Questionnaire on my indie rock music magazine

1. What indie artists/bands do you know?

Peace ||||
Jaws |||||
Swim Deep ||||
Blossoms |
The 1975 |||
Arctic Monkeys ||||||||
Florence and the Machine ||
Catfish and the Bottlemen |||
Oasis |
The Killers |
Wolf Alice ||||
Diiv ||
Bombay Bicycle Club |
Ratboy |
Two Door Cinema Club |

Why did I ask the question? what was I hoping to learn about my genre or

target audience
I asked this question in order to gain understanding of the most commonly known indie artists
among my student audience; the most popular would then be used and featured within my
magazine, as it would be illogical to list bands/artists that were known by few.

- What was the result?

The result showed Arctic Monkeys as the most popular indie artist, which was no surprise due
to their commercialised success, often the go to indie favourite. Followed by Jaws, Wolf
Alice, Peace and Swim Deep. Jaws, Peace and Swim Deep are all b-town Birmingham
bands, which suggests their popularity in this circumstance (audience was exclusively
Birmingham students) despite not being commercially as successful as The 1975 for
example.

- What went wrong?

In question 5, a third of my audience said they prefer solo artists. However, not a single solo
artist has been included within the above list, which fails to add up.

- What does this mean in terms of your target audience/representation?

I will have to manipulate these results in order to include more female artists, as those listed
and suggested are predominantly male and thus unfair/not relative to the greater female
target audience.

- What does this mean in terms of your genre?

The indie rock genre will not change, as I will be able to find suitable female artists (e.g. Haim,
Hinds) to include within and cater for my magazine.

- What are you now thinking of doing for your magazine?

I will now be sure to include some of the most popular indie artists within my magazine,
however not all as there is an unequal male to female ratio. Wolf Alice will definitely feature,
as they were among the popular result and are also female lead.

2. Which of those would you like to feature in the magazine?

Peace ||||
Arctic Monkeys ||||||||
The 1975 ||
Swim Deep ||
Jaws |||
Wolf Alice ||||
Catfish and the Bottlemen |
Florence and the Machine |
Diiv ||
-

Why did I ask the question? what was I hoping to learn about my genre or

target audience
I asked this question in order to find out the favourite artists among those known by my
audience, the most popular then in this result would be the selective few that feature within
my magazine.

- What was the result?

This result again showed Arctic Monkeys as the most popular indie artist, then followed by
Peace, Wolf Alice and Jaws.

- What went wrong?

Again, as this question followed up from the first, the lack of female artists mentioned
consequently continued.

- What does this mean in terms of your target audience/representation?

Since 9 females took the questionnaire and most if not all listed male artists, it is shown that
females do in fact not just possess an interest in artists of their own gender. However, I did
want to create my magazine as a platform for girls to look up to successful female role models
in the industry (e.g. Ellie Rowsell of Wolf Alice), but with a lack of female artists, I will not be
able to do so.

- What does this mean in terms of your genre?

The indie rock genre will not change in this circumstance; however individual artists may differ
to those suggested.

- What are you now thinking of doing for your magazine?

I will incorporate the result into the content of my magazine with regards to which
bands/artists feature, however those with a lesser popularity may be exchanged for female
(lead) artists such as Haim.

3. What types of article would you like to feature in the magazine?

Question & Answer
Interview

|||||||| (8)

||||||||| (9)

1. What types of article would you like to feature in the magazine?

Question & Answer Interview

53%

47%

Why did I ask the question? what was I hoping to learn about my genre or

target audience
I asked this question in order to gain an understanding of the preference and interests of my
audience, if I made the format of the main article unappealing to the majority then there would
be a lowered interest towards my magazine.

- What was the result?

The result was fairly even, with 53% of people preferring interviews and 47% opting for the
question & answer format.
-

What went wrong?

Though there was a more popular option out of the two, the result was tight; it could have
been improved if there was a more significant difference between the two, I would have then
known for definite which format to use for my main article.

- What does this mean in terms of your target audience/representation?

With an interview format, I would be able to portray a greater representation of my feature
artist than if carried out in a question & answer format, which adds to the likelihood of me
completing an interview, supported by the result of this question.

- What does this mean in terms of your genre?

I will be including content in the interview which relates to the genre of indie rock, i.e.
instruments, fellow artists, gigs, festivals etc.

