Article Brainstorm

After my research and survey I found that articles are vital in whether people buy the magazine so I will brainstorm articles to ensure I get it right. For my music magazine I would like to have more featured articles than regular as I feel that, like fashion, music changes and if I was to have common regular articles they would eventually become boring and outdated, although my magazine will still have regular features there will be a ratio of 1:2 so for every regular article I have there will be two features.

Regulars

1. PICK News - A summery of news around the area of that month.
2. youPICK - Alternative charts.
3. PICK Reviews - Reviews of albums, artists, gigs and singles.
4. PICK Fan Mail - Letters and other social goings on.
5. PICKme - Competitions for the tickets you need.

For my regular features the title will include the title of the magazine, this is so it is recognised to be special to the magazine and that these articles are regular for my magazine. The magazine title PICK is appropriate here as it can come across as a choice and that a certain part has been chosen.

Features

1. Return of the Vinyl - How to fit it in your pocket.
I did some research into music news and found out that the vinyl is coming back but usually this wouldn't suit my demographic as vinyl's were around before my audience were born yet they are coming back into trend with alternative artists like Arctic Monkeys releasing their songs onto the format people are buying more and more vinyl's. I then put 'How to fit it in your pocket' this refers to the way that the majority of people listen to music via devices they can fit in their pockets such as phones and iPods, from my earlier market research I found that the entire of my surveys said they own a device that can fit in their pocket so therefore an article that wouldn't be relevant to my demographic becomes relevant, it also refers to the size of the vinyl as something usually you wouldn't able to easily carry round the use of 'your' makes the article more personal and sounds like the article would directly benefit the reader so they can take advantage of this new trend.
2. intro: Little Comets - How they turned a bakery aisle into a stage.
Here I used intro this implies that this band is new or that the magazine is announcing a band that would interest the reader. The majority of people wouldn't know who the Little Comets are so the caption is 'how they turned a bakery into a stage' because this is a weird combination so therefore gives the reader a feel of curiosity therefore drawing them to the article even though they might not know the band.
3. It's not over until the comeback tour - Bands that need to give it a rest.
During my research I came across bands that had broken up but had reformed for a 'comeback' tour, so this article highlights that when a band finish it doesn't mean that they are finished for good. By looking at the title alone it could appear to be that PICK have backstage access to a comeback tour so I have given it a short and clear caption so the viewer will know the topic of the article.
4. Give it some Wellington Boots - Festival line-ups slowly being revealed right here.
While I was looking on music news websites to find inspiration for my articles I found that line ups for festivals are being revealed, e.g Latitude. In my audience research I found that there was a wide range of who went and who didn't and then in further research I found that there was an even wider range of reasons to why my audience did/didn't go from money to not having enough knowledge to feel that they could get there, this article will assist them on their problems therefore attracting the majority of the audience who go to festivals or who want to go but face numerous problems. I could make this assistance more clear in the caption as at face value it looks like this article is just giving the line ups, which it will be but it will also be giving extra assistance.
5. Ticket Stubs and Exfoliating Rubs - Bastille reveal their tour experience.
Here I decided to look at another alternative band, Bastille, which have recently come to Norwich on their tour, they have also been having chart success. By including Bastille it emphasises the top local artists that are here and also that this interview was especially for the local magazine rather than copied or available in other music magazines. By using a rhyming title it rolls off the readers tongue better and is also slightly strange which would heighten the interest of the reader making them want to read the article. The 'ticket stubs' is part of gigs so when the audience read this they will know that the article is related to live music and then the 'exfoliating rubs' is the part that gives the influence to backstage access as this kind of information is never easily available so therefore heightens the interest of the viewer. I could draw the readers attention in more by having Bastille in the title rather than the caption as a viewer would more likely see their name in the title and this viewer could be a fan of Bastille which could draw in a purchase.
6. We call the Arctic Monkeys - Why they are more AM than PM.
This article is another one based on an alternative band. The reason I used the language "call" is because they have recently released a single 'Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?" and in the caption I used their album title 'AM' this implies to the reader that we talk to the Arctic Monkeys about their new releases and that the article and magazine is fairly up to date with the alternative genre.
7. School Talent Shows are Cool - How Lordes school talent show got her noticed by Universal
This article is another one that focuses on the artists. The new young Lordes has topped the charts worldwide and got noticed through a school talent show. Usually school talent shows carry connotations of being 'lame' or 'nerdy' but here I have involved an article that talks about talent shows which my demographic would still be in the age range of having. I used the language 'cool' as this also can carry negative connotations as 'nerdy' and trying to fit in, but by using a declarative sentence it portrays that PICK is setting the trend. I also put the record company Universal into the caption to provide evidence for the article, which will portray that this article is serious and worth reading. Again I could improve this title by including Lordes in the title to catch the eye of the reader.
8. Vampire Weekend get their raincoats on - How they swapped sunglasses for umbrellas.
Here is another article that focuses on artists on American alternative band Vampire Weekend who have recently performed in the local area of England. Therefore they have had to swap their attire from sunglasses, typical American weather of sunshine, to raincoats (the typical British weather). It also relates to their breakthrough song 'A-Punk' which also reminds the viewer of who they are if they are unfamiliar with the band.
9. The ugly face of the music industry - Simon Cowell what have you done?
This article isn't based on any artists but the music industry in the alternative genre. Quite often alternative music subverts conventions of the typical Simon Cowell product so here is a history lesson in the music industry and how it has evolved, it will also give tips for smaller artists as quite often there is a big jump from bedroom to stage, this will interest any musicians in my demographic, but this assistance I need to make clear in the title.
10. Baby it's cold outside - Songs so warm that you'll want a BBQ.
Due to edition being a January 2014 it means that generally the weather is fairly cold. The title relates to a famous Christmas song 'Baby It's Cold Outside' which is well known throughout society and will instantly recognise, Christmas relates to winter which reinforces the cold feeling. My caption then follows with opposite lexis in a different semantic field of summer with 'warm' and 'BBQ' which have more positive connotations than winter. Due to the portability of a magazine the way it can be read anywhere a reader can quite often be reading this outside maybe waiting for a bus as the majority of my audience probably won't be able to drive they will want a warm escape therefore drawing them towards this article.