5. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Once my music magazine had been constructed the next step was the selecting process whereby as an encoder I had to choose the correct media institution to distribute my music magazine In terms of the distributing process of magazines the media institutions are responsible for the overall production and distribution of magazines. Media institutions distribute millions of magazines around the UK everyday.  However, the institutions normally focus on a specific type of magazine such as music. This is the sector in which I will choose the correct media institution that will distribute my music magazine.  From researching the most popular publishing houses in the UK highlighted to me which media institution was most likely to distribute my music magazine.  Furthermore, by researching on their websites allowed for me to see which magazine they published and I was able to conclude what media institution was most appropriate to publish BLITz.

The first website I visited was the IPC Media which is one of the UK’s leading magazine publications, selling over 350 million magazines every year. The brands which are published by IPC are fashion and celebrity gossip magazines such as “Look”. Furthermore it also includes TV news magazine such as “TV Times”. In addition, it also covers music magazines such as “NME” NME reaches over one million music fans every week.  And is also the longest published and most respected music weekly in the world.  Therefore I believe that publishing BLITz would be a hard task as NME is mass music based not focussing on one specific genre therefore it would have a greater target audience and a lot more consumers.

The second website I visited was the Conde Nast publishing house.  Straight away I was able to identify that this publishing house does not publish music magazines.  And was more focussed on fashion and beauty magazines therefore I was quickly able to eliminate this publishing house.

The Last website I researched was Dennis Publishing.  Dennis publishing Is an independent publisher. The company is male orientated and publishes the most popular men’s magazines in the region- such as  current affairs magazines and magazines specifically car and technology based, titles known as PC pro and Poker Player and Auto Express.  Therefore in Dennis publishing there is no music based magazine and it would be useful for them to have one this concludes I believe that BLITz is suitable for this company as it will create a new scope for the company.  And will give the company that other publishes don’t have male orientated with a wide range of magazines all based for males.  As I have already portrayed my music magazine is male orientated therefore it is suitable for this company, in addition will have no competitors within the company as this will be the only music magazine Dennis Publishing distribute. Dennis publishing are also highly suitable for my magazine as they are highly innovative marketers as well as scratch and sniff editions as well as ezines-offering online magazines.

3 concepts of media ownership

Horizontal integration is where to companies that are in the same industry merge together such as one health and fitness magazine joining up with another health and fitness magazine. This can result in their knowledge of the other company increases the chances of the public purchasing products from that company. Horizontal integration is becoming more popular in the media production.

Vertical integration is where one company owns many co-operations that work together in the media line.  Resulting in them being able to own a radio station as well as having a television channel and a magazine however all 3 types of media are all under the same name.  An example of this is Kerrang which has its own magazine and its own radio station and its own television channel, this results in Kerrang ensuring viewing from every form of media that will impact on increasing its population of readers and total viewing figures.

Conglomeration is where two companies that are part of completely different industries often join together to increase power and popularity, - aimed in the world of media.  Such as media production company joining forces with a car company, making it easy for the public to associate one with the other- aiming  to gain a wider understanding of what both companies do for each other  this could be conveyed by the media production advertising the car companies cars through either television or magazines.

4. How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Representation can be defined as the construction in any medium aspects of ‘reality’ such as people, places, objects, events, cultural identities and other abstract concepts. Furthermore, it can also be described as the ways of communicating to a decoder using signs and symbols.  Representation is important in all forms of media however in terms of magazines its crucial. After learning about the mediation process I discovered that all signs and symbols have to go through a mediation process before they are fully suitable for the encoder’s use in their media product. Therefore as an encoder I had to ensure that all signs  I selected to be constructed in my magazine had to have the best possible outcome of products that were appropriate for my target audience my rate card suggests products that would appeal to my target audience. However, as an encoder when representing particular social groups it was vital that I took into consideration my target audience’s social class.

My overall representation is denotative. This is because the pictures that are displayed all represent what the band “DREx” act like. Therefore the representation is denotated throughout my front cover, double page spread and contents page. This is because the band acts like a stereotypical dubstep band therefore there is no connation in my images.   

