Research Task Nine: Target Audience research and analysis

 

For me to complete task 9, I had to find different ways by which I could communicate with people and interview them by asking questions that are linked to my research about music magazines. Looking ahead, I would love to note, that this specific research was very useful for me and in some ways anticipated outcome was reached by me. I have asked more than 20 people who almost had no connection with each other and all of them have different interests and hobbies in life which made the survey even more rich in its diversity of answers.

For the survey I have created a quiz in ‘Monkey Survey’ and I have created a few quizzes for my friends to chose from or to give me as a bonus extra information to help me out more. In fact, my friends have shared my survey among their groups and mutual friends to increase the number of responses and give me the opportunity to scoop up more information and to find out more. Even though it was mostly shared among my friends or mutual friends, I have got responses with the range of age from 16 to 25 years old. I have shared and resend my survey to my public group in telegram that can be viewed by everyone and 60 of my friends follow me there which have also boosted the number of responses I have end up with. I have shared in only in telegram, because that is my mostly used online platform where I chat with my peers or friends and where I can also follow some news groups including music groups and so forth. It was the easiest way to have an outcome. This will be directly linked to some of the questions I have asked people, and it will have a clear touch of digital world and how it is effective in ways of sharing or funding out stuff.  The survey was seen only by me which makes in unbiased and fair. I have received answers from over 20 people with range of gender and age. Not to ignore the fact, that the ethnicity is Slavic and almost all of people who took part in survey are Russian or either Caucasians, which in my opinion even more interesting for British audience as it is something unusual and nor common at all. Although, I have interviewed Polish, and Brazilian and English, three different people to compare and find out more information that I could be unfamiliar with as I don’t share same ethnicity.

 

From start I can outline one genre that is certainly is preferred by more than 70% of the involved people which is Hip-Hop. Much less pop music and hard metal. From my research and understanding, young people are more into catchy and easy flow music that will just comfort them and relax. 11 girls share the same opinion, that hip-hop and rap make them think about important topics that rappers usually used in their punchlines and albums, and that they appreciate the atmosphere that hip-hop can create. This can be seen in on of the responses from my friend Ksusha; Ksusha is almost 18-year-old girl, who have always enjoyed music and followed the news about viral releases and etc., She is a fan of cloud rap, which is in hip-hop genre group. Cloud rap is a subgenre of rap that has several sonic characteristics of trap music and is known for its hazy, dreamlike, and relaxed production style. This subgenre has been gaining its popularity on the music platform like SoundCloud that is known among underground producers and artists and is have aimed for the audience who do really appreciate music and have more in common with diverse of genres and unknown artists. Yung lean. Black Kray, Chris Travis are commonly known as face of cloud rape especially on SoundCloud. They have opened the way for many rapped no days in producing cloud rap, as they have been producing music in this subgenre since early 2012-x. This opinion is widely shared among same age of people, in my survey three boys and more girls have shared same answers to the question about most listened and preferred music genre. As another example, is Anatoli who is currently 18 years old, and he have said that music that sound like 2017-2019 hip-hop releases with the touch of cloud rap are the most appealing for him, it helps him to escape or avoid unwanted thoughts and feelings and just to feel something different. Him, and 3 more people have also outlined the fact that cloud rap helps them to gain confidence and make them feel surer of themselves. Russian rappers in fact, have produced music in this subgenre since early 2015 and many of them still popular for it; Such as Pharaoh, Wholla swag, Boulevard Depo and etc. Cloud rap somehow helps you to escape from heavy thoughts that could follow daily teenagers due to overwhelming because of their studies.

A smaller group of people have outlined alternative type of music, rock, metal, and punk music. In comparison, I could say that there are less than 30% who listen to the list of genres that was numbered before. Aleks who is 17 years old, have said that she really enjoys dark theme and is in love with the sound of guitar and on daily terms listens to Bad Omens, Judas Priest, and Pierce the Veil. Her preferences are mostly based on what her parents have listened and that she been raised with soft rock, metal, and rarely punk music. Her opinion is based on what she is used to hear and see from her kith, which differs her from her peers who typically more into either hip-hop or rnb. From my research I can confirm that heavy music is mostly listened among boys from 17 to 25 years old, because it’s energetic and it has an inviting sound that embraces them and sort of empowering.

