1. RATIONALE

2. GENRE..
The music genre(s) I chose to focus on for my magazine are a mix of indie, rock and electro/techno. I chose these genres firstly because music that fits into these categories are currently domineering the charts and I wanted the coursework to have some relevance to current circumstances.
Secondly, these genres happen to be my preferred types of music so I would feel more comfortable and motivated in approaching my upcoming tasks.
Thirdly, I feel I can experiment a lot more with the selected genres when it comes to photography and models, as these genres tend to hold no boundaries in terms of creativity.

3. TARGET AUDIENCE..
The target audience for this magazine are those aged from about 16 – 25.
The age range starts at 16 because I think that in order to appeal to younger audiences, a lot of the magazine would have to be sugar-coated and censored which defeats the purpose of the whole concept of the magazine.
It ends at 25 so as to keep the magazine more youthful and fresh. This is not to say however, that older readers are not accepted.
It is also aimed at people of an open mind who listen to indie/rock/electro pop/new wave. These genres fall under music that don’t fit into conventions as they either:
Defy mainstream (i.e. Indie/new wave)
Sound unusual (electro pop/new wave)
Offend the senses ( rock)
Because of this, certain people would be expected to read the magazine such as those who don’t quite fit in and may be a bit oddball or quirky and use these types of music as a means of escape and identification.

4. RAWR TITLE.. (pronounced “raw/roar”)
My reasons for picking this title are as follows:
It stands out. The confusion in the spelling and bluntness makes it sharp and appealing. Before deciding on the title I knew I wanted it to be monosyllabic as I feel that too much of a mouthful is off-putting to potential buyers.
“Rawr” is a term first used by ‘scene’ teenagers who are well known for their distinctive “darker than girly but lighter than Gothic” dress sense and interest in indie/rock/alternative music, which is what my magazine dabbles in. The term is used rather like “LOL” is used but is more exclusive as hardly anyone but these people use it. Therefore, my magazine is exclusive and made for individuals like us.
It is pronounced both as raw and roar. When you are raw you are uncut, unedited and unpolished. You are at your most original and obscene state, plain and simple and that is how this magazine comes. When you roar, you project, you make yourself heard. It is a war cry and it tells everyone else that we deserve to be heard and you WILL give us your attention. Also, with the type of music this magazine deals with, you do not sing along lightly or harmonically; you ROAR.

5. Experimentation with the Masthead
These are just starters as to how my masthead could possibly look. They will be developed as my planning goes on, and some ideas may be altered or removed entirely. The masthead must be bold, sharp and eye catching.

6. FRONT COVER MODELS…
My criteria for the potential front cover models is quite strict and are as follows:
I must make sure that photos of people of diverse genders and ethnicities are taken. This is important because it is vital that the magazine isn’t classified as meant for just white people or black people etc. The only thing that must set readers apart from others is their taste in music and nothing else.
I would prefer if the models I choose to capture showed an interest in the music genres set for the magazine. This is because music culture ties in with fashion culture, and just by looking at the way a person dresses, you can make fairly accurate assumptions as to what type of music they are into. Also, for my cover I want people who would look like they belong on these types of magazines i.e. quirky and individual fashion sense.
Seeing as my genres feature bands very heavily in them, I would have to find people and put them together according to how well I think they would gel aesthetically as a group. To make this realistic they have to be well co-ordinated in terms of clothing and look well formed as a group.

7. PHOTOGRAPHY..
LOW ANGLE SHOTS can be used on my front cover to portray the model(s) in a dominant light, as if they are the current leaders of this particular music scene.
MID SHOTS would be more appropriate for pictures of bands so as to get everyone in the shot and allow the reader to survey them as a package.
CLOSE UP SHOTS would be useful especially if there was a feature article about the artist on the cover. It would be as if we were getting up close and personal with the artist, like they are going to reveal all. This also applies to EXTREME CLOSE UP SHOTS.

8. Mise en scene..
LOCATION: I may have to use the music department to borrow drum sticks for one of my models to pose with if I decide to take a band shot. Otherwise, I would prefer for the background of the front cover to be blank, so as to keep the focus on the artist.
CLOTHING: Seeing as I have no access to a wardrobe department, I have chosen models who already dress in the styles in which my front cover requires. Their style has basically got to be original and different to what the average person wears. This can range from urban 80’s retro clothing to grungy or punk clothing.
LIGHTING AND USE OF COLOURS: On one hand, I would like to use a white background and let the artist project the colour, but on the other I would like to make the background bold. Any colours I would consider are black, purple, blue or plain white. However, I am still undecided at this point and need to think these aspects through.

9. SELL LINES.. WIN TICKETS TO SEE PARAMORE!!
Competition
Huge band on the rock scene
Bold and large font
WIN TICKETS TO SEE PARAMORE!!
Fans will instantly want the magazine
Bright urgent colour
Main sell line?
_______ ON PRESS, GIGS AND HIS/HER DRUG HELL
Sense of scandal/gossip
The ‘gigs’ ensures that the music is still focused on
Not just gossip, as it is coming from actual artist
Power of three

10. CONTENTS PAGE.. Letter from the Editor (myself) List of Contributors
Small picture of Editor alongside letter
CONTENTS PAGE..
Subscription details
List of what is in the magazine and where to find them (page numbers)
Extra information
Thumbnails of certain artists/features in the magazine

11. DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD..
The main idea is to have an interview with the main artist who features on the front cover. This may include a photo shoot possibly with them in different outfits and poses.
Another idea would be to have a review spread in which I review albums, singles and concerts.
My third option would be to do a spread on upcoming artists on the scene and mini-interviews with the artists to accompany them. A lot of photos would have to be taken for this option.
I could also do a feature on front-men/woman of bands. This also would require a lot of photography.
Lastly I could do a feature on the best albums/tracks of This would then concur with current times as the year 2010 has just begun. Therefore, a review of the year in music would be relevant.