Opening and closing of my essay

OPENING:
Media as a whole has substantially changed over the recent years with the creation of web 2.0 giving viewers of opportunity to have a say in what is presented online. This change has affected the music magazine business creating websites such as NME.com and metalhammer.com where there magazine information can be presented for the public to see. This change in digital technology has created good and bad opportunities for the magazine business overall giving them a way of aiding there consumers’ needs in more than just the original paper copies of magazines and giving them the opportunity to show views information that could not be put onto paper (videos, galleries etc.) “Technology is shifting power away from the editor’s, the publishers, the establishment, the media elite, now it’s the people who are taking control” - Murdock.

 CLOSING:
It’s difficult to give a straight answer as to if the magazine business has a steady future, however in my opinion I believe there is still business for the hard copies of magazines, and I believe the business will weaken however it will always be there for consumer demand. Every magazine has an audience for it, of which a high percentage will still want hard copies for practically, collection reasons, preference or anything else. The magazine business is a massive business which has been going successfully for a long time and the loss of it would not only create a massive change within everyday life(could cause the fall of a lot of companies e.g. W H Smiths, newsagents etc.) but it’s also a loss of traditional form of reading and entertainment.

Future of Music Magazines Powerpoint Flumperdoodle

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Exemplar response to Section B: Magazine Industry

In recent times the media industry has witnessed meteoric rise in new technologies.  The advancement of the internet, for example, as it entered its second phase enables consumers to access media in new and unparalleled ways.  For the magazine industry, this has presented both challenges and opportunities.

Print media is mostly in decline, a worry of course for producers of magazines.  Therefore they must assess just how important technological convergence is for helping their magazine to survive in the long run.

The Future Plc title Metal Hammer is a monthly rock and metal magazine, that has existed since 1994. In that time, Metal Hammer has built a reputation as a bible of both modern and traditional metal music. It’s publisher, Future, is an independent company with a portfolio of magazines aimed at niche market sectors.  As a whole, Future, has performed well in a declining market, with Metal Hammer and Classic Rock reporting increases in circulation, with Metal Hammer reaching a circulation of 50,269 and classic rock 70, 188 (ABC, Dec 08).  Perhaps Futures strategies involving technological convergence have something to do with this success.  One of their ‘pillars’ of business strategies  is to implore upon their existing convergences in order to further appeal to prosumers.  This is important; Future defines ‘prosumers’ as “young men or young-at-heart men (Future licensing.com). In general this demographic will be one of the most technologically involved, in the know about the latest technologies.  They are also, incidentally the most valuable demographics for advertisers.  In this respect, convergence is extremely important for Future and indeed Metal Hammer in retaining advertising revenue.  Advertising revenue has already fallen for Future, as they already saw a 15% drop in advertising from December 08-March 09 (futurelicensing.com, 2009).  It is therefore, vital that they use technological convergences to remain advanced enough to attract advertisers.

Metal Hammer’s target audience is a young audience, interested in music, “converging adults”, according to futurelicensing.com The National Readership survey 08, the latest available, shows Metal Hammer readers to be 64% male, average age 22.  Again, this is an audience that will be interested in many forms of media. So for Metal Hammer to maintain their loyalty they must fulfil their newly evolving needs (Uses and Gratifications, McQuail).

The Metal Hammer website is a demonstration of convergence, and has proved popular with nearly 60,000 individual visitors since starting (futurelicensing.com).  Alex’s web traffic analysis suggests that visitors are mostly male, aged between 18 and 24 and spend around 2.7 minutes on Metal Hammer.co.uk. Therefore the website has apparently targeted the right audience for Metal Hammer.  Users can interact, voting in polls such as “who has the best slipknot mask?”, giving users the sense that they are contributing to a community. They are also educated and entertained with video exclusives, Metallica Live, and Opeth on tour.  In this way convergence maintains interest in the Metal Hammer brand.  Web 2.0 allows users to submit and generate a content, so Metal Hammer has competition in that users can go elsewhere for such videos .  It is up to Convergence in order to provide the best service for users.

Metal Hammer has also had successful synergies created as a result of convergence.  On 2008, Metal hammer.co.uk encourages users to send in photos taken on their mobiles of them playing “Guitar Heroes”, combining the internet with mobile technology.  The guitar hero synergy  combined with a party sponsored by Metal Hammer at the O2 (Metal Hammer.co.uk), Podcasts have allowed content to be sent faster than ever to multi-media formats.

Indeed, distribution is an interesting issue to consider for the magazines industry.  The internet, podcasts and video channels allow readers to access their wanted content within seconds.  Where as hard copies of a magazine must be ordered or brought from a shop. Indeed it could be suggested that the gathering of content from the internet or mobile has replaced the need for buying the magazine itself, as subscriptions for Metal Hammer rose 8% from Dec-march 09 (futurelicensing.co.uk) suggesting there is not the same novelty when buying a magazine. 

