TASK 8 AUDIENCE RESEARCH-QUALITATIVEAUDIENCE PROFILE AND FOCUS GROUPS TASK 8 TARGET AUDIENCE RESEARCH USING QUALITATIVE METHODS SUCH

CH AS FOCUS GROUPS Based on my research interests Indie Rock, I wanted to target an alternative audience to the mainstream one currently targeted- my target audience was females and males (aged 16-30) interested in indie rock music. Appeals most to ethnicity white British.

I begin my research by identifying the stereotype associated with indie rock audiences, and then I moved on to focus on my particular target audience

The stereo typical audience profile Who mainly listens to that music people who wear indie styled clothes. Gender male and female Age - 16-30 Social class ABC1 Ethnicity White Interests Vintage fashion, gigs and festivals, vinyls, going to the beach, playing an instrument, instagram, photography, twitter, tumblr. Dress sense skinny jeans, skirts with tights, baggy t-shirts, bracelets, beanie hats, parka coats, Harrington jackets, converses, vans, doc martens, band t-shirts, back packs, ray ban sun glasses, acid wash, studs, jumpers, denim jackets. Why they listen to indie rock easy to relate to, has lots of deep meaning and original. Sometimes good to dance to, can make someone happy. How often they listen to the music very frequently, as it can be away to relax them or motivate someone. Can get ready for the day or going out for the night listening to indie rock, also listen to indie rock before going to bed. Often has earphones in listening whilst walking, on public transport or in the car. What they would like in magazines they would the magazines to contain current artists and bands who refer to the genre, interviews, latest news of the stars, gigs and current trends.

My target audience (PROFILE OF TYPICAL AUDIENCE)

Feelings about music magazines General background

Name - Lauren Age - 17 Ethnicity White Lives in Solihull, West Midlands Currently is a student and works part-time as a waitress at a hotel.
How she uses music

Attends concerts quite regularly about once every 2/3 months and is a passionate fan of music. She has just booked tickets for her first festival at Leeds Festival this summer. She uses iTunes, Spotify and YouTube to listen to music and listens to indie rock everyday for personal enjoyment.

She has occasionally bought NME. She would buy them more often if she had more money to spend; instead she uses the NME app on her iPhone and also follows NME on twitter where she sees latest news about bands and artists. She believes most music magazines target men and wants one to be more for females, including fashion etc. Interested in fashion and news about upcoming gigs and artists, wants a magazine that includes both of these things. Has an addiction of buying new shoes like Converses, Vans, Doc Martens and Chelsea boots.

General background

Feelings about music magazines

Name - Matt Age - 16 Ethnicity White Lives in Leeds, Yorkshire Currently is a student.
How he uses music

He buys NME once every few months depending on what is included in the magazine. He uses the NME app on her iPhone and also follows NME on twitter where he sees latest news about bands and artists. Interested in fashion and news about upcoming gigs and artists, wants a magazine that includes both of these things. Has an addiction of going to charity shops to try and find some vintage clothes and cheap vinyl records.

He attends concerts roughly once a month. He is in a band called The Concetines, being lead singer and guitarist and has been support acts for indie rock bands like The 1975. The band hes in sometimes have their own gigs in small local venues too. He has always been passionate for music and likes things from all eras. He has been to two festivals, and has purchased another 3 festivals to Live at Leeds, Leeds Festival and Bingley Festival for 2013. He uses iTunes, Spotify and YouTube to listen to music and listens to indie rock everyday for personal enjoyment.

Target Audience Research based on my Focus Group

For this task, I asked 2 females and 2 males with an interest within the genre, what they would like in an indie rock magazine. I then summarised their results to see what would be best suited for my target audience in the magazine. The 4 people I asked were all indie rock fans with a similar interest to me for a music magazine: Lauren, Paige, Matt and Danny

SECTION 1 FRONT COVER 1. Front cover what images would you like? There should be one main image on the front cover, dominating the page and maybe a few small images in the corners. The main image should be of a female who is attractive so it catches male attentions eye and can inspire females too. The model should wear clothes that are associated with indie rock. 2. What would like to see on the front cover e.g. sell lines? Sell lines need to be added that can interest the target audience and persuade them to buy the magazine. Sell lines that both males and females can relate to and interest both genders, such as successful artists and bands, concerts and festivals and even stuff like fashion. 3. What colours would be appropriate? Bright colours to attract attention, the use of primary colours (red, yellow and blue) as these are very eyecatching. A colour matching the main image could be used too, for example the same colour as the clothing on the model. 4. What type of language would you expect? Informal language to give it a personal touch, terms familiar with the genre should be used too.

SECTION 2 CONTENTS PAGE 5. Contents page - what type of images would you like and how many? One main image and smaller images (about 2 4 altogether) included to so the reader knows what to expect in the magazine. Images need to be of artists/bands. 6. What would you want to be contained within the magazine? News, concerts, festivals, fashion, interviews and competitions. 7. How much images and text would you expect? Lots of text as its informing the reader what page is a certain article however a few images to make it not so boring. 8. What type of language? Informative, however laid back and slang can be used too.

SECTION 3 DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD 9. Double page what choice of images would you want? One main image of the artist/band and maybe smaller images of the artist/band too. 10. What would you prefer the article to be about? An interview with an artist/band. This can give the audience more information about the artist/band. A female artist could be used as the indie rock genre need more female artists and this can also inspire more females to get into the indie rock music industry. 11. How would you expect the language to be? Informal language as its a transcript of speech if it is an interview between the interviewer and the artists or band. Direct language should be used and language that can be easily followed by the reader. It shouldnt be boring. 12. Would you prefer more image or text based articles? It should be a balance between text and images, only about 10 questions should be asked to the band/artist. The text could text wrap around the images so its not too cramped on the page.