Initial Research

I've found some covers of NME magazine where some Indie/Folk bands have been featured as the cover band.

Firstly, is Mumford & Sons:

On this front cover there are a number of features which I would have to include on my own music magazine, for example, the masthead 'NME' is very prominent and brightly coloured, this will initially draw the readers attention to the title. Another feature is that there is a banner across the top of the cover telling readers about other articles included in the magazine. 

The second artist in the genre I've chosen is Laura Marling:

Another main feature of music magazines is that the image of the artist featured on the front cover is usually overlapping the title. This gives the impression that the artist themselves are more important than the actual magazine. This will make people want to buy and read this magazine as they can see that there is something very important featured in it. Another feature is that the colours in the font and image are all following a certain scheme, so they're all very similar. This is important so the magazine looks professional and it isn't too 'messy' as all the colours go together and the cover just seems to flow.

This next image is an interview in NME with Laura Marling. This will give me and idea of the writing skill and layout used in music journalism. A main feature in music journalism articles is that there is a main image of the artist usually covering a whole page, like the one below. This is important as it's dramatic and eye catching. Also, there is a title for the article layered on the main image. Usually in music magazines, they use features such as drop caps and text alignment to make the article look professional. Another common feature is also that there is another small image of the main artist featured within the article, and there is also a quote from the artist which is in larger and usually a different font, this gives readers a taste of what they will be reading to make them more interested in the article.

The last image I wanted to post is an article in NME about Bombay Bicycle Club. I'm posting this as research to the type of journalistic writing I will have to include in my magazine. This image also gives me an idea of the layout for articles in music magazines.

This image is of another type of article featured in music magazines - this is an album review. In these articles there are a number of similar features as there are in the main article, for example, the drop cap, main title, artist image, colour scheme and text alignment. These are all features I will have to include in my own magazine to give it a professional and eye catching feel.

Identifying a USP

USP is a Unique Selling Point that makes media texts stand out from the rest, to be unique and individual to attract readers. 

Most music magazines only include articles written by music journalists and pictures taken by professional photographers. The USP for my magazine is that we will include articles and photographs that have been sent to us by budding music journalists, photographers, or just anyone that feels passionate about music. Of course, we will proof read all articles and review the photographs sent in by readers to ensure that they are suitable to be published and sold to the public. But if the articles and photographs sent to us are suitable, they will be featured in a specific section of our magazine. The aim of this is to inspire people to be involved in the magazines they read and to give a chance to people wishing to pursue a career in music journalism or photography.

Another USP is that my music magazine focuses on Indie/Folk acoustic music, which is aimed at a very niche audience. This is a USP because not many, if any, music magazines just focus on this genre of music.

Preliminary Task

This is my college magazine which I created for my preliminary task.

Initial Ideas

I'm going to base my magazine on Indie/Folk acoustic music and will include photographs from gigs that I've been to, Open Mic Nights that I've played and some photographs I've taken from Leeds Festival 2010. My magazine will be aimed at quite a niche audience who enjoy intricate riffs and tunes, which folk music is based around, along with passionate vocals and a number of instruments.

I got the inspiration for my own magazine from some of my favourite bands, for example: Mumford & Sons, Bombay Bicycle Club and Laura Marling. These bands are all based around Indie and Folk music, most of which is acoustic so they will be perfect bands to be included in my magazine.

I will also include an aspect of more Indie Rock music too, with bands like: Arcade Fire, The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys and maybe involve older musicians like Morrisey.

I want to create an Indie/Folk acoustic music magazine as there aren't many magazines like this which would give it a different appeal to audiences. I will be writing my main article about my own made up artist which will, of course, be an acoustic Indie/Folk band. These two genres of music go well together as the music that's created is quite calm and relaxing yet passionate and intricate. 

Introduction

I'm Shauna Mooring and I'm an AS Media student.

I have decided to study the print project so that I can create my own music magazine consisting of a title page, contents page and a two page spread article.

I'm doing the music magazine project because I love music and want to go on from college to study music journalism, so this would be good practice!