RESEARCH TASKS
What is a music magazine?
The basic definition of a music magazine is a magazine which is dedicated solely to different types of music and music cultures. A typical music magazine contains; interviews with different artists, news within the music world, reports and essays on new and upcoming bands etc, reviews of CDs and concerts, and photo shoots.
It is important to remember that with any media text, a bond must be made between the text and the consumer, so that they feel comfortable taking it in.
There are hundreds of different music magazines out there in the UK market, and even more within the rest of the world. In the United Kingdom, music magazines are a massive part of the media and our lives, as music forms a large part of our culture. Even though many other countries produce their own music magazines, the UK is primarily associated with them. The United Kingdom is extremely notable for the music magazines produced here, with NME - New Musical Express being the biggest selling music magazine in the world. More examples of the most popular music magazines in the UK industry are: Q, Smash Hits, and Kerrang.
In the United Kingdom, the most common music magazines sold are those with a focus on pop music, aimed at the younger market and those with a focus on rock or alternative music. Each music magazine is catered for a specific target audience, whether it be those readers with an interest in classical music, French music, chart music, alternative music, hip hop, heavy metal or many more genres. Generally the people who read music magazines are those who use it for relaxation, or self-actualization, as stated in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Also, in relation to audience theory, another target audience for music magazines are those people who use music as a form of escapism and as a diversion from their everyday lives. Therefore submerging themselves completely into a music magazine. This theory was suggested in the 'Four Needs Theory' by Blumler and Katz. This theory suggests that audiences use the media for four different uses; surveillance and information, personal identity, personal relationships and as a form of escapism and diversion from everyday lives.
Music magazines are not generally advertised on all television channels. Music magazines are only ever really advertised on television on the music channel that relates to their genre. For example Kerrang magazine is advertised on the MTV ROCK channel or KERRANG! channel.
There are many features that make a good music magazine, and most large companies follow these codes and conventions. One major convention is the presence of a cover star on the front cover, and a double page article on that particular star within the magazine. Another convention followed by most music magazines in the location of the masthead at the top of the front cover. This is generally done as the readers eye is automatically drawn to the cover star, at the top of the front cover, and the covers star's face, subsequently drawing their attention to the masthead. I will further analyse the various features, codes and conventions used in music magazines in an analysis of three magazine front covers, three contents pages and three double page articles.
FRONT COVER ANALYSIS #1
Q MAGAZINE:
This front cover is from the popular music magazine, Q, which unlike Billboard and Rolling Stone, is produced and sold in Britain. As shown by this front cover, the magazine has been running for 300 issues, and over time has changed its genre and target audience. When the magazine was first published the target audience was typically older, educated males, however as time has moved on the magazine has slowly turned more mainstream with recurring features and conventions from lad magazines. The cover image and the related caption give evidence towards the ‘lad mag’ conventions. Even though Adele, the cover star, is an extremely confident, independent female musician, no obvious reference to her music has been made. The caption ‘Blows Us Away’ only relates to the image, suggesting that the readers are only interested in her looks, not her music.
A head and shoulders shot of Adele has been used, with her hair all spread out behind her. The special edition fold out cover emphasises the effect of Adele’s hair, as it can be opened up wide and kept. A direct mode of address shot has been used, with Adele’s eyes having been made to look seductive and sultry, thus giving the reader the sense that Adele is looking straight into their eyes, hypnotising them. In comparison to the Billboard cover with Katy Perry on the front, only Adele’s face has been shown. This is perhaps because Q recognises that she has been criticized as being a woman of a larger size and wish to focus on her facial features instead.
As shown on the cover, this issue of Q is a special edition and so they have decided to commemorate this by creating a fold out cover. This fold out cover also gives the reader access to more cover lines and information about what is included in the magazine. Due to the fact that this is a special edition of the magazine, more features and conventions are on the front cover. Therefore, in comparison to the other magazines I have analysed this cover is the ‘busiest’, and has more surveillance and information elements than the other magazines. This would appeal to readers who use music magazine as a way of accessing the latest music news. The colour scheme of this front cover consists of three main colours; red, white and black. The colour red is the most striking colour as it is the brightest and is commonly associated with the British rock music scene, directly relating to the magazine.
