Shown above is my new and improved contents page, I have fulfilled the targets which I previously received, the changes I have made include:

-Adding in page titles, adding in more color, and page numbers of the articles.

I have some targets which I will need to address before I upload my final music magazine, these include:

• Un-stretching the images
• Breaking up of coverlines
• Fill in the space which is seen at the bottom
• Use a more traditional font as the photo I have used is too fancy.
• Page number
• Better image for Louis Naftel

Here is my first draft of my contents page, as you can see I have already added two images which are references to articles shown inside the magazine. I added a yellow background shown under the images to create a polaroid film effect. Moving forward I will need to:

-Add the page number

-Add the page titles

-Add more colour

Before it comes to designing my own contents page I need to gather information into them and what they include. To begin this process I researched what technical conventions they include, I found the following:

• Editors intros
• Page numbers
• Hyperbole and superlatives in headlines, word clues
• Images (including images which relate to the listed articles/features)
• Graphic illustrations and designs
•  The magazine’s name and mission statement

When making my contents page I also have to consider AIDA and also Blumer and Katz theory:

AIDA- I need my contents page to: 

A- attract ,I– interest ,D– create desire,A– a call to action

In terms of Blumer and Katz I will need to make sure my audience:

-Are entertained

-Are informed/educated

-Socially interacted with

-Can personally identify with the content

Below I experimented with some contents page designs which I gathered to help me when it comes to creating my own contents page.

Shown below is my new and improved Double Page Spread, after my reflection on the conventions I needed to include I added them as seen below.

I added a byline (Photograph by Keith James and article by Francesca Cable), I then added a quote which appeared in my article. This helps to draw my audience in and the quote is also relatable as we have all had to conquer fears which at some point have limited us. I moved the headline to the left of the page as I felt it fitted more there and was more effective. After this I changed the font of the questions and colour so that they would stand out more, then finally I added the page numbers.

I am happy with how this double page spread turned out, I feel that it fits in well with my front cover and my aims of my magazine. It is simple yet aesthetic and the article provides just the right amount of information and facts for my target audience to enjoy.

My second design task for my own music magazine was to create a Double Page Spread which describes an article that takes up two pages and includes copy and photographs. It is usually the ‘center two pages of a magazine and will usually feature the main cover star from the front cover. (In other words it is the ‘big story’). Taking this into account I began by deciding that I would use my main cover star, Will Rowe for my double page spread. I then looked into other conventions of double page spreads; how they appear and what they generally include. I found the following:

• The image either go across two pages or be on one with the writing on the other side (the photo is usually on left but not in all of them)
• The writing in a column will NEVER be split across the staple line
• A standfirst is included – an introduction to the article
• Drop capitals– first letter of article is bigger
• Quotes– can be controversial , used to break up text or act as a headline
• Headlines– sometimes a quote from the artist or a attention grabbing title
• By line– who the article is by
• Columns– usually 2 or 4 with equal guttering
• Page numbers

Shown below is my first draft of my Double Page Spread.

I think this first draft went well and I got down the aesthetics of it all completed, however I now need to take into account the conventions of Double Page Spreads and include them when it comes to my second draft.

When moving forward onto my second draft the things I will need to include/alter are:

• Add a page number
• Byline and photography by
• Sort out line spacing
• Add in some quotes
• Standfirst needs higlighting and separating from headline or add in drop capital for first paragraph
• highlight the questions more – upper case?  different font?
• text size differences

An overnight sensation 

The newest indie-pop sensation Will Rowe,who gained 500,000 in one single night , is here to reveal to us how anyone can get to where they want to be as long as they stay true to themselves and keep an open mind. 

 Will first entered the indie-pop industry just a month after his videos became viral. These videos which were around 30 seconds long  consisted of Will sat in his bedroom with just a ukulele and his natural voice, singing his own written songs. Will was overwhelmed by the support and recognition of his work and decided to release two singles on spotify, ‘Pastel Skies’ and ‘A Boys Dream’. It wasn’t a surprise that these singles became hits, with ‘Pastel Skies’ gaining 500,000 plays just overnight.  There is no doubt that Will is the most talked about indie-pop artist right now, and the talk keeps getting louder. Especially since previews of songs for his new album “Feeling Fine,“are being shared, excitement really is an understatement for how us indie-pop lovers are feeling. Me and two other members of the team met up with Will in the local starbucks to find out more about his meteoric rise to fame. 

What first got you into music? 

