Media Market ResearchLucas Featherstone

Music Magazines published in the UK• MOJO• Q magazine• Kerrang• BMG magazine• Live UK• NME

The Publishes Bauer Media Group are the owners of the popular music magazines Kerrang, Mojo, Q magazine and many more. As well as owning many music magazines, they also have attainment to music channels such as Kerrang and 4music; plus, many radio stations across the globe.

Audience Media are the publishers of Live UK and there branched out events across the UK. The magazine targets younger audiences that have an interest in live music, with up to date news and information on venues across the UK.

BMG is the work of Clifford Essex music and targets there magazines at the more civilised music listener that is not intrigued with the modern era of music.

Mission statements and reader profileKerrang- Kerrang! will ensure that we are constantly appealing to or spectrum of readers. From the younger teenager readers who are more open to different genres of rock music – from emo to thrash etc, to the readers who respect Kerrang! as an authority when it comes to our scene’s heritage bands. Each issue will include a balance of bands and scenes to guarantee that we’re providing for our readers’ need for variety and their passionate appetite for their favourite bands as well as their desire to be introduced to new music within our world.

MOJO Magazine- At MOJO we cover the good stuff. Our award-winning editorial team prides itself in delivering a magazine that is packed with insight, passion, and revelatory encounters with the greatest musicians of all-time, be they established or emerging musicians. The magazine is loved by its readers and artists alike because it engages them on the subject they love the most: music itself.

Every month MOJO brings you a definitive cover feature on an iconic act; a bespoke CD (especially compiled by the editorial team or a major musician in MOJO’s world); and our famous reviews section, the Filter, which brings you 30 pages-plus of the best of that month’s music, both classic and contemporary.

MOJO’s previous guest editors range from David Bowie to Tom Waits via Noel Gallagher and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, showcasing the magazine’s breadth and iconic status among musicians. From The Beatles to The Black Keys, from Led Zeppelin to Laura Marling, from Fleetwood Mac to Flying Lotus.

LIVE UK- is the only publication dedicated to the country’s contemporary live music business, providing news, features, tour plans and information to the people that drive the industry – promoters, festival organisers, venue operators, artiste managers, booking agents, ticketing companies, media and key professionals in dozens of related sectors.

Kerrang magazine have the use of big names such as Muse focused in the centre of the page. This indicates that the main part of the magazine will be dedicated to something that Muse have done or are doing. As common with Kerrang magazine the main band is put into the centre of the magazine, the picture is a full body shot of the three band members, but the focus is drawn to the hysterical grins and sinister looks as the bold lettering of the taglines and puffs draws attention to the upper quarter of the magazine.

The cover of the magazine is saturated in information, this is to draw the reader in and because there is so many bands, it is mort likely that this is accomplished because of the likely hood of a onlooker to the magazine been interested in one of the bands featured. Also, the use of the way that Muse are posed is complimented with a caption that is likely to draw someone in, to see why the 3 band members are grinning like they are.

The cover is saturated in white lighting, which makes the magazine seem cold and to add to the cold affect, each member of Muse is wearing a black leather jacket and with the grinning faces and one of the members pointing a finger directly towards a reader, it can make someone quite intimidated if this was done in a physical form, perhaps this is Muse trying to call the reader out and get them to be bemused why the band members look so hysterical. As well as this, the KERRANG logo is partially blocked by the members of Muse which may state an ego of KERRANG being so big and well known that there name dose not have to be seen on a cover to know that it is a KERRANG magazine.

The left third is over induced with plugins and puffs and this is due to the fact that the left third is most likely to be visible when positioned upon other magazines, this will allow a customer to see who is in the magazine and then potentially pick it up if something catches there eye. Another key aspect of this, is the fact that Kerrang have put in a plug in of ‘5 free posters’ which is affective since someone who wants free incentives which they can relate to will most likely buy the magazine, even though there not too interested in the magazine. This is a good way to market a magazine by making sure that what the reader may want is visible at first glance.