FRONT COVER ANALYSIS #2
BILLBOARD MAGAZINE:
A long shot of Katy Perry has been used, and she has been positioned to look directly into the camera; a direct mode of address. This is an effective tool when selling a magazine; the gaze of the cover star entices the reader in and persuades them to buy the magazine. The text on the front cover has been positioned so that it fits in with Katy Perry’s figure, emphasizing her slender body shape, and appealing to the male audience. In comparison to the Q magazine front cover that I have analysed, far more of Katy Perry’s body has been used on the cover. As aforementioned, this may be due to the fact that Adele has a larger body shape to Katy Perry, and Q magazine want to emphasize her facial features on their front cover. The name ‘Sheryl Crow’ has been placed at the top of the cover, above the masthead. This has been done in an effort to widen the magazines age demographic. Sheryl Crow is an older female singer, and by placing her on the front cover, older women will be more persuaded to buy the magazine. They will not be as swayed by the presence of Katy Perry, a young successful female.
FRONT COVER ANALYSIS #3
ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE:
Similarly to Billboard, Rolling Stone is an American magazine; however Rolling Stone is less mainstream. The predominant genre of Rolling Stone magazine is rock and alternative music. As already stated in the description side of the analysis, the target audience for Rolling Stone magazine is an old core male audience. As with all music magazines, readers will buy the magazine with the cover star on the front that they feel they can identify with, the older male audience may feel they can identify with the Johnny Depp and Keith Richards because they aspire to be like them. It is well known that Johnny Depp based his character, Jack Sparrow, in the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise, on Keith Richards. Perhaps the older male audience want to base their personalities and relationships on Johnny Depp’s and Keith Richard’s. They aspire to be carefree, and rebellious.
Compared to the other music magazine covers I have analysed: Q and Billboard, this particular cover of Rolling Stone is quite sparse. The only features used on this cover are; the strap line, the masthead, cover image, title and a plug. This is due to the fact that the cover image is so captivating. The strap line, positioned at the top of the front cover, plainly shows that Rolling Stone is an American magazine, because the American band Maroon 5 is featured. It is clear this is an American music magazine because Maroon 5 is not a big enough band in the United Kingdom, as they would not be featured at the top of an English music magazine. The name of this magazine: Rolling Stone was chosen because of the quote ‘a rolling stone gathers no moss’. The meaning of this quote is that people who are always moving have no responsibilities; they leave a carefree lifestyle. Thus creating anchorage with the carefree attitude portrayed via Johnny Depp and Keith Richards.
DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD ANALYSIS #1
Q MAGAZINE:
This particular double page spread from Q magazine is quite different to the one I have analysed from NME magazine, primarily due to the image and the house style. The house style is the format that makes a double page spread distinctive from rival magazines. Like most double page spreads, the image of the celebrity interviewed, in this case Lady Gaga, has been placed on the left hand side. This is because this is the side that the audience look at first. The house style of this double page spread is extremely reflective of Lady Gaga’s personality. The article is quite plain in terms of colour features, yet this has a poignant effect on the reader. It is a well-known fact that Lady Gaga has an eclectic personality and that she is confident in her style choices, so the layout of this article contradicts this. A traditional sans serif font has been chosen for the text and no vibrant colours have been used. However, the unequal text borders and the distracting background effect reflect Lady Gaga’s desire to not conform.
The image that has been used of Lady Gaga changes the gender and the age of the target audience for this article. Lady Gaga’s target audience ranges from young children to older audiences, with both men and women as the target gender demographic. However, this image promotes a sexual target audience with primarily the male population. A close up, mid shot of Gaga posing nude with her hands covering her breasts seductively has been used. The only visible coverage of her breasts, apart from her hands, is the chain like necklace she is wearing. The use of this pose tells me that this article is aimed for her older, predominantly male readers because it is far too sexual for her younger fans. A quote from the article 'I want to wear a dick strapped to my vagina' shows that the language is far too sexual for younger fans, and that the article is aimed at predominantly older readers. No magazine would dare to use that kind explicit language if it was aimed at much younger readers. The monochrome effect used for this image is different to what readers will expect from Lady Gaga, and this is perhaps why it is so captivating to readers.
Normally, double page spreads will use bright colour schemes to focus the reader’s attention. The style of Gaga’s hair and her make up allows the reader to compare her to Marilyn Monroe, and the 50’s, whereas, the chains around her neck causes the reader to think of the 21st century and of modern times. Within the text of the article, Gaga’s choice of image is explained; she is deliberately wearing a Marilyn Monroe style wig. This article links to the surveillance and information section of the Blumler and Katz ‘Four Needs Theory’ because readers only read articles to find out more about their favourite music artists. Although, some readers may be able to relate to the personal identity section of the theory, as they aspire to be more confident like Gaga. Even though the article as a whole is quite formal, a description of the actual day and interview with Gaga is given in detail, for example her outfit choices, allowing the reader to think about their own personal identity.
