1. Conventions Masthead Headline Font Pugs Main Image Subheadings Graphics Strap line Barcode First of all I will start by concentrating on the conventions of magazines by analysing different types magazine and explain the impact it has to us as the readers. The different conventions include:

2. Main image of a celebrity that is well known, engaging a lot more audience. Due to the fact that the main image covers the whole page, it suggest that the celebrity is superior towards us, as well as that we are more attracted to her appearance – this appearance can be quite narcissistic towards females as they might envy her beauty. The text ‘Hot Sex Tape’ may be reflecting the sexual desires that the audience gains from looking at this image. Her beauty can also be seen as quite seductive to males, which then attracts a wider audience rather than the target audience. Consequently this reflects back on Laura Mulvey’s theory of the ‘male gaze’ as males could get sexual gratifications by Beyonce’s beauty. These type of gratification can also be linked to voyeurism. Beyonce is wearing the colour white, and her make up is not heavy but natural, which adds to the purity of the magazine. This magazine is a medium, close-up shot from a birds eye point of view. This gives an overview of her appearance, as well as that the close up might be a way of encouraging the audience to feel even more envious as we are able to view her beauty more closely. Font: Yellow and green connotes purity and encourages a relaxing mood. The colour green links to the nature which then reflects back to Beyonce’s natural appearance in the main image – this can then be linked to the reasoning to naming the magazine ‘essence’ The colour ‘white’ has been a wise decision for the Masthead as this colour stands out from the background. The colour white adds to the purity of the magazine which then suggests to us that the magazine is aimed at female audiences. This headline has typical features of a magazine, which is a big bold font. Taking into consideration of the mis en scene, the Masthead is placed at the top of the magazine so it would me one of the first feature that grabs the audiences attention. This is very important as the Masthead can influence whether the audience buys the magazine or not. This magazine also include subheadings which are featured in the magazine. This type of convention makes the magazine more interesting and it may convince the audience even more to buy the magazine. The subheading reflects back on the mood of the magazine as the word ‘summer’ connotes peacefulness and in this case fun. Pug: this feature is very typical as it is often presented in shapes. The two colours work together as the text (written in white) stands out from the blue background which then means the text can be clearly seen. The featured text included in the pug is a wise decision as these type factors are what attracts female audiences.

3. The reason why I then decided to analyse this kind of magazine is so I could show how the conventions in magazine are presented in different genres of magazines. In this case I am going to be comparing the conventions of Essence magazine with ‘Good Food’ The addition of a famous British Chef makes it consistent to the genre of the magazine (it would be unusual and also pointless if he was included in a different genre such as Essence as he does not attract that particular audience). Moreover the readers will be attracted to this factor as they will be satisfied to see a well known chef who promotes healthy eating. This therefore relates to using celebrity endorsement as way of promoting the magazine to the audience. Main Image: Close up of a meal so the appearance of the meal can appeal to the audience. As well as that the close up allows us to perceive this meal being ‘delicious’ so therefore we are then eager to read on to the magazine as we would want to cook the meal ourselves. The Headline ‘Easy home cooking’ is kept simple (with the use of small letters) which could be clarifying how easy it actually is to cook the meal at home. As well as that the yellow colour font used is similar to image of the food being portrayed – this could be highlighting the appearance of the meal. As the readers, we are as soon as we see this brand name ‘BBC’ we immediately suggest an objective view of the magazine so therefore we will be convinced that all the details read in the magazine are honest views. Font: the brown and yellow mainly used encourages a relaxing mood to the magazine. As well as that the yellow font used in the headline highlights the comforting mood we feel cooking the meal at home. The Masthead ‘Good food’ highlights the quality of the food being presented in the image. The capital letter in ‘Food’ highlights to us the genre of the magazine. Just like Essence magazine, the Headline is placed at the top of the magazine and also the colour white is being used to stand out from the background colours. Pug: Also included in essence magazine, however different type of quotes are used to match the genre of music.

4. After focusing on the conventions of magazines and how and why they are used in different magazines, I decided to focus on the conventions of a music magazine As this is our main task as I also done some further analysis on music magazines (e.g. annotating the contents page). I have annotated different genres of music magazine so I can concentrate on how the different genres are presented

5. First of all… how do we become interested in music? One explanation can be based on the ‘mere exposure effect’: if we are indifferent to a piece of music when we first hear it then we will like it more the more that we hear it. ◦ Eventually we will hear the piece one too many times and we will start to dislike it. ◦ This process is then replicated ◦ This process was described by William Wundt (1874) and later by Daniel Berlyne (1974).

6. History of music magazines: Billboard magazines: the first music news magazine launched on the 1 st of November1894. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis It was a trade paper for the bill posting industry, hence the magazine's name. Within a few years of its founding, it began to carry news of outdoor amusements, a major consumer of billboard space. With the development of the jukebox industry during the 1930s, The Billboard (originally named Billboard advertising) began publishing music charts. Originally, there were only three genre-specific charts: Pop, Rhythm & Blues, and Country & Western. At the start of 1961, The Billboard was renamed Billboard Music Week. The publication was now devoted almost entirely to the music industry The title was changed to simply Billboard at the start of 1963. In 2005, due to media proliferation the magazine and its web sites now provide coverage of all forms of digital and mobile entertainment.