My music magazine represents people from a C1 range in terms of stratification. This social stratification implies that my magazine is for people with an average income.  My magazine would include music such as dubstep and drum and bass.  The magazine would also include pictures of girl models posing in sexy lingerie and advertising clothes brands.  In addition it would also include various interviews interviewing big bands- “DREx”.

All representation goes through a mediation process, where the original sign is engaged and changed until it becomes the representation the encoder chooses to use.  Although this can take a long time to get right and is based around the target audience.   The decoder’s assumptions will affect everything from the colour scheme to the design there this evident to why the process of creating a magazine takes a long time.

Social Stratification is conveyed all across the UK; every magazine company creates and publishes media products that represent a certain social group.  A magazine can represent anything from the lower class of the scale such as a “Pikey” to people of a much higher class; the scale caters for every person in society.  An encoder makes it clear to the decoder which social class the magazine represents by the signs constructed in the front cover.  In my front cover I constructed anti-social behaviour conveying that my front cover is more likely to be represented to people of a lower class. This anti social representation is used to attract my target audience because they see themselves within this magazine which would increase chances of them purchasing my magazine. This edgy representation may fit into a negative sterotyping of youth in other media because it creates a different side of youth my magazine represents the "hardcore youth"- which could be a negative sterotyping of youth. This representation allows my target audience to experience vicariously being part of a sub cultural group. 

As the encoder it was important I put my views on music and my personal message to the decoder through my magazine. My message was simple “dubstep and raving is a part of life” this bold statement that I aimed to message to the decoders of my magazine meant that I had to get this message across with the images I used unique pictures that signified the “rock and roll raving” I incorporated DJ’s and strobe lighting to get the overall rock and roll affect.  My magazine signifies a late teenage boy or young adult, which is the exact group that it was aimed at.  With this in mind this helps increase chances of a preferred reading from the decoder.

My music magazine goes against the pluralist idea that no representation can ever impact the way a decoder thinks. I believe the signs I have chosen to use in my media product show that the way in which we use the mediation process to produce something a decoder understands can have a big impact on the way my target audience will decode the signs and interpret the representation. Although there are thousands of representations of the same social group out there, produced by a wide range of different magazine companies although, I believe that my representation has unique signs making it clear to my target audience that it’s a magazine that will stand out against rival competitors.

As an encoder I also used intertexuality during the design process.  Intertexuality is the shaping of texts meanings by other texts.  As an encoder I used intertexuality to help me decide which of my designs was suitable for my target audience. I researched a wide range of music magazines that was based around similar target audiences to mine, I looked for what signs they used and put myself into the decoders perspective and began wondering why these signs appealed to me and how I could use similar signs to the magazines that I had researched.  The brief was to produce a front cover, double page spread and a contents page therefore from researching the different designs and layouts used on the magazine I was able to create my own unique design for my front cover, double page spread and contents page which I believed would appeal to my target audience.

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

Every magazine wherever it is fashion or music will have a barcode included on the front or back cover. I located my barcode on the bottom right of my front cover this was to prevent my barcode from interfering with my overall image and from ruining the design of my magazine. In addition from researching magazines it’s evident that a vast majority of all music magazines are located at the bottom of the page therefore as an encoder I aimed to stick with what a real music magazine would look like.

Therefore, from a encoder's perspective codes and conventions are crucial in attracting customers. In my research, I researched a magazine and anotated the magazine's codes and conventions:

The masthead like most music magazines is positioned at the top of the front cover from a encoder’s perspective a masthead is placed there because it’s the first thing a consumer will see when looking at the front cover, therefore when constructing my front a spent a long to creating a bold masthead that would stand out. From a decoder’s perception to determine the first thoughts of a magazine usually involves the quality of the masthead and the front cover.

