Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

At the beginning of the project I began with a skills audit which immediately shows some progression from the start. Looking at the answers I put, I can confidently say that I can now say yes to all of the tasks on there as throughout the course of getting to my full product it has been necessary for me to do most of the list, for example make a blog, use indesign and scan which I have used regularly since the beginning.

In the preliminary task I had to make a front cover of a college magazine. Comparing it to my final cover for my pop magazine, the progression in learning how to form a front cover has improved an incredible amount. The college magazine looks very clashed due to the range of colours which don't really link in any way or suite each other, they just look completely random. Also the improvement in the photograph is really clear, as in the college magazine the photograph makes the writing really difficult to read and the outlining of some of the text just doesn't help at all, it just kind of all looks very messy, compared to the pop magazine where the coverlines are done in a more structure manner. In the pop magazine I have also included a range of fonts, which actually work together to create a more interesting look and it helps to separate the text and read easier, whilst the font on the college magazine is pretty much same, and it also looks really unstructured and randomly placed, even though the fonts change in size which could separate it, it just looks oddly put together and very confusing. The front cover of the pop magazine is also far more full, even though it hasn't got that many coverlines compared to the college magazine there is just far more text and images place on and it just looks much more appealing as it works together whilst the college magazine looks really empty on the left side and really unattractive on the right side.

         

The progression of the contents page is also really visible, the college magazine draft looks incredibly plain and poorly designed as it lacks colour therefore looks really bland and boring, and you would expect that because the target audience is at a similar age there would be more colour incorporated, more so than the obnoxiously bright red banner at the bottom of the contents page. In comparison the pop magazine contents page looks really well designed because it has the same angled look throughout the whole thing and the colours are within the same palette therefore even though there is a large range they still work together because they are in the same palette. The pop magazine is also more picture based therefore more visual and suiting to the target audience therefore I think the progression shows the development of my understanding of target audiences as it was much more thought out for the pop magazine. I think it also shows my development in understanding conventions and designs and before it was very random and unconventional to the point where it didn't just challenge usual views, it just looked unattractive. 

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

How did you attract/address your audience?

Who would be the audience for your media product?

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

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

I think my media product is a clear representations of female teenagers, this is shown through the use of colours, the models, fonts and general content of the magazine.

The main model of the front cover is something that immediately establishes teenage girls who are more feminine and into girly things, this come across through the use of clothing, the main model is wearing a floral dress which gives the impression she is very girly as floral patterns are associated with femininity, therefore represents this social group. In addition to this, I think as it is a female model, I think she represents a typical reader and connects with this social group as they can relate, also make up is clearly an element of the model which would also interest this social group as it's an associated hobby, interest and it's popular amongst them. I think also, due to the fact the model is representing a female celebrity, this also represents a female social group, because most gossip and celebrity orientated magazines are targeted at females as it is known for them to enjoy this type of content.

The colours throughout the magazine in my opinion are the most defining of social groups and specify it to femininity. Due to the dominance of shades of pink and purple, which are very stereotypical colours associated with teenage girls, this definitely represents the social group. Often when people think of girls, the first thing that comes to mind is pink, and as purple is such a close shade that compliments and ties in, it is really appropriate for the magazine, another example to support this, is when children are given birth to, pink is the colour given to the girls, whilst blue is given to the boys, so this is what clearly identifies this.

The font throughout the magazine are dominantly sans serif font, this eliminates the association with upper and middle class social groups as well as older generations, as without the fancy feet, it looks far simpler than if it were to appear regularly which would give an appearance of sophistication and class which my media product lacks as I wanted it to appear more fun and bold to represent the younger audiences. In relation to this, the intelligence of the readers is also represented to be not as intellectual due to the simplicity of the text and font. The language throughout the magazine support this, as there are recurring notions towards slang, jokes and abbreviations which fit the teenage audience, as in modern generations it's a popular form of speech and occurs within their everyday giving a clear representation of this social group.

