HipHop + R&B;
R&B is the abbreviation for Rhythm and Blues and is always very closely associated with HipHop. Both music genres hold elements of soul and funk music and originate from reggae and African American styles of sound. There are many music magazines which specialise in R&B and HipHop genres and I have picked VIBE as a prime example of a magazine which maintains a focus of artists associated in these genres.
We can learn of the genre of the magazine through the artists which specialise in R&B and HipHop displayed on the front cover e.g Ciara who stands as the main image and focus of the magazine, We can understand the sexual nature of the magazine due to Ciara's lack of clothing which relates to the genre in the way in which the types of music belonging to R&B + Hiphop usually relate to sex and love.
Quincy Jones launched VIBE in 1993, in partnership with Time Inc. however in 2009 VIBE stopped selling their issues until InterMedia Partners bought the company. InterMedia Partners reinforced the magazine as a music magazine which would be accessible through the web as well as in the form of physical print.
VIBE music magazine belongs to a conglomerate company called Vibe Lifestyle Network which represents over 25 sites specialising in fashion, sport, music etc. and reaches over 19 million unique users per month. Vibe Lifestyle Network is VIBE music magazine's parent company, and having financial support and publicity from this existing firm VIBE magazine will be able to gain potential readers.
VIBE music magazine has incorporated technology in to their company by enabling their magazine to be accessible online www.vibe.com. On their website they have advertised a personal app which they have created called 'Vibe Music Mixer'. When you click on the link of the promotion you get transferred to the itunes Apple website and it tells you more about the app- the app is available on the iPhone and iPad. By incorporating current forms of technology such as the iPhone, we can learn that VIBE have understood the growing technological market and used it to their advantage to promote and present their music magazine as well as offering alternative music devices to entertain and interest their customers.
I have taken the following quote from www.vibe.com: 'Vibe is the premier destination for urban music, entertainment, culture and lifestyle for the aspirational 18-34 year old' This gives me the target audience for VIBE magazine who the company itself aim to target.
One of my personal favourite music genres is R&B and HipHop therefore researching VIBE magazine has given me a good insight in to the types of technology they use and who their target audience is. I have also recognised that magazines, like most products and services today, are getting influenced by the technological market more and more therefore the demand on physical print magazines is decreasing leaving magazines such as VIBE having to reinforce their magazine online to gain more customers.
Rock;
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music. Rock music also drew strongly on a number of other genres such as blues and folk, and incorporated influences from jazz, classical and other musical sources.Musically, rock has centred around the electric guitar, usually as part of a rock group with bass guitar and drums. Music magazine, Kerrang! is devoted to rock music and holds a focus of this genre through-out its magazines.
We can learn of the genre which Kerrang! specialises in through the colours used; red and black are colours which usually connotes a 'rocky image'. Wacky hair styles and colours usually relate to rock too. Through the main image- situated on the front cover, of an artist which specialises in rock also communicates the genre and almost becomes the USP of the magazine.
Kerrang! is currently published and owned by Bauer Media group however it's previous owners consisted of, United Newspapers and EMAP. The magazine was first launched on June 6th 1981. In the early 2000s it became the best-selling British music newspaper. Before Bauer Media group took over the magazine, Kerrang! developed and made use of the new emergence of emo and metalcore; it began to heavily feature this musical trend. However, the revamp was not welcomed by all readers and many complaints were received about Kerrang!'s sudden emphasis on emo and metalcore music. This is an example of music magazines taking to the current, applying it to its genres within the magazine but not exactly doing it well. Despite these complaints, the editor at the time, Paul Brannigan took the magazine into its most commercially successful period with a record 80,186 copies sold.
On Kerrang!'s website page there was a lack of technological features used to promote their company. The company seemed to have a focus of merchandise instead such as, a clothing line. There was also a focus of promotional features such as chances to win tickets to see artists in relation to the magazines genre, through competition advertisements.
Bauer Media describes Kerrang!'s target audience as: 'Young, individually minded and passionate consumers, an audience defined by attitude, passion and loyalty.' Their target audience is also described as male- 15-35 on more bias terms. Bauer Media also define Kerrang!'s brand as 'the world's biggest selling weekly music magazine and the original multi-platform youth brand for all rock genres. Kerrang delivers the hottest news, reviews, gig guides, exclusive features, posters, videos and more every week. In print, on TV, radio and online, Kerrang lives life loud for its army of dedicated, music loving fans' This shows they contain huge platforms and rather than just being just a music magazine they are today, a brand.
On their website their is a link to one of their platforms- their radio station online www.kerrangradio.co.uk. When I clicked on this website, they seem to display more technological and social media than the magazines website did. As you can see in the image taken from Kerrang!'s radio website, they have incorporated mobile phone apps to expand and promote their brand.
Jazz;
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th century American popular music. Its West African pedigree is evident in its use of blue notes, improvisation, polyrhythms, syncopation, call-response, and the swung note.
The artist who appears on the front cover tells us of the music magazines genre, Jazz; he is a successful Jazz musician and highlights the genre of the magazine. The magazine cover is simple and minimalistic however highlights the Jazz genre through the language: 'Jazz school' and artist.
Downbeat music magazine is published and owned by Maher Publications and is the leading music magazine devoted to Jazz. It was first launched in 1935. Through out its issues, it upholds a focus for Jazz in its early years allowing it to appeal to a niche audience; Jazz isn't a mainstream genre and some would say its influence is not so popular today however Downbeat sustains Jazz and its importance.
The magazine uses merchandise such as t-shirts and books to keep jazz alive instead of technological devices to promote its magazine. This shows that the magazine isn't following up-to-date and current technology to promote its magazine and this shows that the genre of the magazine may not appeal to the young as it doesn't need to use technology aimed at them. Downbeat online contains a link to http://www.jodyjazz.com/ which is a website with a focus of everything to do with jazz. The magazine also provides visitors with a link to a Jazz school website. Downbeats connections allows the Jazz influence to become strong and provide a wide range of aspects to do with Jazz for its consumers to make use of.
It seems to be less to say about this magazine as it does not appear to be as mainstream, popular and widespread as other music magazines are today however, editor, Stearns says: 'I have refined my early Downbeat history and published what remains today one of the more enduring jazz histories still in print, The Story of Jazz.'
On www.downbeat.com I found a quote from the publisher of the magazine which aims to describe the target audience for the magazine: 'There are many roads to jazz, as any collection of fans will demonstrate. But for many of those fans, whose age today can fall anywhere between 10 and 80, that road has been paved with issues of Downbeat magazine' Even though they say the age range for their magazine is widespread I believe today, Jazz isn't as mainstream as other types of music genres therefore it will appear to not be as successful as other music magazines. Despite this, Jazz is still an influential music genre, loved by many and Downbeat sustain its influence and provide the musical genre's lovers with a strong uphold of Jazz.
Having researched three music genres, one which is far from my music taste- Rock, one which is my favourite music genres- R&B and HipHop and one which I have never thought about in detail and never realised it is still as strong as it seems- Jazz I have learnt that the music magazine industry is still alive regardless of critics and statistics. By researching these genres has enabled me to have an idea of what genre I want to use for my magazine; Hiphop would be my preferred choice. VIBE magazine has allowed me to see the support and popularity behind this genre however I still believe I need to research and discover more about magazines which specialise in Hiphop.