7. Difference between Billboard magazine? Now named just ‘Billboard’ Now includes celebrities instead of animated images. This could be due to the improvement of technology. In the 1990s technology was very limited and quite poor so therefore advanced technology such as Photoshop was not available to edit images (such as the ones shown on the billboard cover magazines) with other text. Digital proliferation has allowed for better and attractive magazines to be produced More focused on celebrity gossip as well as their music. Whereas when Billboard magazine was first released it was more focused on informing the audiences about the latest and top music in the charts. This just shows us how the audiences has changed in society. In addition to that, it presents to us the impact of ‘celebrity worship’ on people. Celebrities now have huge influence on the audiences in our society. As a result magazine institutions are now informing us with the latest gossip on celebrities, conforming to the change in society. Focuses on the presentation of celebrities; it is now more focused on how the conventions can attract the audiences attention. For example, the images on the front cover are always presented in a way so it could draw the audiences attention. Considering Laura Mulvey’s theory, the Male gaze, males may receive sexual pleasures (scopophilia) from watching Rihanna as she is not fully covered in the image. As a result males will be attracted to this magazine. Keeping up with contemporary media, Billboard converge with a twitter account and Facebook account. Again this is another method that magazine institutions can adapt to the changes within the audiences. Since social networking sites are now becoming more popular, Billboard institution may decide to communicate with their audiences through these sites.

8. NME UK weekly music publication since March 1952 Overtime New musical express has changed from a music newspaper to a music magazine It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, in the 14 November 1952 edition By the early 1970s, NME had lost ground to Melody Maker, as its coverage of music had failed to keep pace with the development of rock music, NME has managed to rise with their new focus of punk rock music In the early 2000s NME tried broaden is coverage page by introducing stories on hip pop and R&B artist such as Jay Z and Missy Elliot however this just decreased their readership. ( This just points how important it is to make sure the stories and conventions included in my magazine is consistent to the audiences preferences) It 1996 it converged with a website and they were awarded online magazine of the year in 1999 and 2001

9. How has NME changed? Although NME music solely focuses on Rock artist, recent magazines now include cover stories of other artist under different genres. Such as Eminem who is a Hip-pop/rap artist and Rihanna who is a R&B and pop singer Although NME music solely focuses on Rock artist, recent magazines now include cover stories of other artist under different genres. Such as Eminem who is a Hip-pop/rap artist and Rihanna who is a R&B and pop singer This just shows how our culture has become more diverse. Even reviews suggest that there is no subculture anymore on the type of music people listen to. For example in the 1960s we had the ‘Grebos’ and ‘Punks’ who would only listen to rock music but now there’s no particular subculture associated with a type of music anymore. This maybe because we can now consume music in different ways. For example listening to music in the 1900s was limited to tracks they could hear on the radio but now music could be downloaded on the internet, listened at home on the T.V, YouTube and through the mobile device. This therefore encourages people to listen to different type of music as they are exposed to different genres. This just shows how our culture has become more diverse. Even reviews suggest that there is no subculture anymore on the type of music people listen to. For example in the 1960s we had the ‘Grebos’ and ‘Punks’ who would only listen to rock music but now there’s no particular subculture associated with a type of music anymore. This maybe because we can now consume music in different ways. For example listening to music in the 1900s was limited to tracks they could hear on the radio but now music could be downloaded on the internet, listened at home on the T.V, YouTube and through the mobile device. This therefore encourages people to listen to different type of music as they are exposed to different genres. What have they said in the reviews?? This very important to consider when I am producing my magazine. Although I will be focusing on a particular genre, I will need to consider that audiences have now become so diverse in the music so therefore I might include a bit of information about different genres of music This very important to consider when I am producing my magazine. Although I will be focusing on a particular genre, I will need to consider that audiences have now become so diverse in the music so therefore I might include a bit of information about different genres of music

10. Pop Magazines! Disc: first published on the 1 st of Febrauary 1958 ◦ Gained reputation for its emphasis on Pop music ◦ Rivals were Melody Maker and NME Smash Hits: UK Pop magazine published in 1978, aimed at young teenagers and young adults Q magazine is another popular one known for Pop music, published in 1986. It also featured other genres ◦ Released monthly in the U.K

11. Classical FM Introduced in 1992 for a niche audience who enjoyed classical music. Latest and final issue was in March 2012 ◦ Published monthly ◦ Music is now becoming more diverse ◦ Unlike magazines such as Billboard, music magazines such as Classical FM, mainly focuses on a particular music genre, e.g. classical in order to keep their audience engaged and entertained. The ultimate guide to music and more Began in 1994, ended in March 2009. ◦ Only released 10 times a year therefore only highly recognised celebrities made the Charts ◦ Known for its sexual/provocative images of celebrities Blender

12. Top of the pops Released in 1995 ◦ Subsidiary magazine for the TV show Top of the pops which started in 1964 and ended in 2006 Monthly publication by BBC magazines Over the years, the format now includes less music content, and their newest demographic is young teenage girls, (the fact that this magazine does not prioritise its music content supports the view I mentioned earlier about how audiences are now more interested in celebrity gossip rather than their music) How has Top of the pops changed? ◦ The demographic shift to young teenage girls obviously has an influence on the colour of the magazines. Now it is aimed at a younger audience more warm and bright colours are used to attract these audience. ◦ The shift to a demographic audience indicates to us that younger audiences are now becoming more interested in media content, hence the reason why they are largely influenced by the media. According to a 2006 report by Magazine Publishers of America, 78% of teens read magazines. A 1999 study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that teens 15 to 18 spend an average of 13 minutes daily reading magazines. They also found that on a given day, about 6 in 10 of these teens will read a magazine, boys being 10% more likely to do so than girls. ◦ This study supports my previous point about magazines having a huge impact on teenagers, they have now become more interested in reading magazines Why are they more interested in magazines? ◦ A Teenage Research Unlimited focus group with 7th grade through 11th grade teen girls revealed that they rely on magazines as a medium for expression, fashion and beauty advice and equate them to a close confidant. Similarly, Taylor Research & Consulting Group found that almost half of girls 12 to 15 look to magazines almost as much as their friends for the coolest trends. ◦ This study supports Blumler and Katz (1974) gratification theory. Teenagers are interested in magazines as they provide them with information about the latest fashion trends and they are able to relate to the information the magazines provide. ◦ Social impacts: aside from influencing fashion, trends, among adolescents, Teenage magazines have found ways to involve their readers in contests and projects that make a social statement. One of this contests includes ‘Miss Seventeen’ created by the Editor of the magazine Seventeen then in 2005, Atoosa Rubenstein, worked with MTV to create the show, Also Cosmo GIRL created the magazine's annual Born to Lead awards which features young women doing something impactful in their school or community.

