Audience

http://www.cmaworld.com/cmaaddons/world/2013-ConnectwithCountry.pdf
http://www.forbes.com/sites/pauljankowski/2014/10/29/country-music-is-a-powerful-opportunity-for-brands/

The two links above demonstrate how diverse the audience for the country genre is in reality. Statistics show that the demographic exceeds the associated stereotype of middle-aged, single men. This information is based on American followers, proving even more relevant because America is where country music hailed from. 

Although it can be suggested that the information isn't accurate, the fact alone that it is being credited by the CMA (Country Music Awards) expresses a possible reliability. Furthermore, it can also be noticed that the research is cited from the findings of GFK. GFK is a German founded marketing organisation that is one of the largest in the world and conducts research into many broad industries, including the media. Due to this I am sufficiently in favour of the credibility of this source. 

The largest percentage of audience is aged 18-49, comprising of 60% This figure suggests that there is still a consistent audience through the middle/elderly ages groups. 

Now I know that there is a constant fan base in both young and old social groups, I can make an informed decision on who I want my target demographic to be. I feel like narrowing down on one age bracket creates too much of a divide, since the ratios are quite even. For this reason I want to be able to appeal to both 18 year olds and 60 year olds. 

The way that I think I can pull it off is by including an elderly and a young feature in my magazine, so that it acknowledges the up and coming stars as well as the acclaimed artists. 

Other figures from this study state that 41% of managerial positions are filled by country music fans, and that 45% of charitable donations are offered by country fans. To me this implies that a lot of the fans are of the upper classes. I point this out because I am going to use this to determine the formality of my writing. Although I want to write the articles with flair and humour, I will do so with a level of formality in order to appeal to the older, upper classes rather than appear like a gossip magazine.