Task 1 Generating Ideas ( P1, M1 U21)

Task 1: Generating Ideas ( P1, M1 U21)

Learning outcome 1 (U21): Be able to generate ideas for an original media product based on a client brief

Brief

You have been asked by The London Magazine (www.thelondonmagazine.co.uk) to pitch your ideas for producing a new online and print based music magazine (explicit) for North London (implicit), as there is a vibrant music scene developing locally and people need to know about it. The London Magazine may decide to develop the idea across all areas of London if it is an appropriate and successful idea.

Following your pitch, you are required to make sample pages from the first edition of the magazine, to showcase the talent and venues in the area. (explicit)

This will include:

Front cover (explicit)

a double page spread  (explicit)

Introduction to the tasks 

You need to plan, pitch, produce and edit the sample pages for the local music magazine. (explicit)

As a starting point you should:

• develop a proposal and sample material/ideas for your magazine pages (explicit)
• plan and deliver your pitch (explicit)
• plan the production using planning documentation (explicit)
• produce original content for your magazine (open to interpretation)
• edit the original content together to create meaning (open to interpretation)

You should present your work using a range of mediums in the planning, production and post- production stages. This could include photographs, audio commentary or written notes to evidence your progression and development of your production in the production stages. (implicit)

The genre, content, price and target audience is all open to interpretation. 

Possible ideas

One of my first thoughts is to produce an artist based magazine, which focuses on North London's new and upcoming artists. This is because I want to promote unknown artists and boost their reputation and recognition.  Each edition can consist of a different artist, that performs under the area of North London. The double page spread could be an exclusive interview with the artist to meet the client requirement of producing 'original content', as well as for readers to explore different artists and make them feel inspired, and grasp a greater passion for music. 

My second thought was to produce a genre based magazine. This is because my magazine can reflect the  dominant genres within North London, such as pop, grime and hip hop. The double page spread could consist of new music conforming to the genre or an interview with a musician within the genre to provide 'original content'. A different genre each edition will inform readers about different ways to interact and access different music within the genre and educate them on what it is like. 

My final thought was to produce a venue based magazine. This is because it would appeal to a mass audience, as within performs a variation of different artists, representing different genres of music. It also showcases the mass amount of talent in the area. As the venues will be based within North London, my initial thought was to depict the ones in Camden, as it is a popular and trendy place, which I can reflect through the magazine. The original content I could include may be an interview with an owner of one of these Camden venues. My USP could be a virtual tour of the venue, conforming to the requirement of it being both an online and print magazine. 

Key ideas

Idea 1: 

I could produce an artist based magazine focusing on new stars in the industry, within the genre pop. I would do this in order to introduce new artists to the scene, that work their way up within the industry to act as an inspiration to readers; by boosting their reputation and recognition by giving them loyal fans, these fans may feel inclined to become loyal consumers of my magazine, due to the success of and admiration for artists we promote. It may also inspire these readers to aspire to be on the front of my magazine one day. 

The target audience of my magazine will be girls between the ages of 14-21. It will appeal and target those of different race and ethnicities to reflect the diversity of North London. I will target this product to those of a B-C2 social grade, the middle class to the skilled working class. This so that it is in the price range and therefore available to a range of different classes, bringing in more of a mass audience. The fact it will target those from a variety of classes, makes it inclusive and reflects the different families around North London. 

The content within my magazine's front cover will be an image of the main artist, as well as coverlines that convey what will be included. It will also state my USP 'North London's most popular pop magazine', as well as my skyline stating that '10% of our profit will go to Nordoff Robbins music therapy centre'. It's double page spread will include an exclusive interview, each edition with a different artist, that performs under the area of North London. This is to educate readers on new artists, and their stories or paths to fame. As well as this, I will include the pop charts top 10 current hits, in order to inform readers on other popular artists on the scene. It will also consist of different upcoming events that are showcasing different artists within the pop genre, and the chance to win tickets to capitals summertime ball. It will also contain clothing links to the artists outfits, to meet the client requirement of it being an online copy as well as a hard copy, and a small activity in which readers can match the album cover to the artist, in order to keep the readers entertained. The colour scheme for my magazine will be black, white and purple. 

