I have decided to follow the styling of the Billboard magazine and create my own magazine looking at the current music charts. I listen to a range of music myself, and generally follow the pattern and trends in music, found on the charts such as Billboard Hot 100, iTunes charts and the Big Top 40.

As I follow these charts closely, I am familiar with them and with the styling of this type of magazine.

Initial Ideas

Chart music is an album or music record with a certain number of sales worldwide to make it the most popular, or one of the most popular, songs around at that current time.

Chart music includes every possible genre of music, styling and artist, as long as that is currently popular. Many music fans prefer chart music because it enables them to range their music taste and listen to more than one genre.

Magazines and music websites such as Billboard, Big Top 40 and the iTunes chart highlight that weeks top chart music.

What is chartmusic?

Chart HistoryThe charts were started in 1940 in America, where the music-trade paper Billboard compiled the first chart incorporating sales figures. Record charts in the UK began in 1952, when Percy Dickins of the New Musical Express (NME) gathered a pool of 52 stores willing to report sales figures. Since then the charts have grown and becomes a basis around the popularity of all songs in the music industry – the importance of success.

This are examples of what typical charts look like – showing the top songs in order from the top, with name of song, singer, how many weeks its been in the charts and where it was in the charts last week.

The chart is compiled of a mix-genre basis – favouring genres differently depending on the most popular albums and singles at that time.

Recent music in the charts is different most weeks and with the change in individuals music tastes, unique singles such as Gangnam Style have made it to the top of the chart list.Over the years since the Charts have been compiled, music has varied widely. Here are a few examples.

1995 Chart Hitshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnMn33A3ED4

2000 Chart Hitshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5RedhkAks42005 Chart Hitshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YpkW2SyZfk

2010 Chart Hitshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSKNFjjoUh0

2012 Chart Hitshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awut5Bzls_Uhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYPvAMrMzwI

Chart History

Billboard is a national weekly magazine dedicated to chart music and the chart industry. It publishes the latest music in terms of most songs sold in that past week, and publishes it in order from 1-100 of popularity in the Billboard Hot 100.

Billboard readers:• 71% are between the

ages of 25-54• 82% are college

graduates• 27.5% post degree

graduates• 65% director level or

above• 37% keep the annual

double year end issue for over a year

My music magazine is going to be in the style of Billboard as a chart magazine – however it will be a UK styled edition and contents and articles will be dependant on my target audience research that I will conduct.

I will follow loosely the target audience and statistics of Billboard magazine – with the key feature of my magazine being the charts, however make it more accessible to a younger age range such as 16-25 year olds.

My Music Magazine