- What are you now thinking of doing for your magazine?

I am now sure that I will be using the interview format for my main article, and also maybe
mentioning a brief Q&A with a different artist in the contents page.

4. What kind of content do you enjoy/would like to feature in the

magazine?

||||||||||| (11)
Album/single reviews
||||||||| (9)
Tour dates
||||||||| (9)
Activities e.g. quizzes, crosswords
||||| (5)
Other
Articles on artists/bands

What kind of content do you enjoy/would like to feature in the magazine?

Articles on artists/band

Album/single reviews

Tour Dates

15%
32%

26%
Activities e.g. quizzes, crosswords
26%

Why did I ask the question? what was I hoping to learn about my genre or

target audience
I asked this question in order to gain an understanding of the kind of content which a student
audience would be interested in; the less popular results would be less likely to be used within
the magazine.

- What was the result?

The result showed articles on artists/bands and album/single reviews as the two most
popular features among my audience. I will not be including activities due to its lack of
popularity and general childish sense.

- What went wrong?

I planned originally to use the more popular features and keep clear of activities; therefore this
result went to plan.

- What does this mean in terms of your target audience/representation?

The exclusion of activities infers a more mature target audience; my magazine thus has
potential to appeal to a wider age variation than just students. Also, some tour dates featured
may be 16+.

- What does this mean in terms of your genre?

The features included will be based on/consist of indie music/artists only i.e. tour dates,
articles.

- What are you now thinking of doing for your magazine?

I will now be definitely including articles on indie artists/bands, album/single reviews and tour
dates within my magazine.

5. Do you prefer bands or solo artists?

Bands

||||||||| (9)

Solo artists

|||| (4)

Do you prefer bands or solo artists?

Bands

Solo artists

31%

69%

Why did I ask the question? what was I hoping to learn about my genre or

target audience
I asked this question to find out whether my student audience preferred bands or solo artists,
in order to know which of the two to include more within my magazine (to cater to the
audience).

- What was the result?

The result showed that two thirds of my audience prefer bands to solo artists (69 to 31%).

- What went wrong?

The result of this question went to plan, as I had originally drafted the idea of having a band
as the subject of my main article and thus models in the main image on the magazine cover.
-

What does this mean in terms of your target audience/representation?

I will have to ensure I include a greater representation of bands; however, most indie rock
bands are male dominated. Due to the predominant female target audience, I must ensure
the bands featured include at least one female member in order to suit and relate to my
magazines audience.

- What does this mean in terms of your genre?

Bands dominate the genre of indie rock, therefore the result matches perfectly with the
expectations of the genre and thus magazines content.

- What are you now thinking of doing for your magazine?

I will now have to make sure I include a greater amount of bands than solo artists within the
content of my magazine; however, with the ratio of 2:1, solo artists will not be excluded.

6. For your response to the previous answer, why?

Band
Interested in the relationships between band members || (2)
Bands are more diverse ||| (3)
Create a better sound |||| (4)
Because they are more independent | (1)

Solo
Focus on one person || (2)

Why did I ask the question? what was I hoping to learn about my genre or

target audience
I asked this question in order to gain an understanding of the reasons why my audience
preferred either bands or solo artists. The reasons suggested would then influence the way in
which I represent the artists featured within my magazine.

- What was the result?

The result, in relation to the previous question, provided more reasons behind why bands are
preferred to solo artists, the most popular reason being they create a better sound. This
suggestion however does not link to the representation of the band, unalike the relationships
between band members.
-

What went wrong?

The result of this question could have been improved by the audience suggesting an
increased amount of reasons which relate to the representation of an artist, which could have
helped me in producing my magazine.

- What does this mean in terms of your target audience/representation?

The bands featured within my magazine will have to be represented in a way which shows
them as friends, the band members must have a clear connection and good relationships with
each other.

- What does this mean in terms of your genre?

The bands and solo artists which feature will all be of the indie rock genre.

- What are you now thinking of doing for your magazine?

I will now consider the reasons behind the interest for bands and solo artists by my audience
and interpret those into my representation of them.

7. What colours do you associate with indie rock?

Yellow |||||| (6)

Black ||||||| (7)
Gold |||||||| (8)
Pink || (2)
White |||| (4)

What colours do you associate with indie rock?