The cover displays an overload of text all in one, similar font. The font is recognisable to the Kerrang logo which may give familiarity to the reader and an unrecognised comfort to those who are amid readers of Kerrang.

Colour schemes are very important for reflecting the image of the magazine. Kerrang have used three main colours: red, white and yellow. The red and white complement each other as anything contextual in a puff is highlighted by an alternative use of red and white. The Yellow however, is used to make key areas of the cover stand out, despite that highlighted feature not being the main focus of the page, this is a creative and intricate technique used by Kerrang

The Q magazine has similarities to the KERRANG magazine and this is most likely because they are published by the same company. On the cover, we have the band Take That as the focus point and them all piled on top of each other. This is done so that people will be intrigued as to why they are all on top of each other. Most intriguing is the fact that each band member is wearing the same clothing, this may be a subtle way to show band unity and togetherness which may be reassuring for any one reading with an interest of Take That, especially considering events prior to this issue of Q magazine

Q magazines front cover is not as crowded as KERRANG magazine. There are a lot less plug ins for promotional offers and such things as posters. They still have the masthead of the magazine blocked by the members of the band to resemble that the magazine does not need a title to know who it is. The wording used to capitalize on the interview with Take That with the technological gif ‘the world exclusive’ which is bound to entice some occasional readers to pick up the magazine. The font of the text used is the usual Q magazine font, this, like Kerrang is a way for the more involved magazine reader of Q to feel familiarized with the layout and the equity of the magazine.

On the magazine, we have ‘Green Day’ in bright gold letters to make it stand out from the plain white of the background of the magazine. In addition to this, the ‘Green Day’ wording is placed in the left third, which will grab the attention of someone interested in the band, since the visible part of the magazine is exposed when flicking through magazines on a stand. For the promotion of other bands in the magazine, they are discretely shown within the bottom strip of the magazine, even though its visible, it is not the first thing you will notice which works in aspects of there main headline being the one that will capture most readers attention.

On the bottom strip, Q magazine have listed some featured bands. This looks more professional than having puffs of the bands dotted around the magazine and it keeps the main focus on Take That in the middle of the cover, which is most likely Q magazines intention. Included around the text ‘Take That’ there are tag lines that make Take That appear increasingly popular and that Q magazines feature of them is exclusive. The shot used of Take That is that off a full body shot, but done with the use of having the whole band in the shot, this keeps main focus on the band members and there is little distraction from any added puffs of other bands which Q haven't used in this edition of the magazines.

The NME magazine has a sporadic looking cover. The background to the magazine has a setting where a band are all lined up with particular band members at the fore front; this signifies that the band is the feature of the magazine and the members that are stood in front are the main focus; the picture is a full body shot and it is done so that the person looking at the magazine can see the laid back approach of the featured band, most likely a reflection of there personalities and an attempt to look ‘cool’ and in with the younger generations. The magazine looks messy as with names of bands scattered across the front of the cover with little relevance to the main featured band, but most likely done in an attempt to capture the focus of someone browsing the front page of the magazine and to aim at there target reader which is the young adult medium.

In the bottom and top strip of the magazine, there is little information other than the bar code and the top of Liam's head poking out from the right third. This could be NMEs way of drawing the focus to what there main feature is. Its also noticeable that Liam popping in at the top is the only other picture of another person within the magazine, this could be deliberate as to indicate that the size of his feature is still a adequate feature. The amount of puffs is limited by the scattering of plug ins for other bands across the front page.

The colours of the magazine contrast, but its majority warmer colours, which is a contrast to the music of the band; thus this is shown in the light red submerging into the white on the background wall of the magazine photo used for the front cover, it ties into the leather and denim jackets worn by the band members to indicate that this band are slightly alternative and casual as they are leant up against the wall and only a few of them looking directly at the camera, whilst others look into the distance. The NME master head is not blocked like the other magazines; this is likely to be to the fact that NME are respective of there objectives and they want it clear that this is an NME magazine and nothing else.

