Question 3

 What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

The institution that I would want to publish my magazine Helter Skelter would be the publisher Bauer Media. Bauer Media is the biggest publishing conglomerate in Europe. Bauer Media is responsible for distributing over two hundred and thirty household publications including Q and Kerrang! Bauer Media also distributes to seventeen different countries including The UK, Germany, France, USA, Mexico and China! Bauer also employs of four thousand people around the globe making Bauer Media one of the biggest media employers in the world. 

Bauer Media is consumed by over forty two million people everyday in Europe alone. They are available to consumer in countless different ways. Including Magazine, Television and Radio. Bauer is responsible for some of the biggest music channel's available on satellite television. Including, 4Music, The Box and Smash Hits! This would be fantastic in making my magazine available to the more converging members of my audience, through the medium of a multi platform. 

Bauer Media is also known for annexing other media publishing rivals, including the most recent casualty of dwindling consumers Emap PLC Media and Radio In 2008, Making Bauer Media the biggest publishing group in the UK. This would reinforce my decision to choose Bauer Media as my publishing group. 

The distributing group I have chosen to distribute my magazine, is Frontline. Frontline (which was purchased by Bauer Media in 2007) is one of the biggest distributors in the UK. Frontline sells magazines through over 55,000 retailers across the UK and Ireland. This is the main reason why I have chosen Frontline distributors as my distributors because; for my magazine to thrive and reach my target audience, I need a wide spread of distribution to reach my audience. 

Frontline distribute through the biggest retailers, to specialist newsagents and to small independent shops. Frontline’s primary function is to manage the end to end magazine distribution of 160+ titles from printer to store. Frontline ensures that the biggest brands in the magazine market reach retail shelves in the right quantity and at the right time. This involves managing relationships with Printers, Carriers, Wholesalers and Retailers on behalf of  they're publishing partners: Bauer Media, H Bauer, Haymarket and Immediate Media Company. 

Question 2

How does the media Product represent a particular social group?

My magazine is primarily designed to represent 16-40 year old and a most importantly, consumers with a passion for music nostalgia. I feel that by creating my magazine pages, I feel I have successfully portrayed my target audience and social groups. 

I preliminary designed my magazine to cover to look similar magazine to that of the Rolling Stone magazine. Rolling Stone is targeted towards a more intellectual type of consumer, so I wanted to create a cover that would try and attract consumers, who were intellectual readers. Similarly to the Rolling Stone cover below, The main image on the cover is on a different layer to that of the masthead; hence overlapping the masthead. I felt this was necessary in making a magazine of the similar audience of Rolling Stone. The subsidiary artists (left and right of the main image) try and engage with consumers when they are browsing for magazine's. Similarly to the Rolling Stone Magazine, I have included a Top 50 Albums article inside the magazine; and also situated a reference to it on the front cover of my magazine. I felt this was essential to attract my social group, because my target audience would want to find out a subjective view on "The Top 50 Albums of the 20th Century" and engage and infer with other readers, via my magazine multi-platform format. 

The contents page of my magazine is also has a similar design of that of the contents page of Rolling Stone: Issue 968. 

Both of the contents incorporate the issue number on both of the magazines. I used this because its a useful device for members/collectors to use when collecting or just simply to remind the audience of the quality and longevity of the magazine. Similarly to the rolling stone contents page, I have incorporated two images on my contents page two images, I felt this would give the reader an insight on to who would feature on the magazine and make them see who the magazine would focus on in this particular issue. At the bottom of the page I have incorporated a website address, this would help the technophile members of my target social group interact with other members of their social group and view exclusive content from their favourite artists. 

The double page article of my music magazine is based on a different magazine that the prior two pages. My double page article is based on an article from the punk/metal magazine Kerrang! One page (left) has a main image that predominately takes over most of the page, (sparing the footer bar and the main title). The attire of both of the artists (from both of the magazines) are representative of the social groups of the target audience. The attire of the artist that appears in Helter Skelter is representatives of the younger members of my target audience.  Both of the main articles contain a sell line at the top of the page, which gives my social group a view into the "extraordinary" lives of the artist in question. The font that is used on my title of the article is similar of that of the contents and cover page. This would appeal to the conservative members of my target audience social groups.