All of the three magazines did exactly this. Soon after introducing itself, NME published the first ever UK singles chart, establishing itself in the music press industry and expanding its target audience to all of those who were interested in music. The music chart was also uncritical and positive, therefore improving relationships between the magazine and the artists. Smash Hits! received publicity when first starting by hiring Nick Logan, an already established editor with experience and a public profile. Smash Hits! also established itself by publishing the lyrics of the songs which were currently in the charts, therefore having an edge over competitors who did not have the same advantage. Kerrang originally appeared as a supplement to Sounds newspaper, but even so they attempted to present themselves by placing AC/DC, a popular rock group at the time, on the front cover of the magazine.
A major factor which contributes to publishing a successful magazine is having interesting, and well informed articles about the genre. Articles are the main content of these three magazines and so they are the most important in regards to consumer feedback and sales. An example of how articles affect magazines can be seen in NME during the 1980s. NME lost direction in regards to its articles. They were not up to the usual standards expected by the readership which, in turn, resulted in severe reprimands. Indeed, the magazine went down in sales and readership.
A further factor which contributes to a successful magazine, is knowing the magazine readership on a personal level i.e. knowing what they like, dislike etc. This way the magazine can place specific advertisements which are most likely to sell in their pages. By knowing the readership on a personal level, the magazine can also adopt a style of writing which is appreciated by the readership.
An interesting element of a successful magazine is that that they allow the readers to express their views and opinions on certain issues. All of the above magazines create/created pages dedicated to answering reader’s questions and asking for responses in votes/competitions. Therefore they make the reader get more involved with the magazine as a whole, increasing the idea that the magazine belongs to its readers.
Successful magazines, such as Kerrang celebrate new contemporary music while not ignoring the golden oldies. This can be seen in their 25th year anniversary where they re-recorded some old rock songs by “Metallica”. Another example would be the “NME Originals” which were reprints of vintage articles and interviews.
Another element all successful magazines have is the freebies, such as CDs and posters. At first these were given only in special issues, but as competition increased, they became more regular and begun to appear frequently. NME and Kerrang both offer CDs whereas Smash Hits! did not at the time of print, something which may have contributed to its demise.
One of the most important features of all magazines is having clearing writing parameters. Writing parameters are what keep the magazine focused on issues, groups and news which relate to their specific genre. An example of why writing parameters are so important can be seen in Smash Hits! during the 1990s. At that time, they were being beaten in sales by the Top of The Pops magazine, due to the popularity TOTP received from the television. In an attempt to regain popularity, Smash Hits! began moving away from its normal parameters and begun writing about teenage issues, becoming an entertainment magazine. Smash Hits! had already been established with a particular style of writing, which resulted in this move being a failure, which eventually led to the closure of the magazine in 2006. This episode of Smash Hits! life also emphasises how important being backed up by other mediums is i.e. TOTP was backed by TV, at that time, Smash Hits! was not.
A further factor which contributes to a successful magazine is the people employed to create the articles and the magazine front cover. The magazine front cover is the most important part of the magazine as it is that which is shown to the onlookers of magazine stands, it needs to be attractive and stunning and relate to the times. The writing staff is also important as they are the people who write the articles, reviews and interviews. A good example of how writers are important can be seen in NME in the 1970s. At that time they had lost ground to Melody Maker. Alan Smith, the new editor of the magazine raided the underground for writers and found them. These writers were young and fit the profile of the target audience and so therefore they found it easy to relate to them. By hiring those writers who were more subjective and independent, NME was dubbed ‘The Enemy’, and appealed to the new younger generation.
Lastly, one of the most influential factors is having a variety of different mediums for readers to view such as magazines, online websites, and music channels etc. This will allow the brand to appeal to a variety of different people who use different resources rather than someone who only uses one. All three magazines are backed by a website and Smash Hits! and Kerrang! Both also have a television channel. This variety of mediums allows the brand to be reached across to their target audience through many different channels.