Overall, it looks to be that the magazine is targeted towards young adults, due to the types of bands its featuring and how the layout is done to capture the interest of the reader. Not having lots of pictures of other bands does draw attention to the main featured band and the fact that the picture of the band covers the whole of the magazine and everything else is built around them is an alternative way to express the magazine, compared to the home colours of magazines, it is also a measurable use to show a band in there entirety, rather than having other bands flood the front cover.

As with the other highly popular music magazines, NME use a font similar to there title which can be a resemblance to keeping familiarity with the readers that are regular readers with NME.

In terms of the use of language and how it is used to address the reader, there is captions and statements used under the name of each band, used to entice the reader into why such things as ‘They're an a-team of musical super-ninjas’ which progressively intrigues the reader.

KERRANG! Have used this double page spread to enhance the fact that Muse have released a new album. The use of ‘Attack of the Drones’ in big bold white lettering on a smoky black background gives definition and emphasis, drawing in the fans of Muse. What is also intriguing is the clothing that the band members are wearing, its simple, casual but yet representative of the aim of there album ‘Drones’ and the idea that everyone is becoming one and being controlled by there superior.

On the double page spread it is done with professionalism and clarity, compared to some of the front covers. There is minimal plug in on the page and it is only associated with the featured band. This draws the focus of the reader to the featured band, rather than being distracted to what else is in the magazine.

Although, Muse take up most of the feature on the page, there is still an adequate amount of writing, which will entice any Muse fan to read more about what the band is doing. Otherwise, they will carry on with the magazine and just have a quick glance at what Muse have been up to. Plus, the font used is signature to Kerrang, which also adds to the comfort of a regular Kerrang reader reading the article, making it more beneficial for the regular reader.

The camera work with three point lighting, casts the band in a waxy lighting that only highlights the faces of each band member partially. This is effective as it can be a reference to what they are trying to promote with there album and how they want to shadow there band image with compliments to the album. Even though the double page spread is washed in cold colours, the vivid green that gives emphasis to the threatening tag line ‘attack of the drones’ still adds elements of warmth to the band. To the reader, it can subconsciously make them think what Muse would like them to think about there album through how they have portrayed there album with this feature and the use of the media.

As the main focus is on Muse, the use of self promoting and plugin by Kerrang is not used to make sure that the focus is all on Muse. Without the use of big logos, it adds to the professional look of the article.

Kerrangs article on Paramore is relatively brief and done conceisly. The main focus of the opening pages of the article is on the pictures rather than a huge paragraph on something that could be relatively interesting to readers. This way, with more visionary features and less writing, the reader may take more time and briefly read through the small amount of text.

The pictures used are off a happy and coherent nature, it shows the band in a good and united mood which will please the fans of Paramore and even get those who are not that interested in Parammore to see what they are doing.

The article is done with much professionalism, the opening page has no plug ins, no major puffs, only the writing with the tag line that draws the reader. Mainly, the attention of the reader is draw to Hayley Williams as she has the biggest part to the page by herself; this shows that Hayley Williams is definitely the for figure to the band and she is what makes the band so unique.

The lighting and colours of the pictures used are a mixture of cold colours, but are also contrasted with warmer hazier colours to potentially show two sides to the band. The clothing of the band members is off the typical punk/alternative band and this is further defined by the highly vibrant orange colour of Hayley Williams hair. This is a band typical of Kerrang doing an article on because Paramore falls under the spectrum of the band Kerrang likes to display in there magazines.

Despite the headline of the page ‘we’re ending this year on a massive high!’ being in the ordinary Kerrang font, the text underneath is more traditional and done in the form that looks like a formal letter to someone would appear. This may have been done to attract the reader as the change in font may cause suspicion as to why that is so, therefore the reader will read the small amount of text for any clues why.

The main featured article of Elbow by Q magazine has a different approach compared to kerrang. The article has pictures of the band looking smart and casual in a uniformed way. However, in terms of the writing, there is lots of it. This is all well if you are a fan of Elbow and have the time to read about them, but, if your not that bothered, you are most likely give this article a glance and carry on.

