Progress of Production - Double Page Spread

Planning - Article for Double Page Spread

“THE BATTLE AGAINST DIGITISATION”

Undeniably, the world of music has become smaller over the past decade. So small that you could probably hold it in your hands. Oh wait, now you can. 

With the establishment of free online streaming services such as Spotify and Deezer, the majority of the world’s music catalogue can be accessed through the simple click of a button on your phone. Of course, this is beneficial for music lovers who are potentially unable to buy physical albums and it provides an easy avenue to discovering new music. But is it an industry that thrives off the exploitation of artists?

What are the cons of artists having music on streaming services? Well, there is the large issue with paying out royalties. Spotify often catches a lot of criticism for its meagre royalty payments, which range from $0.006 to $0.0084 per stream. The company claims that a small indie band makes about $3,300 a month off an album, whilst a highly successful indie band makes $75,000 a month. Data from a 12-week period between June and August 2013 shows that 78.6 million streams on Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” equated to only $660,000. This sum is then split between the record label, publishers, collecting societies and the artists themselves. On Pandora, one million plays results in only $1,370. As you can imagine, that is a very small sum of money to be divided then awarded to each musician. For many, it is not enough to even pay their rent. Is this fair?

In November 2014, in a highly publicised manoeuvre, Taylor Swift pulled her entire back catalogue off of Spotify. Writing in the Wall Street Journal in July of last year, Taylor Swift argues that “music is art, and art is important and rare. Important, rare things are valuable. Valuable things are paid for.” The singer believes that uploading music to streaming services is essentially artists underestimating themselves and undervaluing their art. She recently took a stab to Apple Music after its original policy refused to pay artists during free-trial periods. In an open letter to the company, Swift is disappointed that artists are being exploited despite the fact that Apple is more than capable enough of paying artists what they deserve. Adele has also followed the footsteps of Swift with the recent release of her highly anticipated comeback album, 25, which is currently unavailable on Spotify and Apple Music.

But artists like Adele and Swift are anomalies – they’re two of the very few artists who are able to pull this off and still remain popular.

Revival of the vinyl

However, new studies from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) have shown that 69% of people would be more inclined to purchase music on a different format once they discovered it via a streaming service. So could it be that streaming services are actually encouraging physical sales? That could very well be the case. In fact, it appears vinyl is making an unexpected comeback. Even TESCO stock vinyl LPs after a successful trial in selling an Iron Maiden record in the summer. Some argue that this could be due to the revival of the indie genre, plagued with teenagers who find the “aesthetic” pleasing. Or, more optimistically, people could be realising the true value of music and that physically investing in it makes the experience a whole lot more worth it. 

Production - Adobe Indesign

This is my first attempt at using Adobe Indesign CS5.5. I attempted at planning a double page spread with six text columns and an image that has the text wrapped around it.

Progress of Production - Changes made to Contents Page

The contents page had to be changed in order to correspond with the front cover but very little change was actually made. Only the images of the models were swapped and the writing was made to fit within the frame of the new image.

Progress of Production - Contents Page

Progress of Production - Changes made to Front Cover

Initially, the front cover was the image on the left. However, after much deliberation, it was decided that the model's appearance was not suitable for the genre of my magazine (indie-/alternative-/folk-rock). She exuded more of an innocent and pure image despite the indie clothing and graffiti background. Moreover, I felt as though my first front cover lacked professionalism - there was no colour scheme and there was little variation in font sizes. In the end it resembled more of a pop-punk magazine, similar to Kerrang! or Rock Sound. Therefore, I used another model and changed the colour scheme. I much prefer the second front cover as it corresponds more with the grunge ambience that indie rock often emanates. 

Progress of Production - Front Cover

Audience Research - Junction Reader Profile

Planning - Flatplans

These are the flatplans for the front cover, contents page and double page spread.

Audience Research - Focus Group Feedback

I asked a sample of my target audience (16-24 year olds) what they thought when I pitched them my idea for my music magazine. I collated their feedback and presented them on these sticky notes.

Planning - Own Music Magazine Pitch

Name: Junction

Genre: Indie rock/Pop rock/Folk rock

Target Audience:

Cover lines: Interview with artist - The Battle Against Digitisation of Music - Top 5 Music Festivals of 2015 - Staying safe at festivals/concerts - Reader Reviews

Narrative/Ideas (for DPS): Interview with artist - The Battle Against Digitisation of Music - Reader Reviews

USP: much more interactive than most magazines in the sense that some of the content is produced by the readers themselves (e.g. Reader Reviews).

Audience Research: Reader Profiles

Q Magazine - Reader Profile

This reader profile provides potential advertisers with information on the magazine's ideal reader. There is detail about the ideal reader's age, occupation, interests, and even how he spends his money. E.g. "[Music is] his identity, his social currency and his world." Q's magazine is targeted towards people who are truly passionate for music but also open-minded to other areas ("He is 'discovering quality' in all areas"). This lets potential advertisers know whether their product is worth selling to the magazine's target audience.

At the bottom of the page are some statistics which provide data on the people who actually read Q. The "ABC1 profile" illustrates the socio-economic demographic that Q attract. The "median age" shows that their audience are most likely employed and earning their own money. It also reflects the age of which their genre appeals to.

