Friday, 30 September 2016
Conventions of college magazines
-Cover starts have props which give an indicator of their course at college
-Cover starts often look studious and professional
-They have cover lines which give us an insight as to what articles are inside the magazine
- Not many have a lot of cover lines
- they have subtitles
-The majority have a colour theme
-They have bar codes
- Many of the shot types are medium
Vibe textual analysis
Front cover analysis
The name of the masthead- vibe tells us that the genre- Hip hop is something you can Vibe to, enjoy. The masthead could also represent the feeling you get from listening to Hip Hop. Vibe also includes other music magazine conventions like a skyline, cover lines, the main cover line which is bold font which is bigger than the other cover lines, this makes it easier for the audience to see who the main feature is. It may also suggest that he is more successful or more important. Other conventions used is a mid shot of the cover star who has a direct mode of address.
The direct mode of address makes it more personal so when a reader of the magazine walks past they feel as if the cover star is looking at them so they are more likely to purchase the magazine.
The model is wearing a white shirt which is not the typical attire for a Hip Hop artist this may be trying to convey that he is unique or has his own style, and the fact that his sleeves are rolled up may imply that he has done a lot of hard work. the connotations of white is perfection and purity, this sends positive subliminal messages to the reader so they will be drawn to the magazine.
The cover star conforms to the Hip Hop attire by wearing a few gold chains showing wealth and success which is like evidence of his hard work.
Kendrick Lamar has his hands in a fist this may convey to the audience that he is serious about his work and his goals.
The direct mode of address makes it more personal so when a reader of the magazine walks past they feel as if the cover star is looking at them so they are more likely to purchase the magazine.
The model is wearing a white shirt which is not the typical attire for a Hip Hop artist this may be trying to convey that he is unique or has his own style, and the fact that his sleeves are rolled up may imply that he has done a lot of hard work. the connotations of white is perfection and purity, this sends positive subliminal messages to the reader so they will be drawn to the magazine.
The cover star conforms to the Hip Hop attire by wearing a few gold chains showing wealth and success which is like evidence of his hard work.
Kendrick Lamar has his hands in a fist this may convey to the audience that he is serious about his work and his goals.
context page analysis
Like XXL Vibe also has a double sided contents page, the first on list the features, whilst the second part list articles they have regularly. On the first page the features are to the right hand side creating space for the main cover star, the main feature article can be identified easily as it is on the other side of the page and the page number is in a bigger font. It also has a V for Vibe to remind the reader that they are reading vibe magazine. The model on this page does not have a direct mode of address this may be so that the reader focuses on the features, which is emphasised by the fact that the model is in black and white. Paradoxically it makes him stand out against the white background. The model has an assortment of jewelry and a hat that is back to front which coneys he is cool as it is seen as rebellious.
The contents pages sticks to the three colour scheme of white red and black.
On the second page there are only two images as these articles are normally there so there is nothing new.But there are two numbers who have a larger font, this may for articles that may be have a change. At the bottom of the page it says the date that the magazine was issued.
Double page spread analysis
The cover artist wears glasses which blocks the direct mode of address. However this can be interpreted as him having a higher status as if he is too busy to give people attention. or that he will be revealing something as they say eyes are the window to the soul so by covering them up there is something he has not mentioned. However wearing glasses for fashion rather than for pratical reason is seen as cool. this will make the readers gravitate towards him as he will be seen as a force to be recon with. He also wears all white, this may show purity. He is wearing a leather jacket emphasises the idea of him being cool or even rebellious which is almost glorified by some rappers in the Hip Hop industry.
A drop capital is not used however there are three collums with a pull quote that goes across two of the collums. The pull quote is all in bold however some is in black and some is in red. this may be to catch the readers eye. The questions are in the same font but are bold, which maes it easier for the reader to identify the question.
vibe audience and institution
Vibe Media Kit
Over half of the purchases of Vibe is made by men and only 45% is women. This is more than XXL despite the women being sexualised in both magazines but i feel this is because Vibe target both genders better as they have more women star covers also their adverts target women where as all of XXL adverts target Men. Example's of adverts in vibe is:
There are equal amounts of masculin adverts as feminine which shows they are trying to aim the magazine for all genders which also displays equality.Knowing that the percentage of women that buy the magazine is less than the percentage of men they could reduce the amount of feminine adverts as it isn't helpful for men.
