Rolling Stone
Gender:-
Men: 66.1%
Women: 34.8%
Age:-
14-17: 18.5%
18-24: 30.4%
25-34: 25.3%
35-49: 18.5%
50+ : 7.3%
Work Status:-
Full-Time: 40.2%
Part-Time: 25.7%
Unemployed: 34.1%
NME
Gender:-
Male: 70%
Female: 30%
Age:-
On Average- 25
Main Reader Groups:-
Young Socialites & First Time Earners.
It seems that this specific genre of magazines is dominated by males in their early twenties. This could be to do with the amount of men featured in these types of magazines and their representations and features which appeal to males more than they do females.
Sunday, 20 December 2009
Friday, 18 December 2009
Magazine Basics
You need to come up with a name for your magazine. Ideally it should be short and snappy and should also grab the attention of your target audience. Try to brainstorm more than one title and then pick the best one.
*The Chemistry
*High Voltage
*Amped
*Chain Reaction
You also need to come up with a rough cover price for your magazine. Who will be able to afford it? What quality of printing/paper will you be aiming for?
*I will be aiming for mid quality printing and paper, or at least as well as I could get for my price. My price will be about £2.50, within the average range for magazines of this genre which publish weekly. This will be so that the young socialites can afford it.
How often will your magazine be released? Why?
*The magazine will be released weekly so that the news will be relevant and up-to-date. This also means part of my advertising can focus upon being the 'music weekly' and being first with the new news.
*The Chemistry
*High Voltage
*Amped
*Chain Reaction
You also need to come up with a rough cover price for your magazine. Who will be able to afford it? What quality of printing/paper will you be aiming for?
*I will be aiming for mid quality printing and paper, or at least as well as I could get for my price. My price will be about £2.50, within the average range for magazines of this genre which publish weekly. This will be so that the young socialites can afford it.
How often will your magazine be released? Why?
*The magazine will be released weekly so that the news will be relevant and up-to-date. This also means part of my advertising can focus upon being the 'music weekly' and being first with the new news.
Target Audience
You need to define a focus in terms of your target audience- your magazine will not be able to appeal to everyone!
What is your main target audience going to be? What does your target audience want/expect from it's music genre and it's music publications?
*The target audience I am aiming for will be young socialites. They will expect plenty of reviews of gigs and listing for gigs too as these are important things for them. They will also be looking for interviews with well known artists and groups which are engaging enough to maintain their interest. In addition they will also want a low cover price as they will most likley be students who cannot afford more than a couple of pounds for a magazine.
How are you going to appeal to this particular target audience, particularly in terms of initial advertising about your magazine?
*Use a mix of a dark background and brighter text with a reconisable masthead to inkeep with the usual expectations of a magazine splash.
*I will also feature artists names within the coverlines as this will gain audience focus upon my magazine as opposed to another brand.
Remeber that your magazine is going to be profitable, so you need to consider the possibility of selling advertising space to potential advertisers- what will attract them to your audience (i.e. how will you sell your audience?)
* Young socialites will want to see CD adverts, tour advertisements and clothing as these will appeal to them. I would sell this to a potential advertiser with the fact the audiences interests lie with their product of service and they are more likely to spend a majority of their money on these things.
Now try to imagine that you are a potential customer (i.e. a member of your target audience.) What do you want from a music publication of your chosen genre?
*Features about up-to-date and relevant artists and bands.
*Posters of popular bands.
*The latest, relevant and up-to-date news.
*Exclusive stories and news that isn't everywhere else.
*Plenty of gig adverts of popular and genre relevant bands.
* Humourous and/or interesting articles, interviews and features to sustain interest and entertainment throughout.
What is your main target audience going to be? What does your target audience want/expect from it's music genre and it's music publications?
*The target audience I am aiming for will be young socialites. They will expect plenty of reviews of gigs and listing for gigs too as these are important things for them. They will also be looking for interviews with well known artists and groups which are engaging enough to maintain their interest. In addition they will also want a low cover price as they will most likley be students who cannot afford more than a couple of pounds for a magazine.
