Mission Statement

‘Frank’ is a fresh, innovative, and exciting new music magazine that is about to hit the newsstands with a bang! It will go on sale weekly and will be available for purchase in newsagents and supermarkets. As well as music retailers such as HMV in order to ensure that the target audience are being addressed efficiently. It will also be attainable exclusively through TOPSHOP; this particular clothing store embodies the style of both the target audience and the magazine. Therefore, HMV and TOPSHOP are seen as appropriate retailers for promotion. The magazine will cost £2.10, which is customary for a music publication. ‘Frank’ promotes and celebrates British Alternative music whilst also covering areas of Indie and Pop. It focuses mainly on female musicians because it wants to express the talent of British female artists, but it does feature male bands and artists too. ‘Frank’ is a magazine about music, which features current and upcoming artists and bands, new releases, album, gig and festival reviews and guides, competitions, fan feedback pages and recruitment opportunities for aspiring musicians. As an extra attribute, ‘Frank’ also features articles of the best dressed musicians and top five most fashionable fans of the week. This magazine is perfect for girls who are devoted to music but also have an interest in fashion.

I wish to create an inspirational guide for females who are passionate about music, whilst also providing opportunities for aspiring musicians. ‘Frank’ wants to educate readers on British Alternative music and provide the target audience with information on the things that interest them the most, for example gigs, festivals, concerts. ‘Frank’ promises to entertain its audience with articles and features on their favourite artists and bands, reviews on the latest album and song releases and get the fans involved with letter pages whilst also addressing additional areas of intrigue, such as fashion.

The roles within society are becoming more balanced yet the representation of men and women in the music industry remain the same. Music magazines are mainly male orientated, therefore whenever a woman is presented in the magazine, she is highly likely to suit the criteria of one of the stereotypes.

There are four main categories that women often fall into if featured in a music magazine:

- The "Girly-girl" for example, Ashley Tisdale

- The "Sex Object" for example, Beyonce Knowles

-The "De-feminised Artist" for example, Elly Jackson from La Roux

-The "Basic Fan" for example, a girl photographed at a festival/gig

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There seems to be this idea that the only way a woman can be featured in a music magazine is by adapting to one or more of these stereotypes. For example, there is definite formation of a music culture whereby female R&B acts are dressing provocatively and pulling sexual poses in pages of music magazines in order to make sex sell their music. whilst on the other hand, women in rock bands present themselves in a masculine and vigorous manner, almost as if they are men to try and fit in with the male orientation. ‘Frank’ wants to adjust this concept of –women acting a certain way, because they believe it is the only way of succeeding in the music industry. ‘Frank’ wants to prove to its readers that success is the result of self expression and women should no longer feel like they have to play up to one of these roles in order to be acknowledged or taken seriously.

This magazine wishes to prove that there are many flourishing and triumphant female artists in the industry today, and promises to eliminate the stigma often attached to this fact. ‘Frank’ breaks the stereotype of musical traditions as it is based on alternative music, which is a genre that is often associated with males, this magazine is original because of the basis of content and the fact it’s for a female TA and not a male one. ‘Frank’ uses modern society’s view of women to balance out the attitude towards women and men in the music industry – which sadly still maintains the patriarchal approach.

Through these values and beliefs, ‘Frank’ encourages female readers to embrace their individuality to ooze confidence and to illustrate their independence as young adults. It’s a source of motivation for young girls who are passionate about Alternative music, to fight back against convention in not only music, but all aspects of their lives. ‘Frank’ promises to educate and inform whilst entertaining and inspiring its readers. It aims to teach them about British Alternative music and the wonders of its culture. Once ‘Frank’ hits the newsstands, young females, aspiring be to be musicians, singers or songwriters, will no longer feel they must play up to the role of stereotypes and follow the codes and conventions, if they wish to pursue a career in music.

The style of this magazine embodies qualities of opposing elements. It can be seen as an elegant, smart and sparkly publication whilst at the same time being quite quirky, chaotic and unkempt – yet everything is presented and portrayed in a trendy and tasteful way. ‘Frank’ is a unique piece of media which is set to cause a storm.

To describe a typical reader of ‘Frank’: She would be aged 17 and currently studying music, art and/or drama in either sixth form or college. She may possibly be a singer in a band and also writes songs. Her favourite music to listen to may be Florence & the Machine, Laura Marling, Regina Spektor, Bat For Lashes. Her style is eccentric yet chic and she likes to customize clothing so each piece is unique. She shops in stores such as Topshop, H&M, Urban Outfitters and Zara. Originality is part of her philosophy as she never follows the crowd. She hangs out at galleries, enjoys trips to the theatre and is a committed gig goer and festival attendee. She also likes to relax by listening to music, reading poetry, reading novels and magazines, going shopping with her friends or hanging out at Starbucks. She’s likely to be well brought up and well spoken, intelligent and talented. She has a passion for music and wishes to pursue it as a career. She has a witty, quirky and fun personality, is popular and adored by her friends. She is also a well grounded individual and relishes time to herself.