Magazine Distribution/Newsstand (Task 2)

We had to take a photo of a newsstand and analyse why the magazines are laid out in a certain way. I took a photo of a newsstand in WHS Smith which shows almost the entire magazine, I think this is a better way of presenting magazines as you get the full look and style of the magazine rather than the masthead. The mastheads show what the magazine is about but sometimes the masthead doesn't show completely so by presenting the images and the cover lines, it gives consumers an idea of what they are reading. 

They also are arranged so that they're in front of each other but not directly so that all the magazines are shown to show the number of magazines available and to show all the magazines. Also the magazines in the back are raised to show the masthead and a portion of the front cover image. The skyline is also shown which tells the reader what the magazine is about, for example the NME show mentions artists like Kings of Leon and Green Day, Which clearly presents the genre of the magazine.The magazines are also organised by genre, the top from right to left is organised from Internet to travel magazine. This way its easier to distinguish them.

Overall, the other newsstands I saw in shops like ASDA and other supermarkets were laid out similarly to this and even in smaller shops they were laid out the same way, which shows how this layout is more popular than just showing the top of the magazine. I think however, the magazine's masthead does is more effective at catching the attention of the reader when it's the only thing you can see so it pops out because of the bold, colourful lettering/font.

Magazine Distribution:

The other part of the task is to analyse one of our case studies and how they distribute their magazines. For Vibe which was my case study and most magazines, they use the sale and return method which is when the publisher sells the magazine to the shops and any that they don't sell get returned to the publisher. It is good for the shops because less money is spent, however its not good for the publisher because they haven't sold their magazines.

One way of magazine distribution is ezines, which is not a physical magazine and is an interactive PDF which is mainly done for convenience. However my research shows that Vibe magazine has not produced any ezines  which could be due to the fact that apps can now download magazines to people's phones. However, Vibe's website does have digital covers which people can see and interact with.

Vibe has a website to present all of there content and you can search for issues of their magazines, as well as showing news about celebrities. The website also shows other forms of media such as TV, radio, fashion and movies. The website also offers a subscription to Vibe magazine and advertises their social media accounts. Most music magazines do this because the internet is such an expansive and vast place. http://www.vibe.com/ 

Social media is also very prevalent for music magazine distribution as it gives people direct interaction with the magazine company and has shown to be successful as the Vibe magazine twitter has 680 thousand followers and their facebook page has over one million likes and they feature celebrity, music and movie news such as new album releases. They also link to their website in order to get more visitors which other magazines also do. https://www.facebook.com/vibe  https://twitter.com/vibemagazine 

Most magazines have subscription fees which allows magazines to be delivered directly to the consumer which is convenient and fast and is the most popular form of distribution. Vibe's website advertises these subscriptions but you can also buy single issues of the magazine like anniversary issues.
Freemiums are magazines that are not paid for and this means that circulation numbers are high. They are also handed out at bus stops and train stations which means many people receive these magazines and is a way of mass distributing magazines. An example of a free magazine is NME which increased circulation numbers exponentially. However these have many adverts in the magazines in order for them to make money, freemiums can also be downloaded electronically.

Apps are also a way of distributing magazines and Vibe have an app that is free on itunes and it has had millions of downloads because its free, but this means it has many adverts, its available for Ipads also which you is better for reading a full magazine. Many music magazines do have apps and some are free and this is a very effective way of distribution as modern technology allows people to consume all forms of media quickly and easily. Vibe's app can be found on their website http://www.vibe.com/2012/11/download-vibes-new-smartphone-app-now/