EVALUATION QUESTION-In what ways does your music magazine use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real music magazines?

Having chosen the genre of African RnB for my music magazine, currently there are no established African RnB magazines so for my research I have decided to look at magazines such as VIBE (hip hop genre) and Billboard as these are the closest genre to my chosen genre.

Having researched the following magazines (VIBE and Billboard), my magazine has the following:-

• date
• issue
• barcode
• price
• masthead
• strap line
• lures
• cover lines
• mode of address
• a mid shot image on the front cover
• one colour or gradient colour background

My magazine has a consistency of style keeping the African culture throughout the whole of the magazine; I have stuck to the colour scheme of red, green, as well as using similar fonts Caecilia and African throughout the magazine which is what real music magazines do. 
I also have a gradient background as most magazines concerning my genre of music have, 2 fonts and 2 colours maximum used throughout my front cover.I have also noticed through my research that on front covers there are either close ups or mid-shots of music artists and this I also have on my front cover.

On my contents page I have used page references as well having pictures on the page as this is what I found real music magazines do, they usually .I have an image on the contents page which all music magazines have.


I have used three to four columns on my double page spread for my music magazine as from my research I have gathered that most music magazines used  3-4 columns on double page spreads about music artists, they also usually have an image of the artist on one side of the page as I have done as well. I also put a strapline near the top of the page near the text as this is what magazines usually do.

The way my music magazine challenges codes and conventions is through my masthead; its is not plain compared to others such as VIBE their font is plan and simple yet mine has lines mine also has different colour text where very few have. 

EVALUATION QUESTION-How does your media product represent particular social groups, how are you appealing to the youth culture?

I am appealing to the youth culture by using vibrant colours such yellow, green and red to appeal to the culture of youths. It is said that these colours represent the life of a youth: fun, care-free, busy. For example magazines such as Top Of The Pops.

As you can see there are a lot of vibrant colours (Pink and Yellow), this is similar to my magazine, I have managed to adapt African culture through the colours as well as being appealing to young people; as luckily the colours connotes with Africa are bright. I have also used curvy fonts (like the magazine above) as I believe it represents a life of a youth: fun and different. Rather than plain and straight fonts with dull colours such as black, grey etc (which appeals more to 26+).

Predominantly African people with in the UK are working class so I believe the fact that my magazine is Africa inspired it means that inevitably I am representing the working class through my magazine.
I have pacifically chosen an African who is 19 and a female as well because firstly, my magazine is based on African culture and my target audience is within the ages of 16-19 years so using someone with in this age range will apply more to my age range as she is one them for example if we look at the magazine Vogue; there is Vogue and Teen Vogue. Teen Vogue (with teenage models) was created to appeal to teenagers and this is what I have done as well I have used someone within the age range that I am targeting to appeal to them more.

EVALUATION QUESTION-How did you attract/ address the audience for your music publication?

As I said previously my target audience are Africans so I use various strategies in order to relate with Africans. I address my audience by using colours are often connoted with Africa such as red, green and yellow or green and white (Nigeria).Not only that I use West African colloquial language which is often referred to as pidgin English; I have done this in order to relate to my potential readers, this will then make them more inclined into buying my magazine as they feel it is about them, their culture and their people. The name of my magazine 'DRUM' is also an inference to African music as drums are the basis of our music, I have used a font containing lines and curves this relates to Africa as within the textile industry materials often have patterns containing stripes and curves. The line with in font also refers to the strings that are on an African drum. This amount of detail in relation to Africa conveys and passes the culture through the magazine this then attracts African people to the magazine as it takes them back to their homeland reminiscing and seeing the best of African music and culture within my magazine.

I will publicise my magazine within places such as Hackney and Islington where there is a huge population of Africans. I will then target corner shops within these areas where I will sell my new magazine. I will advertise my magazine using T.V programmes that a lot of African people watch such as AIT-African International Television. I will promote my magazine on African music websites such as www.naijamusic.net and put posters advertising my magazine in the areas which I mentioned before. In order to even furthermore attract my potential customers I will give away a free authentic African bead bracelet

Prelim task-Content page analysis

I have the mast head to keep a consistency through the magazine. 
I've also used same fonts as the one on the front cover to also keep consistency throughout the magazine as this is what professional magazines do. 
There are pictures of the school and students of the school as this is a school magazine.
I have used bright colours in the magazine as this represents the life in a youth. 
However, I feel that there is too much white and this not professional enough for a magazine.

Magazine Price research

Price: £3.85

Price £2.25
                                                                  

Price £3.25

From researching other magazines similar to mine; I own I have now decided to sell my magazine at £2.50; I have not made the rice on the higher end of the scale as I am a new magazine and I therefore want to attract people to my magazine and not have them put off by the price.

Ideas For Headlines and mastheads

Here are some ideas of mastheads. My first name for my music magazine was 'Exclusive' as my news will be exclusive from Africa; however I felt that this did not really represent the genre and the content of my magazine, so I came up with the name of 'Drum'as this is the basis of African music and also has a strong connotation with Africa therefore making it an ideal name.

My first, second and fourth masthead I have used a distorted font with green, white, yellow and white these colours connotes with Africa, this was done to represent the genre of the magazine however I felt it did not relate the research in mastheads in which  I have done.

So I have chosen the third masthead as the curves relates well to established magazines such as VIBE and  Billboard; which inevitably represent the style of music I am promoting; the lines in the font (atlas) also reminds me of the string of an African drum which again relates to my genre of music as well as the title within itself. 

Idea 1
Drum....
Gives You The Deal
On The Begining
Gifted

Idea 2
Drum... Presents
Gifted

Idea 3
Drumroll.....
Presents Gifted our sister from Africa

I have chosen to go with idea 3 as I like the manipulation of the name of my magazine, also the common reference to people from Africa as sister or brother really portrays the African culture that  I want to promote in my magazine

Research in straplines

Here are music magazines that are similar to the type of genre my music magazine promotes. As u can see the strap lines usually contains music artists name on the front cover it is larger compared to the other names. So this is what I will take and adapt to my music magazine. Not only that the straplines usually give little hinters of what is the content of the magazine for example Vibe says 'Rhianna:Exposed.' Tells me that a secret will be exposed. This I have also adapted in my magazine when doing strap lines for example on my music magazine it states 'D'Banj-The untold story.' The second part of the phrase attracts the audience to the magazine as they become curious of the topic; just as 'Rihanna: Exposed' Lures in the readers.

My photos for DRUM Magazine

Photo shoot organisation

Picture 1

 Landscape-midshot. Model must be wearing African attire and will be sitting on a sofa posing as if she is dancing and having fun.

Picture 2

Landscape- midshot. Model must be wearing african attire and will be hanging from railing whilst smiling appearing as she is fun.

Picture 3

Close up on whole body with face being the main focus, sun must be shining on her body, again smiling.

Picture 4

Posing with scarf against a wall. Long shot image.

Picture 5

Long shot, land scape. whole body in shot, she should be crouching down looking directly into camera with a smaile on her face.