Institutions Research and Analysis

Prezi

On this Prezi, I worked on the section about IPC Media. IPC Media is one of the four main companies in the oligopoly that own the majority of magazines, alongside Bauer, Hearst and Conde Nast. Amongst the music magazines IPC Media owns is NME. IPC Media is a long-running company, having been publishing magazines since 1963. IPC Media is split into five different smaller companies, each of which works into a different section of magazines. One section covers men's and music magazines, one covers high-end women's magazines, one covers mass women's magazines, and one covers advertising.

The Magazines That I Have Analysed

RWD - RWD is a self-published magazine based in London. RWD has been running since 2001, and you can currently read the magazine online as well as buying it. RWD has been involved in a scandal in 2007, when discussion on the website's online forums about a scandal with footballer Ashley Cole led to the forums being shut down. RWD magazine mainly focuses on the rap and urban genres of music, however it also covers sport, gaming, film, technology and style as well. RWD, being self-run, is not connected to any of the four companies in the oligopoly.

Billboard - Billboard is owned by Prometheus Global Media, an American company, which claims Billboard to be "music's most powerful brand." Billboard has been around as a brand since 1894. Billboard's main office and headquarters is located in New York. Billboard's website, Billboard.com, was set up in 1995 and has over 10 million visitors every month.

Because neither of my magazines have any connection to the companies in the oligopoly, and I can name several other significant music magazines, including Clash and Spin, which are not connected to the oligopoly, this suggests to me that the main oligopoly have less influence on the music magazine industry than it used to in previous years.

My Magazine

I believe that my music magazine would fit into the market as an independently published magazine, similarly to RWD. Being mainly a hip-hop magazine, it would appeal to a similar audience to RWD does as well.

New Technologies in Music Magazines

With the developing of new camera technologies, opportunities for new photography styles are becoming readily available. One example of the use of a new photography style would be the RWD February 2012 front cover image, taken to look like the featured artist has been decapitated and his head left on the roads of a street. In previous years, such technology would not be readily available for an independent company like RWD.

Another new technology available is online magazines, found on websites like Issuu, and magazine apps on the iPad. These allow more people to read magazines without spending the money to buy the magazine, as long as they have access to the technology. This, in the terms of a music magazine, allows readers to come from any demographic, and access magazines that may not be published or sold in their area.