If the magazine want more female viewers this would mean that they may have to change their content for articles that would intrest women so may talk about more female artist in the Hip hop industry. They may also have to change the style of the front pages as many of the covers are dark if they use more colours they will attract more female customers. For example look at the adverts above the woman's advert is more colourful.
The age range with the highest percentage is 21+ with 82%. This tells us that their audience is mostly young adults.This means they can pick slightly more mature themes for their article because the majority who read the magazine are not minors. The reason for this may be the genre it's self is quite mature and the way they advertise some of their cover artist will attract a certain age group.
Black African American has the biggest percentage of 75% this may be because that this is what many ethnically black people listen to as it came from rap which started with people from troubled areas rap about their struggle and the area's these are in are highly populates with African Americans. From analysing the magazine Vibe targets African Americans as the majority of the cover starts are ethnically African American and successful. Seeing people like you successful inspires you this will enourage then to buy it. Secondly as seen in the adverts above it is easier to see in the woman's adverts, the hair product advertised is for curly /afro hair with a coloured model.
Many of their audience is educated 75% going to college or have gone to college this helps the publisher decide on the type of vocabulary using not just simple words but complex.
Institution
Quincy Jones launched Vibe in 1993 in partnership with Time inc. It is a New York-based publishing company. It owns and publishes over 90 magazine brands including: Time, sports illustrated,travel and leisure, food and wine, fortune, people and so on. However On April 25, 2013 it was announced that Vibe Magazine along with Vibe.com and VibeVixen.com had been sold to spin media. Spin Media is an American digital publisher which owns a number of pop culture websites, including Spin, Stereogum, Vibe and The Frisky. Buzz Media was founded by Anthony Batt, Marc Brown, Kevin Woolery, and Steve Haldane under the name Buzznet. Vibe magazine is more of an Hip Hop magazine rather than a Hip Hop magazine so the publishers (Spinmedia) may not understand it properly.
If the magazine want more female viewers this would mean that they may have to change their content for articles that would intrest women so may talk about more female artist in the Hip hop industry. They may also have to change the style of the front pages as many of the covers are dark if they use more colours they will attract more female customers. For example look at the adverts above the woman's advert is more colourful.
The age range with the highest percentage is 21+ with 82%. This tells us that their audience is mostly young adults.This means they can pick slightly more mature themes for their article because the majority who read the magazine are not minors. The reason for this may be the genre it's self is quite mature and the way they advertise some of their cover artist will attract a certain age group.
Black African American has the biggest percentage of 75% this may be because that this is what many ethnically black people listen to as it came from rap which started with people from troubled areas rap about their struggle and the area's these are in are highly populates with African Americans. From analysing the magazine Vibe targets African Americans as the majority of the cover starts are ethnically African American and successful. Seeing people like you successful inspires you this will enourage then to buy it. Secondly as seen in the adverts above it is easier to see in the woman's adverts, the hair product advertised is for curly /afro hair with a coloured model.
Many of their audience is educated 75% going to college or have gone to college this helps the publisher decide on the type of vocabulary using not just simple words but complex.
Institution
Quincy Jones launched Vibe in 1993 in partnership with Time inc. It is a New York-based publishing company. It owns and publishes over 90 magazine brands including: Time, sports illustrated,travel and leisure, food and wine, fortune, people and so on. However On April 25, 2013 it was announced that Vibe Magazine along with Vibe.com and VibeVixen.com had been sold to spin media. Spin Media is an American digital publisher which owns a number of pop culture websites, including Spin, Stereogum, Vibe and The Frisky. Buzz Media was founded by Anthony Batt, Marc Brown, Kevin Woolery, and Steve Haldane under the name Buzznet. Vibe magazine is more of an Hip Hop magazine rather than a Hip Hop magazine so the publishers (Spinmedia) may not understand it properly.
