Task 4 - IPC Publishers
- 1. TASK 4 RESEARCH INTO MUSIC INDUSTRIES AS Media Coursework
- 2. WHAT TYPES OF MAGAZINE AND TARGET AUDIENCES HAS IPC BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH OVER THE YEARS? The IPC publications have been associated with a vast amount of different magazines aiming at all different target groups. IPC was formed with the merge of 3 of the UK’s magazine publishers – George Newnes, Odhams Press and Fleetway Publications in 1963. 1800’s saw ‘The Field’ being launched and within a year became the largest newspaper in Europe. A further 8 titles were published: Country Life, Horse & Hound, Shooting Times, Amateur Gardening, Cycling Weekly, Amateur Photographer and The Railway. Early 1900’s: Yachting Monthly, Cage Birds and Motor Boat was published. Four of IPC’s traditional women’s weeklies ‘Woman’s Weekly’ was launched. Homes & Gardens was also published. 1920’s: Woman’s Own was launched, and also Caravan, Stamp Magazine and Prediction were published. 1950’s: The arrival of NME (New Musical Express) and TV Times. 1960’s: Saw the birth of ‘Shoot!’ and Rugby World, World Soccer, Angler’s Mail and Family Circle. 1970’s: Successful launches included Aeroplane Monthly, Sporting Gun and Superbike 1980’s: Launch of the UK edition of Marie Claire. 1990’s: What’s On TV makes a triumphant entrance. 2000-Today: Launch of ‘Nuts’, Pick Me Up, and TV Easy.
- 3. CONTINUED… In the early stages the magazines produced and launched are far more targeted at an older audience. The topics that are concerned are very much related to the more wealthy for e.g. Yachting, Horses, Railways. In this period of the 1800’s only the rich could afford these hobbies and only the rich could really afford to buy magazines. As the years progress there is a movement towards women, maybe through their research they have found out more women than men read magazines. A large collection of women’s magazines were launched for e.g. Ideal Home, Woman and Home and Woman’s Own. There seems to be a real trend of the stereotype that females are housewives, and its only women who have the free time to read magazines. The 1950’s saw another change in movement; the TV. In 1955 was the arrival of TV in the UK and following this the IPC brought out the TV Times, again most likely only aimed at the more wealthy. In 1952 saw the launch of NME a music magazine aimed at late teenagers through to early 20’s. TV and music were very big, this is why IPC took a swerve from Women and sporting activities. After the hype of the TV and music IPC go back to sport. The 1970’s saw the arrival of Aeroplane, Sporting Gun and Super Bike. These would have been targeted at sporting fans, and people who play sport.
- 4. WHAT MIGHT IPC BE AN APPROPRIATE PUBLISHER FOR A NEW MUSIC MAGAZINE? The IPC would be appropriate as a publisher for a new music magazine for the following reasons: They have been identified as reliable and distinguished publishers. They have a good grounding in many different types of magazines, they publish all different varieties of magazines. They already publish a very successful music magazine called NME (New Musical Express) so they have the knowledge and know how to advertise and merchandise a new music magazine. The IPC are a trusted publisher, they publish millions of magazines, with most of them being best sellers; overthrowing many competitors.
- 5. WHAT SORT OF GENRE/TYPE OF MUSIC MAGAZINES ARE THE LIKELY TO PUBLISH? The IPC are likely to publish a music magazine that hasn’t been put on the market before. They would find a gap in the market, do their research and find a genre that people want to know more about, and read about. They have to be careful not to be too niched, as they could only attract a small number of readers and the magazine would collapse. A lot of target research would have to be done to make sure there is a market for the particular genre they want to publish. IPC would also publish popular magazine genres as they know they would sell for e.g Hip-Hop, RnB, Pop, Dance and Dub- Step. This would atrract a large target audience so they would be sold and a wealthy profit would be made; this instead of taking the risk of a niche, gap in the market genre like ‘indie-pop’, ‘electro’.
- 6. WHY MIGHT AN ALTERNATIVE PUBLISHER LIKE BAUER BE APPROPRIATE? Research into Bauer
- 7. CONTINUED… Bauer has a very large target group of mainly women (mature). They publish many gossip, puzzle, and factual magazine. I believe that Bauer are no more appropriate to launch a new music magazine over IPC, as they attract a totally different target audience. They have no music magazine launched unlike IPC so they have no knowledge of the music magazine industry whereas the IPC does. Although Bauer could spot a gap in the market that the IPC hasn’t spotted and fulfill this gap and merchandise a new genre in the magazine industry that could prove successful.