Music Magazine's Genres and Target Audience

There is a vast and varied variation of publications in the genre of music magazines available which is almost as varied as the actual music tastes. Some of the most popular genres of music and in turn music magazines produced by institutions (for profit) are as follows:

• Hip-Hop
• Rock
• Grunge
• Alternative/Indie
• Pop
• Jazz
• Classical
• Reggae
• R&B
• Country & Western
• Rap

Next I will explore six of these genres to try and understand which genre I want my music magazine to fit into. I will explore and understand which types of music the genre will entail and also understand the primary target audience.

Alternative/Indie: 

Independent music - often shortened to 'indie' is a genre of music created and produced independently. Over time Indie music has became associated more with the style of music produced rather than the name given to it. Indie can also often refer to 'indie rock', 'indie metal' or 'indie pop' - these fall under sub-genres. Indie music originated in the UK in the 1980s however during the 2000s indie bands became more popular and found further success. Indie music has inspired various fashion ideas cultural differences as well as turns in the media over the period of time that it has been popular. This genre of music doesn't necessarily fall under under 'pop' category as despite it being loved by many, it is not mainstream. 

Here is an article explaining some of the background on indie music:
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/history-and-indie-music-listen-and-learn-8720980.html

The primary target audience for the genre of alternative/indie music is roughly 16-25 years of age, with a balance between males and females. The target audience is perhaps not of social class A, however, my target audience would more likely fall under grades B-E.

Some alternative/indie bands include: The Killers, The Wombats, Razorlight, The Strokes and the Libertines, Arctic Monkeys and The Kaiser Chiefs.

The main competitors in this genre of music magazine are Kerrang and NME - these two music magazines focus on the alternative/indie genre that allow it to consume the majority of the market place. These will be my main competitors during this process and I will look towards these magazines for inspirations and also to evaluate the common conventions. These magazines also look towards the theory of Bentley (1997) that 'the rearranging of the old and the making of the new'. 

Jazz:
Jazz is a traditional style of music - it was first started in the USA by African Americans. Jazz came about from European and African music traditions, also it has incorporated music from 19th and 20th century American music. The word jazz started off because it was a slang word for music that came from Chicago used by those from the west coast. When jazz first started in the early 20th century it had many different styles. This is because it has evolved over time and many people have changed it.

Here is an article explaining the history of Jazz music which shows how it has changed and adapted through the years:
http://www.theguardian.com/music/series/a-history-of-jazz

Some of the popular artists from this genre include the following - Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Clarke, Sonny Rollins and Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra.

The primary target audience for jazz is people mainly in the higher social classes, around the brackets of A-B. This also covers people of an older generation, due to the popularity of jazz during the period around the 40s and 50s - so it has a rough target audience aged between 50 and 80. However, jazz is also very popular in certain circumstances with music students - this is the secondary target audience and it also includes university students. Jazz is a more common and popular music genre in the USA, particularly in southern states such as Louisiana and Mississippi. This also shows the cultural backgrounds attached in terms of connotations with jazz and where a magazine of this type would be most popular. 

Two of the main competitors of jazz magazines are Jazz Wise and Downbeat. These two magazines follow the common conventions associated with jazz magazines and appeal to both the primary and also the secondary target audiences. These two magazines hold most of the market place so it is imperative that I study them to see what the best way to tackle the chosen audience is. My magazine will be in direct competition to these magazines so I will need to study Bentley's (1997) theory of 'rearranging the old and making of the new' so that I can build on how these magazines have taken over the market place. 

Rock:

Rock, a shortened version of 'rock and roll' is a music genre which began in the USA in the 1950s. The genre often consists of instruments such as guitars, bass guitars, drum kits and vocals. Rock is a genre which is influenced by other genres such as country and also rhythm and blues. In the 1960s rock became a huge genre of music in the UK and well as the USA - this era saw artists such as the Rolling Stones. Over time rock has adapted and sub-genres have emerged such as blues rock, country rock and folk rock.

When researching the background of rock I round the following website article explaining some of the technical elements to the genres developments:
http://rockmusic.mu/

The primary target audience for rock is young people, aged between 17 and 30, however a secondary target audience exists of people aged over that bracket who stereotypically like older rock music from their generation. The primary target audience is slightly more in the bracket of males, rather than females and the ethnicity of these people is primarily white British. A lot of younger people like Rock music because it fits Stanley Hall's (1904) theory of 'rebellion' in teenagers - this will help me throughout this process when studying magazines of this genre.

There are many popular rock bands and artists however some of these consist of the following: The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Oasis, Stereophonics, Elvis Presley, Nirvana, Muse, The Who and Queen. 

Two of the biggest competitors in this market place in terms of sales and popularity are Rock Sound and Classic Rock. These two magazines are the two of the biggest competitors for sales in the market place which makes them prefect examples of 'ideal' magazine covers. They fit the target audience theories and ideas which helps me when analysing the market place. They follow on from both Bentley's theory of 'the making of the new through the rearranging of the old as well as Stanley Hall's theory of 'rebellion' in teenagers. These two theories fit these magazines in terms of layout and design which connotes to me that this is something I will need to focus on.