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. Never the less, 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 website 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