Music Magazine Proposal

I have decided that the genre of my music magazine will be Rap and Hip-Hop. I have chosen this as I do have an interest in these particular genres, and I know a decent amount of information on the type of music.

Most Hip hop magazines hold different majorities of audiences classed by age gender and audience code, and this certain music genre will definitely have a mix of different people. I think my primary audience would be old teenagers, or young adults, as this majority of people do tend to enjoy Hip Hop compared to others, like adults in their forty’s. A secondary audience could be older people, perhaps in their twenty’s or early thirties. I don’t think there would be a main gender for Hip Hop, however, when I think about it, the genre may have more of a male audience, as a lot of the artists in Hip Hop are generally males and I know from fan accounts and social media that a lot of boys enjoy this genre, but it would definitely be a close percentage, because many females enjoy this genre also. Audience codes are also important to think about. I believe that my magazine would include the socio-economic groups that are: Group C1, C2, and D. These groups include students and younger people, from ages of 16-19, who possibly haven’t taken up work yet, however, it also includes adults who range from the ages up to their thirty’s, therefore they would be in my target audience.

Magazines including Vibe, The Source and Hip Hop all are similar to my chosen genre of magazine, as they are based around the Hip Hop genre. They include articles that are based around Hip Hop and Rap stars, and also include a lot of features like interviews. I have looked at these magazine and took inspiration from them, and they have also gave me a beginning idea of what a Hip Hop magazine would have to include and look like, which is definitely helpful to me once I start actually producing my front cover, contents page and double page spread.

I will research my magazine by looking at their current Hip Hop magazines from the Internet and off the shelves. I can also look at Hip Hop artists, and try and get more of an understanding from the topic of Hip Hop and keep up to date so I can know what is popular at the moment, as I could include certain topics or features in my magazine that is big in the media in the current time, to make my magazine look more professional. Another thing I could do is try and get the opinions and thoughts from other Hip Hop fans, to try and find out what they would expect and want from a Hip Hop magazine, and try to incorporate their requests in my own work. My focus group would definitely be fans of my chosen genre, but also the younger generation, as these are the people who know what is popular and what would be appropriate to talk about in a music magazine.  

I will hopefully take all my own images, and create my own idea of a Hip Hop star without making it look like a stereotype, but original instead. My images would be of potential ‘artists’ that would be included in the double page spread and on the cover. I could also include pictures of album covers from the Internet to include more of the genre.

I want the name of my magazine to be original but to also look professional. I have chosen to call it ‘BASS’ as it is a strong word, and is associated with the genre, and could be a representation of the genre, as potentially, Hip Hop does include a lot of bass. It is an easy title to remember, and it would catch the attention of readers and buyers.

I will ensure that my magazine looks both original and professional in many ways, like the use of Photoshop on my magazine will ensure that my print will look as professional as possible. The cover will not be over the top, and look too overloaded and cheesy, it needs to be mature and include sell lines and features that are significant to the genre, and that would appeal to readers. The image use must be of good quality too as this is an essential factor that would allow the magazine to look professional and more appealing to the reader, because if someone sees a magazine and the images look blurry or not of good quality, the magazine wouldn’t seem trustworthy or worth their money. It needs to be original in a way that I present it in the same way as other Hip Hop magazines but has to be different in the concept that I can not straight off copy from other companies. It needs to be imaginative and of my own creations and thoughts, but also suitable for the market and target audience. The front cover, contents page, and double page has to significantly look like a basic version of its purpose, in other words in needs to look like what it is, as the reader cannot be confused by it, and they need to understand what is what. All of these points made, are essential to ensure that my magazine will hopefully be suitable, professional and original; therefore it can be looked at and accepted as a real Hip Hop magazine.