13. PASTE The magazine was founded in 2002; monthly music magazine published in the USA. Paste focuses more on Indie rock music and it is aimed at young adults Converted to online only after its last publication 2010 Why did Paste convert online only? ◦ This could be because print media (even newspapers) have now become unpopular. Audiences have now become more interested in reading magazines online Why are online magazines becoming more popular? ◦ The cost is reduced as no money is spent on ink, paper and distribution ◦ Online magazines is more likely to engage with a wider audience. Writing a specific word on the search engine which may lead them to a related article in a particular magazine website. As online magazine is easier for magazines to gain access to it therefore encourages a wider audience, also because the web is worldwide people from all over the globe can access the site. ◦ Online magazines are easier to gain information from, especially because their articles are usually updated daily, even some online magazines update on a hourly basis ◦ You can gain more information – an adequate amount can be read to suit your needs as a particular word in an article maybe linked to another page therefor providing you with more information related to the previous article that you have read.

14. Comments based online magazine vs. print It depends usually nearly always online unless there is a magazine I spot with a particular article I am interested in or I am need of some reading for a long journey. However I don’t have the money to waste on buy a magazine every month and I usually skip half the articles and forget about it. By Ryan By the time it hits paper, it is out of date. By Grant I do most of my geeky reading online. For longer articles, I would prefer print, but it’s a lot quicker to find what I need online. By Prez As most online nerdy tech stuff is via blog, I value the comments from other readers as they often lead me to something new or interesting. By Daryl I prefer the printed magazine format in online distribution. This becomes a Hybrid print magazine. I can download it (usually to the desktop) and read it at my leisure. I can access the magazine from anywhere that I have internet access with my computer. I can print any specific articles that I want to keep a hard copy of, and I don’t have a paper magazine that I have to pay to dispose of at some point. I should expect a cheaper subscription price because the publisher saves paper, printing, and distribution costs and I expect them to share that savings with me. The tree-huggers are kept happy. By John Shelton It seems to be that audiences prefer online magazines than print magazines, which then gives the intensions that online magazine are becoming more popular. However this does not necessarily mean that audiences will not be keen on buying magazines if they are already out.

15. Vibe R&B and Hip-hop magazine founded in 2008 that runs till present day Changes in the magazines? ◦ First of all music has certainly become more diverse, especially amongst the youth. In the early 1900s the most popular music seems to be rock or punk, then pop music becomes the trend near the end of the 1900s. We start to acknowledge the different taste in music amongst the audience when Classical FM was introduced in 1992 for a niche audience, then Vibe for audiences who are interested in R&B and Hip-pop. ◦ Also it needs to be acknowledged that magazines have not only been diverse in their music but also in the ethnicity/race of the celebrities that has been used in their front cover. In the past Billboard magazines only presented a majority of Caucasians in their front cover. This may have been because, in the early1900s coloured people were seen as part of the ethic minority because of their skin colour so therefore they were not worth being presented glamorously, however now coloured people are being portrayed in magazine front covers, including Billboard, NME and Q. Even Vibe magazine, which targets a demographic of coloured audiences, mainly focuses on presenting a coloured celebrities. ◦ How are the celebrities in Vibe magazine stereotyped?  The coloured celebrities in the front cover of the magazine usually look ‘tough’ and intimidating. This links us to the contemporary world, where coloured people in the media (news) are presented as the violent race. This representation may have been developed from the past when Blaxploitation was introduced in the early 1970s. Blaxploitation is a film genre that emerged in US, originally aimed for an urban coloured audience, representing coloured people has violent characters, trying to gain empowerment by being intimidating and violent. So therefore the front cover images that Vibe uses enhances the stereotypical view of coloured people.

16. Impact that magazine have on audiences… Impact that magazine have on audiences… Reading magazines allows audiences to communicate with their favourite celebrities, usually with the ones they have a parasocial social relationship with (where the audience is attracted to the celebrity but the celebrity is unaware of this) Research by Psychologist such as Perse and Rubin has shown that parasocial interaction with celebrities actually offer many social benefits. They provide models of social behaviour and an opportunity to learn about cultural values. As a result to this we can assume that reading magazines leads to positive outcomes, so therefore suggesting that magazines are actually beneficial to our audiences. Magazines can also have different impacts depending on the type of audience it is. For example some consumers may be active audiences. These type of audiences are viewed as individuals who choose to either accept the message, reject the message or select which bits they agree with. For instance Vibe magazines uses a lot of female models who are usually used as sexual gratifications, some females may react to this in a negative way and argued that women are being objectified however, an active audience will reject this message as they have an understanding of why certain conventions are used in a magazines therefore accept it has a form of entertainment. This therefore reflects back on Stuart’s Hall Reflection theory, which also includes the opposite effect ‘The Effects theory’ where the audiences are passive audiences and do not have much understanding of media products so therefore view the female models being used very offensive

