Media Institutions

The next step for my music magazine, Fusion, was to research and investigate different media institutions so that I could decide which one to market my magazine to. 

A media institution is an organisation that is responsible for the production, marketing, distribution or regulation of media texts. They are business structures that produce media texts and regulate and structure all media activities. 

Here are just a few of the institutions/ publishers that I found:

Hearst - Hearst Magazines UK was established in 1910 by William Randolph Hearst and its major interests include magazine, newspaper and business publishing, television and radio broadcasting, TV production and distribution, and internet businesses. The company is responsible for publishing magazines such as Elle, Digital Spy, Red, and SugarScape. Positives of this institution are that it has promoted many important magazines, giving me confidence that it would be a professional company. However, the fact that Hearst has not published a music magazine suggests it would have limited knowledge on how to successfully promote one like mine.

Future PLC - The biggest guitar and music-making publisher in the UK. It is responsible for magazines that promote genres such as Classic Rock, Computer Music, Future Music, Guitar Techniques, Guitarist, Metal Hammer, and Rhythm. Although the fact that the Pop Rock genre of my own magazine is not included in Future PLC's area of promotion, leaving me the opportunity to bring a unique magazine to the business, I would feel unsure about pitching to a company that does not specialise in my genre necessarily. 

Development Hell Ltd - An independent media company based in Islington, London. They currently publish the market leading international dance music magazine, Mixmag. As this institution already specialises, or has experience with music magazines, I can consider this publisher when it comes to deciding which one to pitch to.

IPC Media - The company that promotes the famous NME magazine. However, looking at the other contacts IPC Media are with, the large amount of Home, Women's, and Garden magazines also available suggest NME is a rarity, and this does not persuade me to invest in this company with as much certainty.

Immediate Media Co. - Formerly BBC Magazines, this company publishes some of the UK's most famous magazines including Radio Times, Good Food and Top Gear. Although it has promoted music magazines such as Top of the Pops and BBC Music, the fact that the BBC mainly focuses on companies within its own organisation and programmes suggests it would not be a particularly good choice.

As a result of this research I have discovered different aspects of each institution involving the positives and negatives they may bring, and now have decided to go with Development Hell Ltd, due to its previous successes with Mixmag, which I can pitch to next.