Overall, the profile suggests that people who read Q are the ones who can afford to buy the magazine.

MOJO Magazine - Reader Profile

This reader profile for MOJO only gives detail about the magazine's ideal reader. It mirrors some of the characteristics found in the Q reader profile - such as the fact that they want their target audience to be people who can afford to buy their magazine ("A professional with high disposable income"). There is very descriptive insight to John's lifestyle and how he incorporates music into it - this demonstrates how MOJO is aimed towards an audience who are truly passionate about music.

Generic Research - Music Magazine Analysis 3

Billboard analysis from 10-klam

Analysis of Billboard Magazine (April 2015 issue)

Generic Research - Music Magazine Analysis 2

Analysis of Q from Katie Lam on Vimeo.


This is my analysis of Q Magazine in the form of a video.

Generic Research - Music Magazine Analysis 1

Nme music mag analysis ppt from 10-klam

Analysis of the music magazine, NME.

Generic Research - "Farewell to Smash Hits" - interesting points

The original article.

• Smash Hits managed to lose 840,000 readers in 17 years, despite running for three decades. 
• The article explains how Smash Hits was known for possessing an "impertinent tone and peculiar sense of humour" - the content was considered quirky, reflecting what pop music was apparently like during the time of Smash Hits. The article mentions how a former writer claims that "the magazine's standard line of questioning was never 'What's your favourite colour?' but 'What colour is a Thursday?'. The article seems to praise this. However, nowadays, if a music magazine verged on quirky and asked ridiculous questions like Smash Hits did then the magazine would not be taken seriously as a music magazine. Many magazines are criticised and labeled as "tabloid" if they ask artists/bands questions not relating to music.
• The article talks about how Smash Hits, although a pop magazine, had a specialist indie page.
• Smash Hits' reviews were not very professional and resembled something more like a regular music consumer would say. For example, a critique of David Bowie's 1983 album, Let's Dance, consisted of simply, "Well ... dull. DULL DULL DULL DULL DULL. But so what? Everyone makes a dull record occasionally." It implies how Smash Hits was not just another magazine in the industry but consisted of people with actual opinions and did not beat around the bush.
• The main reason behind Smash Hits' downfall was what may have been appealing to its target audience in the 80s as something refreshing, it didn't appeal to the audience then. The writer blames the lack of "rounded, interesting, flawed human beings" in teen pop, which Smash Hits thrived off of. According to the writer, record companies began "media-training" their artists and essentially "depriving" them of their personality.

Another magazine which has recently experienced a downfall is NME. Here is an article regarding that and how it is trying to deal with the rapid decline of sales.

Product - My sixth form magazine analysis

Front Cover

Masthead:

Besides the model, the masthead is the largest section on the front cover of a magazine. I have used this convention for my own magazine and used an impactful, bold font to emphasise the masthead. I added a drop shadow to give the masthead more dimension since the colour is a light grey and would have easily blended into the background. The font is modern and slightly futuristic - this will appeal more to the students since it gives the magazine a contemporary ambience.

"Vision":

The word vision holds connotations of sight and glimpses into the future. This is the purpose of the magazine - it provides readers with an insight to the life of the school/sixth form and also gives readers a snippet of the future and of what they can expect during the school year - for example, there is mention of an upcoming production of "Hairspray".

Image:

I have placed the model slightly off-centre and more to the right of the cover. This follows the codes and conventions of other magazines and makes it a lot easier for readers to read the cover lines since most people typically read from left to right. The model is represented as a typical student; she has her blazer on and by holding a folder she appears academic. There is direct mode of address to make the magazine more personal and relatable for the target audience: students.

The background is slightly out of focus so that the model is all in focus; this connotes the magazine is aimed at students. The background is very toned and there is a lot of greenery. This juxtaposes with the concept of the magazine being modern and contemporary. However, it makes the school look more appealing (especially with the natural lighting from the sun) and could perhaps attract potential students to join the school during sixth form. 

School logo and motto:
At the bottom of the front cover, I have included the school logo and the school motto. The logo gives the magazine a brand identity and so readers are aware of the fact that the magazine is associated with the school and the content is about the school. 

The school motto is appropriate for the cover because it suggests that by turning the page (i.e. "entering" the magazine), readers will discover and learn a lot about the school and its community. 

Cover lines:
The articles featured on the front cover follow the codes and conventions of sixth form magazines. There is use of different fonts (but not too many) which suits the house style. To give the magazine a more professional look, I used the logo of "Hairspray" instead of simply typing the word out. This essentially breaks up the white/light grey writing and easily attracts a reader's attention. 

There is use of sensationalistic language such as "exclusive" and "gossip" which many other magazines use. These words connote how the stories are not available anywhere else and are only featured in the magazine so readers should read it to find out more.

Contents

I incorporated a house style to this magazine by using the same font for the "Contents" title as I did for the masthead. This once again reinforces the concept of the magazine being more youth-orientated and suitable for a younger target audience.

The background is a light grey colour that has a subtle green tone to it - this fits in with the colour scheme of the magazine but also complies with the house style and gives the magazine a more polished, professional look.