The contents of the magazine also defines the magazines representation of social groups, with constant relation between pop music celebrities, the younger audience is immediately picked up on, but this is further defined with the ideas of fashion which is a common interest between females, as well as a boy craze towards celebrity male crushes, which is something that stereotypically teenage girls craze about due to their changing hormones, therefore from content like that, teenage girls are definitely picked up on. Other contents such as fashion and celebrity stories is also strongly relative to females, as these are often contents that are included in many magazines aimed at females like heat magazine for example, which always advertises content like this, therefore it is really representative of the female group.

Pop magazines are mostly associated with teenagers and females, therefore mine is really relevant to fit these conventions, however it does contrast slightly with heavier and more obnoxious views of these conventions which actually narrow the different social groups which could relate to the magazine. I didn't really break any stereotypical views or representations of social groups which all narrows the variety but defines the target audience. The dominance of stereotypical views on these social groups really support ideas associated with them, for example the colour of pink, which is used frequently throughout the magazine design supports this stereotype.

I think when all of these different elements that represent similar social groups work together and combine throughout the magazine, the media product definitely become a more defined representation as there is so much in common between the representation of social groups within the fonts, colours, models and contents, I would say the most reoccuring social groups are females and teenagers/young people, therefore in general the main representation is teenage girls.

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

I think one way that my magazine challenges the conventions of pop magazines aimed at teenagers is that I didn't heavily edit the photograph, I left it quite natural as I only got rid of one blemish which was really obnoxious and becoming a focal point which I didn't want and I also brightened it only slightly to emphasise the colours, other than that I think that the main model displays a celebrity that is far more normal looking which helps the target audience relate more and connect to that character. It similar however in terms of the model due to the fact I am displaying a pop music artist which is a convention of pop magazines front covers therefore I use this instead of challenging it.

I think throughout my magazine I used conventions more than challenging or developing because I wanted to make the magazine look really obvious to the target audience and I wanted it to really fit in with a pop music magazine as I didn't want it to sway towards just being a teenage magazine.

The concept of an interview is a very conventional thing to apply to a double page spread and especially with the design elements I have put on with the '5 facts' and pictures, definitely uses the concept of an interview as this is really common within real media products on the market today.

Example :

Creation of Double Page Spread

First Draft For Double Page Spread

This is the first draft of my double page spread, I began with a large title with the name of the celebrity as I think the audiences main focus would be revolved around who is featured as their first impression rather than what the content is, I also made it a sans serif font as I didn't want it to seem like a serious and sophisticated article as this wouldn't fit the article or suite the target audience. I also then pulled a quote out which I had planned to put into my article as I think that will also help with ease to understand the article and, I also made it quite a personal quote that more relates to gossip as I think this will be of interest to my target audience. I put a background behind the text so that it was easier to read and due to the photograph in the background having a heavy background on it, that would make the text really difficult to read therefore I think it's necessary to have on there. The photograph that I used for the background is a very large photograph which represents the celebrity featured, this fits a convention of double page spreads that are interviews as it often pictures a really large photograph on one side.

Second Draft For Double Page Spread

I changed the font of the title of the page to something larger that flowed into the next page so that it seemed more interlinked, I also preferred this font style as it is more spaced out and wider as I felt the previous one was too narrow. I then added my article, but here it isn't edited at all and is the default font therefore doesn't suite the page at all in my opinion.

 

Third Draft of Double Page Spread

I mainly changed the article text next so that it looked better, I added another photograph to the article as this also fit a convention, as often there is a second picture added, I also think that it fills up the space and fits well as it is relative to the article. I changed the article font to a sans serif font as it suited the other fonts I used better, and then I seperated the text in terms of questions and answers so that the questions were in bold and the answers were far lighter, I wanted to do this so that it was easier to read and flowed a little bit better as it could have made the audience confused before.