Thursday, 29 September 2016
XXL Textual analysis
Front cover analysis
The image
1) The artist takes the whole frame up, this may
show dominance and may symbolize their role in the Hip-Hop/Rap industry. The
idea of power, success and dominance is represented through many things in this
image such as tattoos which are over the majority of their skin, the connotations of tattoos are that each one has a deep meaning or story behind it. So for the artist to have a
lot it shows how much they have been through and how much they have struggled,
also when seeing someone with tattoos we either subconsciously or consciously
label them as an alpha male or even as a 'gangster'. As the majority of the audience
live in rough inner city areas, they may be able to sympathise with the artists on an emotional level. Therefore, to
see artist like them who have gone through a lot and have become so successful, would
be inspiring.
The mid-shot of the two rappers, Baby and Lil Wayne, allows us to see all of the tattoos which subconsciously
sends signals to the reader about their masculinity, their struggles and their past.
2) The chains not only represent wealth and
success, they also represent achievements such as trophies. We could link the size of the chains to the size of their success,
and because they have multiple chains it could show that they may not only be
successful in one thing but have other multiple achievements.
3) Direct
address
is used here to intimidate the readers, as Baby lifts his head to look down onto the reader. By doing this he is authorizing a higher status than the
reader. This could be in hopes to gain respect as the audience will look
up to them as examples of beating the odds. Direct address makes the message
more personal almost giving the reader encouragement as to say, "don't you
want to be successful like us?" This may be the reason why the majority of
the artist on XXL front cover are very successful in different ways. To motivate
their audience. The fact that the rappers are not smiling is to show that it is
not a joke their struggle, their break through and their success.
4)Their
stance
shows that they look out for each other which reflects the hip hop industry and
even the music industry in general as labels often become close friends
and even consider one another as family.
5)You
can
not see much of the background however it looks like a old burnt house this may
show what the artist have come from. The contrast in the lifestyle is desirable
which will motivate people, despite this the background is quite simple this
may be to put the focus on Baby and Lil Wayne.
6)
The hat is side ways this gives the look of a “bad boy” which could be
appealing to hooligans and young female adults. This gives Lil Wayne the top
dog look as if he is superior.
•The master
head
•7)This issue has stuck with its tradition
of bold capitals with white color for
XXL with a red rectangle behind however for this issue the master
head has diamonds on it this is to celebrate XXL's 10th anniversary, there
would be a magazine on top so the readers may not be able that its the 10th
anniversary but from the masthead alone would be able to tell there
was something special.
•The language
used in the tittle
•8)The overall colors are dark and white (for
the cover lines)so any
writing in red stand out and catches the audience's eye, grabbing their
attention. Secondly this sticks with their three way colour scheme I think
this is due to it being XXL 10th anniversary as they would try and stay true to
form as they are celebrating how far they have come.
•9)Many fonts are used, some are bold Arial
whilst
others are like Brush Script MT which is seen as more fancy the reason for
this is because the issue is released on the 10th anniversary, however
they also kept the font similar to Arial because if it was all like Brush
Script MT the magazine would be seen as feminine and they have rap artist who
are supposed to be seen as masculine so it would be contradictory also
their audience is predominately male.
•10) The anchor was used which is a convention of a music magazine
•11) The plug informs the reader that this
particular issue is XXL's 10th year.
Side A
2)The layout of the context page is very neat and simple as the format is very structured the logo is at the top on the middle is the main image and at the bottom is the name of the articles is listed and numbered in chronicalogical order. This makes it easier for the reader to find the article they want instead of wasting time flicking through the pages as there are many adverts. The cover story page number is in a different colour (black the others are red)it is also in a bigger font. This is to show its the main story of the issue and it has the most importance this is why it is one of the first articles in the magazine.
3)The back drop is the plain white this is to add focus to the cover stars as they are the important ones and the main focus of the article.
4)The majority of the stars has a gold chain and/or a gold watch this is to show their wealth, their rise up this relates to their song 'all the way up'. The colour gold is associated with success, triumph and wealth. so by wearing these chains they are showing us their happiness with their successful new song. One member of the group has a gold grill on both teeth as well as a gold watch, bracelet and necklace. All this gold may tell us that he is the leader of the group as well as he has the most success and is the wealthiest. This idea is emphasized by the fact that he is center staged.