Yellow

Black

14%
7%

28%

Gold

Pink

28%

24%

White

Why did I ask the question? what was I hoping to learn about my genre or

target audience
I asked this colour related question in order to find out the colours which my student audience
associate with the genre of indie rock, the most popular result(s) would be used within the
colour scheme for my magazine.

- What was the result?

My result showed gold, yellow and black as the 3 most commonly associated colours with
indie rock music.

- What went wrong?

Generally, nothing went wrong within this question; however, as I am aiming my magazine at
a female audience, a greater popularity of the colour pink could have (stereotypically) inferred
the gender of the target audience to those that are unaware.

- What does this mean in terms of your target audience/representation?

The outcome of this result now means that I will have to reduce the blatancy of my female
audience, by making my magazine more appealing to males than initially planned.

- What does this mean in terms of your genre?

The indie rock genre will not be changed entirely, however I will now need to include a vaster
male representation and inclusion.

- What are you now thinking of doing for your magazine?

I will now be making the appeal of my magazine (content, representation, appearance), with
regards to gender, more equal.

8. Do you have a part time job?

Yes

||||||| (7)

No

||||||| (7)
-

Why did I ask the question? what was I hoping to learn about my genre or

target audience
The purpose of this question was to find out what percentage of students are earning an
income, i.e. more likely to pay more for a magazine if receiving pay.

- What was the result?

The result showed that 50% of students (out of a total 14) have a part time job, 50% dont.

- What went wrong?

The equal percentage was an element which went wrong within this question, as I didnt
receive a more common answer, which could have influenced the price of my magazine.

- What does this mean in terms of your target audience/representation?

I will not be pricing the magazine above 3, as for those without an income (50% of the target
audience) may not be able to afford it.

- What does this mean in terms of your genre?

The indie rock genre will not be altered.

- What are you now thinking of doing for your magazine?

Keeping the price of the magazine at 3, including relevant content e.g. not listing tour dates
which are massively expensive.

9. Whats the most youd be willing to pay for a magazine?

2 |||| (4)
3 |||||| (6)
3.50 | (1)
4 || (2)

Whats the most youd be willing to pay for a magazine?

2

3.5

15%
31%

8%

46%

Why did I ask the question? what was I hoping to learn about my genre or

target audience
I asked the price related question in order to gather the modal price which people would pay
for a magazine the most common result would be used as the pricing for my own magazine.

- What was the result?

The result showed that 3 is the most common price that people would pay for a music
magazine.
-

What went wrong?

As 3 was the price I originally had in mind, this question had a successful outcome, therefore
nothing went wrong.

- What does this mean in terms of your target audience/representation?

As the price is affordable for the working class and not overpriced (i.e. catered for those with
a disposable income), I will be using a working class female as the basis of my target
audience profile. Indie rock music is a working class dominated genre; the participants for this
questionnaire were all also of a working class, revealing the appeal of the genre with regards
to class.

- What does this mean in terms of your genre?

The genre of indie rock will be staying the same; I will ensure I use artists of a working class
background to feature within my magazine.

- What are you now thinking of doing for your magazine?

I will now be definitely pricing my magazine at 3, in order to cater for my audience.

10.

What is your gender?

|||||||||| (10)
Male |||| (4)
Other
Female

Why did I ask the question? what was I hoping to learn about my genre or

target audience
I asked the gender related question in order to find out whether it is predominantly females or
males of a student age that listen to indie rock music.

- What was the result?

The result showed that more females possessed an interest towards my questionnaire and
thus the genre of indie rock.

- What went wrong?

The result defied the stereotypes placed around (indie) rock music; that it is a male dominated
genre- both with regards to artists and fans.

- What does this mean in terms of your target audience/representation?

This female dominated result shows that I must create my music magazine with the basis of a
female target audience.

- What does this mean in terms of your genre?

The genre will not be altered, however the content included will now be adjusted to cater for
the preferences and interests of female indie rock fans.

- What are you now thinking of doing for your magazine?

Due to the outcome of this result, I will now definitely use female models within the main
image and grouped as the subject of the main article, as females will be more likely to
possess an interest towards my magazine if an artist of the same gender features (role
model, inspiration). Colour schemes will also need to be altered to accustom to stereotypes
I will now be more likely to use gold as part of the scheme rather than blue.