How are you going to appeal to this particular target audience, particularly in terms of initial advertising about your magazine?
*Use a mix of a dark background and brighter text with a reconisable masthead to inkeep with the usual expectations of a magazine splash.
*I will also feature artists names within the coverlines as this will gain audience focus upon my magazine as opposed to another brand.
Remeber that your magazine is going to be profitable, so you need to consider the possibility of selling advertising space to potential advertisers- what will attract them to your audience (i.e. how will you sell your audience?)
* Young socialites will want to see CD adverts, tour advertisements and clothing as these will appeal to them. I would sell this to a potential advertiser with the fact the audiences interests lie with their product of service and they are more likely to spend a majority of their money on these things.
Now try to imagine that you are a potential customer (i.e. a member of your target audience.) What do you want from a music publication of your chosen genre?
*Features about up-to-date and relevant artists and bands.
*Posters of popular bands.
*The latest, relevant and up-to-date news.
*Exclusive stories and news that isn't everywhere else.
*Plenty of gig adverts of popular and genre relevant bands.
* Humourous and/or interesting articles, interviews and features to sustain interest and entertainment throughout.
Music Genre
Music Genre
What is the chosen music genre, which your magazine will focus upon?
Rock/ alternative
What are the key feautres of this genre (i.e. what are the main cultural and musical elements of this genre that give it its own individual appeal- how does this genre represent itself?) To answer this you can look at images of artists features in magazines/CD covers/ videos/ websites etc.: images of fans features in any magazines etc.: and also other areas such as song lyrics.
* The artist/s featured in the main feauture are always on the cover.
*Advertises other featured artists as coverlines.
*The colour scheme is usually dark backgrounds of some description paired with brighter and bolder text.
*The magazines usually are male dominated.
*The main image usually follows some of the conventions of other magazines imagery. (I.e. having the eyes being the main focus.)
What magazines, currently in publication, cover this genre?
*KERRANG!
*NME
*Q
*Rolling stone
*Metal Hammer
*Rock Sound
What features do they have in their magazineand how do these features tie in with their target audience's expectations of representation?
*Album reviews of the music genre. This implies to the audience that the magazine is completely about music itself.
*The main interview is always with an artist from the genre which fits the audience's expectations.
* Gig listings and reviews are always included in every issue. These relate to the target audience's expectations and main perogative as far as leisure time goes.
* Rumours and new news about bands and artists in the genre.
* Givaways usually featureing CD's, merchandise, clothing, tickets or occasionally instruments usually related to a specific band.
What additional features could you put in your magazine to make it stand out and appeal to an audience that is not already being marketed to?
*The use of upcoming, local bands to help the new generation of bands and artists.
*As the rock industry (at least in the well-known areas) seem dominated by male bands and artists. The use of more female input would makle it differential to other magazines of this genre.
What is the chosen music genre, which your magazine will focus upon?
Rock/ alternative
What are the key feautres of this genre (i.e. what are the main cultural and musical elements of this genre that give it its own individual appeal- how does this genre represent itself?) To answer this you can look at images of artists features in magazines/CD covers/ videos/ websites etc.: images of fans features in any magazines etc.: and also other areas such as song lyrics.
* The artist/s featured in the main feauture are always on the cover.
*Advertises other featured artists as coverlines.
*The colour scheme is usually dark backgrounds of some description paired with brighter and bolder text.
*The magazines usually are male dominated.
*The main image usually follows some of the conventions of other magazines imagery. (I.e. having the eyes being the main focus.)
What magazines, currently in publication, cover this genre?
*KERRANG!
*NME
*Q
*Rolling stone
*Metal Hammer
*Rock Sound
What features do they have in their magazineand how do these features tie in with their target audience's expectations of representation?
*Album reviews of the music genre. This implies to the audience that the magazine is completely about music itself.
*The main interview is always with an artist from the genre which fits the audience's expectations.