5)The angle of the camera is higher up than the stars this symbolizes the meaning of their song 'all the way up' . However this makes the artist look small so this could be saying that despite coming a long way they still have a bit more to do as they may feel like they are not completely successful or where they want to be.
2) The second part of the context page has very few listed articles unlike the first part. The articles listed are articles that they normally have on their magazine. It is also on the middle right-hand side. This gives more space for the cover star. This might increase the amount of attention we give the cover star. This may also imply that the cover star is more important than the regular "departments" even though eye candy is one of them, this emphasises that she is more important. By doing this XXL is conforming to Hip Hop as attractive women are assets to rappers and are often bragged about. So by picking the right woman for eye candy is important as it shows the audience that XXL know what is deemed beautiful (tan, small waist, toned body and a "big" bottom)
5)The change in the location (a cave on the beach) changed in tone and feel of the magazine as the setting is more exsotic. This may make the model seem more desireable to the audience because of what Hip Hops idea of beauty is.
1)This part of the context page is not as important as the first part as it is labeled 'The B side'. Using the letter 'B' it indicates that this page is less important that 'The A side' as A is before Bin the alphabet. I also know that this page is less important because if they were trying to communicate that the two context pages are equal they would not label it side a or b and they would also have the main cover stars on it.
4)The main cover star has a direct mode of address, this gives makes it more intimate between her and the reader. This may make the audience reading feel more personal as it seems as if the model is looking at them.
The red lighting changes the mood/tone of the context page as the connotations of red is love/ lust but when the red light was used for the double page spread for a male model it was used in a way which made him look intimidate and dangerous. This emphasises the gender roles and how women are just sexualised.
3) The model is wearing little clothing exposing a lot skin, this give males something to enjoy looking at, as she is "eye candy"
The eye candy is always of women this shows that XXL is targeting men mainly because they are the gender who buys the magazine more however if they maybe have the eye candy be a attractive man the amount of women who buy their magazines will increase.
1) The page star- DJ Drama, makes direct address to draw the reader in into reading the article and not just turn the page. He also has a stern facial expression. A red light shone on both sides of his face . All of theses things make the audience perceive him as an alpha male as smiling is seen as flamboyant also strong eye contact communicates dominance as it shoes that your not shy or "weak". The connotations of red is danger so it is as if we should fear him.
2)The backdrop is a dark colour which is seen as a masculine this emphasises his masculinity, the reason they may have done this is because in the Hip Hop being masculine is so by doing this they the reader may respect him. Having a black backdrop also makes it easier to see his outline so you can see his broad shoulders which is also a sigh of masculinity. furthermore it makes it easier to see the red lights on either side of his face it which make him look intimidating not only because the connotation of red is danger but because it make the middle part of his face darker.
3)He wears a black t-shirt because it shows dominance and this brings attention to his facial expression rather than his outfit, it also makes it easier to see his silver chains which is also well respected in hip hop as it is a sigh of success.
4) The model wears a chains not only as it is seen as the Hip Hop look (conforming to the conventions of hip hop in terms of apperance)but it show his wealth as silver is an expensive so the fact that the model wears multiple shows how wealthy he is. This may convey to the audience that he works hard for his money or that he is good at what he does. However gold is more expensive so maybe he is not as wealthy as he could be.
5)In the stand XXL introduce the topic they will be discussing. DJ Drama's name is in all capitals in a different colour (red) to the rest of the text. This was done to show his importance, as the whole article is about him and he has a significant figure in the Hip Hop music industry. This may also symbolise him being unique and different no one is as good as him or has his style. Or it may of been done just to catch the readers eye when they glance over. However the fact his name is in red could symbolise that he is a danger or threat to other DJ's because he is so good and/or unique.
6) The article does not follow the music magazine coventions as the article does not start with a drop cap despite this they still have colums of the width, credits of the journalist, a pull quote and XXL URL at the bottom of the page.