The logo of my magazine, that will be used to establish and reinforce my brand, will be a jukebox with the name of my magazine. 

 The price of my magazine will be £3.99 so that it appeals to the target audience, those of a B-C2 social class.

 The possible names for this idea are: rhythm, vibe, and replay. 

Strengths	Weaknesses
It’s USP- 'North London's only artist based magazine' makes the magazine unique and able to stand out against competitors .	As the artists are new to the scene, they may not appeal to my target audience, therefore risking its success.
Cross promotion- as I will be promoting new artists, they can promote me on their larger platforms, bringing in a mass audience.	The fact that it is artist based is specific and could be a disadvantage due to it being restrictive.  This is due to competitors producing magazines that may focus on the whole genre, and therefore providing a variety of different content that is more entertaining to an audience.
As it is the first and only artist magazine in North London, it will have more chance of making it's way to the top of the market ladder, which means a greater profit.	As it is the first and only artist magazine in North London, if it is unsuccessful it can ruin the reputation of my brand, as well as the London magazine.
The target audience is 14-21, so it can be communicated and promoted through social media.	As the target audience has a wide age gap, it may be difficult to provide a variety of different resources and content that appeals to teenagers and adolescents.

An exclusive interview with an artist allows readers to identify with the artist or even use it as a form of escapism, and therefore rely on my magazine as a source of entertainment.

It may be difficult to find a new artist every month to feature in my magazine.

Idea 2:

I could produce a genre based magazine that focuses on the genre of grime. I would do this to  inform readers about different ways to interact with and access different music within the genre and educate them on what it is grime is all about. This could result in readers grasping a real passion for grime. By focusing on this specific genre, it targets a niche audience. By targeting this audience, it gives it a grater chance of success, as it creates an audience relationship. By targeting it specifically to those who have an interest in grime, it develops me as a seller to develop a personal relationship with those consuming my product, resulting in loyal fans. 

I will target my magazine to 16-25 year old boys. It will specifically be aimed at black boys, as after doing research I found that grime artists are predominantly black, appealing more to black people as they are able to aspire and identify with these artists and their lives. It  will target those of  a British ethnicity, as grime is a British genre. It will appeal to those of a C2-E, the skilled working class to the lowest grade workers. This is because grime is not just music it is also known as illustrating working class struggle. 

My front cover will have a main image of the radio presenter interviewing a grime artist on a radio show in order to connote what the edition of the magazine will be based on. It will consist of coverlines, one in which that mentions the main article. It will highlight the USP of my magazine which will be 'The best local grime magazine'. It will also include smaller images of different popular grime artists in order to convey the popularity of the magazine. My double page spread's main article will be an exclusive Q and A with a presenter from the radio show GRMdaily, for my original content. It will include Grime's top 10 artists as well as a list of popular applications in which you can stream grime music other than the radio. With the magazine, readers will receive a one month free trial with Spotify, in order to access and check out the songs and artists mentioned within the magazine. It will also include a mini activity in which readers can take a quiz to find out what grime artist they would be, in order to keep them engaged and active when reading the magazine.  The colour scheme of my magazine would be black, green and orange. 

My logo will be the map of North London. 

The magazine will be 2.99, to make it affordable for those targeted. 

