Future of Magazines

Future of magazines

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Exemplar response to Section B: Magazine Industry

In recent times the media industry has witnessed meteoric rise in new technologies.  The advancement of the internet, for example, as it entered its second phase enables consumers to access media in new and unparalleled ways.  For the magazine industry, this has presented both challenges and opportunities.

Print media is mostly in decline, a worry of course for producers of magazines.  Therefore they must assess just how important technological convergence is for helping their magazine to survive in the long run.

The Future Plc title Metal Hammer is a monthly rock and metal magazine, that has existed since 1994. In that time, Metal Hammer has built a reputation as a bible of both modern and traditional metal music. It’s publisher, Future, is an independent company with a portfolio of magazines aimed at niche market sectors.  As a whole, Future, has performed well in a declining market, with Metal Hammer and Classic Rock reporting increases in circulation, with Metal Hammer reaching a circulation of 50,269 and classic rock 70, 188 (ABC, Dec 08).  Perhaps Futures strategies involving technological convergence have something to do with this success.  One of their ‘pillars’ of business strategies  is to implore upon their existing convergences in order to further appeal to prosumers.  This is important; Future defines ‘prosumers’ as “young men or young-at-heart men (Future licensing.com). In general this demographic will be one of the most technologically involved, in the know about the latest technologies.  They are also, incidentally the most valuable demographics for advertisers.  In this respect, convergence is extremely important for Future and indeed Metal Hammer in retaining advertising revenue.  Advertising revenue has already fallen for Future, as they already saw a 15% drop in advertising from December 08-March 09 (futurelicensing.com, 2009).  It is therefore, vital that they use technological convergences to remain advanced enough to attract advertisers.

Metal Hammer’s target audience is a young audience, interested in music, “converging adults”, according to futurelicensing.com The National Readership survey 08, the latest available, shows Metal Hammer readers to be 64% male, average age 22.  Again, this is an audience that will be interested in many forms of media. So for Metal Hammer to maintain their loyalty they must fulfil their newly evolving needs (Uses and Gratifications, McQuail).

The Metal Hammer website is a demonstration of convergence, and has proved popular with nearly 60,000 individual visitors since starting (futurelicensing.com).  Alex’s web traffic analysis suggests that visitors are mostly male, aged between 18 and 24 and spend around 2.7 minutes on Metal Hammer.co.uk. Therefore the website has apparently targeted the right audience for Metal Hammer.  Users can interact, voting in polls such as “who has the best slipknot mask?”, giving users the sense that they are contributing to a community. They are also educated and entertained with video exclusives, Metallica Live, and Opeth on tour.  In this way convergence maintains interest in the Metal Hammer brand.  Web 2.0 allows users to submit and generate a content, so Metal Hammer has competition in that users can go elsewhere for such videos .  It is up to Convergence in order to provide the best service for users.

Metal Hammer has also had successful synergies created as a result of convergence.  On 2008, Metal hammer.co.uk encourages users to send in photos taken on their mobiles of them playing “Guitar Heroes”, combining the internet with mobile technology.  The guitar hero synergy  combined with a party sponsored by Metal Hammer at the O2 (Metal Hammer.co.uk), Podcasts have allowed content to be sent faster than ever to multi-media formats.

Indeed, distribution is an interesting issue to consider for the magazines industry.  The internet, podcasts and video channels allow readers to access their wanted content within seconds.  Where as hard copies of a magazine must be ordered or brought from a shop. Indeed it could be suggested that the gathering of content from the internet or mobile has replaced the need for buying the magazine itself, as subscriptions for Metal Hammer rose 8% from Dec-march 09 (futurelicensing.co.uk) suggesting there is not the same novelty when buying a magazine. 

However, whilst technological convergence is important for the magazine industry, publishers must consider that the extra content offered to consumers via convergences in technology, could replace the magazine itself.  IPC’s NME is an example of this as circulation dropped 24.1%, whilst its website has been praised for the amount of content on offer.  Metal Hammer has a unique community created by the interacting mode of address; ‘Join the Crusade’ and writing style filled with expletives ‘F*** You!’, readers of Metal Hammer feel a string sense of unrivalled community within the magazine.  The magazine sticks close to its ideologies of anti-establishment , avant-garde by  featuring adverts appropriate to his such as Attitude Clothing and HMV Metal, whilst the website has adverts by O2, Orange and T-mobile.

Overall techno convergence is important as consumers needs alter and change but for the magazine industry to survive they must make any technological advancements not a replacement for the hard copy of the magazine as Future have so far successfully done.  As online advertising reached 18% for future it is important.

EAA (Analysis, Argument, Eplanation)

EX (Example)

T (Terminology)

Magazine Institutions

Develop case study on two music magazines.
Focus will be on how it's produced, distributed, exhibited and consumed. Advertizing will be a major feature.