There is also the use of plug ins and puffs to other bands within this article which are neatly done to draw the readers attention to these added in bands once the have finished reading the article. There are pictures used with the plug ins which is a way of making the reader more submersed into the magazine, that is if you prefer to look at pictures rather than just read.

With this article, you can tell it’s a Q magazine article because of the excess branding that is done on the top and bottom strips. Although there is nothing wrong with this, it does make the magazine appear slightly in your face with the consistency of the Q logo. Q have also been consistent in the use of there most used colours: Red, white and black which will add the familiarit to the more regular reader.

The articles laid out on this page is done so that there is something for everyone, there is a whole section about Miles Kane, so that people only interested about him can just read his small fact file. The pictures of the band in action and performing in what looks to be an abandoned warehouse of some sorts, could be an indication that Elbow are going back to old routes with there new album, this being inferred by there environmental setting.

This Kerrang context page is very informative in a variety of ways. Noticeably, the page is has detailed annotations to let the reader know where every feature is and on what page, as well as letting the reader know what the reader is a about to read.

The context page is also covered in pictures and puffs of featured artists to make the reader aware of who is in the magazine. The puffs are located near the actual context to give more knowledge on what the feature is about.

On the context page, there is small piece by the editor which will be a small over view on what is what in the magazine, it will also give insight to what has been going on in the music world and it should help the reader feel welcome to the magazine.

The context page also features plug ins for items that may be in the magazine such as posters, it also includes details on subscriptions to Kerrang magazine, making it convenient for anyone considering to subscribe because the information is presented earlier on in the magazine.

The context page could look a little sleeker with a little less writing. This could be unattractive to a reader as they may not be able to find what they want to go to, to read.

The picture of Marilyn Manson sat holding cards on a red couch with flames behind him really enhances the fact that himself and the music he performs is off a dark nature. This been captured by how the shot is amplified by him wearing an all black outfit that looks withdrawn and typical of the sort of music off someone performing heavy metal

The black and white home colours for Kerrang remain formal in the context pages as there is not much overuse of any other colour than yellow to make certain areas of the context page stand out to the reader.

Mixmag magazine have a similar approach to the content page as Q magazine. The content page has a large picture which is likely to be a puff to the main feature of the magazine.

Mixmag, have saturated there content page with lots of information. This is good in terms of finding where you want to be in the magazine, but it makes the magazine look unprofessional and can be unattractive to the reader to look at. Besides, the reader may find it difficult to find where to find each feature in the magazine.

On the content page there are a few plug ins, this is done so that the reader can identify any features of the magazine that they didn’t first notice. It may entice the reader to have a look at the plug ins and see what it is about.

Q magazines content page has a lot more visual features compared to Kerrang and Mixmag. This is helpful to the reader because if they see a puff of a band or artist they like, rather than reading through the contents they can just see the clear page number next to the puff and then skip straight to it. This makes accessibility and use of the magazine easier for the reader. Also, the more frequent reader of Q will feel comforted by the consistent use of Q’s home colours of red, white and black.

The content page also features no plug ins, this makes the magazine look very sleek and professional since there are no unexpected advertisings. There are plenty of other pictures of bands and artists that are featured in the magazine. The pictures used reflect the personality or the music genre of each musician or band. Some pictures look quite casual whilst others are in action at gigs and concerts. This shows to the reader the diversity in the bands featured in the magazine, without having to read any text.

Q magazine also do there branding very discretely, which is aesthetically pleasing to look at. The use of the Q logo is done with conjunction to the actual content page and there is no over use of the Q logo. With the blown up puffs of page numbers it makes it easier for the reader to navigate the magazine.

The content page looks like its been thought out, rather than being thrown together at a hope that it will work. The way it is structured makes it easy for the reader to find what they want. The use of multiple pictures makes the page look attractive to the reader; writing is minimalistic, and only gives a brief insight to what each feature of the magazine is about.

Fonts are kept to the familiar Q font, but what makes the features inside the contents stand out is the use of black bold lettering for the title of each band or musician. For instance, even though ‘Jack White’ is not the main feature of the article; he still stands out on the context