As I have already addressed my music magazine is focussed on my specific type/genre of music, like the vast majority of all music magazines.  As the encoder I used this genre and designed sections of the magazine and based on what the decoder would expect to see in that particular magazine. As the decoder the type of music magazine you will purchase will determine what type/genre of music you listen too.  To determine what type/genre I based my music magazine on something unique that I believed was popular however their wasn’t a music magazine specific for my type/genre of music.  A wide range of music magazines will include a story of the band or a specific musician and will additionally also usually involve an interview between the encoder and a band member. Sticking to this structure I have also constructed an interview with a band member in my music magazine.

Music magazines also involve additional ways too contact the company. From researching music magazine I discovered that the vast majority of these magazines have a “contact us on facebook or twitter” therefore to make my music magazine look like an adequate music magazine as an encoder I also included the contact us:

Another element of my magazine design was on my front cover to exploit an offer for the decoder to win a free £25 itunes voucher this was placed at the bottom of my front cover to entice customers to purchase my magazine. In addition as encoder when constructing my price and issue I had to think about a suitable price in which my target would be able to afford although would also impact on me making money as a pose to loosing money. I published my price and issue number on my front cover so the decoder could see the prices of my magazine.

When producing a music magazine an essential element of the encoder’s responsibilities is the modes of address. An encoder I made sure the signs and the way I wrote were appropriate for my target audience to understand. As my target audience is late teenagers I used a wide range of slang in my music magazine this mode of address was suitable for my target audience. However if my target audience was based on an older generation of middle aged men and as an encoder I incorporated slang words into my music magazine this will result in the consumers failing to understand the tone and language of the magazine this will impact on the sales of the magazine.

When referring to the Stuart Hall’s Encoding and Decoding Model states that a decoder can decode a piece of media text. The response a decoder will have to the media text can be narrowed down to four possibilities- Dominant reading, Negotiated reading, Oppositional reading and Aberrant reading. A dominant reading is where the decoder fully understands the decoder’s code and accepts the message.  When constructing my music magazine I aimed for the decoder to have a dominant reading this is the reading I wanted the decoder to take from my music magazine.

2. How did you attract/address your audience?

To construct the perfect magazine for them I took into consideration the genre of music that will appeal to them. I decided that the music genre would be dubstep. Therefore this limited to my age group to a 17-25 with the target audience I have considered that their disposable income is limited therefore the pricing on my magazine I had to take these factors into account so I charged a reasonable price in which it would not be to “expensive” for this age group. The music I chose is based around a new era of music known as dubstep which is a type of electronic dance music most commonly heard of in my chosen target audience age group. In addition, this music genre also limited my magazine to male sex therefore this impacted on my magazine becoming a “lad’s mag” with a C2/C3 scale which can occupations such as a sales assistant. As I am of a similar age to my target age group this allowed for me to be put in the audience’s shoes I took into account would I buy the magazine? And what I believe stands out about the magazine. I used this to my advantage and aimed for my magazine to stand out. My magazine is a monthly magazine I decided this because I took into account the demand for the magazine and I believe that the magazine will not be as popular as other music magazine therefore it will not be able to compete as a fortnight magazine.  As an encoder it was vital that for attracting my audience I address my audience in the appropriate way, this is called the mode of address which generally really refers to the encoder making assumptions about the decoders’ (audience) knowledge, interests and understanding of the world and encode their texts accordingly. Those assumptions are cultural and can have an impact upon the audience. In terms of my magazine I constructed words such as - “Rave generation”- these types of words will appeal to my target audience and will also impact on attracting my target audience.

When constructing my pictures as an encoder I had to create pictures that would appeal to my target audience.  From planning my photo shoot I adapted my pictures an added anti social behaviour to help attract my target audience. Although as an encoder promoting anti social behaviour- would not increase sales therefore I minimised anti social behaviour to a level in which it could still be used however was “acceptable” from an encoder’s perspective.  For my picture I chose a medium long shot where I aimed to centralise my “DREx” banner and make it the centre of the picture in which it added a factor of anti social behaviour incorporating fire into the background.

