RESEARCH: Music Magazine Front Cover Analysis'

Q Magazine:

• The masthead for Q magazine is very bold and stands out because of it’s position in the left top hand corner. It is also a very simple design, being just the letter Q, which makes it easier for its audience to remember and recognise it when buying a magazine.
• The strapline, ‘The World’s Greatest Music Magazine’ is merged onto the masthead and gives the readers the impression that Q magazine is the greatest music magazine out there.
• Q magazine normally sticks to the same colour scheme, mainly red, and under the main coverline, there is a blue badge that says ‘Two Covers to Collect’ and this will show Q how loyal their fan base is because if they are loyal fans they will buy both covers. Also, by having this badge in blue will draw the readers attention to it as it sticks out.
• The coverlines on the magazine cover are mainly the names of other artists or bands. By having the names and not much more, it shows that that these artists are already well established and don’t need much to be recognised by readers. The names of the artists or bands are done in the colour red while Oasis is done in black, this is to make clear that Oasis is the more important artist in this magazine and that the feature article is about them.

Kerrang! Magazine:

• The main colours that are used on this magazine cover are mainly white, green and red. The green colour that has been used relate to the band that is being used on the front cover, which is Green Day.  
• The band on the front, Green Day, is a good way of also showing the audience what genre of magazine, this is because Greed Day is mainly a rock group. Also, by using this group, fans of Green Day will want to buy this magazine.
• The layout of this magazine is constant. For example, all of the text and images are laid in mainly straight lines. 
• This magazine offers many free extras, for example the 5 free posters, this will make the reader think they are getting their moneys worth and will make them want to buy it.
• The smashed masthead on this magazine fits with the theme of this magazine, which is rock, and so it will relate to Kerrang! readers.
• The colours that the band is wearing, which is dark colours, also emphasises that this magazine is a rock magazine.

Q Magazine:

• By offering a free extra, an Amy Winehouse CD, this is going to attract fans of this artist and existing fans as it will make the readers feel as if they are getting more for their money.
• By saying that this magazine will show ‘rare photos’, it is going to attract the readers as they will want to know what these photo are about.
• The masthead is a big focal point to the readers, this is because of the recognizable Q logo which is featured on all of their magazines.
• This magazine cover is addressing the reader in a formal way. By having ‘Amy’ in a big white font shows the reader that it is a tribute to her and it’s main article will be about her. 
• The layout of this magazine is structured but is also simple and therefore makes it easy for the readers to be able to navigate their way around the page.
• ‘Why we fell back in love with vinyl’, by using the word we, it allows the reader to feel more involved with the magazine and that they aren’t an individual but part of a group who share the same passion.

RESEARCH: Music Magazine 'House Style'

Music Magazine ‘House Style’

E.G. Q Magazine:

• Masthead:

-Q magazine always uses the same masthead in all of its magazines; this is to keep the magazine consistent so that the readers know which magazine it is that they are buying.

-They always keep the masthead in the same position (top left) on the magazine. Also, it is sometimes overlapped by the main image and by doing this, it attracts the reader.

-The masthead is a fairly large logo seeing as though it is just a letter Q. This is good because it means that the readers will be able to recognise the magazine.

• Layout:

-It is similar in its entire magazines. The splash and titles create a frame around the main image of the artist or band making them the centre of the reader’s attention.

-The text on the magazine doesn't go over the main image, unless it’s the artist or bands name.

-Having the same sort of layout on all of the magazines means that it is easy for its readers to recognise the magazine.

• Images:

-All images that Q magazine uses are all model shots and they are dressed purposefully for that magazine cover.

-If an image is placed over the masthead, then normally it means that it is more important than the title.

RESEARCH: Music Magazine Conventions.

Music Magazine Conventions

Front Cover:

•  Masthead – The masthead is usually located in the top left hand corner and is the name of the magazine.
• Left Third – The left third is where most of the coverlines can be found.
• Barcode – The barcode varies in place on a front cover, and is usually fitted in around everything else on the cover.
• Colour Theme – the colour theme is usually similar for each issue of the magazine.
•  Layering – This is used on the front cover so that images and coverlines stand out from one another.
• Coverlines – The majority of the coverlines are about other bands or artists of the same genre of the magazine.
• Main Image – The main image is usually of the feature artist or band that the main coverline is about.
• Puff – A puff is used to make a certain aspect of the magazine stand out from everything else.

Feature Article:

•  Page Number and Logo – This is often shown at the bottom of the page to make the pages easier to find if the reader is looking for a certain article.
• Pull Quote – A quote that is taken from the article or interview, which is usually actual speech from the artist or band that will appeal to the reader and make them curious as to what the article is about.
• Article – The article is generally spread across one page, written in columns and with clear paragraphing.
• Title – The title is usually something appealing that will persuade the reader to read the article, but will also draw their attention in.

RESEARCH: Readership Profiles - Q / Kerrang! / Mojo

Readership Profiles.

Q Magazine:

Q is the UK's No.1 actively-purchased music magazine. Q magazine is about quality and character, and its audience love it's beautiful photography, in-depth reporting and sense of humour. Q is about authority and opinion. It stands for the music that matters, the stars who make it and the people who love it. Q is trusted and influential and gets unparalleled access to the biggest stars.

     Target Audience?

Mark Ellen and David Hepworth, the founders of Q magazine, both felt that the older generation of music buyers were being ignored, so they decided that instead of aiming the magazine at teenagers and young adults that the target audience for Q would be music buyers over the age of 25 years old.

