Institutional Research

I have done some research into existing magazine institutions to decide which publisher would be most suitable for my own music magazine.

EMAP focuses on the areas of retail, health, fashion, construction and architecture. They don't have any music publications but this could mean that by using EMAP, my magazine will be popular as there's no competitor, but generally this company does not target my audience. They specialise in high-level, critical knowledge which may not be very accessible to 16-19 year olds who would prefer a lighter read. It is an international company as one of their publications is a middle eastern business magazine. 

Publications include; RetailWeek, MEED, The Architectural Review, Lighting, Nursing Times, ConstructionNews etc.

Future Publishing is an international, award winning institution
which publishes an extremely wide range of magazines in genres including cars, sport, lifestyle, photography, design and many more. They publish many music magazines focusing mainly on the genre of rock and guitar, including learner guides. There are some other genres like country and some dance music guides however overall my magazine would not fit in with this institution as the genre of my own work does not include rock music.

Publications include; ClassicRock, PC Gamer, Mountain Biking UK, Your Family Tree, TotalGuitar, Rhythm etc.

Natmags is a British magazine institution which, in 2011, merged with Hachette Filipacchi Médias UK forming 'Hearst Magazines UK'. It currently publishes 20 titles nationally and 20 online, including 'SugarScape' which is a teen magazine. This institution seems to publish mainly fashion and lifestyle magazines, aimed at women and is a potential company for my own magazine as there is no current music titles and existing publications such as 'Company' are aimed at an older teenage magazine.

Publications include; Company, House Beautiful, Red, InsideSoap, ELLE, Country Living, Mens Health, Zest etc. 

IPC Media is a national institution however its online publications gain over 25 million users a year globally. Only one music magazine is published by IPC Media, NME, and this is very close to the genre of magazine I am going to produce therefore this may be an ideal institution for me to think about using, but on the other hand this could mean my magazine is in competition as it is so close to this existing publication. Aside from this, IPC publish 59 other titles, mainly women's magazines but also country, sporting and gossip. 

Publications include; Woman's Own, Golf Monthly, IdealHome, NME, Now, Nuts, TV Times, Marie Claire, InStyle etc.

Bauer Media is a worldwide institution which publishes around 300 magazines print and online internationally, but is based in the UK. The company itself believes their wide portfolio of influential brands gives them advantages over pure play magazine competitors so I will definitely consider this company for my own magazine as it suggests it will be successful. The magazines published by Bauer cover almost every genre, and musically they publish two of the countries most popular magazines; Q, MOJO and Kerrang. As these include similar genres to my magazine but not identical there is a gap in the market for 'Beat' here. The wide readership of their other magazines also reflects how my magazine will have a large target audience of both genders. 

Publications include; ClassicCars, GRAZIA, Q, Your Horse, Empire, Closer, FHM, Trail, Practical Photography etc. 

Condé Nast is an American institution which publishes 18 magazines worldwide. It is considered to be the originator of lifestyle magazines, including subjects such as travel, food, home, culture and largely fashion in order to appeal to the widest target audience possible. As the majority of its publications are within this lifestyle category, there are currently no music magazines published by the institution so there would be no competitor for my magazine and this company would be ideal in focusing on targeting a wide audience which is what I aim to do. 

Publications include; GQ, Bon Appétit, VOGUE, Glamour, Vanity Fair, Brides, Golf World, WWD, Allure etc.

From this research, I have decided to use Bauer Media as my magazines publishing institution. My reasoning for this is because as it is such a huge company yet there are few music magazine titles, there is room for my magazine without it being in too much competition, as Q contains similar genres to mine in that it is primarily rock with a hybrid of other genres featured, whereas my magazine will be focused on alternative music with a hybrid of other genres included. Also, on other platforms Bauer Media has radio stations and music TV channels therefore is a company which is experienced in the music aspect so my magazine would fit in well and have an edge on its competitors because of this. The huge range of magazines published by Bauer Media means the institution covers an extremely broad readership and audience types which I would also like my magazine to do.