The style in which the article is written in is informal. This may be done for a variety of reasons one of being is to cater to their targeted audience, as thrugh their market research they would of found out that the average income of their reader is lower than average and is african american so would live in poor areas there for may not speak standard english due to lack of education and other things. So by XXL using slang it makes it easier for their audience to understand, it suits the genre as many rappers use these abreviated terms. Because the reader understands the language used they are more likely to buy it again, this way XXL can maintain a certain amount of sales and profit.
Context analysis
Side A
1)The context page follows the style of the cover as it still has the XXL logo in the top left corner of the however it is smaller. This may be to remind the reader that it is an XXL magazine but not draw attention away from the main cover stars who are also on the front cover. They could have of also reduced the size to show that it is not important as the rest of the content that is on the context page. By doing this they are trying to focus the reader on the image and the page numbers.
2)The layout of the context page is very neat and simple as the format is very structured the logo is at the top on the middle is the main image and at the bottom is the name of the articles is listed and numbered in chronicalogical order. This makes it easier for the reader to find the article they want instead of wasting time flicking through the pages as there are many adverts. The cover story page number is in a different colour (black the others are red)it is also in a bigger font. This is to show its the main story of the issue and it has the most importance this is why it is one of the first articles in the magazine.
3)The back drop is the plain white this is to add focus to the cover stars as they are the important ones and the main focus of the article.
4)The majority of the stars has a gold chain and/or a gold watch this is to show their wealth, their rise up this relates to their song 'all the way up'. The colour gold is associated with success, triumph and wealth. so by wearing these chains they are showing us their happiness with their successful new song. One member of the group has a gold grill on both teeth as well as a gold watch, bracelet and necklace. All this gold may tell us that he is the leader of the group as well as he has the most success and is the wealthiest. This idea is emphasized by the fact that he is center staged.
5)The angle of the camera is higher up than the stars this symbolizes the meaning of their song 'all the way up' . However this makes the artist look small so this could be saying that despite coming a long way they still have a bit more to do as they may feel like they are not completely successful or where they want to be.
Side B
5)The change in the location (a cave on the beach) changed in tone and feel of the magazine as the setting is more exsotic. This may make the model seem more desireable to the audience because of what Hip Hops idea of beauty is.
1)This part of the context page is not as important as the first part as it is labeled 'The B side'. Using the letter 'B' it indicates that this page is less important that 'The A side' as A is before Bin the alphabet. I also know that this page is less important because if they were trying to communicate that the two context pages are equal they would not label it side a or b and they would also have the main cover stars on it.
4)The main cover star has a direct mode of address, this gives makes it more intimate between her and the reader. This may make the audience reading feel more personal as it seems as if the model is looking at them.
The red lighting changes the mood/tone of the context page as the connotations of red is love/ lust but when the red light was used for the double page spread for a male model it was used in a way which made him look intimidate and dangerous. This emphasises the gender roles and how women are just sexualised.
3) The model is wearing little clothing exposing a lot skin, this give males something to enjoy looking at, as she is "eye candy"
The eye candy is always of women this shows that XXL is targeting men mainly because they are the gender who buys the magazine more however if they maybe have the eye candy be a attractive man the amount of women who buy their magazines will increase.
Double page spread sheet
2)The backdrop is a dark colour which is seen as a masculine this emphasises his masculinity, the reason they may have done this is because in the Hip Hop being masculine is so by doing this they the reader may respect him. Having a black backdrop also makes it easier to see his outline so you can see his broad shoulders which is also a sigh of masculinity. furthermore it makes it easier to see the red lights on either side of his face it which make him look intimidating not only because the connotation of red is danger but because it make the middle part of his face darker.
3)He wears a black t-shirt because it shows dominance and this brings attention to his facial expression rather than his outfit, it also makes it easier to see his silver chains which is also well respected in hip hop as it is a sigh of success.
4) The model wears a chains not only as it is seen as the Hip Hop look (conforming to the conventions of hip hop in terms of apperance)but it show his wealth as silver is an expensive so the fact that the model wears multiple shows how wealthy he is. This may convey to the audience that he works hard for his money or that he is good at what he does. However gold is more expensive so maybe he is not as wealthy as he could be.
