2. Chosen Name of my Rock Magazine
3 Possible Name Ideas
• Momentum – this flows easily off the tongue and would therefore draw the
reader in. The word itself has connotations of energy and things being in
sync with each other. This relates to the genre of my magazine because the
rock genre and it’s fans are often associated with being lively and having a
lot of power.
• Thrash – this word would work well as a title of my magazine because it is
short, snappy word which connotes things such as beating and violence.
This is something often linked to the rock genre as many people
(sometimes wrongly) assume that it’s fans are vicious and aggressive.
• Acid – this is a catchy word that would draw the right target audience into
my magazine, and would also link well into the genre, letting the audience
know what this magazine would contain. It has connotations of hostility,
intensity and power.
The final name that I have chosen for my rock magazine is Acid. This is
because it links into the genre of the magazine as it connotes things such
as aggression, violence and passion and it is a sharp, cutting word which is
easily remembered and usually has many other negative associations.
These things are often linked to the rock genre and its fans and would
therefore draw in the specific target audience.
3. Target Audience
The target audience of my rock magazine will be 16-25 year olds.
I have made this decision from a few different factors:
• Firstly, from the target audience research I conducted by analysing existing
rock genre magazines. I found that what almost all of the magazines had in
common is that they include profanity and subjects and topics that would be
unsuitable for children. This means, by making my target audience mid-
teens (young adults) to twenty-five year olds, that my magazine will not
expose children to inappropriate material for their age.
• Secondly, my media pack analysis and research means that I have been
able to view the mean/median ages of the audience who view and buy that
specific magazine. So, the mean age of Kerrang! readers is 22 and the
median age of NME readers is 23. These ages fall perfectly within my
magazine’s target audience range and has helped me get an idea of the
things that are suitable for my audience. Also this research was helpful as
my rock magazine will be similar in some aspects to that of NME and
Kerrang!.
4. Music Covered
I have chosen rock as the genre for my magazine. This means that this
genre will influence the kind of music and the content that will be featured in
my magazine.
• Acid will feature new 21st Century rock and alternative bands that are
currently popular with the audience, such as My Chemical Romance, You Me
At Six, Paramore, Bring Me The Horizon, All Time Low, 30 Seconds To Mars,
Blink-182, Asking Alexandria, Avenged Sevenfold, Lostprophets, Four Year
Strong, Evanescence, Muse, The Blackout and more. By using new, existing,
popular bands this means that the audience will be drawn in more to the
magazine on the shelves because it features bands that they actually want to
read about and look at. I know this would be beneficial from the audience
filling out my questionnaire because 92.3% of people surveyed said that they
bought magazines for the content and music.
• The magazine will also include information about gigs and concerts that may
be taking place and where to buy tickets, as this is something that interests
the audience and viewers of the genre.
5. Style/Content of Magazine & What’s Featured on
the Contents & Double Page Spread
Acid will be an independent magazine that features rock music throughout,
with conventions of the genre evident on every page produced, with a
house style and colour scheme created that links into the genre and will
grab the audience’s attention.
• It will feature an article on the double page spread that interviews a specific
band about their rise to fame and how they are progressing with their new
album and upcoming tour. I have chosen to do this because this is
something that the audience often want to read about as they like to feel
they are closer to the band by being informed about their progress. It also
keeps them hooked when they know that new and sometimes exclusive
information is going to be released in the magazine.
• The contents page will include conventions of the genre and clear
indications of what page each article/review/etc is featured on. It will also
include images and a message from the editor of the magazine.
• It will also feature independent reviews about bands, new and old albums,
new singles and occasionally fans reviews on gigs and concerts that have
happened within the last month.