17. Negative impacts of magazines. However magazines can also have negative effects. Due to the fact that the celebrities presented in the magazine are usually presented so glamorous and beautiful, this could reduce the self-esteem of the audiences. They start to wish they look like these celebrities and they start to become depressed for this reason. ◦ A perfect example of this is when magazines usually present slim models in the front image and audiences believe that this is the ‘perfect and ideal’ body shape therefore making them depressed that they don’t look like that. This is more common within female audiences and research by: Maltby et al proves this suggestion. Maltby states that girls between 14 and 16 who engage with celebrities who are perceived as being slim may lead to poor body image in female adolescents, and consequently may lead to eating disorders such as anorexia. As well as that magazines may encourage negative behaviour. For example magazines may include information about antisocial celebrities which audiences may imitate (hypodermic needle). This is more common around teenage audiences (which most magazines are aimed at) and as a result antisocial behaviour from this type of audiences can lead to a moral panic. Even researchers (Sheridan et al) has shown that audiences may turn into a pathological worshipper of a celebrity and these people are often drawn into a more entertaining celebrity. Very often these celebrities are antisocial so therefore we might expect fans to be more rebellious. This research actually investigated fans of Amy Winehouse. ◦ Pathological worshippers could be blamed on magazines. Due to the fact that magazines exposes the fans with a lot of information about their favourite celebrity, fans then start to become obsessed with them therefore encouraging them to imitate anything the celebrity does.

18. Kerrang is one of the minimal music magazine in the U.K which is published by Bauer Media (this is Kerrang’s conglomerates). I also decided to analyse Kerrang as it is a quite popular magazine in the U.K. Kerrang competes with other magazines such as Metal Hammer however, they have been able to be successful due to its unique selling point: the magazine has been around since the early 1980s and is intimately connected with the evolution of the ‘Metal genre’. Masthead: The colour choice makes the font stand out from all the dark colours in the background. The phrase ‘Kerrang’ is an onomatopoeic word that develops when playing an electric guitar. Therefore the name on the magazine reflects the genre of the music magazine which is ‘heavy metal’ and ‘rock’. The explanation mark is used to emphasise and reflects back on the heavy metal genre of the music. Main image: The person in the main image is wearing dark black make up which are connotations of the heavy music genre. As well as that this could attract ‘emos’ and ‘Goths’, therefore reflecting back to Blumler and Katz’s theory of gratification, these type of people are able to relate themselves to the magazine, therefore they are more likely to invest in it. This stereotypical view of Emos and Goths might make them narcissistic towards the person in the image so therefore they inspire to be like them. In relation to Dick’s Hebdidge theory of representation, ‘normal’ people may look at this group of people and associate them with the unusual characters therefore these group of people form a subculture as they feel neglected by societal standards. They also develop a sense identity which differs to the usual one they belong to. Consequently this group of subculture are represented through the music they listen to, visual affections (e.g. tattoos, black eyeliner) and the clothes they were. In order to grab the attention of these type of audience, their characteristics are being presented in the magazine. There is a medium close up of the person in the image so therefore the audiences are able to gain a strong appearance of their facial expression and their make up. Headline: The text is slanted on the page which emphasises madness of heavy metal. Again the font is white and bold so it is able to stand out from the background. The phrase ‘black’ highlights the dark colours connotated from heavy metal. Pug: the pug is consistent with the genre of the magazine as celebrities in heavy metal tend to do a lot off gigs so therefore fans of heavy metal will be attracted to the pug, which therefore means that audiences will be eager to buy the magazine. The phrase ‘biggest’ in this pug is emphasised in a larger font and another brighter colour which therefore encourages the audience that the gigs being mentioned are actually ‘big’. Font: the dark colours used reflect back on the roughness of heavy metal. The colour ‘red’ connotates blood which could be emphasising the devastation associated with heavy metal.

19. The white font the contents page is consistent with the white font used for the masthead ‘Kerrang’ in the front cover. The font of the contents is ‘cracked’ which highlights the disruption of heavy metal. The main image is fully consistent with the heavy metal genre. The use of fire flames connotes danger which in turn compliments the genre of heavy metal. The content list is a summary of what is included in the magazine. The content list is useful to the readers as they are able to spot any information that they are interested and due to the page number included it is quicker for them to turn to the direct page they are looking for. The font uses consistent dark colours for Kerrang magazine.

20. Article of Kerrang Kerrang magazine constantly stays with the dark colours through the magazine. This helps remind the readers the rough connotations we receive from Kerrang magazine. The quotation placed at the top so it is one of the first feature to grab the audiences attention. This quotation reflects on Roland Barthes ‘enigma code’ theory where readers are presented with as little information as possible. The readers of Kerrang do not know what is it that is ‘exciting’ and ‘nerve – wracking’. So therefore we would want to read on and find out what it is. Image: his facial expressions points out the crazy attitude we receive towards heavy metal. The person in the main image is holding a guitar which then helps remind the readers of the genre of the magazine, as well as it being consistent with the genre of the magazine. The summary of the article is quite violent, again emphasising the rough attitude of Kerrang magazine. This summary stands out from the background colour red. As the colour red connotates blood, this could be highlighting the aggressive attitude we receive from the summary. It seems to be that colour red is a popular colour in this music genre. This is to remind the readers of the devastation associated with heavy metal.

21. Why do people listen to heavy metal & rock? It maybe because it seen as the ‘coolest trend’. If everyone around you listens to rock music, you will also adapt to listening to that type of music. This can therefore reflect back Katz & Lazarsfeld two-step flow theory where people has an influence on what others listen to. During the 1970s rock music was a way of the youths from differentiating themselves with other members in the society. Since rock music was a very popular trend during this era, in order to rebel against society norms, the youths formed a subculture and one of the ways they did this by listening to rock music.

