Target Audience Research...

Because i am now starting to really gather my ideas and develop an overall idea about my music magazine I'm going to create, I've started collecting a lot of different information. One of the most important aspects of a magazine is the target audience you are aiming the magazine at. I have researched a lot about my decided target audience which is teenage boys and girls. Here is the information i have found out from different websites on the internet:

Through research i have found out that statistically in general the most popular genre of music liked by both (teenager) boys and girls is pop music (popular music) i.e: music in the carts, UK top 40 etc. Pop music is usually played on different radio stations like Capital, Radio 1, Radio 1Xtra etc. Being a teenager myself i think it will be beneficial for me to do a magazine targeted at teenagers too. I have decided that the genre of my music magazine will be Pop. From this, I have also found out that: 

"Pop music (or "pop") is a sub-genre of contemporary popular music that typically has a dance-along rhythm or beat, simple melodies and a repeating structure. Pop song lyrics are often emotional, commonly relating to love, loss, emotion, or dancing. The term does not refer to a single genre or sound, and its meaning is different depending on the time and place. Pop music is distinguished from classical (or art music) and from folk music. Pop songs are often written by songwriters, unlike other popular music genres, such as rock and hip hop, where singers often write their own songs."

Another important aspect of a music magazine is colour. Colour is usually the most influential factor on the front of a magazine cover to attract the target audience. I have done some research to find out more on colour:

Colour:

Males: 

• Prefer the color blue to red, and orange to yellow. 
• Baby boys traditionally tend to be dressed in blue, except in Belgium where pink is used for baby boys. 
• In the western world many men are color blind so you need to be aware of the red/green visual problems if this is your target market and choose other colors that are not as affected.

Females: 

• Prefer the color red to blue, and yellow to orange. 
• Baby girls traditionally tend to be dressed in pink except in Belgium where blue is used for baby girls. 
• Tend to have a broader range of color preferences to men and are more open to trying new colors.

Both Genders: 

• Blue, turquoise, green, red, yellow, black, white, gray and silver are colors that are the most suitable for use in a business marketing to both males and females. 
• Pinks and purples are now becoming more acceptable to males, with pale pink business shirts and purple casual shirts commonly seen on men.

• Respond best to high contrast visuals.

Adolescents/Teenagers: 

• More open to experimenting with more sophisticated and complex colors due to their exposure to computer graphics programs such as Photoshop. 
• More influenced by cultural influences due to multiculturalism and greater access to world markets through the Internet. 
• Many younger teenager girls love varying shades of purple and pink. 
• As they reach their late teens they often show a preference for black - this relates to a psychological need for black during the transition stage from the innocence of childhood to the sophistication of adulthood - it signifies the ending of one part of their life and the beginning of another, allowing them to hide from the world while they discover their own unique identity.