In terms of an encoder when producing a magazine I had to include puffs and plugs into my music magazine. A puff is words of phrases used to boost magazine’s status whereas a plug is information on the front cover used to ‘hook’ the audience. I used plugs on my front cover by saying “win a free £25 itunes voucher” I used this statement as a result of carefully considering what my target audience would want. In addition I also used puffs in my magazine by incorporating words such as “exclusive” this helped to address and attract my target audience.

Furthermore, as an encoder I had to think about my language used. For my target audience the “formal” language would not attract my target audience therefore I had to incorporate more bolder words and language that would appeal to my target audience my dubstep genre theme  resulted in me basing my language to this theme everything that I said as an encoder had to link to my dubstep theme.When creating my interview, I took into consideration what sort of language I could use to attract my target audience, as someone of this target age group I used language that I would use words such as “vibes”. These types of words the older generation wouldn’t know what they meant therefore my target audience was crucial when determining my dubstep theme.

Choosing the correct fonts is also a key aspect for attracting and addressing my target audience.  As an encoder I wanted my fonts to be big and bold and stand out. Throughout my music magazine when creating my masthead I went for a contrast between the background colour and the masthead so as a decoder referring to semiotics this was the denotation as  the bold font draws the decoders attention too it. I also used simple fonts so it was easy to read. When deciding what fonts to use I put myself into a decoder’s perspective and thought about which font would appeal to me.

In addition as an encoder I had to take into account the themes that were carried out throughout my music magazine. My dubstep genre theme impacted on me choosing a wild “rave” theme throughout my magazine. This impacted me having to integrate this into my pictures and the set out of my front cover, double page spread and contents so it would attract to my target audience.

When constructing my magazine as an encoder I used Stuart Halls theoretical encoder/decoder model as a basis, in which I asked 3 people about my magazine hoping for them to outline my target audience. In which I received my dominant response all 3 people believed that my target audience was male dominated. This signifies that my magazine target audience has been met as an encoder I wanted this result to occur. Furthermore from a decoder’s perspective being a similar age group, from this I was able to understand the intentional connation on my magazine. All media texts are polysemic. 

I also had to take into consideration the pricing of my music magazine.  When developing the price of my magazine I had to develop a price in which was reasonable for my target audience and would be able to compete against rival magazines.

Esquire rate card

Esquire- Rate card

Total Circulation * 59,160

Adult Readership ### 154,000

Female 20%

Male 80%

ABC1 Profile 81%

Median Age 34

AdvertisingRates

Positions Pages Spreads

A £13,700 £27,400

B £12,770 £25,540

C £10,950 £21,900

D £10,050 £20,100

E £9,120 £18,240

Promotions £7,540 £13,572

It is clear the Esquire magazines makes more money from its advertising than from its total circulation. Its also noticeable that the target audience of the magazine is apparent through the percentage of males and females.The figures are clear with 80% of sales from males in comparision with 20% of sales for females. The ABC1 indicates an idea of the people that would purchase the Esquire magazine these people would be classed as the more "wealthy" generation such as lawyers and teachers. The price of the magazine is also an important factor the prices doesnt just have to entice consumers however has to be suitable for the target audience. In this situation compared to other magazines such as ZOO the prices for Esquire would be significantly higher this is down to target audience of Esquire being ABC1 rather than Zoo which would be C1.

1. Who would be the audience for your media product?

My target audience for my media product is aimed at the age group of 17-24, as an encoder I aimed to focus on my age group this way I am likely to attract my target audience and have a better understanding of this age group. When the task of creating a music magazine first occurred to me, my first media application involved deciding which individual imaginary entity I would be, the imaginary entity involves the ideal reader/customer of the magazine. To construct the perfect magazine for them I took into consideration the genre of music that will appeal to them.

This is my rate card: This shows my target audience and what types of products my target audience will purchase.
This is my imaginary entity lifestyle questions: This shows what answers my target audience would give to the lifestyle questions.

Semiotics diagram