Semiotic Theory

What is Semiotic Theory ?

 

Semiotic theory focuses on the social and cultural meaning of signs and codes and conventions. Signs consist of an image, a word, an object or even a certain type of practise. The meaning of signs depends on the relationship between the signifier, the signified and the referent. We all respond to signs in many different ways whenever if that is to agree or disagree on a certain topic or if we just respond to it from our own actions. These signs can be presented in many different forms whenever that is from an image, a word or a video. We identify and respond to these signs by two terms which are Denotation and Connotation.  

Denotation 

Denotation is the literal or primary meaning of a word or sign, in contrast to the feeling or ideas that the word or sign suggests. For example a stop sign has the denotation of stopping a vehicle. Even without words we would recognise the meaning from the shape and the colour.

Connotation

Connotation is the idea or a feeling that a word or a sign portrays for a person in addition to its primary meaning. It sets a tone or an emotional association that a word or sign has. It can be negative and positive but is usually something seen by the population in general. For example the stop sign would have the connotation of risk and danger of an accident if the person decided to ignore the sign because of the red colour background which portrays this meaning.  

Semiotic Theory in Music Magazines

Analysing this front cover of a Kerrang Music Magazine, the denotation reveals that this Music Magazine has a specific rock artist to focus on who comes along with an attitude and is presented with black clothing and black make-up. The title is 'Black Veil Brides' and the magazine has a specific house style with the colours red, black, white and yellow
 
With what the denotation reveals to the audience the connotation suggests that Kerrang is a rock punk music magazine which come along as aggressive for their target demographic.
 

The rock artist who is the founder of the band 'Black Veil Brides' is placed in the centre of the front page cover Magazine, therefore shows that he is the dominant figure on the cover and the magazine throughout. His appearance is revealed through the various ways colours have been used on the front cover. For example the artist is appeared wearing black clothing and black make-up and the background colour red has the connotation of danger which symbolises that he can be a dangerous figure with power and authority. The symbolism of power also suggests why the rock artist is presented with a large image of him and the way the colour black is used to stand out on the artist himself and the background of the text on the front cover. The colours red and yellow also makes the front page stand out more which makes it eye-catching and more attracting for the audience to look at.

The band name 'Black Veil Brides' which is also the title of the magazine, comes across as depressing to the audience. The word bride has the connotation of being happy and joyful and is associated with weddings and love, however the use of the black veil portrays a different meaning in the word. Therefore this would be appealing to the target demographic of this magazine. The rock artist also has a direct contact on the cover and the expression on his face connotates that he doesn't care and shows attitude towards the audience. Again this would appeal to the target demographic of the magazine and therefore would mean that readers are likely to take more of an interest into the magazine itself. 

Media Representation

In this blog post I have decided to include a short video that is on the subject of media representation. The video reveals how certain aspects in the media represent different figures and what effect the representation has on the audience through the use of codes and conventions.

Music Magazine Questionaire

As part of my Planning and Research I have decided to create a Music Magazine Questionnaire. By doing this I am able to find out what people want to see in a Music Magazine including what content such as articles, images, artists, cover mounts, upcoming events etc. This will help me when I come to create and construct my own music magazine front page, contents page and double page spread. Please take a moment to complete my Questionnaire below. 

Audience Research Methods

In order to have a successful Music Magazine different types of research must be carried out. This is to know what people want to see in a magazine to see what they find most interesting. There are two main types of research. These types of research are Qualitative research and Quantitative research.
 

Qualitative Research is the research carried out to uncover prevalent trends in thought and opinion. Its aim is to gain an understanding of underlying reasons and motivations which provides insights into the setting of a problem or hypotheses for later quantitative research. Qualitative research can be done through an interview or a focus group.  
 

Quantitative Research is the research carried out to measure the incidence of various views and opinions in a chosen sample. Its aim is to quantify data and generalise results from the sample to the population of interest. Quantitative research can be done through a survey or a questionnaire.   



Different types of data can be collected from the research carried out. There are two types of data. These two types of data are Primary data and Secondary data.

Primary data is data being collected or obtained from a first hand experience. It can be received first hand. This can be done through an interview, when a person collecting the data sits face to face with the respondent.