22. James is 18 years and he is very talented at playing electric guitars and drums. James has been practicing to play these instruments since the age of two and he has always been inspired to start is own band. James enjoys listening to music but the main genre he listens to is rock music. As well as that James now has his minor band where they perform in school talent shows and music performances outside. All his peers are also fascinated in this genre of music so therefore when they are together they are constantly speaking about rock music and celebrities who part of this genre of music. Due to his interest in rock music, he loves buying magazines which informs him about the latest rock music and celebrities. As well as that it keeps him informed about the latest gigs coming up. James will ensure that he goes to at least 3 – 4 gigs in a year.

23. Masthead: The name Top of the Pops instantly encourages the readers they are the best selling magazine, which convinces us that the brand name has a very high reputation. As well as that the phrase ‘Pops’ reveals the genre of the music magazine which mainly focuses on pop music. The letter S in Pops is written in a feminine font which then reinforces a younger target audience. Main Image: ‘One direction’ are a popular brand in the U.K and most of the time their music hits number in the U.K charts. Because of this, these celebrities will attract audiences attention as they are well known. This will mainly attract young female audience’s as they are perceived to be good looking by these type of audiences. As well as that, because this boys are also young band members it encourages a younger female audience which is said to be between the age 11-15. One direction being the main image of this magazine makes the magazine consistent as the genre of the music is Pop and they are also Pop singers, this then suggest that the magazine is able to perform it’s ideology: to promote pop music. Notice that they are smiling in this image which encourages the readers of the magazine to feel light-hearted and happy as well, therefore convincing them to buy the magazine. Several other images of celebrities who are well known are used which confirms to a young target market. This is important because young people from this target audience are less likely to read so therefore the use of several different images will attract them, which then convince them to read the text The use of colloquial language ‘pants’ and ‘undies’ allows the young audiences to relate themselves to the magazine and as well as that it makes the text much more understandable for them. Moreover, this magazine features gossips about Justin Beiber, who is also a well known celebrities which young females are attracted to, so therefore because of this, they will be even more convinced to buy the magazine. Subheadings: related stories include gossip about Tulisa who has now become more popular considering her role as a judge in X factor. The phrase Tulisa is presented in a different colour to point out the celebrity to the audience. Young people are able to relate themselves to this gossip due the colloquial phrase ‘secret admirer’. By adding these colloquial phrases it consistently engages young audiences. Includes other aspects in the magazine such as fashion – this is a way of grabbing more of the audiences attention as females are interested in fashion. Font: by using bright colours which is dominated by the colour pink immediately suggest a young female target audience. These bright colours are able to grab the target audience’s attention even from a long distance. The bombarded bright colours allows the readers to be in a positive and joyful mood. Headline: the headline is presented inside the shape so it is able to stand out to the target audience also this gives a more infantile appearance to the magazine. The text ‘Exclusive’ gives this magazine a unique selling point as it suggest that they inform the audience with special information that no one else knows about.

24. Instead of using ‘Contents’ the phrase ‘Inside the Mag’ is being presented which makes it easier for young audience to understand. This is kept informal as the word ‘mag’ is used instead of ‘magazine’. The font used also adds to the informality of the magazine, therefore clarifying a younger target audience. The contents includes headings which are put in columns which makes it easier for the audience to find. As well as that they include page numbers so the readers can easily find the page they are looking for. This particular heading ‘we love boys’ is directly aimed at females, also a love heart is presented rather than the actual phrase love which gives the magazine a childlike attitude. Due to the fact this heading is about boys – its is stereotypes what young teenage girls mostly gossip about. Instead of using headings all the time, images are used to make the magazine look more fascinating. The editor may have decided to use images rather than headings as young people do not prefer reading or as an enigma code to make the audience wonder what the article is about, which then encourages them to read on and find out. As well as that notice that the editor constantly uses images of One direction so they are able to keep the audiences attention on the magazine. Includes a roughly annotated version of the front cover in order to portray the contents in a visual way for the young target audience. This is quite unusual in a magazine but it is beneficial for this type of magazine as it makes it easier for the target audience to find exactly what article they want to read. Consistent with the front cover as an aspect of fashion is being presented. The word ‘we’ indicates that it is targeting a specific audience and as well as that it allows the audience to relate to the magazine even more Take Note! I am sure it has been acknowledged that magazines such as Top of the Pops for younger audiences usually includes a lot of attractive different features and conventions in the front cover and contents page of the magazine. One of the reason for this could be explained through the Hoveland-Yale theory. One of the reason they include so many features may be because editors are aware that it is easier to persuade younger audiences than older ones. Consequently it could be argued that younger audiences are passive audiences as they have little knowledge on the intent of advertising, leading them to be easily persuaded to buy the magazine. As a result editors take advantage of this by bombarding younger audiences with so many information but in a more animated format.

25. Notice that less brighter colours are used in the articles. This may because the magazine has now become more informative so therefore the editor is trying to give it a bit more serious approach. Also, since the audience have already been attracted to the magazine through the use of bright colours in the front page and contents page, using less bright colours in the article allows them to concentrate on the text being presented. Although the lack of colours are perceived to make the layout of the magazine less attractive, the editor still draws attention to the article my presenting a medium shot of two celebrities from a popular boy band which young girls find looking. The boys are presented from the top of the magazine to the bottom which puts more emphasis on their character. Specific quotes are used to draw the audiences attention, which allows them to want to read on. This particular quote chosen is a wise decision as females will begin to feel pleased and special. Even though the article is aimed to be a lot more informative, the text is still kept limited so young audiences will not get bored of reading. Notice that the text is split into paragraph so it could be easier for the audience to read as well as that it makes the text seem even shorter for the readers to read. As well as that the text are split into subheadings which makes it more easier for the reader to understand and the bright blue colours used for the subheadings highlights the topic of the next paragraph.