Fourth Draft of Double Page Spread

I further defined the questions and answers but this time I did it by colour as I feel as it is even more obvious and also suited the rest of the page as pinks and purples were used throughout to represent the stereotypical target audience. I also then added page numbers to fit the conventions of a double page spread and I also felt this was incredibly necessary as pages should be numbered. I felt as if there was a blank space in the top right that was too large so I added an interesting add on which gave the audience a chance to get to know the artist better as I felt this would be an interest to them. I also made the photographs subject larger by cropping the photograph so even less blank space was seen.

Final Outcome of Double Page Spread

I was really happy with the results of my left page so all I did was proof read and make minor text edits so that it was fool proof with no mistakes within it. My main concern was with the right page, before hand I felt that it lacked factors that pulled the '5 facts' out therefore it looked really flat and didn't look right as it looked like a random fill that was forced onto the page, therefore I made it fit the housestyle more with the colours but I kept the element of 5 facts as it is something that is really commonly designed on magazines and I thought fit the page well. I made it look more within the page by designing the element similarly to the opposing box and adding more design elements to the text so it didn't lack personality and look flat.

Creation of the Contents Page

This is my first draft for my contents page, I decided to have a lot more bright and contrasting colours so it looked more fun and creative as this is a page with less restrictions in terms of colour as I don't have to really base it around a certain photograph. I decided to keep with the purple and pink colours because I wanted the colour scheme to flow through the magazine and represent the target audience which purple and pink definitely do, however it is slightly different from the cover photo because I have far brighter colours as I wanted a kind of colour blocking look to it. I then began with the general layout having a larger photograph that represents my main article as this will be the main part of the magazine that encourages readers. I also then began adding summaries for the articles to fit the conventions of a contents page. I experimented with angles to have a less structurally designed page that doesn't fulfil the usual straightness, I think this makes the page look a lot more creative however and I like that.

I then progressed to finish all the article summaries and page numbers, I kept the text black so it didn't clash to much with the block colours and is easy to read. I decided on sans serif font for a more less sophisticated look as sophisticated isn't really what comes across from the target audience, more so fun! I also messed around with fonts and the style of font, therefore within them are bold texts and italic texts for a more exciting look rather than plain text with no body.
I also thickened the lines to 'pop' more and add more really visible colours.









After this I added a few more photographs that I've taken so that the audience have a preview of the articles, and as it is a younger audience that perhaps doesn't want to read ALL the text, this will help entice them as they have more visual previews of the articles which they may want to read, I tried picking photographs that had a celebrity look and were relative to the articles, for example I took a picture of a Victoria's Secret bag to represent a competition that I had summarised. The addition of photographs also fits into the conventions of a contents page as they more often than not include more than one image and are very visual. I then made a start on an editors message, which I included a photograph of the 'editor' of the magazine. I also got rid of one of the blocks of colour to see if I preferred it or not.

I finally finished the editors message and wrote it in a conventional way directing the readers and informing them about changed within the magazine as well as regular information. To add to the final additions I put numbers on the photographs to represent the page numbers and helped relate them to the worded summaries so that it had more relation and flow. I also decided to add back the block of colour in the background again yet I did change the colour slightly to add to the block colouring however I didn't make it too obnoxious. I also changed the purple colour in the background too to be slightly brighter and then I had finished my alterations and had an outcome that I was happy with.

This is the final outcome for my contents page. I edited out a picture because I felt like the left side was incredibly crowded and lacked free space as it had a lot of pictures within the small space and the gap between the editors comment and the pictures needed to be larger. I also moved around the backing colour blocks for a more freestyle look. The last edit I did was on the page numbers as I realised the magazine lacked pages therefore I added many more.

Creation of the Front Page

This is the progression of the making of my front cover for a pop magazine.

This was the beginning of the creation of my magazine front cover. I chose a font called 'Bauhaus 93' as I wanted a sans serif font because I thought it would fit my target audience better as it is more commonly associated with younger years as it is a far simpler font and doesn't look sophisticated therefore well fitting to my target population. I began by making it a purple colour which I had picked up from the dress that my main model was wearing as I thought purples and pinks would work well as a font colour as it is representative to the gender and age group that I am aiming my magazine towards as these are common colours associated with young teenage girls therefore I feel as if by choosing colours from this palette it will be more appropriate and  would attract the audience more.