Secondary data is data referring to data collected in the past or obtained from another party. It can be obtained from past surveys and questionnaires.



How can the types of research and data collected help Music Magazines ?

The research carried out and the data collected can help a music magazine as it helps magazines get a firmer background knowledge and a further insight as what people like to see in a magazine. This will help the music industry create more successful music magazines in the future with more interesting and exciting features.
 

 

From analysing this NME front cover magazine, NME would use the research methods provided to help them find what people want to see in their magazine. 
  

NME would use qualitative research through interviews and focus groups to discover the thoughts and opinions as to what other people think about their magazine. NME can do this by interviewing the public by asking other peoples opinions as to what they see in the magazine itself. 
 

As well as using qualitative research, NME would use quantitative research as well within their finding to find out what makes a successful music magazine. NME would use quantitative research by producing a questioner based on music magazines and handing out that questioner to a population of people. By doing this, NME are able to get a deeper insight as to what people will want to see in their magazine.

 

Here is a video that explain the meaning of both quailitve and quanitive reasrch. The video also states how and where the types of rearch are used in order to come out with the correct data with included examples.

Music Magazines

What is a Music Magazine ?

A music magazine is magazine dedicated to music and music culture. Many music magazines typically include music news, interviews essays, recorded reviews, news about famous artists, concert and festival reviews.
 

The History of Music Magazines 

 

The very first issue of billboard magazine was printed in 1894, however it did not become well known until 1936. This gradually evolved into radio airplay and recorded sales charts. Over time different genres of music were introduced and it wasn't long until NME ( New Musical Express ) was first issued in 1952. In the 1970s NME became the best selling british music magazine. Now there are a range of different music magazines with particular genres including rock, pop and classical music magazines.

Below is a short part of a documentary called 'Inky Fingers: The NME Story'. This part of the documentary shows a brief summary on how the world longest weekly rock music paper became so popular and how NME created a magazine that reflected and shaped our musical culture.



Genres 

There are a variety of different genres that consist with music magazines, such as....

 

. Rock

. Pop

. R&B

. Hip Hop 

. Heavy Metal

. Classical

Popular Music Magazines
 

Music magazines have been publishing for over a century now. One of the best and well known magazines of all time is NME. Other popular music magazines within the UK include Kerrang, MOJO, Q. Major music magazines in the United States include Vibe, Rolling Stone and Class.


The Future of Music Magazines

Music magazines seem to have very little hold for the future. With new technology being introduced over the years such as computer websites and mobile phone apps, people are able to retrieve the same information for free as they would buying a music magazine and because of this the sales of music magazines are decreasing each year. They do not really have much more of a future unless they start making the items available in a magazine, not available on the internet. However in some cases they do stand a productive future as a magazine and internet product because some people like to have a 'solid'  copy and read.


What Audience do the Music Magazines relate to ?

Most Music Magazines dedicate themselves around rock and R&B like NME. From looking at the front cover page of NME a lot of young artists are displayed. This reveals that the target audience are aimed at the younger generation of adults. The front cover reveals a lot about the content of the magazine and what the magazine will be about. By showing more well known younger artists on the front cover, the larger the audience it will attract to the product.


My Post:

The front page magazine cover on the right side of the page reveals an image of my favourite music band 'Mumford and Sons'.

I consider NME to be a magazine to buy. This is because I like a variety of indie rock music and NME dedicates itself around different areas of rock music.
 
The content of the magazine includes exclusive features such as an interview with the band shown on the front cover 'Mumford and Sons'. Other features include music events such as festivals and music concerts, information featuring the band on the front cover and articles about other artists and music bands.

The target audience for this magazine is aimed at elder teenagers/ young adults because there is a well known band on the cover featuring 'Mumford and Sons' that would attract attention and is specific to the demographic age group.

Introduction to my Blog

Hello and Welcome to my Blog !!!

As part of my AS Media Study A-Level course I will have to keep a blog. In this blog you will find....

• My planning throughout the course
• My evaluation 
• My research, planning and evaluation throughout the year
• My finished product

In order to support the research I will provide videos and images to my blogs.

I intend to purchase specific music magazines that focuses on my chosen genre. This is to get a better understanding of the music magazine layout. 

About me:

Here is a video that I have included of my favourite band performing :)