The possible names for my idea are: hype, and idol

Strengths	Weaknesses
By its USP being ‘the best local grime magazine’, it makes potential buyers feel inclined to buy my magazine, as it is the best in the business. and therefore sets it apart from competitors.	The price of my magazine may be to cheap and a restriction to a great profit.
By focusing on this specific genre, it targets a niche audience. It gives it a greater chance of success, as it creates an audience relationship. By targeting it specifically to those who have an interest in grime, it develops me as a seller to develop a personal relationship with those consuming my product, resulting in loyal fans.	By targeting a niche audience, it will only appeal to a small, specific group of people. This means that my magazine will not be able to grow to it's maximum potential of great success, as it wont have the mass audience to do so.
An ‘exclusive’ Q and A with a radio presenter means that it cannot be accessed anywhere else, and those who are interested will buy the magazine.	A genre based magazine is a broad concept, therefore those that have a real passion for grime may not identify with this magazine, as it does not focus on anything specific or outline mass amounts of detail on a particular subject.
As it focuses on the whole of the grime genre, it will provide a variety of different content, keeping readers engaged and entertained.	The Spotify free trial may be pointless for readers, as they might not have the resources in order to access the 'free' gift.
It represents ethnic minorities in North London, which reflects the reality of North London.

 

Idea 3:

I could produce a venue based magazine, that showcase rock artists in Camden, North London. I would do this to promote new venues in the area of North London to conform to the client requirement of the brief being North London based. The fact it is venue based makes it unique, which could make a good USP for my product. A venue based magazine will not just appeal to the target audience, but it may attract a mass audience, due to it being representative of North London. Therefore a wide spread of people we be able to identify with the scenes and discover new places, locally, where they can see their favourite or new artists perform live. 

I  will target my magazine to males aged 20-40. This is due to general statistics stating that 85% of readers that tend to buy rock magazines are male, and only 15% are female. It will be aimed towards people of all races to reflect the multi-cultural society of North London. However, it will specifically target those of a British ethnicity, due to the fact this is where the venues in the magazine are based and where the magazine is being produced. It will also be aimed at those of an A-C1 social grade, the upper middle class to the lower middle class. This is because to have an interest in venues, you must have a high disposable income to afford to attend these concerts that take place in these venues. 

On the front page of my magazine will be an image of the Roundhouse in Camden. It will also include coverlines that convey what will be inside the magazine as well as the USP 'North London's first venue based magazine'.  The double page spread will consist of a virtual tour of the 'Roundhouse' venue in Camden, to conform to the briefs requirement of it being both a print and online copy. It's main, feature article will be an exclusive interview with the owner of the Roundhouse, talking about all the rock artists he has experienced playing and meeting from the venue. It will also include 30 iconic rock songs that readers would be recommended to listen to. I will also mention different upcoming concerts that are happening around North London, in order to promote and inform readers on new venues. It will include a vinyl record with every purchase. The colour scheme of my magazine will be black, red and grey. 

The logo I will use that represents my brand will be the name of my magazine with a spotlight emphasising and illuminating the name. 

The price of the magazine will be £5.99, which appeals to those of a higher social class. 

The possible names for my magazine are: vinyl, and live. 

Strengths	Weaknesses
The fact it is a venue based magazine is unique, and therefore could make a good USP for my product.	North London is a rather small area, and it may be hard to find different venues for each edition of the magazine.
It could attract a mass audience due to it being representative of North London, and so anyone who enjoys concerts may feel inclined to purchase my magazine.	Risk of being repetitive. There is limited content in which I could include related to venues. If I was to talk about a different venue each edition, the content would be very similar.
The high price will maximise  the profit.	By the price being rather high, readers may not be able to stay loyal and buy an edition frequently, as they may not have the income to do so, as the target audience are likely to have families of their own they have to provide for.
The high price will maximise  the profit.   By providing online content, such as the virtual tour, it meets the briefs requirement of being an online copy as well as a hard copy.

In conclusion, I will be creating my first idea, an artist based magazine of the genre pop. This is because it will represent the area of North London. As my magazine will include exclusive interviews with different artists, it can act as a source of entertainment for readers as they can identify with these artists, or  use their stories as a form of escapism.  I will ensure that they are of different ethnicities and cultures, in order to reflect the diversity among North London. Therefore it is more likely to be successful as it will appeal to my diverse target audience. As well as this, the pop genre is very popular across North London. As there are no other artist based pop magazines in North London, it will fill the gap in the market, and also act as my USP.