* Gig listings and reviews are always included in every issue. These relate to the target audience's expectations and main perogative as far as leisure time goes.
* Rumours and new news about bands and artists in the genre.
* Givaways usually featureing CD's, merchandise, clothing, tickets or occasionally instruments usually related to a specific band.
What additional features could you put in your magazine to make it stand out and appeal to an audience that is not already being marketed to?
*The use of upcoming, local bands to help the new generation of bands and artists.
*As the rock industry (at least in the well-known areas) seem dominated by male bands and artists. The use of more female input would makle it differential to other magazines of this genre.
Thursday, 17 December 2009
NME Cover Analysis
NME, also known as New Music Express, is a popular weekly music magazine which has been published since March 1952. It is owned by IPC Media and has a weekly circulation of 40,948. We can tell this institution is established in the way that part of the masthead is covered by Billie Joe. This is because the masthead is recognisable enough to be noticed without it being prominently in view. The colours of the masthead are traditionally associated with danger but used in the way they are they prove to be a purposely stark contrast with the bright blue background.
The main image is of the artist featured in the main coverline. The image itself is posed to represent the focus of the main article which says ''inside the mind of'' which shown through Billie Joe clasping his head and staring directly into the camera in a shocked manner. His genre of music is prominently showed through the use of a black shirt, which is covered in patches in the stereotypically 'punk rocker' manner and his sleeves are rolled up to purposely reveal his tattoos. The blue background is a contrast to the image, with blue connotations usually being of calm and tranquility whereas the pose of the picture says something different to this with him looking slightly insane.
The main coverline is in bold, white writing which is a contrast to the black of the clothing and is done this way so they are easily read. The language used within this is an excerpt of the interview which is supposedly ''inside the mind of Billie Joe.'' The quote is ''My lyrics come from a really dark place'' with the word dark implying something unhappy and perhaps awful. This is written in such a way to spark the interest of the reader and automatically make them want to read more. The other coverlines are in red with a mixture of white to mirror the masthead and make the color scheme of the front cover only really use red, white and blue. These coverlines are all large enough to be read but not big enough to take attention away from the main focus of the magazine: the main coverline and interview. These coverlines feature names of artists features elsewhere within the magazine which also sparks the readers attention as they are large and well-known names within the music genre.
Across the top of the splash is a banner with the words ''Green Day Exclusive'' which is in an extremely bold, white font to be one of the things the eye is drawn towards. This could also make a difference to who buys the magazine as in some stockists only the top third of the magazine is seen and a banner like this could grab fans of this bands attention without having to see a full cover. The word ''exclusive'' means something never before seen which is sometimes unusual with such a well established band with longevity which gives the reader expectations of what the content of the interview with this band will entail.
The cover price of NME, as shown is £2.30 which hints to me that the targeted audience for the magazine is young students who cannot afford to pay high prices for the magazines they read. This hints to me that the magazine has accommodated this through the use of lower quality printing and paper sources to allow the price to remain fairly low and easily accessible to students who are on lower incomes.
The main image is of the artist featured in the main coverline. The image itself is posed to represent the focus of the main article which says ''inside the mind of'' which shown through Billie Joe clasping his head and staring directly into the camera in a shocked manner. His genre of music is prominently showed through the use of a black shirt, which is covered in patches in the stereotypically 'punk rocker' manner and his sleeves are rolled up to purposely reveal his tattoos. The blue background is a contrast to the image, with blue connotations usually being of calm and tranquility whereas the pose of the picture says something different to this with him looking slightly insane.
The main coverline is in bold, white writing which is a contrast to the black of the clothing and is done this way so they are easily read. The language used within this is an excerpt of the interview which is supposedly ''inside the mind of Billie Joe.'' The quote is ''My lyrics come from a really dark place'' with the word dark implying something unhappy and perhaps awful. This is written in such a way to spark the interest of the reader and automatically make them want to read more. The other coverlines are in red with a mixture of white to mirror the masthead and make the color scheme of the front cover only really use red, white and blue. These coverlines are all large enough to be read but not big enough to take attention away from the main focus of the magazine: the main coverline and interview. These coverlines feature names of artists features elsewhere within the magazine which also sparks the readers attention as they are large and well-known names within the music genre.
