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.