Market Research

The purpose of this research is to help me to design a magazine which will be appropriate for a

particular audience, and to grasp an understanding of what appeals to whom. This is a primary

method of data collection using qualitative and quantitative data. To select the features of my

magazine, I have created a ten-question survey via ‘SurveyMonkey’ in order to find out what I should

include in my own product. This has been answered by eighteen people; I have collated my results

below. Similar customer profiling is evident throughout many major magazine companies. We can

deduce by looking at ‘Kerrang!’ magazine that young people prefer cheap magazines with a lot of

content and free things. In the

same way, it is implied that the

readers of ‘mixmag’ are people

who like the nightlife abroad,

alcohol and partying.

The first question is one

conventional to all

questionnaires. We have to

know how old the people we

are questioning are. This way,

when using the information I

have gathered to create my

own magazine, I will know who

my target demographic is in my

own.

Thirteen out of eighteen of those that filled in my questionnaire were between the ages of 15 and

20. This means that the information gathered from my survey will, if applied, make my magazine

appeal to an audience of this age group. Nevertheless, there is a slight impact from an older

audience. Taking into account the views of three very different age groups will increase the

likelihood that my magazine will attract a larger readership.

On average, 60% of the people

who answered my survey were

female. 40% were male. This may

influence my decisions as I may

be more likely to make my

magazine appeal to female

readers rather than men if I use

the information I have gathered.

Nevertheless, there is a large

male input into this so, if some

answers still significantly stand

out, it will serve to prove that a

lot of the content can be

considered unisex. This would be

preferable as it means that there is a

larger readership for my magazine.

The next question was multiple-

choice. The question of what genre

of music do most people prefer is

extremely important to consider as it

influences nearly the entire contents

of my magazine. In this graph, it is

evident that the most favoured type

of music is Rock, chosen by 70% of

the people I asked. Notably, Indie

music is favoured by 60% of the

sample, and Electronic music by 45%.

These are the three most popular

genres of music that my sample has

chosen, which means that the public

will probably be more interested in buying a magazine if it features content around these types.

Therefore, I will try to aim my magazine towards fans of the most popular genres. On the other

hand, it is important to try and make my magazine unique. Because a large proportion of people

prefer music that is Indie/Electronic, I can use this to try and design a magazine brand that aims to

be more unique and cutting-edge. This may mean that it appeals to a niche audience; however it will

be different to other magazines and therefore more likely to sell.

According to the analysis of my results,

most people find out about new music

via social media websites and YouTube.

A very small percentage (17%) use

music magazines to update themselves

with upcoming musical artists. One

reason for this may be because very

few people buy music magazines.

Alternatively, existing magazines may

not actively encourage readers to look

into new music as they tend to focus

on what is ‘in’ and popular. As a

potential unique selling point, my

magazine could feature new musical artists on the front cover in the model credits. The danger of

this would be that I cannot use star marketing to attract people to buy my magazine. Nevertheless,

other incentives to purchase the magazine can be used, such as giving free things, exclusive

information or interesting images. This graph tells me that most people use social media and

YouTube to find information about music. This is useful to me as it provides a destination for my

own magazine’s featurettes or advertisements. A lot of people have stated that they find out about

new music via their friends, family or when it is played in shops. This means that it may be beneficial

to advertise my magazine on places like YouTube but to also actively encourage people to spread the

word about it to other people.

45% of my sample claim to listen to more than two

hours of music a day. From this result which is near

half of the people I asked, we can assume that a

large proportion of the people who have answered

my questionnaire have a good knowledge about the

music industry as well as a strong interest in music

in general. These are the people who would be

most likely to buy a music magazine. A good

knowledge of musical background and genre means

that the information I have been given can be

considered more useful as these people are those

who may potentially buy a good magazine.

Therefore, taking their advice on what they want to see in a magazine is more useful as a lot of

people who are like them and will want similar things out of a music magazine.

The three most popular ways in

which people keep up with the

music industry are via

Facebook, YouTube and by

buying CDs and Vinyl. There is

an interesting clash here;

people who listen to music on

YouTube tend to prefer

listening to music for free, yet a

similar percentage like to buy

physical copies. Where my

magazine is concerned, this

means I should try to include

both musical platforms within

the content. For instance, I

could include sale prices for

purchasing CDs or competitions

to win them. This would act as

an incentive to buy the

magazine. Similarly, it can

discuss popular YouTube

movements, promoting

upcoming stars or passing

opinions and reviews. In this

era, YouTube is an extremely popular streaming service which is easy to use. Some magazine

companies, such as VIBE and Rhythm, even have their own YouTube channels to discuss changes in

the music industry or to show interesting videos. This kind of idea appeals to people in this new age

of Web 2.0.