26. Amy is 13 years old and she enjoys listening to music. Her favourite musicians are One Direction and The wanted. She is particularly a big fan of One Direction and has several posters of them in her room. She is constantly tweeting about one direction and how Zain Malik is the best looking boy in the band. Due to her interest in one Direction, who sings pop music Amy constantly bugs her mum to buy her copy of Top of the Pops every other week as she knows information about One Direction are constantly presented in this type of magazine. As well as that she enjoys reading the fashion aspects of the magazine which she regularly takes into consideration.

29. R&B is abbreviated for Rhythm and Blues. This type of genre is popular with in the African American. This term was used by record label companies to describe recordings marketed at Urban African Americans in the 1940s The term "R&B" became used to refer to music styles that developed from and incorporated electric blues, as well as gospel and soul music. In the 1980s, a newer style of R&B developed, becoming known as "Contemporary R&B“ which combines elements of rhythm and blues, pop, soul, funk and hip hop. Although the abbreviation "R&B" originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African-American music. Some sources refer to the style as urban contemporary

30. Vibe Magazine I chose to annotate Vibe magazine so it could help me with the process of designing my own magazine. This will help be because Vibe magazine promotes R&B celebrities and their music, which I’m producing for the genre of my magazine. Why Vibe Magazine?

31. Institution of Vibe Magazine Vibe media is formed in America The conglomerate of Vibe magazine are Inter Media partners who own Vibe Media. Vibe media is an advertising network that represents T.V shows and other Media platforms Due to their several media platforms they are able to gain more revenues as they are supplying more entertainment to audiences (especially the one’s who are big fans of Vibe magazine) The circulation of Vibe magazine is approximately at 300,943 in 2012 They distribute their magazines though their online website which provides some articles from the magazine. Vibe magazines also converges with a website, T.V shows and other Media platforms. Vibe magazine ideology is to entertain and inform audiences about celebrities and their latest music. References: http://www.vibe.com/page/about-us

32. Audience of Vibe Magazine My magazine is aimed at a young maturing urban followers: 18 – 30 (young adults including boys and girls). It is aimed for audiences who are serious about music and are willing to pay a high price for it, hence the reason why it is aimed for 18 – 30 years old who are likely to be in full time job at this stage. It could be assumed that they are in the higher skilled manual (C1) in the socio-economic group as the people in this segment will consistently be able to afford the high price of the magazine which is set around the price of 5 dollars online. Vibe magazine targets a minority of the audience who are African American. This is clarified to us because Vibe magazine mainly presents African American celebrities in their front cover magazine. As well as that that the genre of the music suggest that is targeted at African American, as R&B is a genre of popular African American music The circulation of Vibe magazine is approximately at 300000

33. Main Image: Notice that the way Beyonce is presented in this type of magazine is different from the way she is being presented in ‘Essence’ magazine. Beyonce is portrayed in a sexual manner which becomes voyeuristic towards males, which then suggest that the target market for this particular magazine is aimed mainly at males. The voyeurism in this image reflects back on Laura Mulvey’s male gaze theory where men receive sexual gratification from this image. However feminist maybe offended with this representation of women, as they could argue that women are being presented as sex objects which is not a true representation of how women are really like. Consequently Vibe magazine maybe criticised for objectifying women in their magazine. The main image covers the Masthead, which suggest to us that Vibe is a well known magazine, as well as that it is able to draw attention to Beyonce’s image. There is a medium shot, purposely exposing her legs and waist to present her curvy body which can be seductive towards males – this may also be the reason why she is wearing tight clothing. As well as that using Beyonce in the front cover makes it consistent to the genre of the music as she is an R&B artist. Moreover, Beyonce is a Black African-American, so we can relate this back to the idea of R&B being popular within the Black African – American therefore attracting audience's of this culture. Masthead: The striking red colour could connotes ‘hot’ and ‘sexy’ which could be reflecting back on the way Beyoncé is presented in the main image, also mirrors the whole sweltering of the front cover. The phrase ‘Vibe’ links back to the genre of the magazine which then informs the audience it is a Music magazine. Strapline: Normally at the top of the magazine to grab the audience’s attention. The strapline includes celebrities who are R&B singers which audiences could be a fan off. This could be another way of grabbing a wider range of the audience’s attention. Headline: The phrase ‘strips’ is sensationalised which makes it more seductive for male audience's as this phrase connotates a sexual event. Notice that the colour of ‘strips’ is different to the colour of Beyoncé, because of this Beyonce’s popularity is being highlighted and as well as that the colour red for the phrase ‘strip’ emphasises this phrase as the colour red connotates ‘hot’ and ‘sexy’ This magazine converges with a website. This helps to inform audiences that they can find out more about the music magazine online. This is put in small text as it is not the most important feature to the magazine. The barcode is put in the side of the magazine, also as a small feature as it is not a very important feature. The use of barcode is consistent in all magazines and it gives the magazine a more professional appearance. The Pug relates back to the genre of it being a music magazine. The ‘rap’ emphasises a male target audience and the phrase ‘beef’ emphasises a younger audience as this phrase is informal

