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

When it comes to distributing my magazine I have three options. I could either choose a major or independent publisher or choose to self-publish. Karl Marx stated that 'Power resides with the few who have ownership and control of the means of production and distribution'. From this quote it would appear that the best choice for publishing would be a major publisher. For example, Kerrang magazine is published by Bauer Media who also own Absolute Radio, Q magazine and 4music meaning that in order to advertise for 'Kerrang!' they could chose from a range of products all owned by their own company which would prove to be very efficient; this is horizontal integration. This level of multi-platform, horizontally integrated synergy is only an option for the major publishers. They will also have larger departments responsible for their online platforms such as websites and social media. Also, major publishers would tend to have a larger budget and more resources when it comes to production of the magazine which is why it is usually more successful. Within major publishing there are generally two types of integration. Vertical integration is when the production, distribution and exhibition are owned by one company. Horizontal integration is otherwise when one organisation controls companies that produce a range of media. This is generally more advantageous because content created for one media platform can be adapted to fit other formats e.g. printed magazine to online site.

Now with independent publishing there is a blatant disadvantage given that they do not have the money or resources that the major publishers possess. However, due to web 2.0 it is much easier to advertise a magazine. A page could be created on Facebook advertising competitions and free downloads in order to achieve more likes. Also, someone could be in charge of my magazine's twitter feed, posting interesting and attention grabbing tweets made to appeal to male teenagers especially. This would all be free and effective distribution of my magazine. By taking a multi-platform approach I would ensure that my magazine would be advertised everywhere from traditional media to free advertising on web 2.0. I could use billboards, posters, radio adverts, spotify adverts etc. all to create a bigger fan base for my magazine. However, use of traditional media such as billboards would be limited due to the expense. Independent publishers will usually be aimed at niche audiences who would sustain a loyal readership for the text. They would also take more time producing the magazine yet treat it with a lot more passion as it would not be one of a plethora of magazines produced by the company. The independent publisher will also have less resources. The final option is self-publishing. Normally this would be done online as it is free and extremely easy to do considering that most people have a media hub in easy access to them. For example, one of the most famous self-published magazines to date is Sniffin' Glue. This was a monthly punk fanzine created by Mark Perry in 1976. The issues were all constructed by hand and had a haphazard randomness that fans loved as it was something new different. Initially only 50 copies were sold but very soon circulation figures soon rose to 15,000 within the year that it was published. The big appeal of Sniffin' Glue was that fact that it was so personal and informal which greatly appealed to fans of punk music. Tony Fletcher stated that 'Sniffin' Glue was not so much badly written as barely written; grammar was non-existent, layout was haphazard, headlines were usually just written in felt tip, swearwords were often used in lieu of a reasoned argument. . .all of which gave Sniffin' Glue its urgency and relevance.' A lot of critics view this magazine as the pinnacle of early British punk rock as well as the start of the DIY punk ethic. If I were to self-publish on the internet it would mean that I would have to give the product away for free and rely heavily on online advertising to create revenue. This may prove tricky as advertising on 'Facebook' or 'Twitter' would still cost me money rather than just creating a page available for likes.

Given all this information I think I would be lead to choose a major publishing company to produce my magazine. Although there is certainly more passion and dedication within independent publishers, the resources and use of horizontal integration would indefinitely insure a successful publishing of my magazine. Also, as my magazine is covering a genre of music that is not considered mainstream having the backing of a major publisher would be very helpful given that most already publish well established and thriving magazines. The use of other companies within the organisation of a major publishers that is horizontally integrated could prove very helpful in using synergy and advertising through these other companies. The organisation I would opt for is probably IPC Media. This is because the only rock magazine it produces is 'The NME' meaning that it already knows how to achieve success for music magazines but that there will also be not much competition from other similar rival texts within the organisation.