Images for music magazine

These are the images I took to go into my music magazine

mock up music magazine

This is the 1st draft copy of my music magazine. This has been done with images from the internet to give me a basic idea of how I am going to set up my magazine.

audiance and institution

Bauer media: Is a publishing company that produce both a mainstream and niche style of magazine. Their magazine portfolio includes such magazine Kerrang, closer, Q, FHM and Mojo. This would suggest that they are a more mainstream type of publishing company; however they also publish less popular niche magazines such as horse deals and garden news. This magazine has a very wide audience as they publish magazines from all different genres. This means that the publishing company are not specific to one group of people and it is very diverse. Bauer media have also ventured into the radio market as well as they now own many popular radio stations and music channels such as Kiss, Magic and Kerrang. They also control less well known radio stations including key103 and MFR. This would suggest that this publication company is very large and powerful as it has such a large fan base and a variety of different magazines.

IPC Media: is another very well established magazine publisher which has a mixture of mainstream magazines and niche magazines. IPC media has many main stream magazines such as nuts and NME, however unlike Bauer Media IPC is a more niche magazine than mainstream magazines such as 25 Beautiful Homes, Classic Boats and Country life. This would suggest that although it does have a wide spread audience it is has far more specific genres rather than Bauer media. The main audience for IPC Media is that of an older stand point as they publish magazines which could be associated with the older community such as The Shooting Gazette. However there are other magazines aimed at different groups such as women and teenagers for example Beautiful Kitchens and NME.  

BBC Magazines: the BBC is a company which focuses more on the educational side of magazines. This means that they have a less vast variety of genres compared to the two previous magazine companies’. The genres of magazine that they produce are, for example history and science. As they are more focused on the educational side of magazines they are widely linked with children as their target audience. They also have a number of television channels which have a larger target audience from children to adults. The BBC is a very well known, mainstream company as a number of their media output is used daily by many users. It could be said that the company’s target audience is for children as most of the products that they produce are aimed at a younger audience.

Development Hell: is a less known magazine publisher as they publish mainstream magazine and only publish niche magazines. There is not a very wide variety of a magazine or magazine genres produced by Development Hell and the magazines are all aimed at an adult audience.

Future Media: is a very large publisher which has one main genre of music which is rock. Future media publish a variety of different types of media including games, music and crafts. Another source of media that Future media specialise in is through the internet. They have very popular websites such as cyclingnews.com. Future media mainly produce mainstream media as they are such a large company with such a large following. They also mainly produce mainstream media because of the genre of music they focus on (Rock) which is a very popular genre throughout the world. This means that their target audience is mainly adults who are interested in rock however due to their many other media outputs they also have a large fan base from many different groups of people.

Title Blocks

Title Blocks

First Idea

Title Block Design

The title block for this magazine is very unordered and irregular. This maybe a way of showing that this magazine does not conform to usual and popular music and that it will be commenting on a very different and maybe unusual type of music. The colour in this title block is black. This is a bold and outstanding colour. This colour may have been used to show that the magazine content and the bands in the magazine are bold and they are not afraid to do something new. However it may be using the connotations of the colour black to reflect on the magazines genre of music. It may be saying that the music that they listen to is dark and sad. The font used on this title block is both broken and disturbed and this may be a way of commenting on the genre of the magazine that it is very disturbed and emotional and maybe this is how the type of music in this magazine is concentrating on. The name of this music magazine when said aloud it could be said sounds like the sound you would get from a guitar. This is effective as it shows that the genre of this magazine is likely to be rock and it is also useful as its harsh tones stand out to the reader. Due to the name and the design of the title it could be suggested that this magazine is for more outspoken and rebellious characters as it does not conform to normal design. This would suggest that the age group in which it is aimed at is generally teenagers as they are stereotypically seen as a rebellious group.

The design of this Title block seems to be very simple and sophisticated. The design seems to be very regular and does not seem to be outrages or non-conforming. This shows that the magazine will be about popular music as this design is likely to be popular with people who are not interested in more different music genres. The colours in this design make it seem very “clean cut” and elegant. This may suggest that the magazine is generally aimed towards people who have a higher reading level and do not focus on gimmicks like other magazines. The font that has been chosen shows is a very ordinary flowing font. The design and the font are both very simple making it very ambiguous to the reader as they are not sure of the meaning of the “Q”. This further backs up that this magazine is for more intelligent reads as it does not obviously tell you what the title is.     