I ended up changing the masthead of my magazine, I chose to put it all in capitals because I feel that it looks better with the font, and I also used a different colour to shadow the masthead and make it more vibrant and colourful. Again, for the masthead I selected a different colour from the outfit that was more pink toned and made that the colour of the font, I wanted something more pink toned because it is the most associated colour with my target audience and I wanted it to be obvious who it was aimed for, I kept the original colour for the shadow of the text and I also kept the original font as I was happy with it. I like the two toned masthead as I feel that it then will tie in other text I use within the same colour palette. I also created a main coverline to cover a lot of the front page as I wanted something that would really attract my audience therefore I created the idea of an interview which would be with my main model who represents someone who is famous within the pop industry and is relevant to my target audience as they idolise these kinds of artists.




From conducting research on previous pop magazines I found that they often included some sort of gift or posters within the magazine therefore I created a banner offering some posters, I think this would be good for enticing my target audiences as it is a common thing for this age group to have therefore by offering them posters of their favourite celebrities which they would idolise I think this would encourage them to buy the magazine as they are getting them free within the magazine and often posters can cost quite a large sum of money. With the text and colours within the banner, I kept the same colour palette that I used for the other text and the colours of the dress with pinks and purples of similar tones to keep the target audience obvious.







I then added the coverlines to the cover, for the coverlines I wanted them to be really relevant to my target audience as well as music artists so I included many music artists which I think would intrigue my audience, this is why I included names like Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift, because these are pop icons which are adored by many within my target audience. The colour scheme for this I also tied in with the colour of the main coverline as well as the colour of the banner of the posters, again keeping within the pink and purple colours to be relevant towards my target audience as these are associated colours and I wanted the colours to work together and obviously represent my target audience. I also added a barcode to the below banner as I think it is a really crucial piece for a magazine cover therefore it was necessary to put and I though it looked nicest there.







I then changed the poster photographs to my original photographs which I thought looked like they could be leading and popular pop artists and I also added an issue date as well the price. I decided to put the price in a bubble to stand out and make it appear cheaper so that the target audience is more appealed to buy it. Again, I kept the colours within the same palette to reach to the target audience and so that they tied in well together.

This is the final outcome of my front page, I think that all the colours that run through compliment each other making the cover look really thought out in terms of this.

Flat Plans

FRONT COVER

CONTENTS PAGE

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

Deciding on the Front Cover Photograph

(Top left - Image one, Top right - Image 2, Bottom Centre - Image 3)

There were three photographs which I was considering using for my front cover. I really liked the look of the photographs because I think that the main model looked quite nice which is what drew me to them, after I had to pick out of these three I looked at the composition. I think Image 3 looks much better in terms of the composition for the magazine as there is space on the left for coverlines and on the top for a masthead which are the most important elements, it is also not too busy therefore would be okay to put a lot around it. I think the second image is too centred to have as a cover photograph so it would make it difficult for the coverlines as they would cover her face and also the head goes too high therefore would look silly with a masthead on the forehead, therefore I think this photograph is ruled out due to its composition. The first photograph I think may work too because it isn't too centred, however  I think maybe if I cropped it further allowing it to be more one sided it would look better as at the moment I think a lot of text may cross over her face which would look really bad. I think after analysising the photographs I would have to say Image 3 is far more well suited due to the composition, I also think this is the photograph her posture and facial expression looks best therefore I think I want to use it as my cover photograph.

Initial Ideas

Front Cover

My initial idea for the front cover of my magazine is to have a attractive model that represents a role model in the music industry that my target audience would idolise, making out that she is a big celebrity, I also would like her dressed in something colour that incorporates colours that would help to represent the target audience so that I can tie it in with the text. I want the target audience to be really obvious, therefore I will use dominating colours that represent the gender and age, which will be shades of pink and perhaps purple as these are often dominating in other magazines of this target audience therefore will be well fitting.