34. Main image: Unlike the previous magazine of Vibe we do not get any sexual connotations from this image which indicates that this particular Vibe magazine is targeted at females. Notice that Rihanna’s make up in the main image is simple and natural. The black and white edits puts less emphasis on her makeup which then highlights the gentleness of the magazine, which then reinforces to us that this magazine is aimed at females. The medium close up of Rihanna allows the audience to visualise her appearance even more which may lead to females being narcissistic towards her. By using Rihanna it makes it consistent to the genre of the magazine as she is a R&B singer Subheadings: these subheadings may attract the audience even more. If the audience are not satisfied with what they receive from the main image and the headline, they could be engaged to these features as the subheadings include other celebrities which they might be able to relate to. However the subheadings in this magazine are limited unlike the subheadings in the previous Vibe magazine. This then highlights the simplicity of the magazine. The blue background font connotates nature which reinforces the image being presented from the main image: a natural and simple look. This therefore clarifies the point of the magazine being gentle and calm. As well as that these pure colours could be indicating the calm mood we feel when listening certain R&B music so therefore the genre of the magazine has been reflected back upon. Masthead: the colour of the Masthead is in white which is used so it could stand out from the colours in the background. Due to the colour of the background, we could assume the colour white is connotating purity. The phrase ‘Vibe’ is placed over the top of the main image so the feature could drawn attention to which therefore makes it one of the main feature to stand out to the audience. Headline: this has a typical feature of a headline: bold writing to grab the audiences attention. Notice that ‘Rihanna’ and ‘Chris Brown’ are in a bigger font which emphasises the popularity of the celebrities. As well as that it engages audiences who fans of these celebrities to the magazine – they could be eager to find out about them. According to the ‘Absorption-Addiction model’, these type of audience are known as entertainment social, who are attracted to celebrities because of their ability to entertain and to become a source of social interaction and gossip. Consequently adding celebrity gossip is an effective factor to add to a magazine as it allows for social interaction amongst the audience. Also, the idea of love encourages a more female audience as the idea ‘love’ is stereotypically related to females; it is also consistent with other features of the magazine suggesting a female audience.

35. The title content is broken down to present a much better design. Due to the fact that the phrase breaks the usual form of convention by having the title presented across the centre of the page, it makes it eye catching for the audience as we are not use to seeing the title presented in this manner. The ‘contents’ is in white bold font so it is able to stand out from the dark background. Main image: the main image is consistent with the idea of Vibe magazine using sexual connotations to attract male audience’s due to the fact her legs are being exposed in the air. Again reflecting back on Laura Mulvey’s male gaze theory. It is seems to be that Vibe magazine is very consistent with this theory in their magazines. Ciara’s brown colour stands out from the white background from the floor so her appearance can attract the audience. As well as that Ciara also gives the audience direct contact which could be quite seducing for male audiences. Ciara is dressed in playsuit (including a nude belt) which gives her a more sophisticated look, this therefore clarifies that the audience of the magazine are targeted at maturing young adults. Her dress code is also consistent to the contents which includes a subheading about fashion. Notice that Ciara in the main image is making a ‘V’ shape with her legs which is another way of adding to the consistence of the magazine as the letter ‘V’ represents ‘Vibe’ magazine. The use of subheadings for the content list is simple and it uses basic language which makes it easier for the readers to understand the text and avoids any complications when reading about the magazines. The content list summarise what is found in the magazine and it usually informs the reader what page it could be found. The mixed stories included are about other music celebrities, which we would expect to find in a Vibe magazine. Font: this is kept simple usually in black and white, which gives the magazine a more refined appearance. So therefore since the magazine looks more sophisticated, when the audience read the magazine, they would take a more serious approach towards it.

36. The separation of the title ‘Contents’ does not only give the magazine a stylish and unique look but it leaves more space on the left hand side to portray the main image who is a popular rapper in the music industry. This type of convention (including the figure ‘V’) is constantly used for Vibe magazine which gives Vibe magazine a more unique appearance. The figure ‘V’ used in the background in big bold writing which publicises the brand name of the magazine even further. It is used to remind the readers the brand name of the magazine so they will constantly be aware of it. This content page includes an article about fashion which portrays other aspects of Vibe magazine. This allows a much more wider range of target audience as you can have readers who are interested in music as well as fashion. Having a famous rapper as the main image highlights the high reputation of Vibe magazine. In this image there is edgy and an fierce look of Kanye West being presented which points out to us Kanye West devilish attitude, which is also being portrayed in other platforms of the media (through his music for an example). The heart being presented along with the main image connotates love which then contradicts Kanye’s personality being presented in this image. As well as that this may be linked to the content list that states ‘What’s the deal with Kanye? Misunderstood’. As a result this acts as an enigma code for the readers as we are convinced to find out what exactly they are informing us about Kanye.

37. Articles The stand first gives a summary of the main article for the reader – this is a typical type of convention in a magazine. The colour blue used in the stand first is consistent with the front cover shown earlier (of Rihanna). Also it highlights the name ‘Solange Knowles’ making her the subject of the article (this is emphasised as she is the one used as the main image in the article). Due to the fact she has been pointed out to the audience, it makes her status as a musician quite controversial to the readers as we are encouraged to believe she is much better than her sister Beyonce (who is one of the most famous artist in the music industry). The phrase ‘Volume now’ can be linked to one of the ideologies of Vibe magazine, which is to inform people about modern artist, such as ‘Solange Knowles’ in this case. The separation of the phrase ‘Volume’ is a consistent feature as Vibe magazine do this in their other magazines, which therefore gives Vibe magazine a unique type of convention. The quotes also inform what the subject of the article is about. This is an engaging feature for readers as it convinces them to read on and find out more about the subject of the article. Based on the layout, all the text are separated from the graphics in the article, which then highlights the significance of each feature. As the readers we are able to pay attention to the text and also to the graphics without being distracted by each one. The article features several images of Solange who is the main subject of the article – because of this we are convinced to place more interest on her. As well as that the images include several different poses of Solange. Due to the different poses as the readers we can assume that Solange is having fun, this then convinces us that the article is going to be funny and entertaining to read. As well as that since it seems like Solange is dancing in the images, it makes the article consistent to the genre of the magazine which is about music. The main image in the magazine stands out from the graphics presented of Solange at the top of the magazine and also from the rest of the font of the article as there is more colour added to her appearance. As well as that there is a long shot of her and she is placed at the centre which separates the article in half. As the readers we are attracted to her full appearance and we also have an overview of her fashion sense This tagline is included and placed by the main image to inform us about the pricing of the clothing. This highlights the other aspects of Vibe magazine rather than the main music aspect.