This title block is very bold and outstanding. This would suggest that the music genre within this magazine is going to be outstanding and different. Also the design looks bright and new this is relevant towards the magazine as NME is a magazine that looks for new bands and analysis them. This is futher backed up by the caption beneath "NME" which says "New Musical Express" showing that this magazines focus on new music acts. The main colour in this title block is red. This is a very bold and outstanding colour which would suggest that the music is as well. It could also be a symbol to show how there are bright new stars. The font is similarly outstanding in its size. It has a very large font which makes it very noticeable and grabs the reader’s attention. The name of the title itself does not leave much to the imagination as it spells it out in the caption below. This would suggest that the readers of this magazine are maybe younger and find it harder to understand more complex literature.  

contents page analysis 2

Contents Page Analysis 2

There is only one image used on this contents page and that is a large mid-shot image of Eminem. This image is done to carry on from the image used on the front cover which also shows Eminem. This has been done to show that he is the main feature of the magazine and by putting a large image of him on the contents page it is showing that such a big name has an article in their magazine and is used to absorb the reader and persuade them to buy the magazine.

The image as been constructed in such a way that it cannot be ignored. This is done by the image been spread out over two pages and by the designer not putting any other images on the content page. It is also been done as to make the text clear and easy to navigate through the magazine.

This image supports the theme of the front cover. This is done by the same person (Eminem) being on the front page and the contents page. Furthermore the background of the front cover of this magazine was very dark and gloomy and this is also the case on the content page.

The text on the contents page is also very similar to that on the front cover. The colour scheme of the font is the same were the main pints and headlines are in yellow to bring emphasis and attention to them and white text underneath the headlines to make it clearer to read with the dark background.

The sections of the magazine have been laid out in a very neat specific way. The headlines on the contents page have been coloured as yellow to make them noticeable and the features underneath are white. Also the sections have been set out in chronological order on the page to show what sections come first. The numbers have been printed at the right of each section to show the reader where they are going to be.

The section in the magazine all show that the magazine is completely about rap/hip-hop music. This is because the headlines of the sections all include artists from this genre or is commenting on something about this genre.

double page spread

Double Page Article Analysis

This double page article in this magazine is about John Lennon. This would suggest that the target audience will be those who are interested in John Lennon’s life and his music. This would suggest that the audience will be older as John Lennon was an artist who was at his largest in earlier years.

In this magazine the writer uses very sophisticated language. This shows that the audience in this text are that of a more intelligent stand point and it may mean that the whole interview will have this type of language. Also the words that the writer uses make the tone seem very conversational and make the article flow more. This creates a better understanding between the readers and makes it easier for the reader to understand the purpose of the article.

In this article the background colour is white and the text that is in front of it is black this is done so that the writing is very easy and clear to read.  This is also done so that when an important point comes up the writer changes the colour of the writing to red. This brings emphasis to the point as it makes it stand out more. Also the pictures are mainly black and white and it could be said that this has been done to show remembrance of john Lennon because by getting older pictures of him it shows what he was like in his prime.

The style of text in this is a fairly normal and clear text. This is representative of the whole magazine. This has been done to make it seem clear and make it easier for the readers to understand. This could also be done to show the confidence they have with their magazine. It may be a way of explaining to the reader that they do not need to cover up their interviews and their articles and making a statement that they do not need cheap gimmicks to draw in readers. 

This double page spread has been set with the title in slightly larger text at the top and the article below in smaller text. It is then set out in the same style as a news paper. There are also quotes and boxes of information around the page which are coloured red. This is done to bring emphasis and attention to this and draw the reader in. The images on this article are very large and cover the top half of the page. This is done because this is the first thing that the rader sees so it needs to grab the reader’s attention.

The lexical choice that the writer uses in this article shows the type of audience that the magazine is aimed out. The use of sophisticated and intelligent language shows that this is a magazine aimed at the more intelligent reader. Although the word choice shows that the reader maybe more intelligent and sophisticated it does not necessarily mean the text is overly serious and intimidating. The tone created by these words is a very informing tone however it is still inviting to the reader which encourages them to read on.