5)In the stand XXL introduce the topic they will be discussing. DJ Drama's name is in all capitals in a different colour (red) to the rest of the text. This was done to show his importance, as the whole article is about him and he has a significant figure in the Hip Hop music industry. This may also symbolise him being unique and different no one is as good as him or has his style. Or it may of been done just to catch the readers eye when they glance over. However the fact his name is in red could symbolise that he is a danger or threat to other DJ's because he is so good and/or unique.
6) The article does not follow the music magazine coventions as the article does not start with a drop cap despite this they still have colums of the width, credits of the journalist, a pull quote and XXL URL at the bottom of the page.
The style in which the article is written in is informal. This may be done for a variety of reasons one of being is to cater to their targeted audience, as thrugh their market research they would of found out that the average income of their reader is lower than average and is african american so would live in poor areas there for may not speak standard english due to lack of education and other things. So by XXL using slang it makes it easier for their audience to understand, it suits the genre as many rappers use these abreviated terms. Because the reader understands the language used they are more likely to buy it again, this way XXL can maintain a certain amount of sales and profit.
Sunday, 25 September 2016
XXL audience and intuition
XXL Media kit
The majority of the audience that purchase XXL is male with a percentage of 78% and female 22%. The reason this may be could be down to the fact that the majority of their front covers feature male artist which would attract men to purchase the magazine. This is emphasized when most female artists that are featured on the front cover are sexualised.This would be seen as attractive for men so they would pick it up however for women they may think that the females are objectified.
Only one percent of XXL's audience is ethnically Asian whilst Hispanic/Latino take up 19% and Caucasian/White is 18%. Unexpectedly 67% of the people who read XXL are of African American decent, as seen in the image below many of the male artists are black African American. This therefore brings forth the magazine in the eyes of black men. By constantly featuring black artists on their cover page, XXL are consistently getting a set income/profit from their consumers.
This magazine has a mature audience, as under 18 is a small percentage of six, ages between 18-20 is 11% where as the percentage for 21+ is 83% and the average age of readers is 29. This magazine would not be appropriate for minors as the content of XXL can be sexualised and because of the genre of the music it can be quite explicit.
Knowing all of this information can really help the publisher make decisions as to what adverts they put into magazine, types of artists to write about, as well as which artist to put on their front cover.
The median income for XXL's audience is $47,007 and the average income is $56,571 so this is just below the average income for America. This indicates that their audience do not have to be well off or a higher class in order to buy or read their magazine. It also indicates the lifestyle and urban background as their readers may be those who live in poorer, more rougher urban areas which shows that it is a reasonable and affordable, price to them. Additionally, this may be the reason for the magazine to promote the cover artist as an alpha male, initially from a troubled background.
They can focus on the audience with the highest percentage in age, gender and ethnicity and stay true to them (as they provide their vital income) rather than changing their style and content in hopes to gain a bigger, new audience.Also because they specialize in hip hop they may not be able to write a article of design a article appropriate to another genre so they may not sell more copies.
From the adverts we can see what the audience prefer such as the type of cars (sports), trainers and magnum condoms. This tells us that the readers value expensive sports cars, fashion and sexual activities. The publishers may know what adverts to include in the magazine, not only by doing market research but by listening to the music.The reason for including/advertising these products is because rappers and Hip-Hop artist often flaunt designer wear, making the readers of the magazine desire and feel the need to purchase the same items.
This is an example of an advert. They do not advertise high heels or pumps, only trainers. This is often seen as a masculine shoe, even though women still wear it. They also advertise products like sports car wheels and men condoms. All these things are seen as masculine and these are things which are portrayed in most rap songs.
Publisher
The publisher of XXL magazine is Townsquare Media. It is an American company based in Greenwich, Connecticut. I feel they advertise successful people in order to engage the audience. By advertising successful Hip-Hop artists they will attract customers. The CEO of the company is Steven Price. The company was funded (fix)
The majority of the audience that purchase XXL is male with a percentage of 78% and female 22%. The reason this may be could be down to the fact that the majority of their front covers feature male artist which would attract men to purchase the magazine. This is emphasized when most female artists that are featured on the front cover are sexualised.This would be seen as attractive for men so they would pick it up however for women they may think that the females are objectified.