Music genre as rnb is only listened among girls from 17 to 22 years old. Three girls have outlined artists such as Sza, Kali Uchis, frank ocean and some Russian rnb artists. 20 years old girl who is named Veronika have said – ‘RnB artists are pure genius who have created a whole different universe that really helps me to go through the day, and at the end of the day I will always chose RnB as my top tier genre.’ It’s a mix of Relaxing sound, dreamlike music, and escapism. Also, to note down the fact that all 20 people who have completed my survey have said that really like visiting any sort of gigs, big concerts and enjoy at most time which they spend listening to their favourite artists online, rather than offline. ‘I have been to many concerts and half of them I went just to have fun, even though I wasn’t interested in the artists itself. Because concerts are very energising and lively, after one concert you feel euphoria for the next several days.’ – Katerina, 17 years old.

To switch to the topic about magazines and how young people see them and what they expect to see on music websites or in music magazine, I can emphasize the fact that there is one opinion that have been shared among received responds. I have touched the topic of physical prints and what young people would love to see. One of the responses from 17 years old boy named Grisha; ‘I am not interested in buying physical copies of the music magazine, in my point of view that is ancient way of transmitting and introducing new information. Now days is all about virtual world with wider opportunities, various online platform, and sources from which you can scoop relevant information and articles.’ Karina, Ludmila and Matvey have wrote very similar opinion about significance of physical prints and importance of it in their life. The diverse of age is between 17 to 20, boys and girls. ‘- I am not interested in it.’ ‘- I have no clue what music magazine looks like and had no idea that it does exist.’ ‘I am always on my phone; it is much easier for me to use informative groups in telegram or watch something on YouTube to find about my favourite artists.’ – These statements are rephrased in shorter sentences from overall 20+ responses from different people, so, it can be said that new generation is not interested in buying music magazines and in general any type of magazines, as everything can be accessed online. Same opinion is shared about websites; ‘- I did not know that music websites exist’. ‘- I often got notifications from apple music so there is no need for me to check out different sources.’ Gender have not affected the responses to the questions above in any ways, same as age and ethnicity. I can confidently say that most of my peers (17 years old) and older teenagers up to 25, have not much ever thought about music magazines existence in general (both digital and physical). If any of them is interested in finding out about music, they rather check faithful and trustful groups, than spending time on music websites.

Last but not least, in my survey I have asked people to leave their comments on how they would love to see the covers of the magazine that potentially would attract them and how much they would pay for it;

Ekaterina – ‘- I don’t fancy a lot of text on the cover, nor puffs nor paragraphs about what would be featured inside the magazine. For me, less text and more visually pleasant image work netter than other way around. I don’t mind the colour palette, but based on my taste in music, something not bright as so the masthead should not be huge, and nothing has to be too much. Enough of everything, but with less text. I would love to see articles about artists and their biography, live pictures and something that is related to street lifestyle that would be appealing for many teenagers’. Ekaterina studies photography, so, in her case visual layout and design is the main point of selling and producing magazines. That is a valid point, because based on what person have studied and how creative his career is, more detailed information about visual design and layout you can get. To summarise everyone’s responds on a shorter sentence, it can be said, that majority of people would love to  see minimalistic in its paragraphs magazine, with catchy images and articles about artists ( based on each of respondents preferences in music & genre).

As a bonus, I have asked two of my female friends to briefly annotate or draw a cover of magazine that would be seen as perfect magazine for them. The one on the left, is been quickly drawn by Ksenia, who listens mainly to cloud rap and her personality is based in the dreamy and hazy vibes. Ksenia also studies fashion and hopes to become a fashion designer at some point in her life, this can also reflects in her cover and music preferences.  

