Statement of Intent

Draft

The products I intend to produce fit into the music sub-genres of future funk, with elements of CIty-Pop, EDM and Electronic music being interwoven in order to interlink the products to a British and youthful audience of 16-25 year olds. The products will focus on looking back on the decade of the genre ,whilst upbringing new artists who dive into the somewhat niche genre, whilst also aiming to diversify the audience with the elements of DJ and electronic being used to pull in  a larger audience from the mainstream.I intend to use a fictional publisher due to the niche aspects of the genre, and will develop this publisher and their values on the website. The magazine will use female models on the cover, in reflection of the genre of City-Pop as well as subverting the commonality of male DJ’s, with the double page contents spread using models of any gender with primarily a young focus to create relatability and realism to the target audience. I intend to use a stylised format for both products, with intertextuality to the major covers of CIty-pop on at least one of the photos, whilst using technology as Mise-en-scene with both studio and outside settings to mirror the conventions of the electronic genre, using camera shots of both mid close ups and long shots depending on the models pose.. Representation wise I intend to use a variety of genders, whilst also including representation of homosexuality as well as alcohol abuse within the articles, to carve a deeper meaning to the contents and allow the mature audience to enjoy a deeper cut into the artist's story, further creating appeal of the product. The website will use the same style, however the layout will be more simplistic to allow ease of use whilst integrating social media and exclusive permanent content to appeal, with video interviews of artists to satiate the cravings of an audience who wants to know more about the new releases and backstory in the genre. With the style being a minimalistic and uncluttered look with graphical effects that blend the images with the layout, whilst using neon style colours such as purple, blue red and green to reflect the genre. Each article on the website will have an image to relate to the contents, with both the magazine and websites using lowkey but saturated images to draw attention and reflect the vibrant but dim conventions of the genres.

Synergy across multi platforms is necessary to create a recognisable and accessible brand in the modern climate to drive audience engagement. The contents of both products will be similar with exclusive interviews, social media feeds and photos within both products to create a reason for the digitally native target audience whilst using the same logo, colour palette and graphically minimalistic style to create brand identity. There will be an integrated social media feed into the website, which promotes both the website and magazine, further creating synergy but also providing promotion to the products, with the magazine also promoting the social media. 

   

Audience profile

•  primarily 16-25 year old audience who stand middle class, likely located in cities or high populated towns 
• Mixed gender with little bias due to the broad diversity of the genre and the mix of male and female artists with appeal to both sides, as well as the city and clubbing culture
• Fit under the Experiencers and partially Strivers in VALS categories 
• Fit under the Explore within the Young and Rubican archetypes 

The average reader will be from 16-25, likely living in a city and enjoying going out at night to parties or clubs, with an interest in foreign music and an appreciation for the older music, having a craving to consume more about the niche genre with their interest, having money to spare to spend o na good experience and being passionate about the contents. They likely find music is an integral part of life, living more in the moment than planning ahead.  Often social and net natives, with a notable and constant online presence. 

 

Research conclusion

Magazine

• Product - music magazine under the overall genres of dance and EDM but focusing on the sub-genres of Japanese city-pop and future funk, these genres do not have persistent magazines therefore inspiration for genre conventions will be taken from electronic music magazines and the actual artists/albums behind the songs within the genre, focusing on the growing popularity of a genre with less music being produced 
• The main concept is talking about the modern artists of the genre as the genre has faded out, whilst reminiscing on the artists that built the genre and are still going
• Name - undecided, ideas (Mania, euphoric, Blossom, Dusk)
• This concept fits into the broad genre of dance in how it still reminisces on the smash hits of the past that are still played in modern day, however as the sub-genre is city pop there is a greater freedom of choice in what can be viewed as genre conventions, the nature of reminiscence alongside supporting artists will be in this genre, top lists of songs will also be used to further fit in to the genre 
• conceptually the magazine covers shall include intertextual references to the hit albums which are noticeable enough to make a clear reference to fans of the genre but subtle enough to not come off as tacky for those less informed about the music or who only know the songs
• audience middle market 16-25 year old group who likes to be entertained - will be appealed to in how the contents consist of a genre predominantly listened to this age group, with the themes being on helping them find older music from before their time, and at a more precise level the style choices of the magazine and the design of the website will be styled to mirror the albums of the genre 
• The institution chosen to base publishing off of is a non existent publisher to reflect the genre
• The mise-en-scene will attempt too provide a retro future. style to fit into the genre, with the dance and EDM motifs being seen in the future aspect and the retro 80s style being used as intertextual reference, the poses used will in theory be referencing some major hits, with he colour palettes and locations being bright and saturated, referencing the upbeat visual style of the genre with the sadder undertones of the actual music, 
• The artists will be both young and old, with the goal of representing the newer artists and the godfathers of the genre, These representations hence attract an audience who enjoy the classics of the genre whilst looking for new artists in a predominantly dormant genre  
• intertextuality will be used throughout the whole magazine, with the cover poses being references to the poses on the major hit albums, alongside textual references to albums with references to the artists who make the genre, alongside the style of the cover just being intertextual in general towards the aesthetic design of the genres graphics 