Contents Page

For the contents page I want a more colourful page with block colours that are bold and make it look really busy. I also want images to represent the pages and articles as well as to entice my audience and draw them into certain articles. I will also include a list of articles and their pages as this is a convention of contents pages therefore I do want to make it appear like a usual one however just with more exciting colours, I want to list however, more exciting articles which will entice my audience therefore including things such as, upcoming music, artist gossip, competitions and prizes. I also want to include a editors message as this is often a convention of contents pages, which will some up the magazine and give a nice message for all the readers.

Double Page Spread

For my double page spread I am thinking of doing an article in the for of an interview as this is really popular for double page spreads, I want to do an article linking to my main model, perhaps interviewing her and her dishing some dirt or revealing some life issues as I think something along those lines would really interest readers and would be really easy to write about. I also want a large photograph of the main model and would like to link the colours with what she is wearing. I think I will probably include smaller photographs too so that the double page spread looks more busy.

Pop Magazine Research: Page Analysis

Front Cover Analysis

 I'm looking at two different covers of pop magazines because this is the genre that I am most appealed by to focus my magazine on. The two that caught my eye the most were from TOP of the POPS and WE LOVE POP, these two particularly intrigued me because I feel as if they have similar target audiences therefore they are similar in what they feature throughout their magazine and the colours that run through the magazine. These two covers show that pink is definitely a dominant colour for their target audience, which is a very stereotypical outlook on the younger female audience as they are regularly associated with liking the colour pink, this is therefore something I will probably do on my magazine too as it fits my target audience too. The font type across these photographs is most commonly sans serif font as the audience is a younger audience therefore aren't usually associated with the classier and more sophisticated look that serif font gives. The main model is also an important feature of the magazine as they are one of the things that are most appealing to the audience as they often feature their favourite artists so I want my magazine to reflect the same concept. The coverlines throughout the magazine often relate to the same kind of thing, commonly revolving around popular music artists with interviews, gossip and information from them as well as things such as fashion and make up being included because of the fact the magazine is aimed at young females and that also fits with their target audience as well as their music taste.

Contents Page Analysis

These are two different contents pages from 'WE LOVE POP' and 'TOP of the POPS' both are very colourful and bold, however the colours involved are very different to eachother, in 'WE LOVE POP' the common colours are shades of blue and orange which is very different to the usual use of pink, however in this case it still relates to the magazine because of the fact it is relating to guy crushes that girls have as the page is primarily revolving around the teen crushes with many boys appearing so in this case even though it's blue and orange it is still relative to the target audience and works to the content. 'TOP of the POPS' however is is primarily revolving around the colour pink which is a far more predictable and relevant colour as it is the colour associated with the target audiences age group. I think contents pages can afford to have a wider variation of colour which is proved by these two covers as it makes it look busier and more fun which is good for the age group. I think also both contents pages are really heavily revolved around photographs as this is much more of a attracting way to entice the audiences and bring them to certain pages. I think another convention is definitely to have a lot of page numbers and articles summed up as this gives a sneak peak therefore these are definitely elements which I want to include when I do my contents page.

Double Page Spread Analysis

These are double page spreads from 'We LOVE Pop' and 'TOP of the POPS'. I think both show a very popular way of presenting interviews with popular celebrities, with one extremely large photograph of them on one page, and a really large title with a pun or pull out quote, something really catchy or enticing so that it draw people in so they want to read the article. I think from these two double page spreads, colour is quite key in these too as they have to match and compliment each other. I think another thing which I've picked up from the text is the use of colour and the way the font changes as well as the colour which separates it and makes it easier to read, this is something which I think would be key when I do my double page spread as making it easier to read is really important as my target audience aren't the most sophisticated therefore it is far more well suited, this goes for the magazines too as they have to suite their target audience.

Double Page Spread Conventions

• Usually include interviews or an article.
• Colour scheme runs throughout both pages and is relative to the content.
• Large photograph of model as well as a smaller image.
• Big headings with many colours relating to colour theme.
• Pulled out quotes appear frequently.