The image that has been used of Lady Gaga changes the gender and the age of the target audience for this article. Lady Gaga’s target audience ranges from young children to older audiences, with both men and women as the target gender demographic. However, this image promotes a sexual target audience with primarily the male population. A close up, mid shot of Gaga posing nude with her hands covering her breasts seductively has been used. The only visible coverage of her breasts, apart from her hands, is the chain like necklace she is wearing. The use of this pose tells me that this article is aimed for her older, predominantly male readers because it is far too sexual for her younger fans. A quote from the article 'I want to wear a dick strapped to my vagina' shows that the language is far too sexual for younger fans, and that the article is aimed at predominantly older readers. No magazine would dare to use that kind explicit language if it was aimed at much younger readers. The monochrome effect used for this image is different to what readers will expect from Lady Gaga, and this is perhaps why it is so captivating to readers.
Normally, double page spreads will use bright colour schemes to focus the reader’s attention. The style of Gaga’s hair and her make up allows the reader to compare her to Marilyn Monroe, and the 50’s, whereas, the chains around her neck causes the reader to think of the 21st century and of modern times. Within the text of the article, Gaga’s choice of image is explained; she is deliberately wearing a Marilyn Monroe style wig. This article links to the surveillance and information section of the Blumler and Katz ‘Four Needs Theory’ because readers only read articles to find out more about their favourite music artists. Although, some readers may be able to relate to the personal identity section of the theory, as they aspire to be more confident like Gaga. Even though the article as a whole is quite formal, a description of the actual day and interview with Gaga is given in detail, for example her outfit choices, allowing the reader to think about their own personal identity.
DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD ANALYSIS #2
NME MAGAZINE:
I have chosen to analyse this double page spread from NME magazine, in comparison to the double page spread from Q magazine. The house style that NME have chosen to use for this double page spread is unlike the one used for Q. The image of the featured band, THE VACCINES, covers more than one page, with the text only covering about half a page. As NME have chosen to use a larger image, this may suggest to the reader that the image is more important, as it is vital in how readers perceive the band. The large image may reflect how large the editor thinks band will become; because NME have chosen to include a double page spread on this particular band for this issue of their magazine shows that the editor sees potential. This is reflected within the lead, the quote ‘they’ve been together for under a year but are already being talked up as the biggest guitar band of 2011.’ Similarly to the double page spread in Q magazine, the image has been placed on the left hand side of the spread. This is because this is the side that the reader is more likely to acknowledge and view first.
The colour effect used for this double page spread has a tint of sepia to it, making the article look old and worn. The style of clothes worn by the men in the band also reflects this. Blue tape has also been added to the article to give the impression that it is holding it together. Perhaps this is the atmosphere within ‘The Vaccines’; each member brings something unique which holds the band together. This particular article is mainly to give the reader surveillance and information on the band; however it is also a form of escapism and diversion. The reader can submerge themselves in the article and listen to the band as an escape from their everyday lives. Unlike the double page spread in Q magazine, credits and by lines have been added to this article, giving the reader a positive impression of the magazine; they give credit where credit is due. I feel that the target age for this article is teens through to late twenties, as The Vaccines are a relatively new indie band.
The target gender for this band appears to be unisex. Even though more male colours have been used for the article, it also has a softer effect to it, thus making it more appealing to females. The language used within the actual article is quite positive as the band has been compared to music legends, such as The Smiths, which is obviously a great compliment to The Vaccines. The language is also persuasive, as the writer compares those readers who have not heard of The Vaccines to be living under a rock. Thus enforcing how great the band is, and persuading readers to listen to them. However this comment can also come across as quite abrasive, and almost victimises non regular buyers of the magazine.
The colour effect used for this double page spread has a tint of sepia to it, making the article look old and worn. The style of clothes worn by the men in the band also reflects this. Blue tape has also been added to the article to give the impression that it is holding it together. Perhaps this is the atmosphere within ‘The Vaccines’; each member brings something unique which holds the band together. This particular article is mainly to give the reader surveillance and information on the band; however it is also a form of escapism and diversion. The reader can submerge themselves in the article and listen to the band as an escape from their everyday lives. Unlike the double page spread in Q magazine, credits and by lines have been added to this article, giving the reader a positive impression of the magazine; they give credit where credit is due. I feel that the target age for this article is teens through to late twenties, as The Vaccines are a relatively new indie band.
The target gender for this band appears to be unisex. Even though more male colours have been used for the article, it also has a softer effect to it, thus making it more appealing to females. The language used within the actual article is quite positive as the band has been compared to music legends, such as The Smiths, which is obviously a great compliment to The Vaccines. The language is also persuasive, as the writer compares those readers who have not heard of The Vaccines to be living under a rock. Thus enforcing how great the band is, and persuading readers to listen to them. However this comment can also come across as quite abrasive, and almost victimises non regular buyers of the magazine.