Across the top of the splash is a banner with the words ''Green Day Exclusive'' which is in an extremely bold, white font to be one of the things the eye is drawn towards. This could also make a difference to who buys the magazine as in some stockists only the top third of the magazine is seen and a banner like this could grab fans of this bands attention without having to see a full cover. The word ''exclusive'' means something never before seen which is sometimes unusual with such a well established band with longevity which gives the reader expectations of what the content of the interview with this band will entail.
The cover price of NME, as shown is £2.30 which hints to me that the targeted audience for the magazine is young students who cannot afford to pay high prices for the magazines they read. This hints to me that the magazine has accommodated this through the use of lower quality printing and paper sources to allow the price to remain fairly low and easily accessible to students who are on lower incomes.
Thursday, 26 November 2009
Rolling Stone Cover Analysis
Rolling Stone magazine is liscensed to Wenner Media LLC whom also own editorials such as US Weekly and Men's Journal. The circulation of the magazine is 1.4 million anually and first started in November 1967. The institution is commercial and uses advertisements to aid it in making profits.
The cover has all the conventions of a music magazine, including the image. The masthead is mainly covered by the main image which shows us that it is a well known institution and recognisable in it's style which hasn't seemed to change since it's beginings, making it a trademark of sorts for the magazine.
The main image is a long shot of Lady Gaga which is blended into the pink background. The connotation of pink is femininity. The pose which Lady Gaga is in makes her seem both dominant and untouchable. Paired with the connotations of pink this gives the impression of a strong female figure. However, Lady Gaga's lack of clothes make the cover become dominated by sexual tendancies.
The coverlines are all in white fonts, big enough to be easily read but not big enough to take any attention away from the main image. The main image gives credit to the model: Lady Gaga. The language used within these coverlines is to tease the audience and entice them to buy the magazine and read the article itself. This is achieved by using the names of big celebrities.
Friday, 20 November 2009
Kerrang Magazine Analysis.
Kerrang magazine is licensed to 'Bauer Media.' It's audience is that of a working class background with an interest in rock music. We know this because the cover price is £2.20 which is cheap for a magazine of it's type. We can also tell that the main audience is men by the language used in the coverlines.
Kerrang is the leading music weekly with over 60,000 sales a week. This is represented with the masthead where the main image overlaps it in places. This shows us that the institution is known well enough to not have to show the whole masthead.
The masthead itself is in a bold, block font which is easily recognisable. This is made to look cracked, like a sheet of glass which reflects the genre of the magazine.
The tagline of the magazine is in the same space as the masthead. The tagline is effectively placed over the title but differentiated with a different color and font. This sums up the genre of the magazine in the words ''Life is loud'' which is inkeeping with the cracked effect of the masthead which now gives the ideology that it could be broken through overly loud music.
The colors used throughout the splash are variations of red and yellow. These convey the idea of sex, danger, violence and destruction which mirrors the main coverline ''Sex, Drugs, Violence.''
The main image of the artist represents the ideology of the band. Each one of them is dressed like a gang member of sorts and made to look rough and fearsome. The front members of the band are also using props in the form of weapons like a gang member would carry. This once again carries on what seems to be an ongoing theme of danger, which is reflected by the coverline ''The world's most dangerous band.''
The other coverlines, also in variants of red and yellow, are all placed to be seen but not take any focus away from the main image. These use the names of well known acts in the rock genre to grab the audiences attention. Beneath the names are then tiny snippet of the feature with them mentioned which entices the audience further.
The banners across the top and bottom of the splash are filled with yet more names of well-known rock artists to rouse the audience even more. The colour yellow is used here as a way of being eyecatching amongst the dark image and masthead.
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