1- In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

In the main task, the creation of 'Space' magazine, I used, developed and challenged several codes and conventions in relation to existing music magazines. In many respects, the media product adheres to the majority of conventions associated with music magazines, with the cover page featuring a large, bold masthead, price, month & issue number, barcode, badge (in order to entice possible readers) and a list of bands featured within, to name a few.

The title of the magazine is also a conscious attempt to reflect the content; with the homographic word 'space' connoting the spaciousness and purity of the magazine, the spacing of the letters reflecting this, as well as meaning the expanse of the solar system and the vastness of existence. The futuristic connotations of the word also appealed to me greatly.

Similarly, the layout of the contents page featuring the month/year, the magazine title and the word 'contents' (below) all correlate with the conventions of current music magazines. However, the single focal point of the page is a black and white image I captured at a live event. With this I intended to challenge the convention of including a several images on a contents page, and wished to continue the minimal yet striking aesthetic of the magazine. The text on the page tells readers of the main features within, with a short description of each article.

The double page spread also follows many forms and conventions ofmusic magazines, with a large title (to capture the reader's attention), introduction to the article, text organised within columns, images of the artist featured and quotes picked out from the text (see below).

Despite this, with the simplistic, minimal design scheme of the product, I wished to deviate slightly from the likes of Q, Kerrang, etc. in which maximalist design schemes often feature, often including a large array of colour and information. The design of the magazine is a conscious response to the overload of information and we habitually receive from the media; by focusing on a clean, light and spacious layout I endeavoured to present readers with the information desired by readers and nothing more, focusing on the quality of information given rather than quantity.

Rough Sketches - Main Task

Synopsis of Media Text

With the creation of the front cover, contents page and double page spread of 'Space' magazine, I aim to design a simplistic, refined music magazine which is valued as a well written and highly respected source for the latest in cutting edge music.

The design shall be modern, reflecting the subject matter, with predominant colours used being black and white and bursts of brighter colours appearing throughout. The name 'Space' reflects the modern content of the magazine and an exploration into the unknown. The magazine will express many elements habitually found within fashion magazines whilst simultaneously focusing the majority of its attention on highly reverenced music journalism.

The two page spread will feature cover story, an article featuring singer-songwriter Fabienne. I chose to move away from the generic interview layout style of question and answer, and instead I am currently in the process of writing the article as a continuous piece of prose.

Target Audience

The target audience of 'Space' Magazine is individualistic, discerning and passionate, not only about music, but the discovery of ground-breaking artists and bands.

The age range of the audience at which the product is aimed is 16-25, with focus being held upon those of university age (18-22) in particular. I feel that the quality of writing should not be comprimised when aiming to appeal to a younger audience, and hope that the article shall be well written without being ostentatious.

The reader of 'Space' is devoted to style aswell as music, whilst remaining an individual who does not wish to comply with others' simply as it is the fashionable thing to do. The reader is interested in current events and is constantly seeking to enhance their knowledge on many subjects and cultures and appreciates art in various forms.

Those who read 'Space' lead active social lives, but are as happy to read the works of Kant as they are to go to an all night party; they also are open to the discovery of several different genres and sub-genres of music, viewing quality as the most important factor.

'Space' magazine is targeted equally at males and females, following the view that gender is not particularly important when it comes to music and creativity.

Equipment/Location Planning

I plan to travel to London to shoot my images at infamous Brick Lane, complimenting the indie, DIY yet sleek, minimal aesthetic of the magazine which I plan to create. With white washed walls, recording areas and rows upon rows of records, Rough Trade is an ideal location. Rough Trade is also a highly esteemed record label which has been functioning for over 50 years and is the home of some of the most well loved indie music, something which I feel accurately accompanies the aesthetics of the magazine.

In terms of equipment, I plan to take the images on a Nikon SLR Camera, later utilising photoshop to edit the images and InDesign to edit the magazine itself; this shall be done on a Mac PC.

Human Resource Planning

As model and musician, I will appoint Fabienne, who is an inhabitant of London just like the mystical character I plan to create. Fabienne is an ideal model as the image of her seen within my magazine is not a falsified image, but rather a representation of her own personal style, which I hope will bring a sense of genuineness to the media text. With pale skin, long, wavy hair with emerald tips, a slim build and dark, gothic make up, Fabienne is a reflection of the modern, cutting edge musician, and her character is one who is on the path to propell music into the twenty second century.