The images of John Lennon in the magazine seem to have been chosen to outline his life and the type of character he was in his life. It also has pictures which show his beliefs and who his wife was. There are two images were there are many people holding up anti war banners. This shows that he was clearly against war and maybe a more liberal character. There is another two images which show him and his wife. This may be done to show that his wife was a very important part of his life or to show that there was big parts of his life defined by her.

The colour scheme in this article conforms to the front cover and the majority of the magazine. The colour scheme was red and white on the front cover and this is continued on this page as the background is white and the title is red. The writing within the article is black. This is also similar to the front cover in the way that beneath the headlines on the front cover and this is similar on the article.

magazine layout

This is a basic layout of how the magazine is going to be set up.

double page spread analysis - Vibe Magazine

Double Page Spread

This article is about Eminem who is a famous and very popular artist in the rap/hip hop genre. This would suggest that the audience the writer is targeting is the type of person who is interested in Eminem’s life and music. It would also suggest that it is targeted at readers who are interested in rap/hip hop music.

The writing style and word choices in this article show that it is very informal which is done to make it easier for the writer to connect with the audience and also to make it easier for the audience to understand the purpose of the magazine. The informality makes the audience more comfortable with the writer as it creates a more conversational tone. An example of this is when the writer writes “his childhood was fucked”. The lexical choice that he chooses here is language that is not typically used in a formal situation and it shows that the writer doesn’t want a formal and serious relationship. Also by using this type of word choice it shows that this magazine is aimed at people who are at a lower reading level.

The colour scheme which is used in this article is black and white. The background to this article is white and the text on the page is black. This is important as the contrast of these two colours make it very clear and easy to read. The title of this article is coloured in red. This is done to bring emphasis to the title as it is so different from the other two colours in the article. Also because red is a very bright and vibrant colouring this is also a way in which it brings emphasis to a title.

The text in this magazine is constant throughout. It is a block which looks as if it has a retro and older looking style. This may be showing that the magazine is different from over magazine. It could also be saying that the magazine has a slightly older style.

This magazine is laid out in a very slick and orderly way. The picture has been put on the page on his left. It is very large and takes up the whole page. It also has a quote from Eminem which has been given specific emphasis as it is the only peace of text on the page. On the right hand side of the article is the text. This has been laid out in such a way which makes it easy for the reader to know where the image is and where the text is. The majority of the article has text as there is only one page of images and two pages of text. This may show that this is a very informative piece of text.

Throughout the images the artist in the picture is shown as a scientist. This has been carried on from the theme on the front page. This picture has deeper meaning on the way that it is commenting on how Eminem the artist on in the image is experimenting on new and different styles of music. This matches the front cover in the way that he was also dressed as a scientist on the cover and due to the headline on the front cover it would make the reader think that he is trying something new.

I don’t believe that any prior knowledge about the artist or his music is necessary. This is because the text is very informing about both his life and his music meaning that the article will tell you about him if you didn’t know anything previously.  

magazine cover - vibe

Music Magazine Front Cover Analysis - Vibe
The genre of this magazine is of rap/hip-hop. This is shown by the feature article photo which has a picture of Eminem and Dr Dre who are two large artists whose music belongs in this genre. Inside the magazine you can see that the articles’ are going to be form a rap/hip-hop stand point as there is one article which reads “Diddy’s commission welcome to the dark side.” Diddy is another famous artist whose music conforms to this genre showing that that the articles inside will be aimed at an audience who are interested in the rap/hip hop genre of music. The left of the screen also has a variety of different rap and hip-hop artists showing that artcles involving them are going to be featured inside and such as “Drake”, “Lil Wayne” and “Rick Ross”. This has been done to convince their target audience that they would want to buy this magazine. Also the main article involves is called “What are Eminem and Dre Cookin’ Up”. This is very vague as a description and will encourage the audience to purchase the magazine.

The target audience for this magazine is mainly for younger readers as this genre of music is most popular with the younger generations. However, although the target age may be for a younger readers it does not necessarily mean that this is the only audience they are targeting. It could be assumed that there main target audience is anyone who enjoys listening to or is interested in rap/hip-hop music.

