Map of Magazine Industry Ownership

After doing some research, using primarily the links provided in previous posts, this is the way I have mapped out the ownership and structure of the Magazine Industry. The list at the bottom refers to major players in the industry, in this case, Publishing Companies. Here are links to their websites:

Reader's Digest Association Ltd.

Reed Business Publishing

Remnant Media Ltd.

Trojan Publishing

Show Media

Time Out Group

IPC Media

Imagine Publishing

Hello! Publishing Ltd.

Segregation = Result of Ignorance!

Will convergence make the Creative and Cultural Industries more diverse or will it encourage segregation?

Media convergence will in no doubt make Creative and Cultural industries more diverse, as when people become more aware of other cultures and people, they may also become more accepting.

The more you know about something, the more chance there is of you being accepting of it. Segregation results mainly from ignorance, and not wanting to learn and embrace something different. But, the more someone is exposed to it, and the more people know about something, the more accepting they will be, and the less segregation there will be. This is what media convergence can help with, because it makes everything so accessible, and easier to learn and know about.

For example, lately in the news there was a story about this anti-homophobic bullying group, called Stonewall. They released a video to be shown in high schools to discourage this type of behaviour, and it was reported that 80% of the students who said they were homophobic prior to watching video had changed their minds by the end. This shows how the minds of people can be altered by media, simply because it teaches something new to them.

Access: Approved...

Will convergence make London an even more multicultural and creative city?

Convergence will make London a more multicultural city because information about cultures is a lot more readily accessible

Through media, more access to other cultures is available. Not that London isn't already heavily multicultural, but through media, it is so much easier to learn about other cultures and their customs. Everything is presented to you online, and it's so easy to access, and read, and watch things. Some may argue that you learn more about a culture by actually going out and experiencing it, but say there is a festival happening for the celebration of a culture somewhere in the city; you will most likely learn about what's going on due to the information being posted on some kind of media. Only then can you go out and experience the culture, if you know that this is what's happening. Also, if you learn something about a culture through first hand, personal experience, it may be reinforced by what you may learn through using appropriate media.

The more multicultural a society is, the more creative it can be, because there is a lot more input from different people being given. A lot of different perspectives are introduced, and they can all be amalgamated to create a brand new version of something.

RIP: Traditional Media :*(

Which traditional media are bound to disappear or transform due to convergence? Why?

Some traditional media are bound to disappear because there are so many newer products being released which have similar functions, and even combine several functions in one place. Also, with the internet around, there is less demand for physical belongings, such as Magazines, CDs, and even DVDs and Blu Ray.

Magazines: These might not completely disappear, as they are highly sought after as either collectibles, or people just like having them as a physical entity. Also, people like to have 'Magazine Subscriptions', because it's not just about reading a magazine, but how these magazines relate to you and your life style. Although, as Media is converging, we will see, and already are seeing, a lot more Magazine subscription online. Even with pages that say like, 'this content is only exclusive to the inside of a magazine'. It is possible to get so many more people to subscribe to your magazine online.

CDs: With all the downloadable content, nobody uses CDs anymore, and just like records in the past, they have been reduced to being almost completely pointless, and only collectible items - to have the CD of your favourite band is more of a 'decoration' and an expression of your identity, rather than a useful object.

DVDs/Blu ray: Even though these technologies are fairly new (especially Blu ray) they are already decreasing in popularity due to Media Convergence. This is evident through the prices of the items, and how they have decreased dramatically recently. When Blu Ray first came, about two years ago, one film would cost around £40. Now, you can find brand new films for as low as £10, and maybe £30 at most.

Ten Resources

Here are some great links about the Magazine Industry in the UK:

PPA Marketing
A market research website, giving information, facts and figures about the Industry.

Guardian Article
This is an article published by the Guardian, a reputable news provider, about the Magazine Industry. Even though it’s about 2009, the information may still be relevant as it mostly speaks about the direction of the Industry, and how it will be affected the recession (which we are still in).

Magforum
This is a website which offers descriptions about the different sectors which are present in the Magazine Industry, and gives information about Publishers, and which Magazines are published by whom, within the UK.

Media UK
This is a website which contains news about the Magazine Industry, and is updated regularly with relevant articles. There is also a search feature, so you may find what you are looking for.

Press Gazette
This is a News website for people in the News industry, which may also be useful for Magazine Industry. It tells of what’s going on within the Industry, and specifically features articles concerning people/business in the industry.

Magazine Blog
This is someone else’s blog about the Magazine Industry, only she focuses on three Magazines (Rock Sound, Kerrang!, and Q.), instead of the entire industry.

PPA Marketing
Here are some more facts and figures about the UK Magazine Industry provided by PPA marketing. This gives more information about employment and consumers.

Business Week
This is a website which provides information about the Magazine Industry from a business perspective.

Tech Crunch
This is a link to an article about the Magazine Industry’s future, and how it will evolve due to new technologies being released and invented to make access to magazine easier.

Guardian Article
This is another article published by the Guardian, and is about the trends in the Magazine Industry.

UK Consumer Magazine FACTS!

Here are ten facts about the UK Consumer Magazine Industry, in relation to their sales, their variety, and the amount of people whom they influence. This information was produced by PPA Marketing, a Market Research website, at the end of 2009.

1. The consumer magazine industry is estimated to be worth almost £2.8bn
2. More than 3,200 consumer magazine titles are currently published in the UK
3. Almost 240 new consumer titles were launched in the UK in 2008
4. Approximately 1.2 billion copies of ABC-audited consumer magazines were sold in the UK last year
5. The British public spends approximately £2bn on consumer magazines annually
6. Advertisers spent a total of £780m with consumer magazines last year: almost £750m in print advertising and a further £30m on digital advertising
7. UK digital adspend with consumer magazines accounted for more than one-fifth of the total EU digital ad market
8. The British public is the third biggest spender (per head) on consumer magazines in the EU, following closely behind the Finnish and the French
9. Adults in the UK spend an average of almost £40 a year on consumer magazines
10. 85% of UK adults read an NRS-listed consumer magazine in 2008

They also have forecasts of similar information for upcoming years in the form of visual graphs, which are downloadable.