Details Matter

Many characteristics for my magazine will be determined on how I plan to have my magazine distributed and how I plan on having my magazine distributed depends on my target audience.

Now,  my magazine targets all lovers of rock music, but after looking at Rolling Stone magazine and Kerrang!'s statistics, the majority of their consumers are white males from the age 25-64, the majority of Rolling Stone's being primarily 45-60 and Kerrang!'s being 15-34. 

Since the majority of Rolling Stone's consumers are older men and I assume I will have a similar audience, so I've decided to distribute my magazine through subscriptions. I will also have them distributed in book stores and music stores. My magazines will NOT be available at grocery stores or pharmacy stores (CVS, Walgreens). Because my magazine will be primarily subscription, I've decided to keep cover lines to a minimum. People will already know what they're getting if they are subscribers. The content will be evident to the book and music store purchasers through few cover lines or just by flipping through, as most people do in book and music stores.

Examples of little to no cover lines:

        '

On the Lana Del Rey cover, there are cover lines to the right as well as other featured musicians at the top of the magazine, above the masthead. I like the clean look of not having an overwhelming amount of cover lines. If I decide to go the route with no cover lines whatsoever, I may include featured artists at the top, as Rolling Stone does here. I'll do this just so consumers know what else they're getting before opening my magazine. The Kanye West cover evidently has no cover lines at all. This will work for my subscribers, since I won't be relying on distribution through grocery stores, new stands, etc. I like how simple this look is and how it gives all the focus to the artist on the cover page. I don't think I'll have a final decision on what I plan on doing until I actually create the cover.


Citations:
- Rollingstone.com Traffic and Demographic Statistics by Quantcast. (n.d.). Retrieved March 22, 2017, from https://www.quantcast.com/rollingstone.com#demographicsCard
- * All products require an annual contract.    Prices do not include sales tax    (New York residents only). (n.d.). Kerrang! magazine: monthly reach by demographic UK 2015 | Statistic. Retrieved March 22, 2017, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/381704/kerrang-monthly-reach-by-demographic-uk/
- Summertime Sadness: Lana Del Rey Charms On The Cover Of Rolling Stone (PHOTOS). (2014, July 16). Retrieved March 25, 2017, from https://globalgrind.com/3993200/lana-del-rey-cat-rolling-stone-magazine-cover-photos-interview/
- A. (2016, February 04). Kanye West Covers Rolling Stone Magazine. Retrieved March 25, 2017, from http://hiphop-n-more.com/2016/02/kanye-west-covers-rolling-stone-magazine/