The mode of address for this magazine has a theme of science and experiments. This could have been done to show that they are experimenting with new music and new styles of music. It could also mean that they are the scientists of music and they have the main ideas when it comes to their music and genre. Also the headline underneath this picture is “What are Eminem and Dre Cookin’ Up”. This could be in keeping with the theme of science and creating new things as instead of being literal and saying what are they cooking up it is really saying what new creation have they thought of or what are they experimenting with.

The two figures on the front of the magazine “Eminem” and “Dre” both look very serious and as one is inspecting something the other is looking directly at the camera. This suggests that the magazine wants to have an informing relationship with the reader and want to explain what they have been doing. Also because “Dre” is looking straight at the camera although there is a sense of seriousness about him it also seems that the article will not be too formal although being very informative.

The anchorage text used on this front page (“What have Eminem been cookin’ up”) is not very informative as to what the subject is going to be about. However the word choice used here, although not very informing is being used so that the audience assumes that something worthwhile has been happening between “Dre” and “Eminem” and therefore encourages the audience to buy it and find out what was happening. Also in the anchorage text the words “Eminem” and “Dre” are in large text and in bright yellow. This is done as they are both famous names and they want to show the readers that they have such well known guests.

The main message of the magazine from the front cover seems to be that the “Eminem” and “Dre” are experimenting with new things within music. The designer has done this by not obviously saying that they are doing something new and they are trying something different but making it more ambiguous to make the reader put more though into the message. The message could also be how it is a new era for their music and it might be symbolising a change in both of them and their music.

The title block for this magazine is very large and very bright. This may have been done to clearly distinguish their magazine from other magazines. This means that it will stand out from other magazines as other magazines normally have a lot smaller title blocks and by making it different from other magazines they may be showing that their style is different from others. This has also been done to grab the reader’s attention as it is very eye-catching and it may make readers become intrigued by the magazine.

The puffs on this magazine are used to reassure the reader that the artists they will be interviewing are going to be the top artists around today. This has been done specifically on the front cover as people are less likely to be drawn in to a magazine if they do not know who the people their talking about are.

The colour of the wording on the front page is largley yellow. This is done because it is a very outstanding primary colour which will grab reader’s attention and will make specific wording very noticeable. The picture on the over hand has a very dark background making Eminem and Dre stand out as they are in white lab coats.

This magazine uses many strategies to try and absorb the reader. One strategy is the colour scheme they choice very bright letters on a dark background which makes it stand out more and gives the wording emphasis. Another way in which it is done is by making important words and names both bigger and in a specific colour which will automatically attract the reader as they know it will be important. They have also chosen to choice two very known and respected artists of this genre on the front cover which makes the magazine important and exclusive.    

Content page analysis

On the contents page there are many images. This has been done so that the reader can clearly see what features are going to appear on what page. This has been done to make it easier for the reader to go to the article they are looking for straight away.

The images on this contents page have been set out in a very specific manner. The main story in the magazine is the largest of the pictures and takes up one whole page. This has been done to bring emphasis and importance to the article, making it more eye-catching for the reader. The rest of the images are set out in a fairly neat and orderly fashion except two images which are slightly tilted. This was may have be done to show that the band are not conventional and they are different from other bands. This is backed up by the picture as it is a very odd picture.

It could be said that the design from the front cover has been continued through to this page as well. This is because the front cover had a very orderly and neat design and so does the content page. The front cover also uses size to bring emphasis to the more important stories so it could be seen that this will be similar to this the whole way through the magazine.

The colour scheme and design has also been continued through to the contents page as well. The red and white colour scheme has been continued and the same letters for the fonts has been used. Furthermore this simple and bold design brings more emphasis towards the articles rather than the design which suggest it is for a more educated reader as it seems that there is more confidence with the quality of their articles as they do not want to distract the reader.

There are many different sections in the contents page which make it easy to go to the section you want. This makes it easier for the reader to go to a specific part of the magazine. This means if they are only looking for something specific in the magazine without reading the whole magazine (E.g. the best songs at the moment) then they can go to this page straight away.

The logo of this magazine is in the top right hand corner of this page. The logo is a lot smaller on this page then it is on the first page which suggests they are trying to bring more emphasis on the stories on this page whereas the front cover they was more foucsed on advertising the magazine.          