CONTENTS PAGE ANALYSIS #1
Q MAGAZINE:
I have decided to analyse a contents page from the iconic British music magazine, Q, in comparison to American music magazine, Vibe. I have chosen to analyse these contents pages because both magazines are created in different countries, and so I wanted to compare the different styles and designs used. Like most contents pages, Q have opted for a conventional house style, thus completely securing their target audience. The normal conventions that have been used are: a logo of the masthead, text on the left hand side, multiple images and a colour scheme. With each new issue of Q, the layout of the contents page generally stays quite similar. Q rarely seems to go outside of their comfort zone in terms of the contents page and so because of this, the magazine ensures consistency and continuity within the magazine, allowing readers to have trust in the magazine.
The contents page of this magazine is generally used by the reader for surveillance and information about what is included in the magazine this particular issue. The colour scheme used for the contents page, is a continuation from the front cover; red, black and white. All of the images included on this contents page features men, showing that this issues target gender is predominantly male. As stated in previous analysis’ Q is slowly becoming more and more of a ‘lads mag’ and the fact that this contents page appears to be aimed at men emphasises this.
The contents page of this magazine is generally used by the reader for surveillance and information about what is included in the magazine this particular issue. The colour scheme used for the contents page, is a continuation from the front cover; red, black and white. All of the images included on this contents page features men, showing that this issues target gender is predominantly male. As stated in previous analysis’ Q is slowly becoming more and more of a ‘lads mag’ and the fact that this contents page appears to be aimed at men emphasises this.
CONTENTS PAGE ANALYSIS #2
VIBE MAGAZINE:
This contents page comes from an issue of the popular American music magazine, Vibe. I have chosen to analyse this contents page in comparison to one from Q magazine because the house style of the magazines contents page is strikingly different. As stated in the description side of the analysis, this contents page is extremely unconventional; however this is not a bad thing. Unlike Q magazine, the style of the contents page changes with each new issue, and so the reader will be surprised with each new issue, keeping their opinions towards the magazine new and fresh.
Also with each new issue the layout changes. For example, here the image has been placed at the bottom with the text fitting around the woman, whereas in another issue the text may be on the left side with an image on the right. The only feature which stays in the same position throughout is the heading, showing some continuity within the magazine, and gaining trust from the reader. Also dissimilar to Q, credits have been shown, showing that Vibe give credit where credit is due.
Yet another difference between the two magazines is the colour schemes. The colour scheme used for the Q contents page never changes, whereas the colour scheme for Vibe changes regularly. The main reason for the change of colour scheme is the artist used on the contents page and what outfit they are wearing. The image that has been used on this particular issue’s contents page is of an obviously attractive women musician. Her outfit choice is quite revealing, and shows a lot of bare skin, attracting the attention of male readers. The reason for her legs behind held in the air is to emphasise the length of them, and compare them to the text. However this image does not just attract male readers, it also attracts females. The women readers of Vibe may wish they had a figure like her, and are therefore attracted to the image, relating to the personal identity section of Blumler and Katz ‘Four Needs Theory’ as women aspire to look like her.
This contents page comes from an issue of the popular American music magazine, Vibe. I have chosen to analyse this contents page in comparison to one from Q magazine because the house style of the magazines contents page is strikingly different. As stated in the description side of the analysis, this contents page is extremely unconventional; however this is not a bad thing. Unlike Q magazine, the style of the contents page changes with each new issue, and so the reader will be surprised with each new issue, keeping their opinions towards the magazine new and fresh.
Also with each new issue the layout changes. For example, here the image has been placed at the bottom with the text fitting around the woman, whereas in another issue the text may be on the left side with an image on the right. The only feature which stays in the same position throughout is the heading, showing some continuity within the magazine, and gaining trust from the reader. Also dissimilar to Q, credits have been shown, showing that Vibe give credit where credit is due.
Yet another difference between the two magazines is the colour schemes. The colour scheme used for the Q contents page never changes, whereas the colour scheme for Vibe changes regularly. The main reason for the change of colour scheme is the artist used on the contents page and what outfit they are wearing. The image that has been used on this particular issue’s contents page is of an obviously attractive women musician. Her outfit choice is quite revealing, and shows a lot of bare skin, attracting the attention of male readers. The reason for her legs behind held in the air is to emphasise the length of them, and compare them to the text. However this image does not just attract male readers, it also attracts females. The women readers of Vibe may wish they had a figure like her, and are therefore attracted to the image, relating to the personal identity section of Blumler and Katz ‘Four Needs Theory’ as women aspire to look like her.
