Distributing Channels & Advertising and Marketing

NME themselves distribute their magazine in stores since 2002. Come 2009, they teamed up with John Menzies, meaning they could distribute their magazine online. The magazines are sold at most supermarkets such as Tesco, Asda and well-known news agents, also bookshops like WHSmiths.

The picture above from the website shows the different ways there are to access NME magazine. Each of them apply to different types of buyers and benefit them in different ways. 

The magazine appearing on the shelves in the shops every week, advertising itself, as people will see it walking past a pick one up. By advertising big artists/bands on their front cover also helps to attract a bigger audience and gain more fans from other fan bases  Apart from that, most advertising of the magazine is possibly most successful online. Where people talk about it more and recommend to others of the same interests. e.g..  Tweeting about buying the magazine.

The brands live events (NME awards gigs), NMETV, NME Radio and http://www.nme.com/ - The digital archive of the magazine that music fanatics can come here to expand on that weeks gossip. Providing over 15,000 new stories, reviews and features.
The award winning NME website, is the most successful music website in Europe. Famous for the most ground-breaking news, wild range of reviews and in-depth features. They are the longest published and the  most respected music weekly in the world.

The website has a link to that weeks magazine, telling you all about that weeks issue.
Shown in the picture below, the website has an automatic pop up, to advertise this weeks magazine. It is there the remind the reader and inform what is will consist of to influence them to purchase it.

Viral Marketing

Shown in the picture below, there is even an option to buy a digital edition of the magazine available on download which can be accessed through itunes/app. So readers can have it on the go, via mobile. This is even more easier for the audience to access it. It also benefits the people who do not want to purchase or cannot find the actual magazine in the store. People can also use the service called RSS feed which is their way of letting you know about the latest magazine previews via email. This helps everyone in the audience keep up to date with what is going on.

Promoting further than their own website ; Online methods of sharing. NME has developed alot through technology. From newspapers in 1952 to using photoshop to create a magazine and internet sites to advertise.

NME also advertise themselves by being connected to various social networking websites, as well as their own. This helps expand promotion even further, by using regularly visited websites. As shown in both pictures, NME provides for millions of fans weekly, not just on paper. Although recent statistics have shown that overall NME magazine sales have dropped by at least 20% in the last year, which is most likely due to having these online pages that feature most of the information already.

Comparing to retail prices, at £2.40, If a reader subscribes to the magazine, you can save 32% by paying the subscription. Having these special offers benefit the readers who buy a copy every single week, rather than the people who chose to buy it when they want a certain issue. Then the audience can be informed of how much they are saving weekly/monthly/yearly.

Analysing Meaning

Meaning	How meaning is produced
Music is an important part of life.	Each page involves music. Whether it’s; bands, gigs, reviews, interviews, photography, singles or albums.
Musicians are stars but also very ordinary people.	This can be identified in interviews & photography
If you are interested in music then you are also more interested in media gadgets.	Adverts – are all linked to other media products and gadgets

What meanings are produced by your chosen media product, and how are they produced?

As a magazine, the NME produces meaning through words and pictures. The pictures create meaning by portraying the personalities and characters of the artists. If there is a new band out who are not yet well known, the reader can get an idea of who they are and what they are about. The meaning can be shown through the choice of: sets, fashion choice and poses. The set often reflects the mood of the character of the artist/band. Everything involves use of words to describe the basics and the meaning  that the magazine is trying to put across. Musicians are stars but also very ordinary people. This can be identified in interviews and photography.

NME magazine is mainly based on advertising and promoting similar music styles and artists. The main meaning is showing how much music is an important part of life. Each page will involve music, whether it’s; bands, gigs, reviews, interviews, photography, singles, or albums. It is the most respected music magazine which means it is beneficial for the musicians; as it is popular and sold everywhere for the public to see. It is promoting them by popularity. The bigger musicians get a bigger article, so the focus is more on them. Leaving the smaller artists with less space in the magazine. Yet still informing the readers they are there to listen to.

Advertising musical products (audio) via magazine (visual/text) is promoting a different aspect of media using the opposite kind of media.  The point in advertising gadgets here is because the people who are interested in music then they are more likely to have a general interest in media gadgets. These advertisements are all linked to other media products and gadgets. This benefits the producers trying to sell the gadgets as many people reading the magazine everyday will gain knowledge of the latest products out and maybe persauded to buy it if it is promoted from something they like (The music magazine).