What are Music Magazines?
The term magazine originates from Arabic - meaning 'to store' such as the storage of bullets in a gun is referred to as a magazine, in this context it is used to store information.
They tend to be generic - sorted by genre
They aim to target particular demographics - [types of people] here is an example of a music magazine targeted for a teenage demographic.
In terms of sales, music magazines have suffered in recent years due to the rise of social media to promote artists with upcoming singles, albums and tours as well as information regarding live performances and music festivals. Music magazines can also be used for articles which consist of interviews and Question and Answer sections where fans get the chance to interact with their favourite artists. The best selling music magazines are top of the pops and 'We love pop' in the UK however these fail to break into the top 50 selling magazine charts, these magazines appeal to a specific audience as Top of the Pops feature more recognised artists so it will receive a greater exposure. Where as more die hard fans of other lesser known artists in certain genres such as Folk and Blues music may be prepared to pay a subscription for a magazine with content more affiliated with the genre of music they are interested in. An example of this is R2.
The demographic target audience for R2 is older people, statistics show 95% of their readers are in full time employment so they would have to be above 18, moreover, in terms of typography and visual aesthetic the advertisements published in these magazines are aimed to appeal to an older audience.
MMA Initial Research : Codes and Conventions of Existing Products
When analysing Music Magazine Advertisements, I have to consider the expected codes and conventions associated with them. Technical codes such as typography [the way text is presented, such as font size and colour] are employed to appeal to particular demographics and target audiences and conventions are used as this is what is usually done for presenting MMA's. I have to consider;
- Artist's name - placement? font style? font size? colour? relationship to other aspects of the mma? relationship to the artist's image and visual presence elsewhere? (ask if you don't understand...)
- Album title - placement? font style? font size? colour?
- Image(s) - what is usual? Is the artist's image more likely or less likely to be used? could this change according to genre? What other sorts of images are used and do these reflect the genre of the artist?
- Other - what else could be included? why choose to include these things? How do they support the promotional nature of an MMA?
- Does the genre of music have an impact on how codes are used?
In terms of codes the typography of Mr Hudson's album 'Straight no Chaser' has a consistent style of font but adjusts its colour with black text for a white background and white text when it merges with the artists clothing. The placement is all
central meaning it is easily viewable with the artists name and album title being the most obvious and centre of attention.
Mr Hudsons MMA is different to one produced by the Prodigy who's advertisement for 'Invaders Must Die' withdraws itself from some expected codes and conventions. An example of this regards images as Mr Hudson makes this the most important aspect where as The Prodigy don't show a picture of themselves, this might be associated with genre as previous research indicated certain genres, usually affiliated with Rock and an older demographic, are more interested with their music than how they appear so they remove any pictures of their group. 'Invaders must die' uses a fighter pilot instead and the word 'die' in the album title reinforces negative connotations.
Music Magazine Construct Practise
For my music magazine advertisement I want to gain as much knowledge and develop as much ability in photoshop as possible. I was given images of Sam to make a template MMA but before I created it I planned how to approach setting up and the designs I was going to use
- The correct size for a Vertical template in millimetres is 230w x 317h
- The navigator tool helps to zoom in for better detail.
My idea was to have the image of Sam with a similar picture overlapping but using the opacity tool to reduce the images transparency so it looks like he is fading in. I took inspiration from the Star Wars prequel posters but applied to a music advertisement by including the conventional text associated such as Artist name album title and released date as well as including a featured song.
After that I applied text to the MMA, I wanted the album title to be a priority so I made it a different font size and layered it with a green background to the text. I also used different texts to blend in with the background and keep the layer of Sam still visible. The end product looked like this.
Initial Ideas
After gaining some experience with using photoshop I was able to construct some initial ideas for my MMA. I want the whole package to be inclusive so it needs the same colour scheme fonts etc as the CDD. I took inspiration from various artists from the same genre as well as some artists from other genres to compare the way their styles are presented to audiences. American hip hop artist PNB Rock is very much about showcasing himself as the start feature in his promotions for songs and albums. I wanted to follow some of the techniques he has used in his work. Traditionally the indie genre is less inclined to show the artist themselves as they are more concerned with the music they are creating. However, I want my MMA to be inclusive so it will follow the same style as the digipack in having Harry as the leader actor and then the conventional MMA associations around the side such as release date album title etc in the same font.
This was the idea I have taken into consideration as it is achievable, by applying a clipping mask over a silhouette I could cut out on Photoshop and apply text over the top. This idea could remain relevant to the indie genre as they are withholding the look of the main artist while still indicating their is a lead individual although you don't see his face. I could apply a different image inside the face. The other initial idea would have the album title across the face of the artist to hide their identity slightly.
Another idea I considered was an abstract effect which links to the ambiguity associated with the Indie Rock genre. Artists such as Bastille and Kings of Leon have previously used these kind of techniques in their work. This effect can be altered to take into consideration the colour scheme I am looking for (purple pink, light blue etc)
Feedback on Initial Ideas
To gain feedback on my MMA initial idea's I asked a variety of students to rank order the 3 styles I looked at and labelled them each so they were easy to recognise.