However, whilst technological convergence is important for the magazine industry, publishers must consider that the extra content offered to consumers via convergences in technology, could replace the magazine itself.  IPC’s NME is an example of this as circulation dropped 24.1%, whilst its website has been praised for the amount of content on offer.  Metal Hammer has a unique community created by the interacting mode of address; ‘Join the Crusade’ and writing style filled with expletives ‘F*** You!’, readers of Metal Hammer feel a string sense of unrivalled community within the magazine.  The magazine sticks close to its ideologies of anti-establishment , avant-garde by  featuring adverts appropriate to his such as Attitude Clothing and HMV Metal, whilst the website has adverts by O2, Orange and T-mobile.

Overall techno convergence is important as consumers needs alter and change but for the magazine industry to survive they must make any technological advancements not a replacement for the hard copy of the magazine as Future have so far successfully done.  As online advertising reached 18% for future it is important.

Definitions

Web 1.0

Was the first version of the Internet- a one way communication, from the sender to the receiver.

Web 2.0

What we know the Internet to be now - a two way communication between the sender and receiver

Prosumer 

Combination of consumer and producter (NME & Metal Hammer)

Technological Convergance

New technology coming together (Radio online)

Media Convergance

Online community with allows people to share stories, videos etc

Synergy

When companies come together to produce something that couldn't produce on there own e.g. NME Radio, Magazine, TV channal, Sponsers, Tweets, Facebook updates etc

Viral Marketing

A marketing technique aiming at reproduction "word of mouth", usually on the internet and through exsisting social networks.

UGC

Content that has been generated by the user/customer

USP

Unique selling point, making it different to other magazines. 

POD

 Point of difference

UPB

Unique Percieved Benifit - what the consumer believes they will get from the product

Proliferation

A rapid increase in the number of a certain type of product

Multi platform Series

story told over a range of media, magazine, radio, videos, podcasts

Vertical Intergration

Absorption of serveral firms into a single firm

Statistics for the future of magazines

92% US adults read magazines

Consumers spend more then $86 million each week on single copies of magazines

322 million paid supscriptions 2007 and are rising

Magazine lauches surges 10% from 2009

75% teenagers read magazines

54 magazines closed in 2008 decrease of 17% from 2007

Almost a 1/4 of subscriptions are on the internet

www.magazine.org/tweetable-truths

Skins Analysis

Notes
Going to pub = underage drinking
slow camera movement and focus to show effects of alcohol
Argumentative / causing trouble
focus to show drug use
running from police
cheap / run down looking surroundings
rushing into relationships etc trying to grow up quicker then they are
older people looking down and siappointed
youths happy / care free
not caring about police / still carrying on
police there quickly, waiting for it to happen?

Analysis
The youths within the clip are represented as drug users and being involved in underage drinking within this clip. Minus the obvious (people drinking) this is also shows by using the speed the camera is moving at, the focus of the camera and editing to make the shots look bluury and distorted to give the impression of them being under the influence of something. This use of editing and  camera speed enhances the lack of control and want for freedom expressed stereotypically by teenagers in TV dramas and also later in the clip links it with how the lack of control is used negativeykl, expressing another stereotype of teenagers.

The clip also shows older people as looking down and disappointed in the actions of youths in the current time. This is shows when within the lcip it shows the men drinking the other side of the pub and the man behind the bar as when shows, they are all standing with there arms crossed and glaces towards the youths. This shows not only that the adults are stereotypically grumpy and disappointed with the change in behaviour of youths from there time to the current, but also a slight amount of fear towards them, as the men in the bar came across as not wanting to make full eyecontact with them (glacing out the corner of his eyes to maybe check where they were) and the man behind the bar is shown with his arms crossed, maybe protraying the fact he wants them to be scared of him and trying to have a lsight stand off with them..

Point
Youth is represented through diagenic sound

Evidence
The dialogue is colloquial

Explain
This conforms to a stereotypical view of the young teenagers, that they are rebellious in speaking there own language

Representation of age

	Positive	Negative
Youth	Social Whole life ahead Physically/mentally able Adventurous	Stereotypes though media Controlled/dependant Hormonal Under age (age limits) Impressionable
Old Age	Relax Free Time Respect/wise Stable lives	Forced to retire Physically/mentally unable Patronising Can be patronising Boring

Old Age

Mise en scene Country Side Stair lift Darker rooms Tea & biscuits Whiskey Walking stick / Zimmer frame Grey hair Curlers Wrinkles	Cinematography Focus to reflect bad eyesight Close ups to show wrinkles Panning / slow movement
Sound Grammar phone Creaking Cracking bones Formal speak Complaining	Editing

Youth

Mise en scene Country Side Stair lift Darker rooms Tea & biscuits Whiskey Walking stick / Zimmer frame Grey hair Curlers Wrinkles	Cinematography Focus to reflect bad eyesight Close ups to show wrinkles Panning / slow movement
Sound Grammar phone Creaking Cracking bones Formal speak Complaining	Editing