Magazine Publishers: Who are they? What do they do?
There are many magazine publishers out there, however the main companies are: Emap, Bauer Media, IPC and Development Hell ltd.
Emap magazine publishers
Emap began in 1947 as a small local newspaper, and has now massively expanded into a global multi-platform media group, who is involved in a variety of different aspects of business. For example: environment, retail, media, fashion, health, education and government. When Emap began to fail, Development Hell Ltd was set up to publish Emap’s music magazine sector.
Bauer Media magazine publishers
Bauer Media a division of the Bauer Media group and which is Europe’s largest privately owned publishing group. It is a global media empire, offering over 300 magazines in 15 countries. Bauer Media is UK based and is a multi-platform media group, which concerns itself with mainly magazine and radio. Now, Bauer media has over 80 brand name magazines, which span a range of subjects. The range of magazines that Bauer Media provides is:
· women’s
· men’s entertainment
· men’s lifestyle
· equine
· gardening
· transport
· football
· golf
· pets
· angling
· motorcycling
· motoring
· outdoor
· automotive B2B
· photography
· lifestyle
Development Hell Ltd
As previously stated, Development Hell Ltd publishing company was set up by the failed company Emap. Both companies made a business plan to launch three magazines over six years. Development Hell publishes only two monthly magazines; Mixmag and The Word. 2003 saw the release of their first magazine The Word focusing on new music and entertainment. Then in 2005 Development Hell Ltd bought the rights to Mixmag, which has a focus on dance music.
International Publishing Company (IPC)
IPC media is the United Kingdom’s leading consumer magazine publishers, selling over 350 million magazine copies a year. Similarly to Bauer Media, IPC have different sections for the variety of magazines they publish. These five sections are:
· Inspire – leisure and specialist
· TX – portfolio of television titles
· SouthBank – women’s lifestyle and home interest
· Connect – woman’s weeklies e.g Now
· Ignite! – men’s lifestyle and entertainment
Audience Profile
From the results that I have obtained from the music magazine survey I have made an audience profile to help plan my final artifact.
Age Range: 15-17 years; 94.4% of participants were aged 15-17, with only 5.6% being aged 18-20.
Gender: The most predominant gender was female at 61.1%. However there were still a high percentage of participants who were male. Therefore, from my results I have decided that I will cater aspects of my magazine to both genders. Although my final artifact will be predominantly aimed at females, as I feel that there is really no music magazines available to female readers.
Most popular genre: At 41.2%, both rock and indie music is the most popular genre, therefore similarly to NME magazine, I was base my magazine around these two genres. At 35.3% the second most popular genres are acoustic and folk rock music, and so I have decided to incorporate both genres into my magazine as well. Therefore i will use indie-rock music magazines as the inspiration of ideas for my final artifacts.
Most liked aspects of music magazines: The most common answers were; reviews of gigs, gig dates, the cover star and the featured interview, and new upcoming artists. From these responses it is obvious that most people read music magazines for information and surveillance on the latest music trends etc., so I have decided to use my magazine as somewhere readers can receive information and news. Despite this, I will still include elements within my magazine that allow readers to escape from their everyday lives via personal identity. I will do this through the models, the plugs and the actual text of my double page spread.
Most read music magazine: At 47.1% NME magazine is the most read music magazine because they have interviews with bands/artists that readers like, and because it is the closest magazine to their favourite genre. The least read magazines at 0% were Q, Mojo, Vibe and Billboard. The reasons for this would be because Q is rather expensive and Billboard and Mojo are American music magazines and not widely available in the United Kingdom. Again, this is another reason why I would like to produce a magazine of a similar genre and style to NME.
Other influencing media: The most popular type of influential media is the internet because the internet is so widely available to young people these days. Social networking sites such as Facebook and twitter are how people communicate and share news of new artists etc. now.
Most appealing colours: The most popular colours picked were red, black and white, because they are conventional to music magazines. These colours constantly dominate the front cover of music magazines and so it is no wonder that these are the most popular colours. Therefore the colours red, white and black will make up my colour scheme.
Purpose of a music magazine: When asked what participants thought the purpose of a music magazine was, the general and most popular answers was to give information on gigs and new artists through interviews. However some answers said to immerse readers into the band/artist suggesting there is a hint of personal identity and escapism within music magazines, as well as mainly surveillance and information. So therefore I will aim to incorporate all three factors into my final artifact.
Here is a link to the survey that I created in order to obtain these results and build my audience profile: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PWFYNWY