Only one percent of XXL's audience is ethnically Asian whilst Hispanic/Latino take up 19% and Caucasian/White is 18%. Unexpectedly 67% of the people who read XXL are of African American decent, as seen in the image below many of the male artists are black African American. This therefore brings forth the magazine in the eyes of black men. By constantly featuring black artists on their cover page, XXL are consistently getting a set income/profit from their consumers.
This magazine has a mature audience, as under 18 is a small percentage of six, ages between 18-20 is 11% where as the percentage for 21+ is 83% and the average age of readers is 29. This magazine would not be appropriate for minors as the content of XXL can be sexualised and because of the genre of the music it can be quite explicit.
Knowing all of this information can really help the publisher make decisions as to what adverts they put into magazine, types of artists to write about, as well as which artist to put on their front cover.
The median income for XXL's audience is $47,007 and the average income is $56,571 so this is just below the average income for America. This indicates that their audience do not have to be well off or a higher class in order to buy or read their magazine. It also indicates the lifestyle and urban background as their readers may be those who live in poorer, more rougher urban areas which shows that it is a reasonable and affordable, price to them. Additionally, this may be the reason for the magazine to promote the cover artist as an alpha male, initially from a troubled background.
They can focus on the audience with the highest percentage in age, gender and ethnicity and stay true to them (as they provide their vital income) rather than changing their style and content in hopes to gain a bigger, new audience.Also because they specialize in hip hop they may not be able to write a article of design a article appropriate to another genre so they may not sell more copies.
From the adverts we can see what the audience prefer such as the type of cars (sports), trainers and magnum condoms. This tells us that the readers value expensive sports cars, fashion and sexual activities. The publishers may know what adverts to include in the magazine, not only by doing market research but by listening to the music.The reason for including/advertising these products is because rappers and Hip-Hop artist often flaunt designer wear, making the readers of the magazine desire and feel the need to purchase the same items.
Publisher
The publisher of XXL magazine is Townsquare Media. It is an American company based in Greenwich, Connecticut. I feel they advertise successful people in order to engage the audience. By advertising successful Hip-Hop artists they will attract customers. The CEO of the company is Steven Price. The company was funded (fix)
Publications
- Antenna – general publication aimed towards young readers
- The Boombox – dedicated to hip hop music
- The Boot – dedicated to country music
- Comics Alliance– dedicated to comic books
- Just Jared – dedicated to pop culture
- king– marketed toward African American men
- Hype Machine – aggregator of music blogs
- Loudwire– dedicated to heavy metal and rock music
- noisecreep – dedicated to heavy metal and rock music
- PopCrush – dedicated to pop music
- ScreenCrush – dedicated to film and television
- Taste of Country – dedicated to country music
- Ultimate Classic Rock – dedicated to rock music categorized as classic
- XXL– dedicated to hip hop
From the list of publications we can see that Townsquare Media does not only specialize in Hip Hop, they also cover the Rock, Pop, and Country genres.Because they publicise so mush they are a not a niche business but mass and are experienced with different fields/ genre of magazines.
Friday, 23 September 2016
The genre of my music magazine
The genre of music I have decided for my music magazine is Hip hop. I chose this because I love Hip-Hop therefore I feel I would be able to write about it in more detail because I can relate to it. Some of my favorite hip hop artists are Rihanna and Drake, this is because their music is relatable and because of their beats, their music is also very catchy.
I like this genre because I grew up listening to it since I was young, and it is a part of my culture as I feel like it is popular among the youth in my area and generation. These songs let me belt all my emotions into the high notes and pour my heart out. They give me strength and motivation to get through that Monday morning.
The two magazines that I will be analyzing and looking up to for inspiration are Vibe and XXL, in order to incorporate the structure and magazine conventions in my own work.
I chose these two Hip-Hop magazines as I feel they represent the industry best. They are also very popular and well known, this is because of their style of writing and the artist they use for their covers strongly represent Hip-Hop. I feel like they are high in demand because they cater to their audience so well and they are true to real Hip Hop.