38. Articles The phrase ‘V beat’ is consistent with the genre of the magazine as the word ‘beat’ can be connotated with the word ‘music’. As well as that the phrase is in a different font from the blue background so it could stand out, highlighting the genre of the magazine. The way the text is presented in the article (right at the side of the main image) encourages a formal appearance to the magazine. The formality of this article is pointed out due to the basic colour font used for the article. There is a long shot of Nicole being portrayed showing of her body which most fans and even the media assumes to be the ‘perfect body’. This attracts both females and males to the article as the females will desire to get a body like hers and the males may receive sexual connotations from it. Notice that Nicole is lifting one of her legs up, giving her a more flirtatious looks which then attracts male audiences even more. This emphasised due to the ‘pink’ background of the bed which gives her a more feminine appearance. As well as that, because she is laying on a bed this could seduce male audiences even more. The quote in this case is more attractive for females rather than male audiences as they are the one who will desire to have a body like the celebrity being portrayed. Since the quote hints out how she keeps her figure, female readers will be encouraged to read the article and find out more about it.

39. Profile Reader For Vibe Magazine Susan is 28 years old who loves to sing and dance. She currently sings at church and any talent shows in a local area. As well as that Susan and her boyfriend choreographs hip-pop dancing for youths in her local area who have won many talent shows in other areas as well as in their community such as: Reading, Wembley and Liverpool. Susan is now hoping to be good enough to present the youths she choreographs in Got To Dance Susan’s mainly loves Beyonce’s and Alicia Key's music and these are the type of music she mainly performs in her talent shows. From time to time she listens Jay Z and Kendrick Lemar. Susan favourites Beyonce’s music even more as she has been constantly buying Beyonce’s album since the album Dangerously In Love. She attended two of Beyonce’s concerts last year and is hoping to go to America to see her perform later on this year.

40. Analysis of types of contents & stories found in a magazine… Based on my research I found out that a contents page includes: The title ‘contents’ A main image A content list split up in subheadings to make it easier for the readers to understand Stories and gossips about celebrities A little bit about a different genre rather than music, such as Fashion The colour scheme is simple, making it look sophisticated. Based on my research I found that stories in a music magazine includes: Consistent features to the genre of the magazine. E.g. the phrase V beat at the top of the double page spread is consistent to music. Also a main image is included as well, which highlights to the readers what the article is going to be about. Stand first which summarises the article – this is one way to convince the readers to want to read on Quotes from the article An article itself

41. I distributed 40 questionnaires out to people between the age of 18 - 34 which is based around my target audience. My questionnaire includes the following questions…  Are you male or female?  How often do you listen to music?  How often do you listen to R&B music?  What other genres of music do you listen to?  How often do you buy magazines?  How often do you read magazines?  Name three of your favourite artist in the U.K  If a R&B music magazine is produced would you buy it?  How much are you willing to spend on a music magazine?  Other than listening to music, describe your other hobbies and what you do in your free time?

42. This graph shows the percentage of people who listen to R&B music regularly or more than regularly

43. These are other genres of music that they are interested in which I could include a bit about in my magazine

45. Recent U.K Artist Recent U.K Artist

46. There are no magazines in the U.K that widely promotes R&B artist and their music so therefore by producing a U.K music magazine I will be targeting a British niche audience. Although we have ‘Flavour’ U.K. magazine, this does not focus on a particular platform, it widely promotes U.K. artist in music, film and T.V in general. However the magazine I am planning to develop will focus mainly on R&B music. As well as that Vibe magazine do not promote artist in the U.K – as I am producing an R&B music magazine I will be able to promote this type of celebrities in the U.K. Moreover, there are some R&B artist in the U.K who are rarely known, so therefore by promoting their music, I will be able to boost the popularity in the media as this allows their music to be promoted in a different platform of the media rather than on T.V. As well as that there are popular artist in the U.K who audience’s are a fan of so if they see them being presented in a magazine they will want to read about them.

47. More Research… I have looked on sites such as MTV base which informs me about the latest music in the U.K. and also gossip about U.K artist – these sites can help me during the production of my magazine as I can also include these type of information in my magazine. MTV base also include information about American artist as well that I believe I could add to my magazine. Based on my knowledge of music and from watching T.V I have acknowledged that celebrities such as Rihanna, Beyonce, Kanye West and Jay Z are popular in the U.K as well as that U.S as their music is usually at the U.K Top 40 ( usually in Top 10) – therefore this shows me that British audiences (which I am aiming my magazines for) will be interested in this type of magazine. As well as that as I always listen to capital FM I am ware that most of Rihanna’s music are requested in the radio. Showing the U.K top 26 in the U.K from the Top 40 charts

48. Since there is no R&B U.K magazine to reflect back on the type of conventions that attract British audiences, I decided to base my conventions from a general magazine such as Kerrang and Q magazine which informs me about the layout in a magazine and the eye catching features such as bold Headline and bold Masthead. However I am aware that Kerrang produce a different genre of music so therefore I will not take into consideration all the features. For example I will change the font I use and also the type of images. To help me do this, I have decided to focus on Vibe magazine.

49. What magazines might I be in competition with? I may have competition with Kerrang and Q magazine, which are U.K. music magazines, however because I have focused on a particular music genre, concentrating on a niche market this will reduce the risk of competition. Fortunately for me, I do not run the risk of having a huge amount of competition as I am concentrating on a genre which is quite rare in the U.K. However I need to ensure that consumers will be willing to buy a R&B magazine by doing this I gave gathered together a couple of focus groups, not only Slough but when I go out around London I ask people on their opinion about R&B music.