is looking straight at them.

Double page spread:                                                     

This is a double page spread of an R&B, the width of the artists name takes up half of the double page spread, connoting that Nicki Minaj is an important, strong and independent women in the music industry which reflects her genre rap/grime. There is only one image on the DPS, and due to the magazine conventions Vibe normally has one image on the contents page also, so a house style is shown. The main image dominates this double page. It’s a mid-shot of her in which she is wearing a tight dress, of a completely contrasting pattern and colour to that of a background. Against the colour baby pink, Nicki Minaj stands out and is the centre of attention. There is a pull quote in the last column, it is highlighted in pink but written in black and white font which makes the text stand out well. Being in block capitals resonates well with the rest of the fonts used, as this is usually used in many R&B magazines. The form of the feature is not a typical question and answer format, but each paragraph has its own heading denoting that subject of conversation in that paragraph. There is an introductory paragraph at the start which lures the reader into reading more of the article. There are certain parts of the luring paragraph which have been made bold, connoting to the reader that these parts of the text are the most significant. The words have been specifically chosen to connote power such as ‘THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO’ and ’30 COMMANDMENTS OF OUR SAVIOUR’ these all relate to God showing that she is the Goddess of rap, making the audience want to read about her.  

Contents page:                                                 

A grey scale colour scheme is used, with the only real colour being the heart being placed from the mysterious looking hand from behind Kanye’s back, as it’s the only colour on the spread; the eye is instantly drawn to this point. As it’s a heart, it connotes to love, which could raise the idea that maybe the issue contains details about Kanye’s personal love life. The background is plain, which draws the main focus of the reader towards the foreground, being Kanye. The background does however have an important role in this spread as it has the letter V half-hidden. Even though it’s half-hidden, it still shows that this page is from Vibe magazine. This page is using a famous music artist, Kanye West, as people will generally recognise him and be intrigued as he is featured. Kanye fans will be extremely interested as they would want to know the latest on the man himself. The word ‘contents’ is aid out stylistically with a bold and striking effect. This abstract way of presenting the word is continued throughput the contents spread, which allows the reader to establish the magazine’s iconic style. 

By Shahena Islam    

ROCK music magazine analysis

Analysis of a music magazine: ROCK

Front Page:

The front page is very colourful with vibrant and lively colours, the main colour which stands out in this article is the colour yellow, perhaps this magazine company have used this colour because yellow is a bright colour which often attracts easy attention from the audience towards the magazine, hence the reason they have chosen to use such a sunny and optimistic colour on the front page of the magazine. The title of the magazine ‘KERRANG!’ is also in the bright yellow colour, this is used to attract the audience’s attention and it will immediately focus the audience’s attention onto the front page of the music magazine; this will then focus the audience’s mind onto buying the magazine. The main person on the front page of the magazine has red spiked up hair which suggests he is into some kind of rock music or is a musician since the magazine ‘KERRANG!’ is based on rock and indie music. The front page of the magazine also consists of information which will be included inside the magazine; the magazine company has done this so the audience are aware of what they would be exactly expecting inside the magazine, so that they are not disappointed with their purchase. The little bit of information is also given as a small preview to show the audience what is written in the magazine.

Double page spread:

The double page spread is based on two musicians ‘All Time Low’ and ‘You Meet At Six’s’. They talk about their ‘drunken’ experience together and Josh Franceschi quotes ‘All Time Low are hilarious, whereas I'm a miserable English bastard!’ The text is bold and in black which makes the text stand out more and the audience focus on that particular part of the double page spread, the larger writing in a double page spread is usually the focus of the information given on the DPS. Again the title of the page is in yellow which is a bright and colourful colour this then again will attract as many readers to read the article on the DPS. The beginning of the text starts with a capital ‘T’ this shows the reader where to start reading the text, so the readers are aware of the starting of the article. The picture is relevant and suitable to the text n this article, the image is of the two musicians Josh and Alex and they are presented in a sort of ‘drunkenness’ look, which relates to the subject and purpose of the text.

 Contents page:

The contents page is only one page, both text and images are used to present what will be included in the magazine. Perhaps, text and pictures are used because the magazine company does not want to bore the audience with too many information which they will have to read, hence, the reason they have also included pictures of some parts of the magazine; so that the audience can also see for themselves on what the magazine will include.  Again a vast majority of colours are used which seems to suggest that there isn't really a colour scheme to go with the magazine, however, the colour yellow is used continuously throughout the magazine which seems to propose that yellow is the colour which is used frequently and is the key colour used in the magazine due to the fact that it is bright and will attract the audience’s attention.

