Initial Response Questionnaire

Initial response questionnaire-

What do audiences expect of a music magazine?

 

Target Audience -
I do not want to create a questionnaire  relating to different target audiences because I think the indie/indie rock genre is very much aimed at a specific target group. For this reason I am deciding now, that my target  audience will be ages 16-25 (gender neutral), quick research and analysis did show that this would be the most suitable target audience for the genre of music I want to do. As I am in this age bracket and have an interest in the genre I think this will also come as a benefit because I have an insight into what the target audience may expect, however I will be referring back to my audience during planning and drafting stages to ensure I am fulfilling their expectations.
Questionnaire -

In order to gain relevant research about the genre of magazine I will be creating (indie/indie rock) I asked a group of 40 people between the ages of 16 and 25 what their favourite genre of music was (see below) and then asked the people who noted down indie rock as their preferred type of music to fill out a separate questionnaire focused on the indie/indie rock genre.

These are the results I gathered from the first part of the research:

Second part of research – what people expect from a music magazine

 

(Specific to the indie/indie rock genre)

1.       How often do you purchase a music magazine?

Once a week……………………1

Once a fortnight…………………1

Once a month……………………..5

Never…………………………………..2

 

2.       If you do purchase music magazines, which one are you most likely to buy?

NME………………………..2                 Rolling Stone……………………..1

Kerrang!...............        1               Spin………………………..

Clash……………………….    4            Mojo……………………

Q …………………………….     1

 

3.       What features would you find most interesting within a music magazine? (select multiple)

Exclusive interviews……………..5            News & Gossip………………………..3

Photo shoots………………………..  1           Exposing new artists……………………………..5

Upcoming festivals/gigs………. 4            Posters/Competitions………………………….

Album reviews…………………….   1         Recent releases……………………..2

 

4.       Out of the following, who are your favourite indie/indie rock artists? (select multiple)

Nirvana………………………….1

The Kooks……………….5

Catfish and the Bottlemen..................3

Foals……………………5

The 1975………………….3

Half Moon Run………………….2

Oasis……………….4

Two Door Cinema Club………………4

Bombay Bicycle Club……………………..1

Other (please state)………………………………..

 

5.       What colours do you think represent the indie/indie rock genre? (select multiple)

Black…………………….   3             Red……………………1

White…………………..   5             Orange……………….2

Blue……………………..   1             Brown………………..2

Green………………….                   Yellow………………..1

Grey……………………    4             Other (please state)……………………

 

6.       How much money would you be willing to pay for a music magazine?

£1 and less………………1

£1-£2………………………2

£2-£3……………...........5

£3-£4………………………

£4+………………………….1

7.       Which font do you think will be most suitable for the front cover of a magazine?

 

8.       What kind of style would attract you?

Edgy……………………. 2            Plain……………………..

Colourful……………..              Bright………………….2

Cluttered……………1               Sharp/Clean………….4

Neat/Tidy……………

 

9.       Which name for an indie/indie rock magazine do you prefer?

Muse…………………. 2           Fusion…………….

Nerve………………….4           Blur…………1

Vertical…………..                  Escape…………….1

Impact…………….                 Amped…………..1

 

 

Analysis of Questionnaire:

 

I asked 9 people to fill out my above questionnaire about the indie/ indie rock genre, the findings of this questionnaire will be highly valuable when planning the first few drafts of my magazine, I will use the findings as a base to designing my magazine. 5 out of the 9 people I asked said they purchased a music magazine once a month, considering this, my magazine will be released on a monthly basis.

The reason for me asking what magazine people are most likely to buy was to get an insight into the popularity of different magazine brands. Clash and NME appeared to be most popular and so taking this into account I will be using these two magazine styles as inspiration for designing my magazine as well as this I will also analyse them in order to get a grasp of house styles and techniques used to grab audience attention. I think it is very important to understand what features of a magazine are most popular, this way I will ensure my double page spread includes at least one of these features, to entice maximum audiences. From the research I gathered I will either advertise or include an exclusive interview, a list of new artists, and upcoming gigs and festivals. Despite, the cover feature of my magazine going to be a relatively new and upcoming artist, I asked people whom their favourite indie/indie rock artist was, because this way I can make sure to add in plugs about them.

From my questionnaire I found that Oasis, The Kooks and Foals were some of the most popular and so I will be using plugs and extra details to grab audience attention. From feedback I received, grey, white and black were colours associated with the indie rock genre, although I will take this into account, I personally think it is important to include bright colours to attract people to the magazine and so I will have to find a way of incorporating a mixture of dull/grunge tones alongside bright colours. I could do this by having a darker background and a bright text or feature photograph or vice versa. The most popular price range for a magazine to be ranged at was between £2 and £3 and so this will be an aspect I will consider when pricing my magazine. The question regarding the font I should use for my music magazine was quite an important aspect I need to get right because I think the font makes the overall house style and makes the magazine recognisable and unique from others. I selected a wide range of fonts I thought could work and ask people to choose their favourite, the font “copperplate” seemed to be most popular and so I will be using this in drafts, however if I do decide to opt for a different one, I will choose one that suits the style of magazine I want to create, saying this after asking which style was most appealing, I think that the font copperplate will work with the sharp/clean style of the magazine.

Finally, I asked what name was most preferred for an indie/indie rock magazine. Alongside the font, I think that this is another crucial element to get right. 4/9 people I asked chose the name “Nerve”, I think  that with the genre of my magazine being indie/indie rock this works quite well and I think could add a bit of edginess, contrasting with the sharp/clean style of my music magazine.