Question 1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Every single media product has it's own specific targeted audience which reads the product through certain conventions or stereotypes of media product.
My music magazine is based on electronic dance music which originally is strongly related (moreover stereotyped) with loud music, partying, alcohol, night  clubs, bars and young people (but over 18 years old). I did not try to challenge these conventions, I tried to follow them so my media product would be easier recognized by specific target audience and would be popular.

My magazine called 'EDM United' shows these specific conventions through the front cover's background colour being black to begin with. Main character wearing dark shirt which nearly blends in the background letting the main focus be on the actual artist's face and pose. My magazine is about the artist itself, not about the background, location or others which is one of my unique selling points. Darkness connotes about young adults, partying, festivals and etc which means it meets the goals to represent my target audience very well.
I have chosen the model with strong masculine facial features that females admire (sticking out cheek bones, lips line, dark deep eyes) which means females would want to be WITH him, while males would like to BE him. Attracting both gender just in range 60% to 40% (females to males). The actual pose of model lets T.A see more of the athletic body which means T.A is more likely to stop and have a closer look - bigger possibility of selling it. The serious face and direct gaze also connotes about the genre and give bigger possibility to attract the audience. The front cover model always serious, mysterious, has sexy appeal and might not even have anything in the picture related with music (Mixmag 'Tiga' article - September/October 2014 issue) but I did not wanted to risk to put the model without any related props, as it is a new magazine, not established and T.A do not trust the brand yet, so I put the headphones on the shoulders of my model, as this is the strongest possible connotation of electronic dance music.
My magazine has less cover lines than most of the magazine, this is the place where I wanted to challenge conventions by showing that the artist is the main focus and he sells it.

All my choices are based on my previous research in already existent electronic dance music magazines.