I hate to be cliched but I loved music from a very young age. My mum said I used to sing my heart out as a baby and try to copy artists such as Adele and Ed Sheeran (The A Team being my fave) who would show on the TV. When I was younger, my love for music wasn’t as strong as my fear of performing in front of people. I often pretended to be sick when the school Christmas plays came up; sorry Mrs Jameson! Once I reached high school I knew I had to make a change and conquer this fear that was limiting me from doing the thing I loved most. I decided to take music as a subject and my music teacher supported me step out of my comfort zone and I’ve never looked back since.   The key to any success is to keep pushing even if it’s hard, nothing is impossible once your mind is in the right place. Start off by doing small steps towards your goal, and celebrate these steps however small. 

What ideas went into your new album? 

I took a lot of inspiration from obviously my own feelings of an 18 year old boy, including heartbreak, finding happiness, and love. Half a year ago my relationship with my ex ended after I found out she was seeing someone else so the album really documents the progression of emotion. The rest of the songs I took inspiration from my surroundings in California and the aesthetic of it. I aimed to make the album relatable to everyone. The album firstly covers elements of sadness, but then finding yourself and happiness; hence ‘feeling fine’. ‘Feeling Fine’ is the emotion which the album leaves on, it goes through waves of emotions but I come out feeling good in myself. I wanted to create songs that connect with my audience, so that they can take what they want from the songs and explore what meaning the song has for them. 

What are your plans for the future? 

That’s a big question! Well I am still a student at college, so I aim to finish my education and devote my time even more to music once I’ve left. I am in the process of organizing a tour for my new album this year, this tour will be in California only. However, once I have finished my education I will hopefully be performing all around the US and even out of it. 

The release of Will’s album ‘Feeling fine’, is  scheduled towards the end of April. It wouldn’t be a surprise if this album didn’t go viral within 24 hours; Will has a strong place in the industry and he is definitely here to stay. 

So, fear not you musicians making music in your bedroom, the gap between where you are now and fame could be right outside your door. But for us, who love to listen to music more than perform it, we can all say that our ears will be in safe hands. How long till that album Will?

The changes I made in this draft compared to my first draft is punctuation corrections, syntax changes in order to make my text flow better, and a little more detail and a bit of gossip to entertain my audience. These corrections which I made in response to teacher feedback all make my article flow better and ensure that the audience are being entertained and the information I am putting out is in the right and best form. 

An overnight sensation 

The newest indie-pop sensation Will Rowe,who gained 500,000 plays on a single overnight, is here to reveal to us how anyone can get to where they want to be as long as they stay true to themselves and keep an open mind. 

 Will first entered the indie-pop industry just a month after his videos became viral. These videos which were around 30 seconds long  consisted of Will sat in his bedroom with just a ukelele and his natural voice, singing his own written songs. Will was overwhelmed by the support and recognition of his work and decided to release two singles on spotify, ‘Pastel skies’ and ‘A boys dream’. It wasn’t a surprise that these single’s became hits, with ‘Pastel skies’ gaining 500,000 plays just overnight.  There is no doubt that Will is the most talked about indie-pop artist right now, and the talk keeps getting louder. Especially since previews of songs for his new album ‘Feeling fine’ are being shared, excitement really is an understatement for how us indie-pop lovers are feeling. 

What first got you into music? 

I hate to be cliche but I loved music from a very young age. My mum said I used to sing my heart out as a baby and try to copy artists who would show on the tv. When I was younger, my love for music wasn’t as strong as my fear of performing in front of people. I often pretended to be sick when the school christmas plays came up, sorry Mrs Jameson! Once I reached highschool I knew I had to make a change and conquer this fear that was limiting me from doing the thing I loved freely. I decided to take music as a subject and my music teacher supported me step out of my comfort zone, I’ve never looked back since.   The key to any success is to keep pushing even if its hard, nothing is impossible once your mind is in the right place. Start off by doing small steps towards your goal, and celebrate these steps however small. 

What ideas went into your new album? 

I took a lot of inspiration from obviously my own feelings of a 18 year old boy, including heartbreak, finding happiness, and love. The rest of the songs I took inspiration from my surroundings in California and the aesthetic of it. I aimed to make the album relatable to everyone, the album firstly covers elements of sadness, but then finding yourself and happiness; hence ‘feeling fine’. ‘Feeling fine’ is the emotion which the album leaves on, it goes through waves of emotions but I come out feeling good in myself. I wanted to create songs that connect with my audience, so that they can take what they want from the songs and explore what meaning the song has on them. 

