as media studies foundation portfolio
Music Journalism – getting the content right Choosing an appropriate article for your magazine depends upon having a good understanding of the following areas: 1. Target audience 2. Agenda and house style 3. The types of article which are found in music magazines
1. Target Audience Remember you should have a clear idea of who your ideal reader is in terms of: demographic profile (age, gender, class etc) psychographic profile (lifestyle, values, interests)
2. Agenda and House Style The agenda is the set of values and goals which governs how the producers of the magazine proceed in selecting and constructing their stories. It is set by the publishers of the magazine and put into practice by the decisions made at each level of the organisation, from the editor down to individual journalists and photographers. The house style is the specific way the magazine speaks to, or “addresses” its reader. It is a set of guidelines about:
the use of language (spellings, punctuation, phrasings, levels of formality, use of slang, use of personal pronouns etc). The layout and design choices of the magazine (fonts and font sizes, drop-caps, graphical element colour schemes, and so on.
It‟s called a house style because magazine companies are called “publishing houses”. Publishers will usually have a “style guide” document for each magazine, which sets out all the details of the house style.
3. Types of article There are various types of article which could be chosen for a music magazine: o o o o o o
Band/artist features (new bands, established bands or “history” bands) Reviews of new releases Gig reviews and guides Style guides Articles on new unknown bands or emerging music styles and trends Articles on political/contentious issues of relevance to target audience
Each of these is explored on the next page:
as media studies foundation portfolio
Band/artist features A profile, which should do more than just list the achievements of the subject. It should fill in the character and make the reader feel that they are acquainted with the person or group Quotes and description are major elements Extended interviews are often favoured Reviews of new releases These will need to fit in with the agenda of the magazine – in terms of music chosen and language used The are often very personally and informally written, as they are a key way of connecting the values of the magazine with the values of the audience May be ironic, funny, scathing etc Gig reviews and guides These will need to fit in with the agenda of the magazine – in terms of music chosen and language used The are often very personally and informally written (see later for techniques), as they are a key way of connecting the values of the magazine with the values of the audience May be ironic, funny, scathing etc Style guides Tell readers how to look right - Can be written as a narrative feature or a stepby-step guide Heavily image-based Often involve “real” target audience members explaining where/how they got the “look” Could possibly be ad-get features (designed by editorial team to encourage advertising, which is then sought by advertising sales team) Articles on new bands, music styles or trends “Investigative” feature emphasising “discovery” Present the magazine as “cutting edge”/in-the-know Demonstrate the magazine‟s knowledge and understanding of music history and genres May be geographically based ( eg “the new Norwich scene”) May try to create a label (“Britpop”) Articles on political/contentious issues of relevance to target audience Teenagers (a core target audience for music magazines) are supposed to be rebels in some way! (See our work on teen subcultures). Some music magazines have picked up on this sense of opposition and include articles about, say, drugs, or the police, or sexuality, or South American revolutionaries, which will be provocative or shocking to the “boring” mainstream (adult) viewpoint in some way…
Once you have decided on the type of article you want, you can move on to…
as media studies foundation portfolio
Music Journalism – Writing your article(s) Defining a house style In addition to your choices of fonts, colour schemes etc that you will have worked on in your design ideas, you need to decide what your magazine‟s house style will be in the following language areas. Consider these questions before your write your first draft(s). The levels of formality or informality of the writing. Should you use abbreviations (“isn‟t” instead of “is not”)? Should you use slang or colloquialisms (“ain‟t”)? Should you use profanities (swear words)? Should you use long, complex sentences to give an intellectual, mature, serious tone, or short, punchy sentences to connote a hard-hitting, forthright approach? Should your style be serious or jokey? Should you use first person pronouns (We at “Get Heavy” magazine think…”)? Should you address the reader directly with second person pronouns (“You really have to see this band now”)? The use of personal pronouns contributes strongly towards the relationship between the magazine and the reader. It‟s helpful to conceptualise the relationship you want to achieve between the magazine and the audience (older brother or sister, best mates, superior advisor or whatever) and then decide on the appropriate language choices for your house style.
The structure of an article There are three key elements to the structure of a magazine article: The opening or introduction The body of the article The conclusion The Opening „Openings for stories must grab the reader‟s attention. The first paragraph needs to be interesting. The headline is carefully chosen and so is the typeface. Subheadings are used to break up the type. A blurb (or kicker) at the top, in heavier type, summarises the story or uses quotes to attract the reader‟ Pip Wilson, magazine editor Types of opening The question intro The anecdote intro The quote intro The shock intro The description intro The summary intro
as media studies foundation portfolio
The body of the article Pace and structure o Articles should develop to give the reader only as much information as is needed to keep them interested. Too much, too soon kills the article and will bore the reader Personalise and quote o Human interest is one of the most important elements of interesting articles. Quotation should be used sparingly, though (unless it is an interview); use quotes to reveal important facts or points. Pull quotes are important to layout. Paragraphs and flow o Regular patterns of paragraphing are preferred, often broken up with subheads or pull quotes. They should flow so that the reader does not feel jolting changes of subject. The conclusion Magazine readers should be encouraged to read to the end of an article. The conclusion should tie everything up and sum up the significance of the article. Conclude with: o an anecdote or story that explains the point of the article o a return to some earlier statement that now means more than it did o revealing an explosive piece of information o an unexpected twist or development o a call to action or a recommendation Of course, some double page spreads have MORE THAN ONE ARTICLE on them!
This week‟s homework Write the first draft of your feature article or articles for your music magazine project. This should be word processed and around 750-1000 words in length. (Less if your DPS is going to have more than one article) and email it to your teacher.