My chosen Music Genre

After researching such magazines as Rolling Stone, NME and Blender which are all guides to music and more, I found that they are all very controversial in the sense that they don’t focus on one particular music genre, but rather has coverage on popular music in all areas. Although the Rolling Stone magazine is noted for its pop culture reference it focuses on all different types of pop including rock/pop and has been known to be criticised for delving too deep into the fashion world. These magazines feature reviews of albums and music-related topics, as well as current download lists, great interviews and coverage of key events in the music history. Although I have not thoroughly researched the Q magazine after a brief overview I have also found this is another magazine of similar nature.

I Personally take interest in the pop music culture, which is a music genre that features a noticeable rhythmic element, with catchy melodies. It is a mainstream style with a conventional structure. Artists of this genre include; Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Jenifer Lopez, Justin Timberlake, Enrique Iglesias and these are just to name a few. Bands that fall into this category are; Girls Aloud, The Pussycat Dolls, Westlife, Boyzone and many more. The foundation portfolio main task requires me to design a new music magazine and as I have found no magazine yet that focuses purely on the pop music culture, therefore I have chosen to design a music magazine whose focal point is mainstream pop artists and bands. I like the idea that the magazines I analyzed also include content of general news, music history, interviews and reviews. My magazine will also contain all this information but not on such a wide scale of music genres.

I understand that the pop culture is often criticized for not being individual, for not writing their own songs and for looking 'plastic', but nevertheless not all artists and bands are like this. Along with a main coverage on my own band that I choose to feature, I will include coverage of inspirational pop artists such as Girls Aloud and Christina Aguilera. I am looking to feature a new girl band that are fresh into the music industry who have made it big so that the audience are likely to recognise and appeal to them. It will be an article that gets deep down and personal and gives a detailed insight into their journey to fame. All the while I will make the article light, fun and entertaining, using informal language to make it a more enjoyable read.

I have researched into various magazine publishers including; IPC Media, Emap and Future. If i was to eliminate an institution which i think unsuitable for my magazine would be Future. As this publisher focuses on representing classical rock magazines. Emap however publishes a range of different music magazines catering for a range of different music genres. I think this would be a suitable institution for the type of magazine I intend to create.

My target population is simply for those who like and take an interest in the mainstream pop culture of the music industry, however the content will cater more for young adults. It will give the reader someone to be able to relate to and all the young hopefuls someone to inspire them. The magazine will do this by displaying articles of full reviews which tells the ins and outs of the pop music genre and personal interviews with music artists so the reader feels they know them more and therefore relate to them more. By including all this into my own creation I will hopefully be able to design a successful music magazine that caters for my desired music genre and the audience that will enjoy it the most.