Lesson for 19th Oct 12 music magazines

7/31/2019 Lesson for 19th Oct 12 music magazines

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Todays lesson

1. To look at the music magazine Smash Hits

1. Has online music press effected or effectingthe print music press? Investigating the pros

and cons of both online and print press.

2. A group task


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Where do you hear about

new music?


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Institution & Audience

Smash Hits teen-pop magazine ran for roughly 3decades; 1978 to 2006. It revolutionised the

world of teen publishing when it was launched.

It was issued every fortnight & targeted young

and older teenagers.

The publisher for the magazine was the

company Emap (who are now know as Top Right

Group)


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In the 80s, Smash Hits was at its peak as themagazine defined that specific era. Even

though it represented pop, it also included apage dedicated to another genre i.e. Indie.

In the late 80s, during its peak time, theadvertising revenue was seeping away. So by1989, Smash Hits lost 840,000 readers.

In 90s, BBCs magazine Top Of The Pops waspublished which created competition.


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Smash Hits focus had changed dramatically. Itwent from being the ultimate teen-pop

magazine to an entertainment magazine.

Emap decided to terminate a number of their

publications, which included Smash Hits dueto not being any demand for the magazine.

However Smash Hits still exists throughanother medians and launches specialeditions once a year.


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Representation

Smash Hits had built themselves the imagebeing the ultimate representation of pop. Thisis not only through their front cover and the

contents of the magazine, but through theSmash Hits Poll Winners Partywhich was anaward ceremony voted by the readers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nRX4miNXVQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nRX4miNXVQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nRX4miNXVQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nRX4miNXVQhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nRX4miNXVQ


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The image ofSmash Hits


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Freebies

Throughout their published years, Smash Hits

offered a number of freebies with their

magazine associated to the genre of pop i.e.

calendars, posters, CDs, stickers.

But the magazines core ingredient for their

early success and was their number 1 gimmick

was.


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Mark Frith (the editor ofSmash Hits) had this

to say about the termination of the magazine:

"Today's teens want faster, deeper information

about music and can now satisfy their hunger

by accessing information about music on a

whole range of new platforms including TV,

the internet, mobiles and so on."


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Has online music press

effecting the print musicpress?


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Advantages of the Music press in print

Popular in reaching its target audience veryuseful for advertisers as it will have a loyal

readership. Has an niche audience.

Magazines and newspapers are constantly in

view of the public

Free gifts are available

Its embedded into our memory and has morevalue


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Disadvantages of Music press in print

It is not always accessible when you want toread an article.

The price of the magazine maybe to costly forthe target audience.

You are not able to listen or watch full musicvideos

After reading the magazine, you have to throwit away

Information you wanted to know about aparticular artist might be outdated by the timeit appears in the magazine.


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Advantages of Online press

Have access to music press anywhere i.e.social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc), YouTube,through your phone etc.

Everyone from around the world can have

access to the music press website. Fans/readers can post their thoughts about a

particular subject posted in the music press.

So a sense of a community (this includesbloggers and fanzines magazines).

Technology is always changing so there arenew ways to follow the music press i.e. an app


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Disadvantages of Online press

It is a content-led format and depends verymuch on results from search engines

Anyone can copy a piece of music press from

the Internet! Advertisements on the music press website

could be seen as clutter.

There are too many music press websites tochoose from so it may loose readers.


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Documents

Lesson for 19th Oct 12 music magazines