Q magazine's audience is younger and more affluent than any other music monthly magazine. The female/male ratio of Q is 31.7%/68.3% and it has the second highest ABC1 out of the whole of the men's market. The readers of Q magazine are affluent - 70% are ABC1 with a high disposable income.

Q features many genres of music so it is suited to all music lover. The magazine has a mass audience as it is a popular magazine, but it could also be referred to as having a niche audience because it is specifically aimed at music lovers.

     Products You Could See Advertised in Q Magazine?

• New albums 
• Tours from new and existing artists
• New films coming to cinemas
• Other music magazines
• Competitions to win music equipment
• Music equipment 
• Clothing
• Perfume

     How Does This Magazine Appeal to its Audience?

Q magazine is able to appeal to audiences as it offers its readers a very wide reviews section, including music, television and films, however a large quantity of the magazine is filled with interviews. As well as that, Q offers its readers promotional gifts such as CDs and books. Because Q is aimed at a slightly older generation, the magazine is more sophisticated and is specifically about the music instead of what an artist is wearing, which is what you will find in other music magazines.


Kerrang! Magazine:

Kerrang! is the biggest music weekly magazine in the world. As well as music releases, Kerrang! is also perfect for film and games, also mobile technology and government messages. This magazine loves music, especially rock music, it is considered by its readers to be an integral part of the scene rather than just a commentator.

     Target Audience?
The target audience for Kerrang! Magazine is mainly males however it is still available to females if they want it. The main class of people who buy this magazine are in ABC1 and shows that it’s mainly aimed at people who are in the upper to lower-middle social class and at people within the professions in those demographics. This magazine is more popular with the younger generation and had a median age of 22. By having a younger profile is a big advantage because normally this age group is elusive to reach.

     Products You Could See Advertised in Kerrang! Magazine? 

• New Albums
• Films & Games
• Kerrang! TV
• Kerrang! Radio
• Concerts
• Apps
• Clothing
• Other Magazines
• Music Instruments  
• Freebies  

     How Does This Magazine Appeal to its Audience?

Kerrang! magazine is able to appeal to its audience because its main target audience is fans of rock music and that's what this magazine is mostly about. As well as all of the rock music content featured in this magazine, it also features things such as musical instruments, films and clothing, which could appeal to anybody who may not necessarily be a rock fan.  


MOJO Magazine:

MOJO magazine is the world’s largest UK music magazine that delivers monthly doses of world class journalism and iconic photography to an audience of extremely passionate music consumers. MOJO is a magazine of high brand values and integrity. It is a carefully crafted musical archive that covers the very best of music across genres.

     Target Audience?

The target audience for MOJO magazine is mainly for rock music lovers, though it focus’ mainly on classic rock music. This magazine is more appealing to the male gender however females still show an interest in this. The main class of people who buy this magazine are from the ABC1 class and are from professions such as teaching. The audience that buy this magazine show an interest in old bands like the Rolling Stones.

     Products You Could See Advertised in MOJO Magazine?

• Albums
• Clothes
• Festivals
• Concerts

     How Does This Magazine Appeal to its Audience?

MOJO magazine is able to appeal to its audience because it offers its fans what they want, things such as rock interviews and other related things. Also, it offers readers things such as freebies and concert tickets to artists that they would enjoy. As well as this, MOJO magazine is mainly aimed at its target audience of rock fan enthusiasts.

PRELIMINARY PROJECT: Evaluation.

Evaluation

While putting together my own magazine cover, I learnt a lot about the different features that make a magazine cover.  In learning this, it helped me to decide what conventions that I needed to include on my own magazine. A few of the conventions that I featured on my magazine cover were a masthead, main image, promotions banner and cover lines. The reason I chose these conventions to use was because I felt that these are the main and important conventions on a magazine front cover that draw the reader in. The most challenging convention that I used, personally, was the cover lines. I felt this one because it was challenging to come up with feature articles that would appeal to all students that were to read the magazine. However, this challenge was overcome by simply giving out a questionnaire for some students to fill out, with questions such as “What do you worry about”, to find out what things they cared about and what things they wanted more information on.

While actually designing my magazine front cover, I used my questionnaire to decide what went on my front cover. For example my main image is of a 16 year old girl in sixth form at the park on a swing. The reason behind my main image was to show that, even when you are with lots of work to do, it is still important to have some fun.  Deciding what colours to use was also challenging as I had to pick colours that work for my target audience, which was male and females. In the end I decided to go with unisex colours, that way the colours didn't just appeal to the one gender.

Overall, I feel that my magazine front cover was successful. I included things that were appropriate for my target audience by including things that they asked for and felt was needed for a sixth form magazine. I fell that I could have made this better. To make this better, I would perhaps spend more time on the bigger things, such as the photography and the actual designing of the magazine than spending more time on things that didn’t need as much detail as what other things do.

I would say that I need to work on dividing up my time better. For example, as I mentioned, I would spend more time on the bigger things that need doing instead of wasting time on the things that maybe didn’t need as much time spent on it. I would also say that I need to gain a bigger understanding of media terms, this way it will make things simpler for me in the future. In addition to these, I would also check to make sure that my blog works properly before trying to upload my work, because when I tried to upload my preliminary task, I tried to upload it all at once and my blog wasn’t working properly yet.

PRELIMINARY PROJECT: Magazine Front Cover.

PRELIMINARY PROJECT: Magazine Front Cover Plan.

PRELIMINARY PROJECT: Magazine Target Audience.

PRELIMINARY PROJECT: EMPIRE Annotated Magazine Front Cover.

PRELIMINARY PROJECT: Magazine Reviews.