Focus Group Responses Analysis

1) Would you like to see upcoming artists in the magazine?

Our focus group all decided quite quickly that they would like to see upcoming artists featured in the magazine. They also added they would want these artists to be artists that the magazine itself had discovered, perhaps through a competition or so. when we asked them why, they responded that it "would be interesting" and it would give them a good opportunity to discover and support new talent as well as reading about artists that already receive a vast amount of coverage already.

2) What main colours wold you like to see throughout the magazine?

The group associated R&B music as being quite chilled and relaxed and therefore said they would want colours that reflected this such as cream. They also described R&B music as rich, therefore colours such as gold, silver and other metallic colours would reflect this. 

3) Would you like a lot of images on the front cover?

There was not much hesitation when the group decided against a large amount of pictures. It was said that it would be "too much clutter" and would resort in the magazine looking "tacky" as the majority of magazines that are heavily loaded with lots of images are celebrity gossip magazine or tween magazines like Top of the Pops. Another point made is that the use of too many pictures would distract from the main picture or eye-catching headlines. This then lead onto the question of what kind of pictures they would see as appropriate for the magazine. The general response was there should be one main image that was either of a person who would be featured in the magazine or something related to them, for example a microphone. 

4) What would you like the double page spread (DPS) to feature?

The interviewees thought the DPS should definitely feature more information on the artist or main picture on the front cover. This could be in the form of an interview, a short background story e.t.c.

5) How much would you be willing to spend on the magazine and why?

Our focus group said they would be willing to pay between 60p - £1.20. When we prompted them as to why they said it would actually depend upon a variety of factors, such as the size of the magazine, if the magazine was full and quite large, they would be willing to pay a little bit more to compensate this. Also, they would also be willing to pay more if the magazine included a free gift, as they realize this would cost the magazine more to produce. The quality of the content within the magazine was also a deciding factor. For example, if the magazine was filled with interesting, well written articles, they would feel happier paying more for it. The magazines reputation was also an important element. As  this magazine is new, they would not be happy paying too much, but overtime as it's reputation amongst other leading R&B magazines improved they would be more willing to pay more for the magazine.

6) What kind of font would you expect to see on the front of an R&B magazine?

The group agreed that they would expect to see big, bold text on the front of the magazine. They also added it should be in a dark font, preferably black or any other sophisticated colour.

7) What content do you look for in a music magazine? 

The group felt that they content they expected and liked to see in a music magazine was information on gigs and concerts of bands/artists, they added that these would be effective on a separate page nearer the back or as an advertisement on one of the pages. Exclusive information on artists and bands was also a feature the group looked for in a magazine. a standard editor's note was also a must and interviews were very key, as they allow the reader to get closer to the artist and learn more about them. 

8) What is your favourite music magazine and why?

We asked this question because if we knew what type of magazine they favoured we could explore this magazine and see what it was exactly that drew them to it, and use this knowledge as inspiration for my own magazine. 

Our group chose Kerrang as it had "had very interesting information". When we asked them to expand, they explained it was the language style of the magazine that drew them to it and brought the articles they were writing about to life. 

9) Would you want a lot of advertisements in the magazine? 

The group responded that the amount of ads in the magazine is based on their relevance. For example, if they are related to a specific article or they are to do with the magazine, then they are fine and even welcomed. But if they appear random, or tacky, like a fruity perfume ad in a heavy rock magazine, then they are seen as very annoying and this may affect whether the reader will purchase the magazine again. 

10) What else would you feature in the magazine? 

This question was to see if the group had anything more to say, but they felt that they had said everything in the responses to the previous questions, however, they did add that quizzes could be quite fun to include in the magazine?

11) How often would you like the magazine to be released?

The final question was in response to how often the magazine ought to be released. The group agreed that monthly would be best, as they felt that a lot could happen in a month, therefore the magazine would have plenty of content to write about. Also, they felt that the magazines that are released monthly, often has the highest quality content, as they have had a long time to produce it, and weekly magazines sometimes felt rushed and sometimes content is repeated to fill up space, making the magazine feel "tacky".