By Shahena Islam

Evaluation AND audience feedback

Evaluation and Audience feedback:

The research task which was set was not an easy one, I did struggle a little bit to find relevant sources in which it would help me to present both sides of the arguments concerning piracy of music downloads. Apart from this I would say my research skills were shown to be decent and I was confident in structuring a two sided argument for and against the use of piracy for music downloads. The websites which I have used were really helpful for example the website arguing against piracy was wikipedia, although at times wikipedia is not a suitable website to use, however, once i've read the arguments clearly I understood what that person was saying and I thought it was a good arguments to make, hence, the reason I have included that persons arguments in my article. My writing and journalistic skills is however, better than my research skills and I am able to use a variety of good vocabulary in my writing. I am hoping I produce outstanding work during the writing course for the coursework intended for media.

  

The use of InDesign I must admit is sometimes difficult, the reason is because firstly, I have never used this software before so everything is new to me. Secondly, it is hard to use new software’s and you do tend to forget steps on how to do certain things on InDesign. However, I have used similar software’s called Photoshop; I have adjusted to this programme due to the reason that I have taken notes on how to use this software, which has helped me immensely. Hence, the reason I have decided to also take notes on how to use InDesign which will hopefully help me to amend to the new programme which we will be using in Media.

Although I do not blog or use any online web publishing sites, I have uploaded my article for the public to view. I am still adjusting to the use of web publishing and having some difficulties to regulate, however, the more I start to use online web publishing sites the more it is getting easier for me to amend to online ‘blogging’ sites. Hopefully, I continue to use the web publishing sites and become even more confident in using these types of sites. There are many advantages of using web publishing sites such as 'blogger' one reason is that it is free and it allows you to post your work for everyone to view and also comment on any suggestions or improvements. It is also very easy to access and can be used easily, as it does not require much work in order to upload blogs onto your account.

The audience feedback was helpful and I have also got a few suggestions on how to make my magazine and article even better. Person 1, asked me to add my own opinion to my article, in order to improve my article, hence, the reason I have added my own opinion and reason as to why I am against downloading music illegally. Person 2, told me to add another statistic in on music piracy, therefore, the audience will be even shocked and will realise that the download of music illegally is a really big issue and the problem should be noticed and become more aware of. The audience feedback was really useful and helped me to improve my article so my intended target audience enjoy reading my magazine and positively understand the issues I am expressing in my article.

I have spotted many weaknesses during the course of doing the induction assignment; however, I have also made targets which I will stick to in order to make my article and my magazine of an ‘A’ grade standard. I will make sure I complete all my given tasks on time so that I am organised and up to date with my coursework to ensure that I don't fall behind.   

By Shahena Islam 

PIRACY, GONE TOO FAR?

Music Piracy

PIRACY

FOR:

It is not stealing. It is just creating a copy of a product. That product still exists and still can be sold; therefore, downloading a copy of a computer file is not the same as stealing a physical product like a CD.

Many artists simply want to be heard and praised. Anyone who is in the music business for the money is not a true artist. Free downloading means more people can hear their music, right? Isn't that what they want?

The study found that legal purchases would be about 2 percent lower without illegal downloading available-meaning, yes, illegal downloads boost legal downloads.

AGAINST:

Copyright laws are put into place to try to ensure that people in creative industries (filmmakers, musicians, music engineers, writers, composers, software developers etc.) are able to get paid for the things they create. If artists work hard to compose and record songs, shouldn’t they be able to gain financial rewards like professionals in any other field? Not paying for something which is supposed to be paid for, no matter whether it is a physical object or not, it is still wrong.

There are lots of costs involved. Sure record companies make a lot of money from CD sales of very popular artists, but this money is used to invest in new artists and less commercially successful artists. Anyways, just because something is expensive, that doesn’t give you the right to get it for free. And maybe if you stopped downloading it for free, they would reduce the price.

Many record labels are losing huge amounts of profits from album sales. They're also finding it increasingly difficult to sign up new artists, because the money just isn't there to support them.

It costs thousands of dollars just to get into a recording studio, along with all the money required for distribution, promotion and advertising. Then there's the enormous cost of a tour, with travel, accommodation, promotion, security and venue hire. Even just a one man acoustic show costs tens of thousands of dollars. This of course is even more difficult for independent artists, who have to rely entirely on their own funds to continue making music. The illegal download trend makes these things nearly impossible.

It would be like somebody stealing a painting. It is stealing somebody's work. And in the end if everyone does it, the music industry ends up getting destroyed. Do you like seeing bands when they go on tour? Well if so then you'll be taking out almost 70% of the bands that do that from their job.

By Shahena Islam