Q magazine front cover analysis

Music magazine front cover

 From the front cover on the front cover of this magazine it seems that this particular issue is going to be a tribute to the man on the front cover who is john Lennon. For this magazine the audience is anyone who enjoys john Lennon’s music. However because his music is fairly dated I would say it was for older readers. The central image in this picture is used to try and create a feel of respect for this artist and what he has done. They have done this by only putting him on the front page and no one else which brings the focus to him. Also the contrast between black and white on this cover has been used to bring a remembrance to him and his music. The anchorage text on the cover supports the fact that it is a tribute to John Lennon as one article is named “Lennon at 70” which shows that it is his birthday and the magazine is about remembering his music. The message given from this front cover is that John Lennon was a great musician and he should be given credit for it on his birthday. On the front cover of this magazine it has a buzz word which is “unseen” this makes the reader feel as if they are going to find out something that no one else knows and therefore they will be more likely to buy it. The title of this magazine “Q” is very ambiguous in its name as it has no real meaning making the reader interpret the title differently whenever it is written. This means it could mean a lot of things such as "question". It could stand for "question" because this magazine has many celebrity interviews and it may be highlighting the fact that this magazine is not scared to ask questions that may be controversial. The image of the title is very simple yet makes it stand out. The magazine has decided on a colour scheme for the title of red and white. These colours could be seen to represent a higher market audience. The red and white also make the symbol both bold and clear and making it seem attractive and appealing to the reader.  Also there was a gold outline going around the front cover which also is a colour which is associated with a higher class market. The puffs on the front cover of this magazine are all off bands who are involved with the rock and indie/rock scene. It shows that people who like bands such as the “Kings of Leon” would enjoy this magazine and they are trying to draw the readers in by mentioning them on the front cover. The red and white colour scheme is continued from the title on to the page as the background is now white and the headlines or the puffs are red. This colour is very bright and eye-catching and by putting it on such a blank background it makes it seem even more absorbing. Also the gold banner around the edge of the magazine brings attention to the text that is on the top of the magazine which makes it seem more significant as it says “collector’s edition”. The magazine used a range of different techniques to try and draw the reader in and persuade them to by the magazine. One strategy they use to draw the reader in is by using a colour scheme that makes the headlines more noticeable and make them stand out more. They also break the colour scheme with the text “4 to collect” this makes the reader feel as if this magazine is important as it is a rarity and also is advertising the next few issues.

Results

Results of questonaire

These greaphs show that my target audiance will be males aged 16-24 who are intrested in rap/hiphop. it also shows that the magazine should include fun and games, interviews with artists and gigdates and tickets. the results showed me that the most popular colour schem was red and white and that it should come out every two weeks. futhermore it shows that the favirote title of the magazine is "the music Hot Sheet" and most peoplewill be willing to pay up to £2.99-£3-99 to pay for the magazine.

Music Magazine Plan

Planning A Music Magazine

      My target audience is for people aged 16-21. I have not decided what the genre it will be however I think it is likely that many genres will be used. The magazine will not have any specific gender references however I think that it may be more lenient towards males rather than female. The music I will be talking about in my magazine will be music of the present day and this is why it will be more appealing to the age group of 16-24 rather than an older audience.

       I believe that the best time to bring out this magazine will be fortnightly for a number of reasons. I believe that if you bring out a music magazine that comes out weekly there will not be enough information in the magazine for the amount of money that the reader will be willing to pay. Also if the magazine is brought out monthly there will be too much information to put in to one issue of the magazine and therefore some information will be left out and it will harm the quality of the magazine. This means that fortnightly will include the right amount of information for a more reasonable price.

      The ideal price for the magazine would be £2.99-£3.99 this is because it would give this magazine an edge over competitors as most magazines of this type are usually between one pound to two pound more than this. I also believe that people who would read this magazine could quiet easily afford to by the magazine regularly for this money.

      My magazine will be a glossy magazine for a number of reasons. One reason is that it will be more attractive to readers than over magazines which are like a news paper. Also I believe that the colour scheme will look far more attractive and eye-catching to the reader if it was a glossy magazine.

Questionaire

Questionnaire

Below is a wuestionaire which has been created so it can be given to members of the public to define what the target audiande for the magazine will be. it also defines features such as price, genre and what content the magazine should have.