Proposal for Music Magazine

Who you are aiming your magazine at specifically?

For the target audience of my magazine I want to aim the magazine towards teenage girls, this age may range from 10-16 but more specifically I will be aiming it towards around 13-14 year old girls. I have chosen this age bracket for my target audience because after conducting a bit of research on other pop magazines I think it's clear that this is the most popular age bracket and it is the age of most who are going to want to buy these magazines as well as are interested in the artists, genre and content of my magazine. I think the typical reader for my magazine will come from a working to middle class background as their family must be able to afford the price of the magazine as an extra.

What will your magazine be about? 

The typical content for my magazine will be based on a lot of artists which are popular and upcoming as I am aware of the fact that teenage girls around this age idolise celebrities a lot therefore they will play a big role in the magazine, specifically those involved in the pop music industry as this is obviously the genre that my magazine will be about therefore it will have to relate to that. Alongside this I think other interests appealing to the audience will entice them like style however it will all have to be relative to the artists to keep within the music magazine style, in addition, general music magazine content like upcoming songs, artist gossip, artist information like interviews and discounts for music related events and merchandise.

What are your ideas for cover lines?

The coverlines will be relative to the content of my magazines however I will want to make them very enticing like with artist gossip and information which I think would be appealing to the target audience as it's something about their artists they idolise that they didn't know, as well as an interview which would also be really appealing in my opinion. Alongside this I think discounts, promotions and things that are free to them would be good to include as obviously at this age they don't have a lot of money therefore if they are getting multiple things for a affordable price it's going to appeal to them further.

What title have you decided on and why? 

For the name of the magazine I found it really difficult to find a magazine name that I liked because I didn't want something too tacky but I also wanted something which was going to clearly identify the genre of music the magazine is about as I didn't want anything to complicated so that my target audience wouldn't immediately recognise it. I also wanted a fairly short title so this is why I disregarded names such as latest tunes and you love pop as I thought they wouldn't fit well as a masthead, instead I thought about synonyms for music so that the name was short and snappy however I didn't feel they fit the pop genre well enough therefore most of them I disregarded too and carried on thinking more specifically about names featuring the word pop. I think after trying out different fonts and designs for different names which were LovePop, SimplyPop and JustPop I concluded that my favourite was SimplyPop, even though I did like LovePop I thought it was too similar to existing magazines which is why I disregarded that as a title.

What fonts do you want to use?

I want a sans serif font for the younger audiences as it doesn't reflect a more sophisticated and classy look which perhaps serif font would give through the use of fancy feet therefore it would be far more appropriate for them as it is far simpler as well as the shapes being more rounded giving off a more funky and younger vibe. 

What are your ideas for taglines? 

I am unsure if I want to use a tagline at this stage but a few that I am considering using are

• UK's favourite pop magazine
• Your guide to your favourite artists
• Simply gossip, your favourite artists and the latest fashion

Or anything else that ties in with the masthead and contents as well as being short and catchy.

When in the year will it be published? (cover can reflect seasonal changes or events, consider the academic year)

I want to do a summer edition so perhaps the last two weeks of July when school is out or August, for this idea I want to get a colourful image that reflects the summer months on my front page and I would also like to revolve the contents around this time of year therefore including things about summer.

What kind of image do you expect to put on the front cover and how will you go about getting this image?

Due the fact I am aiming it at the Summer month, I will choose a good day in terms of weather so that it looks summery as well as picking a natural and colourful location. I also want a lot of colours in terms of the outfit my model will be wearing therefore I will probably dress them in a summery and colourful outfit that reflects the month well.

How frequently would it be published?

I was thinking of doing a weekly issue as it's not going to be a massive issue and it would be best to update it frequently rather than doing more expensive bigger issues, as well as the fact when I did my questionnaire weekly was a popular option so it seemed appropriate to do a weekly issue as it is what I want to do anyway.

