AS Media Studies Foundation Portfolio

My Reader Profile

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Question One

Question Two

Question Three

Question Four

Question Five

Question Six

Question Seven

Question Eight

Question Nine

Question Ten

What is a Reader Profile?

A reader profile in the music magazine industry refers to a profile of a magazines audience. Within this reader profile both demographic and psychographic information on the target audience is used to create results on the magazines 'Reader Profile'. Such analytical results show who reads the magazine and allows the magazine company to understand their audience and tend to their magazine in order to suit their target market. Demographic information demonstrates data that everyone applies to (has an answer to) such as age, gender, income, complexion (ethnicity), social class and location. Psychographic information may not apply to everyone, examples of psychographic questions are : 'How do you listen to music?' - 'What colours do you associate with the rock music genre?' - 'Who are your favorite music bands and artists?' - 'How much do you spend on music products a year?'. Again this information helps the magazine company tailor their magazine to their target markets needs and produce content that is more relevant to the interests of their audience.

Why and how is a Reader Profile used?

A Reader profile is used for several reasons, it allows the magazine company to gain a greater understanding of their readers and therefore make decisions on what to feature within their magazine, such content should attract the attention of their target audience. Through demographic questions, information such as gender ratios can be created by surveys to show what gender, female or male, are greater interested in the magazine. Details that then link to certain genders can then be tailored such as the colour scheme and house style to appeal to the gender that is most interested in the magazine. The location of the audience informs the magazine company where the magazine is most popular and bought the most so that they can supply greater amounts of their magazine for high sales. l Moreover it allow the magazine designers to incorporate information that is relevant to the happenings of the area that the magazine is selling the greatest in. Knowing the age of the magazine readers allows the magazine producers to incorporate features that peak the interest of the specific age group, specific content can then be implemented in order to keep them interested and continue to buy the magazine. Through using the research gained by the reader profile more sales should be produced due to the magazine appealing to a greater audience.

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Genre Research

After completing this genre research, I have concluded that the different magazine genres available within the modern day market such as (Q, XXL and Kerrang!) each cater to different musical genres and their intended audience. By doing this, their products appeal to their target market and therefore persuades them to purchase the magazine due to the features and aspects used are that of which the target audience are used to.

Through this research I have noted that within the pop music genre, there is a large amount of bright, eye-catching colours capturing scenes of excitement and typically exaggerates certain features of the artists it features. Conventions of a pop magazine include the use of yellow, pink and blue colours that are bright and bubbly that appeal to the young audience. As well as this
I found that colours such as red, black and white are used widely within rock magazines, I assume as they are contrasting colours that connotes to the rock music audience.

The research I have conducted has allowed me to establish the different genres that are popular and trending within the current music market. Moreover it has reinforced my ambition to further study the Rock/Indie/Alternative genre because I am interested in this particular genre of music, I also feel that I know the most about about this certain genre and will therefore allow me to produce the best possible product I can. Furthermore I feel as though sticking to this genre of music will overall allow me to not only express my ideas through the use of cinematography, editing, mise-en-scene but also through the use of typical conventions of a popular Rock/Indie/Alternative music magazine within my final product.