Question 3: What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

For the magazine I have produced this project, I have decided that I want to have a large amount of independence distributing my magazine. I want to be able to distribute my magazine independently physically as an attempt to reduce cost yet use a big online distributor to publish my magazine digitally. This publican must have experience and be able to give guidance for future editions and projects. I also want this publisher to have a large reach in an attempt to increase audience size and get my work out there to like minded audience members. This decision is one of the most important regarding my magazine, it is a crucial part of the magazines commercial success. They define the magazines quality and ensure the reader gets the best intended experience whilst maximising profit.

As magazines are periodical publications they are printed on a regular schedule and feature a plethora of content. Most magazines are financed by advertising, subscriptions and of course the purchase price. They are distributed online, through bookstores, mail and other vendors. My free magazine will be distributed at select locations like music venues, record stores and specific clothes stores.

As previously stated I would like to distribute my magazine physically independently as in my opinion it continues with the fan-zine culture and allows me to have a more direct connection with my audience and such. However I have been researching online distributors and have set on the company Issuu. This distributor has a total of 100 million + unique visitors per month. Launched in 2007 this fairly new “digital newsstand” has quickly became a prolific distributor with 100 million active readers. Named one of TIME’s 50 best websites and being a South by Southwest  finalist in 2008 Issuu is quickly making a name for itself as a large distributing power. The company offers a wide variety of magazine genre’s attracting new readers everyday to their online platform. This well established company would be perfectly suited to publishing my magazine, their “advanced analytics, social tools and the ability to embed customised a customised reader”  will only further the accessibility of my primarily Niche magazines target audience. The publisher already has previous experience publishing other punk music magazines such as “Maximumrocknrol” meaning they are aware of my target audience and will know how to appeal to the highest amount of potential readers.

The money for funding my magazine would come from advertising. I would use the niche audience to focus advertising to products related to my magazines  punk roots. Publishers need to be able to make advertising positions appealing and be ale to attract new companies consistently in order to fund my magazine. So that being said my magazines revenue will from its strong relationships with advertisers. The Gentlewoman counts brands Céline, Miu Miu, Balenciaga Saint Laurent, Gucci and Prada amongst its advertisers, for whom the magazine’s tactile print quality is a part of what makes it a desirable place to market their brands. We could subsidize our magazines existence by staging sponsored events and accepting donations.

There are multiple magazines distributes similarly to mine, NME, Mojo and Vice. These are all similar both institutionally and generically. With free magazine structure and similar creative styling. I would hope to gain the same success as these magazines through hard work and a growth of popularity. My magazines price is free which is similar to the example magazines I have listed so far. This means it is not expensive at all, not deterring people from buying my content.