PROPOSAL FOR MY MUSIC MAGAZINE
I plan to make a music magazine based on chart music, I will use magazines like Seventeen Magazine and Billboard to help influence my own magazine. I will use these magazines, because they are both well-known successful music magazines, which share the same genre that I would like to use for my magazine. I will have a hybrid genre for my magazine, which will be music and fashion, but I will make sure that music is the main genre. The name of my magazine will be Music Now; the reason I have decided to use this as my magazine title is because my magazine will focus on new chart based music, which is out now. My target audience will primarily be based at teenage girls, roughly between the ages of 12-19, this is because chart music is mainly pop based which appeals to younger girls, however some chart based music is based at older teenagers/young adults, who therefore may also be interested in my magazine, giving my magazine a wider target audience. I will use colours which will appeal to my target audience, on my magazine, such as purple and pink, this also connects to my influences of Billboard Magazine and Seventeen Magazine, as their house style links closely with their subgenre, therefore I will make sure that my house style also links with the subgenre of the magazine.
The company that I will choose to publish my magazine will be
Hearst Corporation, the reason I have chosen this company is because Hearst Corporation publishes Seventeen magazine, which is one of the publications that my magazine will be influenced by, therefore I would like to use a company which is already successful with a chart based/pop music magazine. In my magazine I will use a variety of features. One feature that I will include will be interviews, these will appeal to my target audience, because they will want to know how the artistes/bands feel about their music, they will also want to learn more about their favourite band/artiste and interviews are a good way to allow the reader to understand the artiste(s). I will also include many reviews on my magazine, the audience will appreciate this, as they will want to know the magazines opinions and recommendations for certain albums or music videos, because they will want to know whether they should buy an album or watch a video, etc. The reviews will also help to encourage readers to buy albums or songs, which will help the music market, and could also help promote companies such as iTunes. Another feature I will include on my magazine is a letters page; on the letters page I will include thing such as: letters of the week and tweets of the week. The letters and response page will appeal to my target audience as it will create audience participation, making it more likely for the reader to buy the magazine again. By including 'tweets of the week' I will also be helping to promote Twitter, creating a symbiotic relationship between my magazine and social networking sites, which will also help get more readers for the magazine, as readers can spread positive word of mouth through social networking sites. I will also include other ways for the audience to get involved with the magazine, such as competitions. All the competitions will be linked with the genre of the magazine, and I will include prizes such as: concert tickets, merchandise and vouchers for shops like Topshop, which the audience will like as it links to chart based music and fashion. I will also include special offers/ free giveaways, for example I will include free posters for the younger readers and vouchers (for iTunes and Topshop) for the older readers.
I will distribute my magazine as a print based and online version. By using different media platforms the magazine will get more readers, which will make it more successful. I will promote the online version by including the weblink on my print based version, which will create synergy and make the audience more likely to go on the online version. I will create the online version to make the magazine more accessable, as I will also create a downloadable app, meaning that the audience can access the magazine whenever and wherever they want.
The cost of my magazine will be £1.80, because after carrying out my online survey I found that most people would be willing to pay between £1 and £2. I believe the magazine should be more than £1.50, because my magazine will regularly give out free giveaways, and therefore needs to have the money to provide them.
My unique selling point for the magazine will be that I will create an immersive world by including Music Now Radio and Music Now TV. The different media platforms will encourage my audience to engage with the magazine and will make the magazine seem more 'real' to the reader. Another way I will make my magazine unique is by getting my audience involved in different ways, such as competitions and polls, which will include prizes that will appeal to my target audience.
