Target Audience

FADER MAGAZINE

The FADER is a New York-based music magazine launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The FADER documents a range of emerging music, style and culture. The FADER was the first print publication to be released on iTunes.  It has been credited with giving exposure to top artists ahead of mainstream recognition, including Kanye West, Bon Iver, The Strokes, Drake and The White Stripes.

Fader maintains a lot of its focus on the minimal and simplistic approach it takes towards its aesthetic features. The magazine is very image driven and therefore attracts a target audience that enjoys a professional and neat looking magazine.
The median age of readers is 31, with 75% of readers being males and 25% females.

Sources – Wikipedia and Fader official site

                                                            VIBE MAGAZINE 

Vibe is a music and entertainment magazine founded by producer Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip-hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down production in Summer 2009, Vibe was purchased by the private equity investment fund InterMedia Partners and is now issued semi-monthly with double covers, with a larger online presence. The magazine's target demographic is predominantly young, urban followers of hip-hop culture. In 2014, the magazine moved online-only. 

The magazine owed its success to featuring a broader range of interests than its closest competitors The Source and XXL which focus more narrowly on rap music, or the rock and pop-centric Rolling Stone and Spin. As of June 30th, 2012, Vibe has a circulation of 300,943, of which 202,439 was paid, and 98,504 was non-paid.

Study of Vibe’s reader demographic to the right - showing that the gender of readers is almost 50/50, with a median age of 34 years old.

Sources – Wikipedia, 2013 VIBE Brand Study and Vibe’s official site

CLASH MAGAZINE

Clash is a popular music and fashion magazine and website based in the UK. It is published 10 times a year by Music Republic Ltd. The brand's content alternates between modern bands such as The Horrors, Florence & The Machine and Jamie xx as well as hip-hop artists like DJ Shadow, Kanye West and Beastie Boys. It concentrates on music and fashion, and often their effect on surrounding culture, as well as film and technology. At the turn of 2011, Clash took on an entirely new look, ditching the previous glossy feel and music led design, for an altogether more led approach. In 2013 Clash launched a Smartphone channel which went on to win 'Best Music Magazine' at the Digital Magazine Awards for their IOS Apple Magazine App. Gender of readers has shown to be approximately 50/50, along with 71% of readers saying they are between 21 and 31 years old.

Sources – Wikipedia, Clash official site and Slideshare

MY TARGET AUDIENCE

From the research that I have conducted it is clear that the main audiences are males in the late teens/ early twenties which could influence the minimalistic colour scheme and house styles which each magazine has in common. I have decided that I will aim my magazine at 16-25 year olds, as I found some of the mean ages of these magazines quite. I've also decided that my magazine will be targeted at both men and women to attract a wider audience.