Need to compare a mainstream magazine to a niche magazine.

NME - Mainstream - IPC Media
METAL HAMMER - Niche - Future PLC

Possible questions:
How important is technological convergence for institutions and audiences?
With reference to your chosen case study, how important is interactivity to media constitutions?

Representation of regional identity

Shameless - In 'Shameless', regional indentity is an important factor in understanding the characters. The two main characters in the clip are shown to be drunk, implying that they are alcoholics. This is a classic stereotype for people in the north as they are shown in the media to be working class. This idea that they are working class is further suggested by the fact that they are living in a terrace house.

Brookside - The clip from 'Brookside' portrays scousers as aggressive and working class. In the clip, there is an argument leading to a fight on the street. Many people stereotype scousers to be aggressive and non-negotiable, and this idea is further emphaized in the clip. The charcters are also wearing tracksuits, a traditional piece of clothing suggesting the working class. Fast editing is shown to show the fight scene, which makes the scene appear much more meaningful and tense.

The Only Way is Essex - Southerners in 'The Only Way is Essex' are shown as self-loving appearance lovers. Compared to other TV Dramas like 'Shameless', the characters in 'The Only Way is Essex' are made up and fake, compared to the gritty reality. The women in the clip are portrayed as dopey 'blondes', who are all looks and no brains. The clothing they wear appears expensive suggesting they are middle/upper class, whereas other TV dramas are much more relateable to the general public.

Made in Chelsea - Regional Identity is very important in 'Made in Chelsea' as even the name of the TV show states where the characters are from. The characters are very posh and rich, and appear to lead simple lives without stressful nine to five jobs. The characters are sterotypical southern snobs in the eyes of northern viewers.

Representation of Sexuality

Homosexual Male Feminine Higher pitched voice Camp charactaristics Androgynous Well Dressed Flamboyant clothing

Heterosexual Male Masculine Sporty Rugby Players Soldiers Suits Gym Offices Clubs At home with family

Homosexual Female Short Hair Baggier clothing Trousers Either loads of make-up or non at all Butch/manly Sports teacher Military Police Security

Heterosexual Female Make up Dressed up Long hair Smell nice High heels Receptionist/secretary Caring jobs

Skins

Old people look disgusted when young people enter
Shows youngle people's connection with drugs and alcohol
Young people are loud, and cause all the trouble
police
Dark lighting creates suspicious mood
cross dissolve at end when jumping

In the trailer of 'Skins', the young people are represented as rude, loud, and trouble causing. This is shown through several different techniques. One of these methods is the facial expressions of the older people when the youths enter, the old people look disgusted as they have been taking drugs and been drinking. This follows the stereotypical idea that young people

PEE Paragraph

To write PEE Paragraphs it is very simple. PEE means:

• P=Point
• E=Evidence
• E=Explanation

• Firstly you have to have a point

• Second you have to pick out a quote to give evidence from your point.
• Lastly give an explanation on your quote or point
• Comment on the use of language from your explanation. eg- why the author/director/ect has used this/effect

Representation of Age

	Youth	Old Age
Positive	Attractive Healthy Outgoing Adventurous Sociable Little Responsability Start of lives Fun	Wise Experienced Acheived Well Respected Educated Responable Wealth Freedom/Spare Time
Negative	Naive Vulnerable Immature Rebelious Lazy Restrictions Hormonal Stereotyped Stereotypically Rude	Weaker Deteriorating Health Judgemental Lonely Vulnerable Sometimes Boring Grumpy Dependent Trustworthy

Cast Off Paragraphs

Disability is portrayed in the extract of 'Cast Offs' on several different ways. In the extract, a man in a wheelchair is placed on an isolated beach and is expected to survive with the natural resources on the island. The camera pans to show the scale of the island, the huge beach makes the man appear vulnerable as he is the only person for miles around. Jump cuts are used to show time has passed when the man tries to wheel his chair across the beach, the jump cuts show how difficult it is to have a disability when trying to move along the beach.

The island compared to other TV shows such as 'Shipwrecked' is extremely dull. On 'Shipwrecked', there is an island in the South Pacific which represents many people's 'perfect' island. However, on 'Cast Offs' a gritty, wet and dull island is shown. This suggests that the island will be much more unforgiving and harsh compared to the idyllic island on 'Shipwrecked'. The fact that the island looks harsh further strengthens the idea that the man in the wheelchair that is placed on the island is vulnerable to what the island could throw at him. Only diegetic sound is used in the sequence, making the scene appear real and relatable to real life.

The narrative device flashbacks are used in the sequence. These flashbacks contain binary oppositions as the contrast between a busy basketball game to the isolated island. The man shows the audience a basketball that his father gave to him. This shows something about his past life and that disability is a new thing for him. This also shows that his father is trying to encourage him to be the same person he used to be but just in a wheelchair.