This image shows the sale figures in 2012 of XXL and its competitors. It shows XXL has a large portion of the market share, almost dominating the Hip-Hop genre of magazines on the market. For sales to be this high it shows that XXL understand their customers needs in a Hip-Hop magazine. From popular Hip-Hop artists to the type of adverts in the magazine all add up to create a overall outstanding Hip-Hop magazine.
I like this genre because I grew up listening to it since I was young, and it is a part of my culture as I feel like it is popular among the youth in my area and generation. These songs let me belt all my emotions into the high notes and pour my heart out. They give me strength and motivation to get through that Monday morning.
The two magazines that I will be analyzing and looking up to for inspiration are Vibe and XXL, in order to incorporate the structure and magazine conventions in my own work.
Thursday, 22 September 2016
Introducing me
Introducing me
My name is Antonia Promesse and I am sixteen years old. I picked media as an A-level subject at Leyton sixth form college, despite not doing it at GCSE level. I found a love for what media entails, so my friend who studied the course for her GCSE's, recommended it to me as I am passionate about designing and I like creative writing. This is because I feel I am a creative person and have always exceeded in creative subjects.
Also, I find the subject interesting as I would like to know how to use documents such as Indesign and Photoshop. I feel as if this will help me in the future as I will be able to offer something different for a company for example the opportunity to re-design their web site page. I will be able to know how to use computers better which is useful as technology is becoming more advance. I do not know what career I want yet (I am only sixteen), however, I do know it will be in something creative but no matter what media will help me.
My name is Antonia Promesse and I am sixteen years old. I picked media as an A-level subject at Leyton sixth form college, despite not doing it at GCSE level. I found a love for what media entails, so my friend who studied the course for her GCSE's, recommended it to me as I am passionate about designing and I like creative writing. This is because I feel I am a creative person and have always exceeded in creative subjects.
Also, I find the subject interesting as I would like to know how to use documents such as Indesign and Photoshop. I feel as if this will help me in the future as I will be able to offer something different for a company for example the opportunity to re-design their web site page. I will be able to know how to use computers better which is useful as technology is becoming more advance. I do not know what career I want yet (I am only sixteen), however, I do know it will be in something creative but no matter what media will help me.
Tuesday, 20 September 2016
Double page spread analysis
This is my final piece. Regarding my research I felt like I did do a lot so I could understand the magazine in order to write like them. I found out their audience:
GENDER
Male: 75%
Female: 25%AGE
Under 18: 3%
18-24: 18%
18-34: 67%
21-29: 38%
21-34: 50%
25-34: 50%
35+: 30%
21+: 94%
Median age: 31.1
18-24: 18%
18-34: 67%
21-29: 38%
21-34: 50%
25-34: 50%
35+: 30%
21+: 94%
Median age: 31.1
EDUCATION
Attended or graduated college: 93%
Graduated college: 79%
Graduated 4-year college: 74%
Post-graduate degree: 26%
Graduated college: 79%
Graduated 4-year college: 74%
Post-graduate degree: 26%
VEHICLES
91% of subscribers own a vehicle
71% own a car
38% own an SUV
Additionally, I read many articles including "11 songs you need in your life this week" which was similar to the task I had, this helped to mould my dialect and to conform to the way they write. Knowing the audience helped me too, in terms of style. Despite this, I feel like I could have done better because I did not write a lot and the magazine did not have much content, therefore it was unable to guide me as to what to write about more than the artist and their songs.71% own a car
38% own an SUV
I found Indesign hard to use at first but when I read everything and had some assistance it became much easier to use. I feel confident enough to make my own broadsheet.
Overall I feel like my broadsheet could be more professional in terms of font, layout and images. However, it was hard to find how the company 'Fader' choose to layout their broadsheets due to the lack of internet exposure. However, I did feel I used the colour scheme well as I stuck to black, red and white, their signature colours. I used a long shot of my favourite artist in which the shot allows the audience to see her clothing which was very casual and laid-back much like her music.
I could of made it look more like a music magazine by instead of having the masthead on the picture having the name of the artist so the audience know who she is and her relevance to article.
secondly make sure the spacing of the paragraphys are equal i feel this is more important as I didn't write a lot.
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