A large part of the likelihood of a magazine being bought by the consumer relies on the price of the

magazine. The price links to the quality and quantity of the content, as well as the standard of

publishing. The difference is easily comparable if we look at ‘Kerrang!’ and ‘mixmag’. ‘Kerrang!’ is of

far less quality and is a lot thinner, pricing at £2.20 a week. ‘mixmag’ is a thick and stylish magazine

produced monthly at a rate of £4.95 per edition. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that people

are more likely to buy a cheap magazine. With quite a mixed response, it would appear that, at

around 28% each, the majority of the public would prefer to buy a magazine that is £2 or less.

Nevertheless, these

percentages are not that high.

If my magazine was cheaply

produced, the content would

be minimal and there would

be less chance that it would

give ‘freebies’. With due

consideration to the question

“what would encourage you

to purchase a music

magazine?” a consumer may

prefer a more expensive

magazine if it is comes with an

incentive with a stronger

gravitas than the price.

Therefore, it is likely that my

magazine could sell equally as well with a price of £2+ than if it was cheap, so long as I can locate a

strong balance between price and content.

In a survey of 18 people, a massive 78% said they would be more encouraged to buy a music

magazine if it included extra free content, such as posters, CDs, pens, or other small miscellaneous

items. Other features of the magazine which are appreciated by readers are good quality

photography and exclusive content. This is one of the most important factors of my magazine to

consider as it directly influences the

number of sales. Most of the desired

features will prove to be quite expensive to

publish. However, the more that are used,

the more likely the magazine will sell. A lot

of people have no real interest in buying

magazines that are solely print-based. By

looking at the individual responses

gathered, we can tell who has an

experienced understanding of the music

industry, including magazines. The recurring

preference among this portion of my

responses is to include new bands and

interviews. Therefore, I should endeavour

to include these in my magazine.

76.5% of my survey respondents

have said that they do not read

music magazines. This is an

understandable figure as most of

the information that you pay for in a

magazine is free and simple to find

on the internet. Print-based media

can be expensive and have few

exclusive benefits. Therefore, for

the magazine to actually sell, it

needs to contain content that

cannot be simply found on social

networks and websites. Exclusive

content will attract people to the

brand. Similarly, the magazine

having a website to its name and an

online infrastructure will create a

more interactive readership. This

may be preferred by modern

readers. Likewise, the use of a

strong online force would work as a

unique selling point (USP) for my magazine. The most popular of those that people do buy are

Kerrang! and NME. These are two very different magazines where House Style and genre is

concerned, suggesting that there is no real connection between the genre of a magazine and the

strength of its sales.

In a question with a very similar purpose, I asked eighteen people how often they buy music

magazines. Even though the majority of people answered once more against buying magazines at all,

the other most popular options were 'weekly' and 'monthly', both of which resulted in the same

percentage. This figure will affect how

often my magazine is published. Some are

thin with weaker but more up-to-date

content and are released weekly. Others

are thicker and show more care in their

layout and general aesthetic, but can

quickly become dated. Subscriptions are

popular with magazines that are released

on these time scales. The

indie/electronic/rock music industry is not

the fastest developing, so I don't think a

monthly release would hold any negatives.

This would also mean that the quality can

be much greater, which is one of the features that people wanted to see in a magazine.

Overall, the general consensus appears to be pushing towards the idea that my magazine company

should be a well-developed indie, rock and/or electro brand. There are some natural clashes of

ideologies, such as the desire for free things at a cheap price, but otherwise I would say that the

survey has created a solid framework for the foundations of my magazine. Collating all of my results,

my magazine brand should consider as many of the preferences of the public as possible, illustrated

below.

Aimed at a readership of people aged 15-20

A general mix of the stereotypical gender focus or none

Should be an indie/rock/electronic music magazine

Convergent media definitely needs to be used - my magazine needs its own social media,

website and YouTube channel

Carry offers/vouchers for purchasing physical copies of music

Aim to be purchasable at around £2-3

Feature exclusive content, interviews, new bands, good photography, and free goods.

Publish monthly with the ability to join a subscription