Bauer Media and IPC Media are two potential media institutions that could distribute an indie music magazine. Bauer Media distributes well-known magazines like Q and Kerrang and would help shine a light on a new indie magazine through proximity. However, IPC Media, which owns dying magazines like NME and Uncut, might struggle to successfully launch another music magazine. Ultimately, Bauer Media is identified as the best choice because of its international reach, experience distributing a similar magazine in Q, and ability to help improve the new magazine.

1. What Kind of Media Institution
Might Distribute my Media Product?

2. Bauer Media
Bauer media is a multinational company founded in Hamburg
in 1987. They operate in 16 different countries and produce
over 300 different magazines. They have over 38 million
magazines in circulation in each week and have a NET value of
€2 million +. It is the third biggest British publisher.
They are the distributers of large magazines such as: Q, Kerrang
and MOJO. These are very well known and still remain strong in
the music magazine community with Kerrang being one of the
strongest music magazines out there. In addition to Kerrang
they produce Q magazine being known as THEE indie music
magazine. By having them distribute my magazine next to Q
this would outshine mine, however giving the indie audiences a
different take on the indie audiences with a new view on the
music and bands.

3. IPC Media
IPC or Time magazine produces consumer magazines and has digital
publications in the United Kingdom. They sell around 350 million copies
each year and have three media titles that sell too three divisions. These
divisions cater to specific core audiences. With many publications that
range from “Extra Crispy” cooking magazine to “Time” magazine they
have established themselves as a very connected and diverse. In
addition to these genre they produce “Entertainment” magazines which
are a collective of music, film and television magazines. This is a sign of
the increase of cross media convergence in that the similar types of
magazines share similar traits in that they will soon be the same
magazine and in that they will need to be the same magazine as they
are failing as separate entities
The own NME and Uncut magazine. These magazines are considered to
be “dying”. With the falling sales compared to Bauer media they will find
it hard to take on a new magazine and to make it part of the successful
music magazine community.

4. IPSO – Controlling Distribution
• The Independent Press Standards Organisation
(IPSO) are the regulators for 1500 magazines and
1100 online websites in the UK. They put rules and
regulations onto distributers on what and what not
can be released to the public. These rules can be
things like no nudity or profanity of any kind or no
scenes of gore and violence. In addition they
manage the release of “fake news”. This is the
promise of a thing by a media outlet, but it is not
true or only partially true. Examples of this can be
things like dieting products or pictures of
celebrities that have been manipulated are not
able to be published.

5. Where and Why would I distribute?
Through looking at the two different sides of distributers it
seems that my magazine would fit best into the category
of Q magazine. This means that my magazine would best
be distributed with Bauer Media. Bauer media have the
international factors of distribution that would help bring
In attention for my product and bring In more contents
from other countries, for example America. In addition to
having the experience and abilities to already create a
good and successful indie genre magazine that would help
further improve Record Cabinet to be a better version of
itself. This is good for the type of distributer for Record
Cabinet that would help it reach it’s target audience and
achieve the sales that would make it a known product.