That the model is young enhances the fact that I wish to aim my magazine at youthful, intelligent individualists, the musician on the cover perhaps being something of a role model for these young people. In some respects, the magazine which I plan to create is a response to the diminishing quality of music magazines aimed at people within my own age demographic (16-25), which may at times undermine the intelligence of young people in order to generate greater sales.

The model's somewhat gothic style represents the darker, mysterious aspect of the musician, an aspect which is at the forefront of both the music and the fashion world, with musicians such as The XX and Lykke Li, and fashion designers such as Yohiji Yamamoto, Alexander Wang and Maison Martin Margiela all adopting mystical, sombre images.

Below: influences Swedish musician Lykke Li and Yohji Yamamoto a/w 2011

Music Magazines - Target Audiences

The target audiences of music magazines vary widely depending on the particular publication. However, it is generally the case that weekly music magazines such as NME and Kerrang aim to appeal to a younger readership of students aged 16-25, whereas many monthly magazines such as Q, Mojo and Uncut are targeted towards an

older audience of individuals aged 30-50. The target demographic for NME is predominantly male, something which becomes immediately apparent when viewing the advertisements featured promoting products habitually targeted at at young males by companies such as Lynx, Wilkinson Sword, Adidas Sportswear, Strongbow, etc. These males are generally aged between 16 and 25, with an averageage of 18; this demographic is signified by the post-modern, humorous tone which many of the articles feature, something which is not as predominant within magazines targeted at a mature audience such as Mojo and Uncut. 94% of NME readers utilise the internet, which explains the substantial success of

accompanying website NME.com.

Music magazines which include elements of fashion, such as Clash, Fused and Dazed & Confused, have a slightly older average readership age of around 24-25, and readers are generally equally passionate about music and fashion.

Readers of music magazines have a great enthusiasm for musical culture, and this is generally their main passion. However, advertising within these publications is highly profitable and generates a large amount of revenue for both advertisers and publishers.

Below are examples of the typical appearance that a music magazine reader would take on.

The History of Music Magazines

The music magazine is amongst the most dynamic and thriving sectors within the publishing industry and, by definition, must modernise and transform with the constant revolution of the musical climate. Thus, the journey from the emergence of the music magazine to its current position has been a thoroughly changeable one.

The very first music magazine to be published is not certain and cannot be ascertained for sure. However, it is believed that such publications existed as early as the eighteenth century. The first prominent music magazine to be published in the United Kingdom was Melody Maker in 1926, focusing primarily on Jazz music coverage, an exceedingly popular genre at the time, the magazine rapidly became Britain's most popular weekly music magazine and remained so for almost half a century. The magazine was targeted at musicians/budding musicians, and is known to be the first weekly music magazine in existence. Melody maker was published by Time Warner subsidiary IPC Media and throughout the years, boasted highly influential music journalists such as Max Jones and John Peel amongst its staff.

1952 saw the emergence of NME (New Musical Express) magazine, also published by IPC Media, a magazine focused strongly on introducing new alternative music to its readers, with an increasingly youthful target audience. Due to Melody Maker being slow to feature coverage of the increasingly prominent rock 'n' roll genre in the 1970s, NME became Britain's most popular weekly music magazine and Melody maker lost some of its previously enjoyed success. As a result of this, the two magazines later became 'rivals'. In 2001, Melody Maker could no longer maintain a healthy readership and merged with New Musical Express.

For a younger audience interested in pop music, magazines such as Top of the Pops (1995-present) and Smash Hits (1978-2006) were available, experiencing considerable success during the 1980s.

Presently, the number of music magazines in existence is the largest that it has been in history, with several music magazines to suit every sub-genre imaginable. Despite numerous set backs with the mounting popularity of the internet in the early nineties, overall it is now apparent that the digital age has not been a hindrance to the music magazine industry, but has helped to bring several music magazines into light. The internet has also aided music magazine publishers as it also allows accessibility with people being able to read articles online and thus decide to purchase the magazine itself. The design of magazines has also been enhanced greatly due to editing technology such as photoshop, as is evident upon viewing a recent cover of Clash magazine (above).

In conclusion, the music magazine industry is one which we will no doubt see continue to thrive throughout the 21st century, with the process of distribution and consumption constantly being aided by the advances in technology being made daily.