Music Magazine Project: Initial ideas and research

For my A-level Media coursework I am tasked with creating a music magazine for a particular genre of music inspired by existing music magazines currently in circulation in shops and newsagents. I will be creating the magazines in In-design and Photoshop based off audience research which I will also carry out by handing out surveys (or creating and distributing them on the internet) and interviewing my target audience, which presumably with be teenagers and young adults. I will carry out research into what kinds of social group read what types of music magazine and adjust my content accordingly. I presume a magazine about alternative or Indie music will interest a lot of people in my age group, so hopefully my knowledge of people's music tastes will help me choose the genre of and develop my magazine.

My initial ideas consist of an alternative music magazine in the style of NME or Q. But I would also like to make my magazine unique while following some of the conventions of typical music magazines. Conventions which I will be looking into and analyzing over the course of this project. I also hope to inject other genres into my magazine, such as electronic, to cater to some of my tastes as well. Indie magazines often cover smaller, more obscure bands and artists as well, which is something I hope to take and run with for my magazine. Live events are also covered in most music magazines as well as industry gossip and reviews of albums and events, which is something to take note of.

The actual bands and artists featured in my magazine will be rough caricatures of famous musicians, as I think it'll allow me more creative freedom in terms of the content which goes into my magazine. The main article which will feature in my double page spread will be about a fictional musician. I have a couple of ideas floating around regarding who this person will be 'parodying' from real life. I hope to emulate a cringe inducing interview with a pretentious, self indulgent singer songwriter in the article for my double page spread and it will be posted on my blog when it's finished.

I also hope to create all of the graphics, text and logos myself in Photoshop as opposed to using fonts downloaded off the internet to showcase my skills in design. I will post some of these to my blog along with feedback from my fellow students/target audience. The title is of particular importance to me as it can reflect the entire tone of the magazine. Is it playful and loud like NME or serious like Q? My logo will feature throughout the magazine on my contents page and double page spread as well as on my front cover.