Next and last is Aleks, she is one of the 3 respondents that have said that metal and rock is their music chose for everyday playlist. She outlined the fact that her cover would be in dark colour palette that would reflect her personality and her love to heavy music. Price on the tom, bold masthead and minimalistic layout and typography. Not much text, just a few lines of who is featured in the edition and maybe a slogan. Aleks does a-level art, so her preferences can also be followed through how she annotated and depicted her preferences in music. 

Reflection point: What have I learned about independent music magazine websites?

From my researching and deep absorption of independent music magazine websites I have learned and picked up many things on board. To start off, all the webs items differ from each other in many ways such as layout, design, format and so forth. The list can be endless, it is due to different format of physics magazines. Essentially, websites are just playing a digital role of the physical edition of the magazine, it should follow the format of the magazine and produce accurate publications that would represent the magazine. 

Independent magazines do not promote outside adverts and are mainly focused on articles that would promote artists that are featured in specific issue. Independent magazine websites main to enforce the reader to sign up for a wider availability in use of the digital magazine. Most of the time, the layout and design of the website is less busy and minimalistic with pale background to represent the information and introduce useful things that would interest the reader. The websites should be convenient in use and include a relatable amount of information and images. Colour palette is usually simple, not bright, and beautifully combines with the overall layout of the website. 

Most of the websites that have done my research about, represent the original physical version of the magazine and  follow their exact job in representing the magazine. Also, I can outline the fact that some of the music websites provide the reader with wider option such as; playlist with the music genre that the magazine is focused on, gigs and tours and any sort of events are being promoted with dates, place, and artists' name, and rarely it can also be merch. Magazine such as 'So Young' includes all this features which can attract a wider audience and with providing more options, there is more chance to produce appealing appearance and gain larger audience.

Similarities that I can outline are placement and arrangement of thing s such as masthead, hyperlinks, and use of typography. Typically, the masthead of the magazine is  on the very top (which would be considered as skyline) it is for better recognition and it follows the rules of t he physical copy of the magazine, and how we know, websites of the magazine are just digital representations identical to them. The typography stays the same in each publication, usually sans-serif font in capital letters. Hyperlinks can be placed differently on the websites, but they always represent the same thing; Hyperlinks include links to social platforms with the magazine's page or just for the reader to share the article or issue. The reader can also sign up, and use searching bar for deeper research on their own. The colour palette however changes, although the background typically stays the same for easier use of the website and recognition. 

Overall, independent music magazine websites are extremely useful in order to reach out of worldwide audience, as it is digital version on of the physical magazine. Websites can also adapt to the reader's location and change the language, which makes it easier for the reader to perceive the information and for the magazine to reach out for a wider audience. The unique layout and format make the website more recognizable and can appeal to target audience which likes underground music.  

Research task eight: Research into other independent music magazine websites

 THE BLUE AND SOUL MAGAZINE WEBSITE 

SO YOUNG MAGAZINE WEBSITE 

Research task seven: Independent Magazine websites

 The Wire website 

Overall, The Wire's front cover and website collaborate to establish a consistent brand identity through digital convergence, primarily on the homepage. Despite the change in colour, the masthead retains the same format and typography, contributing to the brand's coherence. The content layout, similar to the magazine's, is easy to navigate, with clear divider lines reinforcing the brand identity. The website's use of hyperlinks guides the audience to secondary pages, engaging them further and potentially leading to increased interaction and sales. 

The Wire's website showcases various examples of digital convergence through the use of a consistent masthead that unifies their physical and online presence. Customers can easily identify the publication because of this branding. The website also displays the physical copy's price and provides a subscription link, linking the website and magazine together. By featuring the current issue with an image and brief description on the homepage, the website prompts visitors to purchase the magazine, potentially boosting profits.

