Section A-

General questions about

Task

Initial

Introductory

music magazines

What is a music magazine?

A music magazine usually focuses on a certain type of genre and brands itself andgets recognised based around the music and the target audience they are targeting.

What content would you expect to see in a music magazine?

Adverts, tour dates/concert dates, adverts and reviews on albums.

It will go into detail about who they’re going out with, if they’re single then what they look for in a person.

The content in music magazines consists of interviews, music charts, quizzes, information on the personal lives of a certain member of a group.

What images would you expect to see in a music magazine?

On the front cover of a music magazine, there is usually a main image and depending on the magazine, it will either be an artist or a group of people. For example, Kerrang and Top of the Pops will have mostly bands on the front of their front cover whereas; vibe and NME will have a single artist on the front cover.

Furthermore, the mast head will be mostly hidden by the main image, as the magazine assumes that people know, by looking at a few letters, what magazine they are looking at just by the text style and colour that has been used. This is because they have given themselves a recognised image that their target audience distinguishes. The person(s) on the cover will be the main article in the magazine. There may be some album covers shown.

Identify the general characteristics/features that you would expect to find in all music magazines

o The conventions are usually met in music magazines, such as the rule of thirds. The main image would comply with the rule of thirds and be placed in the hotspot areas were the target audiences’ eyes would fall upon. The eye line of the model(s) always meets that of its target audience and the main content is in the hotspots.

o Articles such as music news, exclusive, reviews, one main featured artist and quizzes.

o Dateline- informs the audience the issue number of the magazine to help them keep up to date.

o Branding- this would include the text used, the masthead and cover lines reflects the style of music they cover. You would also see that the mise-en-scene plays a big part in distinguishing the branding of a magazine. For example, in a Kerrang magazine which has been branded as rock, you would expect bands and rock artists and to reinforce this image, the props used on the front covers usually include guitars and instruments generally found in bands. Also, the image and make-up used on the models reflects the band/image they are and want to create.

The features I would expect to see in a magazine would be:

o Barcode- to show that it is a magazine you have to buy which gives the audience the implication that a lot of time and effort has gone into producing the magazine.

o Big main image on the double page spread which is usually linked to the image on the front cover.

Section A-

Questions about

Task

Initial

Introductory

front covers

Identify the features/characteristics they all have. Explain why these features are used In the four magazine covers I have looked at, they all seem to have

similar features and characteristics, even though they are different genres of music. These recurring features are:

o Masthead- a masthead is usually at the top of the front cover and is reasonably big, attracting the audience’s attention. The text style, font and colour are all chosen extremely carefully and are chosen based on what the magazine hopes to be and who they hope to attract. The masthead enables the recognition and provides the magazine with an identity for which they must provide appropriate stories and images. This identity comes from the branding which the masthead offers.

o Tagline- the tagline appears near the masthead and is usually placed either above or below and is a short sentence which helps to sell the magazine.

o Strapline- the strapline is little bits of information which are found under the corresponding cover lines. This gives the audience information on what the stories entail. It could help sell the magazine, as it highlights to the reader whether or not these are the type of stories that interests them.

o Dateline- the dateline informs the audience of the issue number and helps them keep up with the magazine.

o Cover line/main cover line- the cover lines are placed usually around the main image and can sometimes overlap them. The text and font style are chosen according to the layout and design of the front cover of the magazine. This is extremely important, as the magazine needs to subtly draw in the audience and using random colours may irritate the sight of the audience and therefore detract the eye from reading the magazine.

o Main image- this appears on the front of the cover and consists of a famous artist/band which again, attracts the audience’s attention. A medium close up shot is used to focus on the face of the celebrity as it reinforces the recognition and identity of the magazine. The image is placed at the centre of the page, filling most of the page and complying with the conventions of magazines: rule of thirds. The celebrities’ eye line usually meets the audiences. If the image is placed of centre, then it is usually on the right side, because when the magazine is placed on the shelf, the right side of the magazine is usually visible.

Take one of the magazine covers and say what type of music it is. Provide 4 examples

Chosen magazine:

Kerrang!

Pug- Finally the pug draws the audience’s attention to this part of the magazine, because the shape is in one of the four hotspots of the page. It has also been placed directly underneath the masthead and slightly covers part of the text. The bright yellow “biggest” really makes the pug stand out and attract the eye of the target audience. From the words on the pug, you can tell this is a rock magazine, because it mentions the words “gig” which is the word used for a rock concert.

Sub-genre: Rock

Main cover line- the magazine has used the same font and text for the main cover line as they have used for their masthead. This could reinforce branding, but alternatively, this reinforces the rebellious side of rock. This has been emphasised through the letters which have been used; they look like they have been smashed. The font style itself is very big and bold, which highlights the general personality of the band and the music itself. Furthermore, the text has been set in a white background with a black background. The contrast of the black and white really makes the main cover line stand out and draws the reader’s attention to this part of the magazine.

Masthead- the masthead has been placed at the top of the page, in big white letters which automatically draws your attention to the magazine. These letters contrast with the red background, making it stand out. The font style which has been used is bold and has a rebellious tone. The exclamation mark on the end of the name attracts the attention of the reader and reflects the loud personality of rock bands.

Main image- a medium close up shot of the lead singer from the band black veil brides. Being a rock fan myself, I have recognised this and given the magazine an identity. However, for a person unknown to the magazine, they would see the harsh pose that the singer is posing, the clothes and make-up he’s wearing and distinguish this magazine as a rock magazine. The colours black and white have been chosen for the main body of the make-up and the model is also wearing a black out, as far as we can see. These colours are usually associated with rockers and rock music. This gives the impression that this is a hard rock band due to the harsh colours which have been used.

My four examples are: