75% of people polled agreed that music is an important part of their life, especially for youth aged 17-21. However, 65% do not read music magazines, citing high costs. Most listen to 1-2 hours of music per day via MP3 files. When asked about music magazine preferences, Metal Hammer was the most popular choice, showing the targeted audience has affinity for rock and metal genres. Overall, the survey provided guidance on the design and content of a new music magazine for this demographic.

1. AS MEDIA STUDIES MUSIC MAGAZINE PROJECT

2. AUDIENCE RESEARCH

3. Question 1 Do you consider music to be an important part of your life?

4. 75% of people polled agreed that music is an important part of their life. Most of the people who agreed were 17-21 years old as this is the audience I am targeting for my own magazine. The response shows a link between youth culture and music. Music is a foundation of their life and identity.

5. Question 2 Do you read music magazines?

6. 65% of people polled do not read music magazines. Even though music is a big part of life for 17-21 year olds, they do not read magazines for their music info. Most people commented that they are too expensive. A magazine funded entirely by advertising which could be handed out for free would appeal much more to the target audience. I will advertise my own for free to show this.

7. Question 3 How many hours do you spend listening to music per day?

8. 55% of people polled listen to music 1-2 hours per day. 30% listen 3-6 hours per day!!! From this result you can see music is an important part of life but it does not dominate most peoples time.

9. Question 4 In what form is the music you listen to?

10. MOST PEOPLE POLLED LISTEN TO MP3 OVER OTHERS!!! From the survey results it was clear MP3 is the dominant form music is listened to by people today. Even though the majority chose MP3 a lot also chose CD. I asked this question to get an idea of what free extras I could offer on the front cover of my music magazine.

11. Question 5 Why would you read a music magazine?

12. NOTHING STANDS OUT!!!! The results from this question did not show that any particular part of magazines are more important than the other. From these results I will try to include all of these features in my magazine as it seems the are all needed in the eyes of the consumer.

13. Question 6 Which music magazines are you likely to read?

14. METAL HAMMER!! It is not surprising that seeing I targeted an audience that would prefer metal music (as this is the theme I wish for my magazine) the majority polled chose Metal Hammer. This result helps my own magazine project as Metal Hammer is the magazine I have drawn most inspiration from. I thought the layout of this magazine would appeal greatly to my target audience. The second most common choice was Kerrang which is a magazine with a similar style as Metal Hammer.

15. Question 7 How many music festivals have you attended?

16. 40% of people polled have never been to a music festival!! 60% have been to more than one!! I used this question to see whether there is a link between people who read music magazines and people who attend festivals. The figures for both are the different as more people polled attend festivals and do not read music magazines. I would still aim to use space in my own magazine to advertise events such as music festivals.

17. Question 8 What genres of music do you listen to?

18. ROCK! The people targeted for the survey were mainly rocker/metallers as this is the theme I would like for my magazine. The purpose of this question was to determine what other genres of music fans of rock and metal listen to. With this information I could design a magazine that could include references to other genres.

19. Question 9 What feature of a magazine front cover do you find the most important?

20. 45% of people polled said the photo is most important. 30% of people say the main cover line is more important. 25% say freebies are the best! This question is a straight forward way to find out what people find most appealing on a front cover of a magazine. The results show me where concentration is needed when designing my own.

21. Question 10 How often do you spend money on music CDs/downloads?

22. ALMOST 50% of those polled never spend money on music!!! The majority of the remainder spend every few months. This question has showed me that even though music is a big part of peoples lives, they do not spend much money on it. As most people polled do not spend anything on music it is likely (and admitted by some) that they acquire music through illegal downloads. Therefore a music magazine can give awareness of new bands and albums but may not always contribute to the bands sales. Some people read music magazines in order to plan there next downloads.