Website

• The website design will be a simple style, following conventions it will consist of a simpler design with a block format in its layout, with social media and the nav bar being at the top alongside a front page which consists of online exclusive content, the website will be stylised to the albums genre in its graphics but the layout design will be simpler to mirror the genre, attracting an audience in the genre style but also in the exclusive content
• The website will contain links to social media pages with the the genre trope of top lists and compilations being a separate page, likely with a review page as well as that is common in the genre 
• The inclusion of social media links alongside possible videos from socials will lead to cross platform interactivity, and the social media will have samples on the website to display promotion for the website with a clear encouragement to pull in the audience with exclusive content about the artists alongside interviews, with clear links to the selling of the magazine, possible having it on the front page
• The website will reflect the publisher by following a similar layout to their own websites 
• the audio/visual content will likely be interviews with artists or social media content such as tiktoks to shill tot he younger audience of 16-18 year olds, 

Overall

• Synergy and branding are important across media industries, the growing internet world alongside the failings of print media and physicality leads to recognisable branding being essential, the magazine and website need to share an iconic branding that separates itself from the competition whilst elevating itself to be recognisable, if there is no synergy there is no cross platform interaction causing a more passive audience 
• The logo will be used for the masthead and repeated on the website to be identifiable and reflect branding, the main images will not appear on both, rather having different images of the same people to provide a different experience and a unique selling point to each product
• Social media feeds may be integrated to the website alongside being shilled on the magazine to create a synergy and cross platform promotion of the brand 

Website Analysis

 Website one - MixMag

Front page

• Layout - The front page features a blocked style, the main current headline being the 'Best mixes so far 2024,' with other top lists in the same stylised blocks of colour, the logo/header is on the same level as the nav bar with the social media links on a greyed out strip below to separate the nav bar from the rest of the website, the news articles are all apparent after scrolling down, with a larger block for major headlines like new albums, with videos woven in to display live shows, goes down constantly with constant refresher on articles 
• Image to text ratio is image dominant, with text enhancing and anchoring he image whilst the image is the main eye catcher
• The photos used vary in style, some are graphics rather than photos whilst others vary from wide shots on  artists to establishing shots on locations, with overheads and low angles being persistent for locations, however the variety is there with stylising based on the type of image and its link to the headline 
• Magazine does not hold any major presence on the front page outside of sharing same brand, the artists are represented in a neutral way, often with the front covers taking a formal stance on 'they did this' rather than giving an opinion them 
• Task bar, contains a regional change to change the news to nay particular region

Linked pages 

 

• Layout is consistent with the block format, however the contents change to fit the page in either a video format or tech news, depending on the subpage 
• Consistent white and black colour palette for the main contents with the colour sof the image being dictated by the contents
• The pages keep the same style with the taskbar and social media links at the top

-Appeals to audience in how it can be filtered to region, offers up to date news alongside lists that cannot be found thin the magazine 

Website two - Electronic sound

•   Layout - Nav bar dominates top section followed by a large banner taking up the front view prior to any scroll, below banner the features section in a block format is present, with windows to take you to other pages on the website, the right side contains a banner of various webpages. The bottom of the website consist of a newsletter offer, button for donations and. asocial media bar, with a footer
• No major presence or link to the magazine 
• There is a somewhat even image to text ratio for the articles in which the headline as well as a description is present, however the images still dominate the page 
• The text is sans serif standard with no special effects in a black font with a neutral lexis leaning towards being formal in content but informal in dialogue
• The artists are all represented in a manner reflecting them, varying representations but all display the artists as the centre piece with reminiscent on the good times to the struggles of their career, alongside supporting the new releases, they often are in praise of the artist and their brilliance, representing them as higher 
• The lower quality and grain in the photos mirrors the genres roots in older decades, and how a lot of hits are still the same as they were 30 years ago 
• Targets audiences buy giving na insight into the artists of the major hits whilst also displaying the drive for new music in the promotion of new artist 

Linked Pages

• Linked pages consist of a large banner varying in colour depending on content with a large block of text stating the subpage
• The  layout is the same as the main page with further links to other sites
• There is links to purchase the magazine on the storefront page, with the latest issue being the first option

 

Magazine analysis

 Case study one - TRAX

Cover:

