Evaluation Question Four

Who would be the audience for your media product?

My magazine 'The Mix' contains music artists within the Rap and RnB genre. My target audience will therefore be similar to those of Vibe, XXL and The Source. I will aim my magazine at males aged 15-25, this is because I am in this category and therefore can relate to my target market. I believe my magazine also appeals to males more than females, as the colours arevery bold. (black, white and red) I still believe my target market is young males, however this still can include females as they also like Rap, but I don't think they like it as much as young males. A typical Rap orientated male is shown on the BBC website, it shows what they do and types of clothes they wear etc. (click here to see a typical urban/rap male)

To find the ideal age group to aim my magazine I also looked at other genres of music magazine and their target age groups:

NME - Males between 18 and 30.

Kerrang! - Males between 15 and 40.

Vibe - Males between 16 and 30.

Q - Males and Females between 16 and 30.

The most relevant magazine above is Vibe, as it is similar to my magazine. I still intend to aim mine at males aged 15 - 25, mainly because I can relate to them as I am in that age group. Below is a grab from the BBC website, and two pictures of typical Urban wear.

What they do:

The urban group enjoy listening and making their own music, in the studio or just making rhymes in the street. They also like to remix songs, as well as MC or freestyle against each other. They mainly play football or basketball as sports, mainly because they can play with all their friends, and also many role models may play the sport in their leisure, for example the American rappers like 50 Cent and Eminem enjoy basketball. The website UK tribes also states the Urban group chose 'really enjoy sport' more than any other group. As for music they may go to small gigs rather than larger mainstream gigs, they may go to V festival or Wireless as they often play RnB and Rap music.

Where they shop:

People who fall into the Urban group like to wear named brands, so that others can see they wear that brand. Specific shops may include JD Sports, Adidas, Nike and New Era. I believe my target audience shop at these places as they wear comfortable clothing, which is still original so they stand out. The New Era is a type of brand for baseball caps, these are popular with the Urban group as many Rapartists wear them. They tend to wear baggy or straight jeans with a plain t-shirt or colourful jacket, unlike Indies who wear skinny jeans, check shirts and plimsols.

Music they listen to:

The music I believe my target audience would listen to will be similar to what I like. For example: 50 Cent, Eminem, Drake, Devlin, Tupac and Jay-z. I believe the Urban group mainly look up to these artists as they all have rose up from the bottom. There are not many Rap groups as each artist has their own style, the only Rap group I can think of would be Roll Deep. I also believe they listen to more males than females, this is because there are more male rap artists than female. The female rap artists consist of a small number, with Niki Minaj and Missy Elliott being the main female rap artists.

What they watch:

The Rap scene is shown on music channels such as Channel AKA, Kiss and MTV Base. The music channels are mainly where they listen to their music, where as Indie and Rock prefer to go to a gig to listen to their music. They listen to it on T.V so they can have it on in the background when they are socializing round someone's house, or at parties. Watching the music channels can also help them find clothes to wear, as they may want to have the same clothes as their favourite rapper. Asfor usual T.V they would watch 'The fresh prince of bel air', 'The Inbetweeners' and maybe 'Skins'. This is mainly because these are targeted at the younger adults, and most Urban and Rap people are teenagers. I believe 'the fresh prince of bel air' is definitely the most relevant as it is about Will Smith, who grew to be a famous rap artist, and now actor.

Socio Economic Groups

I decided to research the wealth of my target audience. As I am aiming at teenagers who are mainly unemployed it would be group E. however, young adults will also read my magazine, so it may fall into groups C1 and C2 too. I am not narrowing my target audience down to purely groups C1, C2 and E though, this is because anyone can enjoy rap music. It does not technically be based on wealth, but I do think the lower groups will be more reliable, as teenagers and young adults would not have top paid jobs at a young age.

The price of my magazine is £3.99, I believe this is relatively cheap for a monthly magazine. I chose the lower price as my target market are young, and may not have well paid jobs, or any job at all. Therefore having a small price will encourage them to buy my magazine as it is affordable and includes their favourite music.