What are your plans for the future?

Thats a big question! Well I am still a student at college, so I aim to finish my education and devote my time even more to music once I’ve left. I am in the process of organising a tour for my new album this year, this tour will be in California only. However, once I have finished my education I will hopefully be performing all around the US and even out of it. 

The release of Will’s album ‘Feeling fine’, is estimated towards the end of April. It wouldn’t be a surprise if this album didn’t go viral within 24 hours, Will has a strong place in the industry and he is definitely here to stay. 

Fear not you musicians making music in your bedroom, the gap between where you are now and fame could be right outside your door. But for us who love to listen to music more than perform it, we can all say that our ears will be in safe hands. How long till that album Will? 

Teachers feedback- targets:

-Punctuation corrections

-Syntax suggestions

-More detail (gossip) to engage reader

Billboard (June 20th), Country’s best frenemy, Rob Tannenbaum

The article ‘Country’s best frenemy’ which I will be analyzing,to develop my skills in language analysis, is an album review. It is written in third person and is focused on Kacey Musgraves new album ‘Pageant material’.The structure of this article (which is an album review), has a very conversational feel which makes the text flow more and therefore makes it more approachable for the audience. 

The album review consists of three columns of text, which are made easy for the audience to view, the text isn’t cluttered and there is a good amount of text which ensures the audience become entertained and bored. The presence of the journalist in this article is less visible during the first column of text and the start of the second, this allows for the journalist and audience to educate themselves about the artist whose album is about to be reviewed. Once the journalist of this album review has educated the audience on Kacey Musgrave’s part in the country music world, their journalistic presence becomes more apparent. For example, near the middle of column two the journalist begins to voice their own opinion on the new album  which is being reviewed, ‘This is an even better album then her last, with more consistency and variety. After this personal opinion more appear later on too ‘Although the social commentary songs will draw the most attention, she doesn’t need rebukes to make an impression’. Personal pronouns are not used in this article by the journalist, therefore, the presence is subtle in order to allow the reader to openly connect and focus on the information. Even though the presence is subtle it still has a big effect on the reader as the journalist is able to build a character profile in our minds of what this artist is like and what their album is like. This makes the audience want to know more and will encourage them so listen if they haven’t already. There is a short introduction in this article which introduces country music to the audience and helps the audience pay attention to the genre of this album review. ‘The southern adage- “don’t get above your raisin”, memorialized as a song title by Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs in 1951, has long been a guideline for country artists’. There is also a short conclusion which gives a short summary to the audience of the album ‘It’s easy enough to love Pageant Material if you don’t agree with Musgraves’ views on social issues, but let’s be honest: it helps if you do. 

The journalist of this article uses words which give the audience an impression of the artist and style of music being displayed. For example, the journalist uses adjectives to inform the reader and give them an impression of the artists music the journalist describes the stars 2013 debut as ‘gloriously provocative’. In this article the tone and register of the text is very well spoken e.g the use of words such as ‘thematically’, with a couple small phrases upholding a jokey manor. For instance ‘blown raspberries at’ and the phrase ‘It’s just a pick up truck shy of being bro country’. This language fits in with the vibe you get of the artist- intelligent and witty. I wouldn’t say that the writing feels very conventional to the genre, although country music and ideals are spoken about a lot. The wording just seems a little too professional and serious, and the two small jokes don’t do much to lessen the seriousness. The quotes that are used in this article are mainly references to the songs, such as “Merry go round’ and ‘biscuits’, however there is one quotation which is taken from when the artist was interviewed by a reporter ‘Her strategy, she told a reporter was to scare off the people who are going to be scared off’. The quotations of the song titles and lyrics are used to reference to songs by the artist in the reviewed album and other singles. The last quotation has been used by the journalist to build a character profile for the audience to access and highlight the artists personality. As a result of reading this article the reader will experience an overall summary of the music produced by this artist, and also the character of this artist and their aim of the music produced. The style of writing which is conversational yet professional will entertain the reader and the factual information and knowledge into tracks of the artist will educate them. 

Overall, the journalist of this article represents the star and the album and music of the artist as controversial and daring, the artist is displayed as having distinct and rebellious social views. This presents her very individual and different, which makes her stand out more as an artist in the industry. She pokes fun at fundamental views and challenges them through her music and words, and ‘scares off those who are going to be scared off’.