Other magazines on the market

After identifying who my target market is I felt it was important to understand who else is in the market and what audience are they aiming their products at.

There are dozens of music magazines in circulation in the UK. I have outlined the basic information on some of my main competitors as to give me a deeper knowledge into understanding my competitors.

I see my main competitors as weekly magazines so I will discuss these first.

Kerrang

Kerrang is a huge global brand published through Bauer. The title is onomatopoeic, recreating the sound of a strummed guitar. Its total circulation is 134,000. A few years ago, it would have been impossible for me to launch my alternative rock magazine as Kerrang were heavily reporting on this genre, but in recent years, its focus has softened, moving towards more pop-orientated music, and has received a backlash for it, a backlash i intend on capitalising on.

NME

With over 50 years of history, NME plays an integral part in British music reporting. ABC reported a total circulation of 33,875 between Jan and June 2010. This is significantly smaller than Kerrang but is still sizeable. It poses less competition to my magazine as in recent decades it has focused on indie and brit-pop all but exclusively.

The following magazines are all monthly, despite my target audience wanting a weekly magazine, monthly issues are still very important to my research and monthly publications remain competitors.

Metal Hammer

Despite being market leaders in Germany, Metal Hammer aren’t quite as successful in the UK. There is likely to be a crossover between bands featured in my magazine and Metal Hammer as the alternative and metal scenes are quite often inter-linked. This means it is likely to be one of my main competitors, but the fact it is a monthly publication means buyers aren’t likely to struggle to choose between the brand they wish to become loyal to.

The Big Cheese

A monthly, independent magazine, The Big Cheese has made large inroads since its launch in 1996. Heavily featuring alternative rock bands, it is similar in content to mine. However, I aim to create a more formal tone than expressed in The Big Cheese, this will mean there will be a large difference in those who would pick up The Big Cheese and those who would pick up mine.

Classic Rock

Classic Rock is a huge seller and is often seen as a more respectful publication than most its competitors. I don’t see Classic Rock as a competitor, it focuses on a very different side of rock and attracts a very different audience. However, the respect it commands within the industry is very impressive and is certainly something for my magazine to aspire to.

These are some examples of magazines currently circulating, they are all very different and all have traits and styles which I can learn from in order to create the best magazine possible.