- Orange background
- Eyes Covered
- Abstract effect
I asked 13 students which idea they preferred and made a tally chart to record the feedback. I also asked 3 of the students to feedback and elaborate on their thoughts. The first student stated ' I liked the abstract effect the most as it suits the genre' A second student suggested the 2nd style was to basic so chose one that was more eye catching. This was the inspiration in selecting the Galaxy effect for my digipack so it is clear the feedback is indicating the more eye catching the advertisement looks the more effective it will be. A third student suggested the colours wouldn't suit the name of the album being Goldrushed, the colours should be gold. While I took this into consideration I feel the indie genre is ambiguous and going against the traditions of colour symbolism so applying my own colour scheme would suit the genre type and visually look more engaging by applying elements of both the abstract effect and clipping art from the Orange background image as the tally chart feedback shows those two were more popular than the 2nd image by PNB Rock.
Chosen Idea
I wanted the MMA to work alongside the digipack as a media package therefore I chose to have the front cover of the Digipack feature in the MMA. I also wanted to have the same colour scheme in both products so I decided to use the colours associated with Future's logo in his Ds2 album which is a combination of light blue and pink. I would be able to make this on Photoshop using a gradient tool.
I also want to feature reviews of the album which is a common feature of the Music Magazine Advertisement. This positive feedback will produce good publicity for the album and could persuade fans of the royal concept to purchase the album.
I may also add the social media handles of the band as this is the most likely way the fans would see it due to the rise in popularity of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc.
I also am considering adding the Spotify name of the Royal Concept as due to the changes in media music is often streamed.
I want the MMA size to be a full page horizontal so I can add things in a list form similar to Jay Z's MMA for his Blue print 3 album where he has the artists name and album name at the top and then additional information below.
I also wanted to include the main actor as the centre of attention for the MMA instead of using a photo or logo as other artists do, I am adding several layers of the same picture over lapping but will then have one main image to be the centre of attention. I can use the opacity tool in Photoshop to alter the visibility of the other images/layers
I drew a rough plan of what I am attempting to create.
Practise Shots With Canon Camera
Working with the Canon camera has allowed me to improve my skills in photography. Using the auto focus setting had pros and cons. An example with the images I selected to insert into the back are the pictures I took outside. The focus setting prioritised the background instead of Harry who I was trying to take the picture of; resulting in the image to look blurred and slightly distorted. This technique could be useful If i was intending to use a blurry effect for editing purposes however my ideas require the lead actor to be the centre of attention therefore he needs to be the focus of the picture.
A benefit of using this kind of camera was the settings were easy to follow which meant the set up process and initial pictures were easy to take. It was obvious to see after a few pictures that I was more confident in using the camera as the quality of the photography begins to improve. I took some good pictures of Harry and decided to use 2 different locations, one indoors and one outside to compare taking pictures in different environments. This relates to my music video also as some elements are filmed inside and others are in out door locations. This experience working with the Canon camera and taking practise shots has helped me develop my media ability.
Construction Process
I wanted to add a border so the gradient layer stands out more and the text wasn't to close to the edge of the workspace.
In order to create an authentic music magazine advertisement I used Adobe Photoshop to edit one of my practise pictures. I decided to alter some elements of the chosen idea I went with as some of the filters I found were better suited when things like text were added. I set up the page to the appropriate sizing for the MMA and added a gradient overlay with a blue and pink colour blending. This suited the overlapping text the best after trying various colour combinations. As the screen shots show I tried various colour combinations before deciding on the final one.
I used the quick selection tool to remove the background of the image and then the lasso tool for the picture to look like it has been intentionally cut around roughly to suit the independent punk rock style associated with the indie and alternative rock genre.
I decided to go against this colour as it looks unproffesional.
This colour was to dark I wanted lighter colours to suit the friendship theme of the song as the positives vibes of the album.
This was the colour combination I decided to chose.
I decided to use this style and make the picture of Harry black and white to conform to these conventions. Once I made a new layer out of Harrys face I cut out with the lasso tool I placed it as a new layer over my gradient. I used the threshold tool to manipulate the picture of Harry which gives it the black and white look I desired.
I wanted to apply techniques I had previously learnt in my practise MMA of Sam's 'Trooper' album. This would give Harry a sense of importance as the leader actor in the band. I copied the original layer and increased the new ones size so it was significantly bigger and sat behind him. Using the opacity tool I adjusted how transparent the bigger picture was.
I then had the idea to have several pictures of Harry overlapping that are side by side. I decided to have 5 faces as there are 4 members in the Royal Concept and then Harry who is added as the main member of this video.
Once the images were added I added text. Personally I felt that none of the fonts in Photoshop gave the desired effect I was after therefore I used the popular website DAFONT to download the font I used labelled 'hand drawn'
The website had over 100 fonts available to users. I added text layers for all the conventions of the MMA I wanted to add ;
Band Name
Album Title
Social Media handles
Hit Single
Album Release Date
I wanted this to look more like an MMA and avoid adding the same conventions as all the ones used in the CD Digipack and adding reviews will increase recognition and hype for the hardcore exclusive fanbase the band may possess. Once the text was added I decided to adjust the size of a few layers so the text was easier to read. I also had the idea to inclde the front cover of the CD Digipack on the Music Magazine Advertisement so they work as a package.
I considered then adding the social media handles of The Royal Concept by going on their websites the purpose in this is so viewers of the MMA can visit their pages after and follow them. To do this I took png images of the social media logos and as their twitter and Instagram names were identical I could use the same text. However I felt it was better to have just text
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