What are the dimensions of the cover (magazines are now available in different size formats)?

I will do the cover in an A4 size which will run through the entire magazine.

What images/colour would you use on the contents page?

I would like to tie in the contents page with the front cover a little bit therefore I will include most colours which are associated with my target audience, such as pink and purple, however I do want a contrasting colour to make colour a dominant part that 'pops' so that the page seems more busy and fun.

Music Magazine Research: Sales Reports and Background Research

Sales Reports 

Top of the Pops : 78,352 - % change y/y: -20.1 - Sold copies: 78,352

Kerrang! : 40,203 - % change y/y: -6.6 - Sold copies: 39,950

We Love Pop Magazine : 50,505 - % change y/y: - Sold copies: 50,505

Q : 64,596 - % change y/y: -19.7 - Sold copies: 63,812

New Musical Express : 23,924 - % change y/y: -17.6 - Sold copies: 23,898

I researched some figures about the sales of some popular magazines. From this I wanted to achieve where there would be a gap in the market or what magazine style would be successful in the industry to give me ideas of what to do and what not to do. 

From the research that I have conducted I can clearly see that NME magazine isn't doing well on the market. From my ABC source it is clear that their sales have decreased majorly which is then supported by the above research (sales reports) which show a minus percentage change as well as a considerably low amount of sold copies in comparison to the other magazines mentioned as NME has got the least amount of sales. From further research that I have conducted, an article from the guardian also states that NME and Q have both suffered sales declines by almost 20%, this suggests that it is similar for the genre and style of magazine they are, and that this genre is declining, from the sales reports figures above I can see from the sales the magazines such as Kerrang!, Q and NME sell considerably less copies than pop magazines which are shown. Also from the ABC sourced image there is a lot of negative change within the similar kind of genre aimed magazine. 

On the other hand pop magazines like We Love Pop and Top of the Pops have sold quite a lot of copies, especially top of the pops which has sold the most copies, this suggests to me that this is a popular market therefore one I should probably consider when deciding the genre of the magazine that I am going to make. In comparison to what I have just stated though, magazines of an alternative/rock genre are really popular as there are a lot on the market (ABC Source) and the change in sales only happens in some magazines therefore with a spin on the magazines there is most likely a market for this kind of magazine as long as it's done well.

"The Source also converted and consolidated a previous Chapter 7 filing in Friday's court proceedings and listed assets of about $1.3 million and liabilities of $35 million according to sources. 

Founders Dave Mays and Ray Benzino were ousted from the company in 2006, when sluggish newsstand sales and lost ad revenue prompted a need for a change.

One of the company's biggest financial issues prompting change in management was The Source defaulting on an $18 million loan from Textron Financial Partners.

According to the bankruptcy filing, The Source stopped sending magazines to 140,000 subscribers and magazine subscriptions have dropped by more than 50% since 2002."

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.5181/title.the-source-magazine-still-struggling

There isn't that many sales reports on rap and hip hop magazines however I did manage to find out a bit about The source which is a hip hop music magazine is one that is declining in sales too, the article above suggests that it has struggled with profits which is most likely because it isn't selling well enough, it also suggests that the popularity has decreased from the subscriptions which implies that this magazine is doing really badly in terms of sales, I can't really link this completely to the genre of music however because I have nothing else to compare it to of the same genre, although I will have to consider it is probably either because of the genre it is linking to or the magazine isn't appealing to the audience anymore.

In terms of the actual music, unrelated to magazines, pop would definitely be considered the most popular because of the fact it in fact means popular therefore a wider audience listen to this genre of music as it is always in the charts across the world therefore to base a magazine on it would be ideal to appeal to a wider audience. However alternative and rock music is becoming increasingly popular and getting into the charts therefore will also have to be something to consider. Chart music often consists of  pop, alternative and rnb therefore these will be the three music types I want to look at in more detail because they are clearly the ones who appeal to a wider audience. 

This is an example of what I am talking about as the charts now consist of indie/rock, rap/rnb and pop.