Script/guide for question 3: What kind of media institution might distribute your

media product and why?

For the music magazine that I have produced during this project, I have decided
that the type of institution I want to distribute my magazine has to be
experienced in the publication of magazines and be able to give me the
knowledge and guidance to make my product have the biggest audience and
profitable status as possible. The decision of the institution is one of the most
important as this is the crucial part to whether the magazine is a success or a
failure. Magazine publishers are responsible for making their publications an
editorial and commercial success. They define the editorial position and manage
business operations so that the magazine provides readers with high quality
content while maximizing revenue and profit. They take control of:
Direction (Publishers establish a direction and market position for the
magazine so that it conveys a clear identity to readers and advertisers)
Content (The magazines content must reflect its editorial position. The
publisher recruits a team of writers, photographers and editors to create
entertaining, informative and newsworthy articles that appeal to the target
audience)
Advertising (Advertising is a critical source of income for magazines.
Publishers recruit an advertising sales team to sell space to advertisers or
their agencies. They oversee production of a media kit which includes
essential demographic and lifestyle information on the magazines
readership, in addition to circulation figures, editorial policy and case studies
of successful advertising campaigns)
Financial control (Publishers must balance revenue from subscriptions, retail
sales and advertising with staff, production and distribution costs to ensure
the magazine makes a profit. They set budgets and make decisions about
ways to improve profitability by increasing revenue or reducing costs. They
may decide to produce an online publication rather than incur printing and
distribution costs, for example. They may aim to increase revenue by
repositioning the magazine to appeal to a wider base of readers and
advertisers)
Profile (Publishers aim to raise the profile of their magazine by representing it
at conferences and public events. E.g. promoting magazine at music festival
or in fashion/ music stores (Urban Outfitters) to attract audience to create a
successful profile
Magazines are publications, usually periodical publications, that are printed or
electronically published (the online versions are called online magazines.) They
are generally published on a regular schedule and contain a variety of content.
They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by prepaid
subscriptions, or a combination of the three.
As distribution is then needed for the publication to be spread across the
country, a clear plan is needed to maximise profits.
Magazines can be distributed through the mail, through sales by newsstands,
bookstores, or other vendors, or through free distribution at selected pick-up
locations. The subscription business models for distribution fall into three main
categories.

Time Inc - IPC Media- publishing company (Formerly International Publishing

Corporation and IPC Media), a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Inc. In 1998, IPC
Magazines Ltd was subject to a management buyout financed by Cinven and the
company was renamed IPC Media. Cinven then sold the company to Time Inc.,
then the magazine publishing subsidiary of Time Warner, in 2001. IPC Media
formally became Time Inc. UK in September 2014, creating a single Time Inc.
brand in both the US and UK
Time Inc is one of the leading and most influential digital publishing companies,
selling a reputable 350 million copies each year and a large portfolio of over 60
well-known brands. Some of the institutions most successful brands include
NME, Now, InStyle and Uncut. The company covers a variety of different genres
and types of magazines so that a wide variety of people are attracted to read the
magazines. As this company is well established in the industry, this means that it
would be a great institution to have publish my magazine for my indie genre will
stand out against the other magazines and attract a different audience, bringing
my magazine and the institution more publicity.
As the company has published other music magazines like NME, it shows that the
institution has previous experience in attracted a music based audience,
meaning that they will entice the type of audience that I want and increase my
sales.
Where might the money come from to publish my magazine?I would follow the same method as Clash magazine and try to entice a selection
of publication companies into my magazine through different advertising
methods so they can see that my magazine has a gap in the market. I would aim
to attract the company IPC Media as they have lots of experience with
publicizing successful magazines, and with their extensive experience, I feel they
would be able to acquire the profit needed for my magazine to be a success.
Financial control (Publishers must balance revenue from subscriptions, retail
sales and advertising with staff, production and distribution costs to ensure the
magazine makes a profit. They set budgets and make decisions about ways to
improve profitability by increasing revenue or reducing costs. They may decide
to produce an online publication rather than incur printing and distribution costs,
for example. They may aim to increase revenue by repositioning the magazine to
appeal to a wider base of readers and advertisers)- relying on circulation fees
and investing of a wider variety of businesses begin publishing that would be
advertised in the magazine to benefit both parties. The magazine would begin
with being available at festivals and gigs to attract the typical audience and start
making a identity for the magazine. To make free gifts apart of the magazines
ploy to attract an audience is a smart way in giving the audience something
extra compared to current indie magazines. This is seen in my magazine as I am
giving away a free demo single of The Lyons new music. Once a real status has
been acquired for my magazine, it would be wise to make it available on
websites such as Stack- to allow easy subscription to the magazine every month
in the indie genre. It would be good to feature then feature free digital access
with subscriptions, to keep up with the modern, technological audience.
What your magazine is similar to 'institutionally' (name some magazines which
would be released in a similar way)

Clash, Fader and Dazed are all institutionally similar due to their indie genre,
similar creative styling. Id hope to have the same success as these magazines
by starting small letting the publicity grow.
The Fader Magazine: 41.00 for 12 month subscription- 6 issues (6.83 each)
Whsmiths
Under The Rader: 21.00 for 12 month subscription- 4 issues (5.25 each)
Whsmiths
Dazed: 20.00 for 12 month subscription- 6 issues (3.33 each)- Whsmiths sale
price
My magazine markets at 4.00 which is average compared to these magazine
sale prices. This means that my magazine has room to grow in the industry as it
isnt too expensive to deter people from buying a new magazine, but it isnt too
cheap for the audience to think that it is poor quality and unpopular.

You need to refer to actual company names and processes so you will need to
maybe do a bit more research into magazine publishers like Emap
EMAP Ltd is a British media company, specialising in the production of businessto-business magazines, and the organisation of business events and
conferences. The company was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but is
now owned by Apax and Guardian Media Group. EMAP is part of Top Right Group.
It has connections with radio and television to branch out into other areas of the
media market. This company would be great to be published by as their
connection across the media spectrum is so wide that they would be able to
attract an audience easily. Emap distributes the fashion magazine Drapers, which
is a successful fashion and retail magazine this would also be a good company to
have distribute my magazine, as they have clear experience in the field and their
experience would mean for a successful outcome for my magazine profits. As
they have made a variety of magazine over their time including Smash Hits,
retail weekly, MEED and Eye magazine this means that they havent produced a
n indie music magazine yet, which suggests that they would be interested as this
is a field that they havent published for, meaning they would gain a new
audience and my magazine would stand out against their previous publishing.