How did you attract/address your audience?

When creating my music magazine, it was very important to always ensure that the style and contents of it was consistent with the tastes and lifestyle of my target audience. This is very important for a music magazine if it is to become successful in the mainstream market, and to gain and maintain a loyal reader base.

Front Cover: The main image on the cover is one way in which it will attract my audience. The way the model is dressed, and his laid back pose is very striking and will stand out compared to other music magazines. His style of dress would also, in ways, be similar to that of an average reader of this magazine so they can relate to the magazine better. The masthead of the magazine will also grab the readers attention due to its bold and unique nature. The font used gives it a more 'classic' look which differs from most other music magazines. The free CD included will also attract my audience as they would generally be interested in receiving a free CD due to their hobbies etc. The bottom bar which includes the bands featured inside the magazine lets the reader know that the magazine is jam packed full of content, which would be worth them buying to read. This is emphasised with the line "and Much More!". The list of bands on the side will appeal to consumers who are familiar with the bands. Lists like this are used on a lot of music magazines, including Classic Rock and Kerrang. The quotes underneath each band name will entice readers to buy the magazine after they have read a small sneak preview to the articles.

Contents Page: The first way in which the contents page would appeal to my target audience is the layout I have chosen. Everything on the page is laid out in a very simple, yet stylish way which I feel would most appeal to the average reader of this magazine, who would be from a more middle class background. The  use of just one large image on the page, adds to this stylish design as it allows the page to look very uncluttered. The fact that the image is in black and white also addresses my audience as it clearly shows that the magazine is not aimed at a younger audience who would more likely be attracted to lots of bright colours and images. Instead the overall design of my contents page shows more sophistication. The use of colour also highlights this fact as the two predominant colours are black and white, with only some red and yellow used to break up the page a bit. This colour scheme can be seen in the front cover, and feature article also. Finally, the choice of bands and artists would attract my audience as they all fall under the the genre of music they would listen to. Most of the band names used are all bands they would recognise, with some lesser known rock bands. This would ensure that every reader is happy with the content of the magazine.

Feature Article: The model in the main image is posing in a visibly striking, and eye-catching way which would attract the attention of the reader. The fact that the image takes up a whole page helps to draw attention to itself further, and the way he is dressed, and the addition of the guitar will make some readers want to aspire to be more like him. The questions asked in the interview would be ones that the reader would want answered as they reveal a lot of interesting information that would appeal to a fan of this band. The large title at the top "Moving Up", would attract attention to the text as it doesn't give too much information away so will leave the reader questioning what it could mean. The simple columnar layout of the text will help to make it easier to read. Also, the continued use of the star image reiterates the house style, and will be instantly recognisable to the target audience.