What is a music magazine?

A music magazine is a magazine that focuses on a particular genre of music and looks at it more closely and the culture surrounding it. The whole content is dedicated to giving fans of the genre an insight into the people who make this genre.

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

In a music magazine I would expect to find numerous things. The biggest new tracks are likely to be featured in order to increase awareness to fans and hopefully increase the songs popularity. Similarly new videos are also likely to be featured for the same reason and this could be featured in a number of ways including a feature on how it was produced. The magazine would feature gossip surrounding the stars of the genre. If the magazine has a slightly older target audience then concert or festival reviews are a popular feature. Upcoming bands and artists could also be featured as it helps keep the genre going.

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

The type of images you would expect would be of instruments and bands and artists that are either popular or upcoming. You could also expect to see images of gigs or festivals that have recently been on or are on in the next few weeks.

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

I would expect to see a main focal image on the front cover that signifies music whether that be musicians or instruments. This is to make it clear that it is a music magazine. Inside it would be likely to have an interview with someone in the genre as this is a feature that is often very popular. Popular songs or albums currently in the charts could be on a page to promote them or to inform the readers which artists are currently doing very well in the charts and also to possibly review them. Gossip is another thing I would expect as people love reading about celebrities and getting an insight into their lives. Next I would expect dates of tours and also reviews of recent gigs or festivals. As with all magazines there will be adverts and these are likely to be something to do with music or more specifically a music genre. Finally I would expect a feature on new and upcoming artists to promote them and tell readers more about them.

Identify the features/characteristics all four front covers have

They all have a main image of a musician to appeal to the target audience Mastheads are all partially covered by the main focal image. Interviews with the cover stars Cover lines Barcode Issue number

Rule of thirds Anchorage text

Why are these features present on all magazines? Why are they important?

They are important because they are the codes and conventions of magazines. They all have their job on the magazine and are all important in attracting the reader's attention. This is vital as in this day and age there are so many magazines to choose from you need to do whatever you can to gain an advantage and separate yours from the crowd. All these features are there for a reason and that’s to give the magazine the best chance of success. Rule of thirds is used on the majority of magazines to make it look professional and organised. It is a proven technique that focuses on where reader's attentions are first drawn and uses this to strategically place features of the magazine. For example the footer is where our eyes are attracted to last so often significant information is put there. The audience tend to like to know a little bit of basic information about the magazine so the issue number, website and price all are normally found by the barcode which is usually the bottom right hand corner.

Take one of the magazine covers and say what type of music magazine it is. Provide at least 4 specific examples from the magazine that supports your claim that it belongs to this particular sub-genre.

I am analysing the BBC music magazine with Sarah Chang on the front. I believe this is a classical music magazine and will give reasons why I think this. The first example is because the main focal image is of Sarah Chang who is an American violinist who those familiar with the sub-genre of music are likely to be to know. The second example is looking more closely at the image and its of her holding a violin which once again suggests that her music is classical. She is directly addressing the audience by staring straight into the camera. This makes the image feel a lot more personal. Thirdly by the barcode it says "composer of the month" and features an image of a male composer. This is language that is specific to the classical music genre. Similarly to this, the language is somewhat sophisticated which portrays the impression that the target audience are well educated and well informed on this genre. The target audience for classical music is typically those of older age who can be both genders and are often white. The colour scheme of white, black and red is very elegant and stylish. This would support my claims that it is for an older audience as they often prefer simplistic colours than those that are bright and pulsating. The colours still draw your attention to the magazine but they are not as eye catching as some of the magazines with a younger target audience. Classical music is seen as a form of art and all these colours have the connotation of art and creativity. Finally perhaps the largest

evidence is the strap line which says " The World's Best- Selling Classical Music Magazine." This confirms the genre I believed it to be and is a key part of this magazine front cover as it will persuade a lot of people to purchase it.

For the same magazine, say who you think the target audience is. Give reasons for your answer

As I recently touched on earlier, I believe the magazine has done a good well in creating a front cover that appeals to classical music listeners who will predominately make up their target audience. I think the people who listen to classical music are the older people as they often do not like the modern day music and like something that is easy to listen to and relaxing. They would also probably not like sharp colours on the magazine as they are not very easy on the eye. Sarah Chang is not very well known unless you are a fond listener of classical music although they have recognised this and have therefore given her a violin to pose with because this widens the target audience as they can now target people who are looking to get into classical music. It also helps eliminate the chance of someone who is into classical music but may not know who she is not buying the magazine as they will recognise that it’s the genre they are into and be interested in purchasing it. The puff is advertising a free CD and underneath it says you can also receive access to free music online. If it was for a younger audience there is a possibility that a CD wouldn’t be given and just the online music access. This is because older people are less into technology and if they did have computer access would still be likely to rather play a CD as its less hassle for them. Also the price of the magazine is over £4.00 and this is quite a lot for a magazine. This is unlikely to be purchased by a younger target audience who often use their pocket money to buy magazines.