1.     Are you male or female? ......................

2.     What is your age? .........................

3.     What type of music do you like?

·        Rap/Hip Hop

·        R n B

·        Grime

·        Drum and Base

·        Funky House

4.     How much would you be willing to pay?

·        £1.99

·        £2.99

·        £3.99

·        £4.99

5.     What content should it include?

·        Interviews with artists

·        Gig dates and ticket

·        Up and coming bands

·        Fun and games

6.     Who is your favourite artist? ................................

7.      What colour scheme would you prefer?

·        Red and white

·        Yellow and blue

·        Red and yellow

·        Blue and white

8.     How often would you like the magazine to come out?

·        Weekly

·        Fortnightly

·        Monthly

9.     What title would you prefer out of the list below?

·        The Music Shop

·        Music Exclusive

·        The Music Hot Sheet

Music magazine description

Masthead: The Masterhead on this cover is the NME sign in the top right corner. It is the sign with the red text and the black background with white outlining.

Banner: The banner says “musical express” this is just underneath the Masterhead

Masterhead: The Masterhead on this cover is the NME sign in the top right corner. It is the sign with the red text and the black background with white outlining.

Banner: The banner says “musical express” this is just underneath the Masterhead

Headline: the headline is the large yellow and white writing saying “THE AUTOMATIC”.

Cover lines:  the cover line in this is in the bottom left hand corner where there is a red background with yellow writing which says “My Chemical Romance New album: the ultimate review”.

Secondary Lead: The secondary lead on this cover is the story that reads “babyshambels go legit” this is at the bottom of the page in yellow writing with an image of a musician next to him.

Feature article photo: The feature article photo is the background of the cover in this case it is the image of the 4 men who are the background of the cover.

               

               

the evolution of britney spears analysis

This shot is a mid-shot which is taken from a high angel. This is done to show her vulnerability and this is important as she is only 17 years old and this image is making it apparent that the reader knows this. This is also done to show that the main focus on thee front page is of her. The photographer has done this by cropping the photo in such a way that there is not much else but her in the shot.Also the way the bed is in the background also brings attention to her. In this image Britney Spears is wearing very little clothing. This costume has been assembled to make the picture more attractive for the male audience. There are two props used in this image one is a telephone and the over is a cuddly toy. This could be used to remind people of her age as she is very young at this point however it could be adding to the previous affect that has been portrayed and this could have been done to show her vulnerability. The setting that is used for this picture is a bed. This is another technique which shows that the picture is for a male audience. This is because the bedroom and the bed have sexual connotations which make her seem more appealing to the male audience. The picture also contains intertextual references in the form of the cuddly toy which is a “teletubby”.  This prop has been used with its intertextual referencing to symbolise that she is still young however it is symbolising her transformation from childhood to womanhood. The photo uses a colour scheme of red in the background. This is important due to the different connotations that the colour red has such as passion and lust. These connotations further show that this cover is meant for the male audience.

This cover has a image which is a mid-long shot. This is done so that instead of a mid-shot which focuses mainly on the middle section of the subject it can show below the waist. This has been done to make the cover more attractive for the male audience. Also this image has been cropped like this so that there is a main focus on Britney Spears which brings importance to her. Also in this image she is topless. This costume has been decided on so that it is again more appealing to men. This shows that it is likely she wants a sexual relationship with the reader. This is backed up by the way she is provocatively dressed and her pose in the image. She seems to be trapped and she cannot get out. This has been done to show how she is trapped in her life and she wants freedom from all of the hype that she conveys with being such a large star.The lighting of this picture is very bright but at the back of the shot it is more dark and shaded. This may have been done to show that she has come from the darkness in her life before and is now on the lighter happier side. The lighting is also focused mainly on her, which could have been done to highlight her in the picture and show emphasis on her.       

This image is close up shot which has been made black and white to symbolise the difficulty that Britney is having at this stage of her life. The close up is a shot which emphasis the emotion of someone so this shot has been taken to show the emotion of sadness and sorrow which she is experiencing in her life. The contrast between black and white in this image also adds to the sad gloomy effect that the cover is trying to portray. This image has been cropped so that you can only see Britney’s face and facial expression on the page. This brings an emphasis to her emotions and how she was felling at this time. The way the cover of this magazine has been created makes the reader feel as if she wants a more sympathetic relationship with the reader as she is going through some hard times in her life. The anchorage text displayed on the front cover as it explains she has trouble and tradgidy in her life.