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

The magazine marketplace in the UK is crammed with thousands of consumer titles and most don't make it past their forth year. If my magazine was going to stand a chance of success then it would need to be placed with one of the country's leading publishers such as IPC. IPC is a subsidiary of international media giants Time Warner and they sell a range of lifestyle magazines to cater to mainstream and niche tastes. My magazine fills an emerging gap between Kerrang (Bauer) and NME (IPC). My magazine does have some similarities with this magazine but not enough as to be seen as competition as this would make no sense to the publisher. It targets a younger audience and therefore would be a competitor to Bauer's Kerrang. Whilst established brands have their loyal followers, a new title to could be seen as offering a fresh take in terms of design, content and it's cross media and new media links.


My magazine's unique selling point would be that it deals with bands that are less popular although mostly still famous bands. I'm trying to appeal to a smaller audience rather than a mainstream audience. People like to think that they are part of an exclusive club rather than the mainstream and although I would want as large a circulation as possible for my magazine, I would also want it to feel like a cult magazine that belonged to a defined group.


My magazine targets a similar demographic to Kerrang and therefore I think it should follow a similar distribution model. It would be sold in supermarkets such as Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury and would also be sold in newsagents and maybe book shops. Even though my magazine is looking at a more niche audience, I still think that my magazine could be a wide seller because it would appeal to people who are looking to discover new music. I would also try to develop the concept of subscriptions because this establishes a more certain funding source.

If my magazine was to sponsor anything it could include HMV, iTunes, Spotify and any major companies that are to do with selling music. My magazine doesn't persuade readers to buy but it does give them information on how to buy and recommendations.

My magazine would have it's own website and maybe even a television advert to help encourage the target audience to go out and buy the magazine. If I was to use IPC as a publisher, they could help to advertise my magazine as well in their other publications that target a similar audience. This is called cross advertising and is a major benefit of belonging to a large media company.