3. What kind of media institution will distribute your media product?

There are three main categories of media institutions when it comes to magazine publishers. The three categories are major publishing, independent publishing, and self-publishing. The research I undertook showed that all three categories have strengths and weaknesses. I had to think about which option would most efficient for my kind of magazine.

Major publishers have a lot of impact, as well as power within the market place. According to Karl Marx 'Power resides with those who have ownership and control of the means of production and distribution' which in this case refers to the distribution of magazines around the world. Within the UK there are two major publishers which are EMAP and IPC. They have a lot of power within the market place, as they offer products to both niche and mass markets. They publish one of the most famous Indy rock magazines known as NME however they also have a wide product range from fitness magazines to lifestyle magazine to the Nuts magazine. They successfully reach a lot of demographics. There is another very popular major publisher; Bauer Media Group. This media institution operates in 15 countries worldwide. They publish Q and Kerrang!, Which are very well established and influential music magazines.

Major publishing is preferred by many due to the advantages. This includes specialist staff, who are experienced in working with certain demographics. Major publishers also have more economic support than other publishing options, meaning they can guarantee to get the best quality pictures, articles and printing. This would result in maximum revenue. Major publishers are also very established which means they have brand loyalty. This means that people are more likely to purchase the magazine if it is distributed by a well-known name. Another advantage of major publishing is that they are often horizontally and vertically integrated meaning they can promote the magazine on different media platforms. This is an example of synergy, which allows the major publishers to stay powerful within the market place. This reinforces ‘Karl Marx’s’ statement

On the other hand, there are also disadvantages to major publishing. You will have less freedom with the content of your magazine, as you will be working with a large corporation. Therefore, you will have to make compromises in order for the magazine to be successful. It would also be hard to find a gap in the market, as majors already own many different magazines with varied demographics. This would mean that even if your magazine does get published, it may not find the coverage it needs, resulting in money being lost. 

Independent publishing typically target niche audiences, as they do not own the means or resources to aim for a mass audience. An example of an independent publisher is The Church of London they distribute 'huck' lifestyle magazine. The number of people involved in making an independent magazine is much smaller compared to the ones of major magazines. This means that they are very passionate about the few magazines they produce and take a lot of pride in the detail, as well as design of their magazines. Unfortunately, due to the smaller team it is very difficult to produce the magazine as they can only rely on a few people. Independent publishers have more control of what goes into their magazine, and how it is designed and presented. This is an advantage as it means you are the one in control of what your magazine portrays and represents. Another advantage is that most of the profit would be going to you.

However, there are also disadvantages. Independent publishers often have a lack of resources such as technology, finance and people. Another downside is that your brand is not established, meaning consumers are not loyal your magazine. Therefore you have no guarantee that people will purchase your magazine. As independent publishers are not horizontally and vertically integrated, they heavily rely on the internet and word of mouth, in order to gain recognition. If independent publishers start a title and it becomes successful enough to be recognised, major publishers may make an offer and take ownership of the magazine.

The third publishing option is self-publishing. Self-publishing means it is published by the author. There are two types of self-publishing; fanzine and ezine. A fanzine is a magazine, (usually produced by amateurs) for fans of a particular interest. An example of a fanzine is 'Sniffin Glue'. An ezine is a magazine that is published electronically on the internet, in the form of a blog or directory. Self-publishing is good as it is very easy, which means anyone can do it and access it. It also has no production costs meaning you would not lose any money. However, self-publishing means you do not have any resources or funding from others. The only way to gain revenue is through advertisements and subscriptions.

I have decided to choose the major publishing (EMAP) route. Karl Marx stated ‘Power resides with those who have ownership and control of the means of production and distribution’. Therefore to ensure maximum success and profit it is ideal to take this route. Also EMAP do not own a hip hop music genre magazine so there is a gap in the market. Also I and EMAP will benefit from the deal. As they have all the effective resources which can raise awareness to my magazine. Also my demographic are mainstreamers so it will not affect the product if they decide to alter the content. The magazine does not necessarily have to be extremely unique like 'huck' magazine because they target hipsters. Overall they will help my magazine gain high readership because they established brands with loyal consumers.