The featured articles include the articles featured on the front cover (Head Talks and Hairspray). This is a convention followed by many magazines and one I have also used in my magazine. The article "Efficient revision tips" is essentially a guide to how students can learn to revise effectively and how to avoid leaving it all last minute. This demonstrates how the magazine is targeted towards a student audience. It also strays from most sixth form magazines which just included articles about the events happening within school. This article offers tips and useful information for students on how to improve their skills.

Planning - Flatplan

A flatplan is a page plan of a magazine/publication which maps out the elements and the layout  of the product. They are used to ensure all of the people working on the product are aware of how the finished item will appear and they are also able to work around it.

Flatplans for my sixth form magazine

Below are the flatplans for the front page and contents page for my own sixth form magazine.

Front Page

Contents Page

Generic Research - Summary of sixth form/college magazine analyses.

What forms and conventions can you identify in sixth form/college magazines?

• Branding: like all magazines, there is a sense of branding. Demonstrated through the use of a school logo and the iconography of the school colours. 

• Masthead: for two out of three of the magazines I analysed, the masthead was placed in the top third of the front cover. This is also often the case with other magazines from other genres, implying this is the norm - a convention. On "The Novaportan" magazine, the masthead was in the lower third, showing how it is a magazine that is perhaps marketed for a more niche audience since it does not follow the regular codes and conventions of magazines.

• Contents page: there is often an editor's note welcoming readers - this may also take the form of a "headteacher's introduction" in sixth form magazine.

How are students and young people represented in these publications?

In these magazines, young people are often presented as youthful and full of joy. The abundance of colours on the magazine reflects this and how a teenager's time at school is supposedly one of the best times of their life. It reflects nostalgia and happy memories. 

Who would the audience be for these publications? How can you tell? What techniques have been used?

The primary target audience would undoubtedly be the students. The magazines' format are broken up and easy to read, suitable for a young audience. The content is aimed for a student audience - the magazines are written by students, for students.

There would be a secondary audience of parents and teachers - the magazine also has aspects for these demographics. For example, "The Novaportan's" house style is very formal and suitable for a more mature audience with the way the font is all serif and the colour scheme is very mature.

Generic Research - Analysis of sixth form magazine 3.

Sixth form magazine analysis 3 from 10-klam

Third and final analysis of a sixth form magazine.

Generic Research - Analysis of sixth form magazine 2.

Sixth form mag analysis 2 from 10-klam

Another analysis of a sixth form magazine.

Generic Research - Analysis of sixth form/college magazine.

Analysis of sixth form magazine from 10-klam

This is my analysis of a college magazine.

Planning - A montage of me.

This is a small montage that I created on Photoshop of everything which I think represents me. 

Genre:
No specific genre. Perhaps coming-of-age?

Language:
The background is a light baby blue that gradients from the bottom left hand corner to the top right. My name in the middle is also blue, my favourite colour.

The photos surrounding my name indicate all these photos are things that mean something to me. For example, there is a picture of my friends and I at prom. My friends are extremely important to me and the photo highlights how close we all are. There are also photos from my adventures whilst travelling, an incredibly important aspect of my life. There are pictures from my holidays in Hong Kong and Crete. Finally there is a photo from a concert I recently went to as music is an inexplicably important part of my life and concerts are events I thoroughly enjoy.

Audience:
n/a

Representation:
This image represents me as somebody who is adventurous, interested in photography and enjoys the company of others rather than spending time in solitude. The photos are all very colourful which perceives me to have a bright and uplifting character.

Narrative:
n/a

Planning - Editing photos

This is the original photo.

This is the edited photo.

Firstly, I raised the exposure of the photo so that more detail of the petals could be showcased.

Then I increased the contrast of the photo to make the flower and it's individual petals stand out more.

Additionally, by heightening the saturation of the photo, the lilac colour of the roses and the green in the leaves in the background are much more vibrant, giving the photo more life.

Finally, I experimented with various different filters and settled for the "Fade" filter, giving the photo a slightly brighter, more luminescent effect.

Planning - Why I chose to study media

Media studies has always been a subject I've been intensely fascinated in. Being constantly surrounded by media, I wanted to explore and understand the industry much more. I decided to study it at GCSE level because the topics interested me but I just mainly wanted to take part in some filming, directing and photography. The more practical aspects of the course persuaded me. But along the way I became interested in studying representation and how people of different ethnicities, religion, sexuality, gender etc. are all portrayed through the media. The theoretical and controversial aspects of media changed the way I viewed everything around me - films, television shows, music videos, even the news. It made me question whether people of colour were being represented fairly and accurately. Was television news really a reliable source of updates on current affairs? How does the media affect people of today's society? I understood that my perception of the media prior to taking the GCSE in it was far too naive and ignorant. As a consumer, I had been far too passive. I thank myself everyday for taking media studies as it really opened my eyes into how the industry worked. I now know not to simply sit there and absorb everything the media throws at us. I have learnt to question and challenge it. To put it simply, media studies changed my life.

I decided to carry on with media studies into AS Level because I think there is still much more to be discussed and to be learned since it is an ever-growing industry.