• Layout - the layout uses a purple bordered style to stylise the magazine cover and highlight the main image in a framed format which also allows the text room to breathe on a plain background, making it somewhat simplistic but stylised  
• Typography - Sans-serif font in a bold black across any purple backgrounded area with an inverse of purple text across the main image, large text is used in a block capital style to make the text distinct, clear and understandable whilst matching the simplistic style set out by the masthead and brand
• Lexis - The text is presented in a way that looks to the future rather than the past using tense which is emphasising how times will change, the language is not formal and is short to state a point with no excess, all words relate to the magazine e.g sound systems or virtual reality
• Cover lines - Minimal cover lines which state very little and just give a brief on the contents e.g the interview with a sound system installer, giving an insight to the industry, the have one main cove line which goes across the main image and the rest sit outside of the images range
• masthead - is clear and visible without any interference from the main image, suggesting due to the more niche nature of the genre it is a brand with less public recognition meaning it needs the logo to be clear
• Colour palette - dark colours of black and purple with a grey within the main image and a white from the VR headset, the dominance of just 2 block colours creates a sense of simplicity and  minimalism reflecting the views of the clean cut nature of the future which is often seen in the genre 
• Barcode - sold in retail and is integrated into the bordered image to reflect the futuristic nature 
• Main image - The main image consists of an intertextual reference of the PSVR, being worn by the artist and linking to the cover lines about hackers and how virtual reality will change music, the image is simple displaying a futuristic theme with a shirtless man on a plain studio background reflecting a lower production value.
• Representation - representation of a minority group, the fact it is a French magazine also makes this representation more meaningful as the country has slowly become more right ring and racist 
• target audience - Targeting fans of DJ and electronic music, people interested in upcoming artists and searching for new artists as seen in their advertisement of the rankings, can see that the audience is looking to the future with a passion of the genre, being interested in both the technology behind it and the artist, a more mature but younger audience of 18+ 
• The companies ideologies and values look at emerging artists and pushing them into the spotlight whilst supporting previous artists with an intent to educate on the technology behind the music, celebration of a shred passion

Contents:

(Contents not from same issue as cover)

• Simple layout, main image on left with. a large headline referencing the festival imagery, the text is laid out in a simple and seemingly formal fashion, with larger blocks of text rather than the traditional contents
• White background with full black text and pink background for the main header
• Text dominated 
• The lack of a proper contents and rather more descriptive suggests the shortness of the magazine 

Case study two -

Cover:

• Layout - Masthead top across whole page, main cover line  across centre of main image, barcode bottom right in order to be out of the way, majority of cover lines border image in a way that does not overrun onto the model
• Typography - Sans serif, block caps used for all text outside of masthead which helps differentiate it from the rest of the product 
• Cover lines - there are a large amount of cover lines all short in length, they alternate in colour but are consistent with the orange and white 
• Lexis - More informal style of writing with modern terms like 'beef,' terms relating to genre such as disco, Dj 
• Masthead - masthead is name of the magazine in a large bald white font in all lower case, the font is stylised to make the i stand out, the masthead also lays partially behind the main image due to the recognisability of it
• Colour palette - Dark colours of orange, white, black and grey, with the orange varying in gradient to the white to stylise the font, the orange and white on black contrasts to create clear visuals
• Mai image - consists of the Russian DJ, Nina Kraviz with her on a studio background, she is wearing a black dress with a glossed set of fashioned shoulder pads, reflecting common clothes seen in the dance and clubbing scene
• representation - Russian female model, often a genre dominated by male DJ's 
• Target audience - Music fans specifically in the genre of dance and clubbing, a somewhat youthful but mature audience above the age of 18 and likely under 40, who still venture to the club and enjoy nights out with raves, DJs and clubs 

Contents:

• The contents span across 2 pages, non double spread
• Both pages consist of a dominating main image followed by a column of the magazines contents within the pages 
• The colour palette differs from the main cover via using a golden colour rather than orange but keeping the black and white 
• The pages further consist of minor images that compliment the main image by keeping the same theme 

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Not analysed but used to show how the magazine cover sin the genre often have a large amount of freedom and may be heavily stylised

 

Initial Research

Overall 

• Vary in style, often stylised with a clear masthead, frequently has a colour background behind that separates it from the rest of the cove
• Image style varies by genre however usually either the image or the editing around it is stylised to a degree
• Websites often contain more reviews of new albums, live shows and events when compared to magazine

*Not sub-genre specific, used for general idea of independent music magazines

Music Sub Genre specific research - Future Funk/Citypop

(As genre is not mainstream will use electronic, EDM, and dance magazine and websites for reference)

-No website

• Magazine covers stylised, often have some form of face covering on the artist 
• Saturated colours used
• Little amount of cover lines
• Websites often simple, featuring the logo at the top with interviews, reviews and recommendations 

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Industry research 

Thrust publishing LTD

• Publishes 'DJ Mag' an independent magazine for electronic dance music and DJs
• British magazine, adapted for distribution globally, (United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Latin America, China, South Korea, Brunei, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Canada, Russia, Belarus, and the Netherlands.)
• Originally the company aimed to reflect the growing electronic scene in the UK, grew into a multimedia brand with assets spanning print, web, video and events
• Aims to help emerging DJs and form a community in displaying the popularity and shared interests oof the scene
• Publishing company lacks an form of social media, however their magazines hold a presence
• Instagram account for 'DJ mag,' 1.4 million followers, posts about their articles with links to website exclusive articles, as well as photos from events
• Only presence on magazine website is within the privacy policy  

Mark scheme