Furthermore, The Wire's website demonstrates cross-media convergence by promoting their social media accounts, newsletter, and radio show. This diversified presence signifies the publication's success and credibility. Encouraging consumer interaction (such as subscribing to the newsletter, listening to the radio show, and following social media) not only expands their audience but also engages in participatory culture, relying on audience interaction to broaden their reach.

Reflection point: What have I learned about magazine content pages?

 What have I learned about two chosen magazine content pages; 

I have chosen two different magazines such as Bazaar which is a cosmopolitan type of magazine, and Thrasher which is mainly aims for the skateboarders and street fashion. Both magazines are predominantly about fashion and are visually constructed in the way by which they can attract younger fashionable audiences. However, both of the magazines share just a few similarities such as modern representation of the font and layout and, the fact that both are about fashion and lifestyle. 

Bazaar is focused on celebrities and big media events such as Met Gala, Oscar, Grammy and so forth., It is more representative for cosmopolitan audience, girlish, feminine, and always follows the trends. The layout of the content page is not busy and follows the standards of navigator and information stall. Is more of a shell with pretty design and important needed information. The design is minimalistic, so as the colour palette, is black on white with the sans-serif bold font, ordered numbers with section's titles and page numbers. Mastheads are relatable for each section. 

Overall, the Bazaar's magazine content page is very simple, glamorous, beautiful and easy to use in order to find relatable information. 

On the other hand, we have Thrasher which is predominantly about skateboarding and street lifestyle & fashion. Content page meets the standards of the magazine, it's designed in the way it will be appealing for the audience and it does not change it's style and regulations even for the content page; The main image is horizontal and takes almost the whole page of the content page, as the other pages in the magazine are following the same structure - pictures with non of the articles and credits. The typography is simply used- sans-serif font, bold capitalized mastheads of the section that are presented on the information lists. Modern design of the font creates an image of freedom, street lifestyle, graffiti and skateboarding subculture that is very popular among younger generation.  Overall, I can say that the content page is less busy than the Bazaar's content page, because Thrasher is untypical magazine and is more useful for photographers or for those who appreciate skateboarding and are massive fans of street fashion. 

Research task 6: Wider research into magazine contents pages

 Thrasher's magazine content page 

Bazaar' magazine content page 

Research task 5: The Wire magazine contents pages

 

In this task I have looked at two content pages of the same magazine pages that I have researched  about for task 3. I have compared them, and individually annotated, have described their unique features and the usefulness of it. 

Reflection Point: What have I learned about Independent music magazine front covers?

I have done my own research about two independent music magazines, and from what I have learned, both magazines are playing with modernism, sometimes surrealism, and fights the stereotypes about ordinary layout and content of mainstream magazines. Independent magazines as same as a mainstream magazines have the main point in selling their product-which is the artist that is represented on the main image of the edition, however, most of time the artist or a band can be underground or not welly known, someone who is unlikely to be promoted by a mainstream platform,or who is considered as a pop-music artist. 

Each publication tries to create an atmosphere for the reader that will be appealing, creates something convenient for their taste, appealing, unknown, unfamiliar, unique and different from what we are used to see on the shells in the shops. Independent magazines differ from mainstream magazines by not only content and visual features, but also by the amount of advertising, usually independent magazines make their profit from sales of the copies, whilst mainstream magazines rely on the advertising and sales of copies as well. 

Usually, independent magazines arrange its design in such way in which it could provide an understanding of what can be expected from the edition, it constructs the appealing image and encourages to buy the magazine. As independent magazines do not publish any outside advertising, the cover is less busy with puffs and content plugs. But the magazines fill that gap with the cover-lines with numerous lists of artist’s names that the reader can find out about more in depth in the edition itself. It’s a very profitable promotion for underground artists or bands who have just started their music paths and it also can help find preferable music for reader.

In conclusion, independent magazines are freer in creating their covers, using different sets for their main images, typography and layouts. Magazines aim in finding an audience that will be interested in researching and acknowledging new music stars, then in just selling their copies as a mainstream platform.

Research Task 4: How does 'RnR' magazine's front cover appeal to audiences?