Magazine Analysis - Kerrang! Front Cover

I have decided to analyse Kerrang! as is it aimed at young people and fans of rock music. It will help me to find out what fans of rock music and young people enjoy in a magazine and aid my decision on choosing my target audience.

The title of the magazine is ‘Kerrang!’ which, although a made-up word, has an onomatopoeia sound to it and sounds explosive. This symbolises the music genre as it is often loud and has instruments that make loud, explosive noises such as drums and electric guitars.

The publisher of the magazine is now Bauer Media Group. Previously it was published by EMAP. The Bauer Media Group is a large German publishing company which operates in 15 countries worldwide. Worldwide magazines amount to around 38 million a week. The Bauer Publishing Group comprises 282 magazines worldwide in 15 countries, as well as TV and radio stations. Bauer started in the UK with the launch of Bella magazine in 1987 and as H Bauer Publishing became Britain's third largest publisher. Bauer further expanded in the UK with the purchase of Emap Consumer Media and Emap Radio in 2008 to become the UK's biggest publishing group. H Bauer brands include women's weekly and TV listings magazines: Bella, Take a Break, that's life! TV Choice and Total TV Guide.
The cost of Kerrang! is £2.20 and is produced weekly. It also has an official website on which it advertises the magazine, as well as a TV channel which also advertises the magazine. The total circulation of the magazine is 134,000.

The main audience of Kerrang! Are fans of rock music between 14 and 20. The majority of readers are males and this is shown through the pictures which are mostly of males. However rock music is heavily dominated by male artists which may be the reason for this.
It also uses slang terms for words and has sections for twitter and facebook groups which show that it is up to date with technology and therefore will appeal to young people who are, generally, up to date with technology.
There are several pages at the back of the magazine with opinions and reviews of recent music and interviews with music artists which allows the reader to interact with the magazine.

The main image on the magazine is the main singer from a band called Biffy Clyro whom of which most fans of music magazine would recognise. He is topless and covered in tattoos and face paint which gives the connotation of carelessness and youth. He is also holding a sword which connotes violence but he is smiling which makes him seem cheeky. There are also other, smaller images of rock music artists that would be well known by the target niché audience. There are also images of the free calander that support similar images.
The title of the magazine is at the top of the magazine but since it is so well known by its colours and style, Kerrang! isnt fully shown and it slightly covered by the image of the singer. The title is very bold and uses 'rugged' text that makes it seem broken and tattered; it is published weekly. The images and colours used appeal to the niché audience that Kerrang! targets.
The colours of the magazine are red, yellow and white. The red connotes anger which adds to the image of the sword weilding person on the front. The colours connote youth but not specifically age and can also appeal to older people. 

The magazine is quite dark looking but has very bold titles. The darkness of the magazine represents the type of music of the artists that are featured in it. It also uses very simple language and coloqueal phrases so the younger audience can identify with the magazine. This is also done by the way that the singer is looking at the camera on the image of the front page. There are also lots of pictures of various rock artists so that even if the audience do not recognise all of them, they are likely to recognise, and want to read about at least one of them.
The use of subtitles and smaller titles breaks the magazine cover down into different parts which appeals to the younger, 'MTV generation'. ​

Kerrang! addresses the reader in a fairly casual way through the uses of pronouns (who rocked your world​ in 2010?). However it doesn't use much slang but does use colloqueal phrases such as 'fight back'. The articles shown on the front are the kind of articles tha would appeal to fans of rock music since it is centred mainly on the artisits. There is also a large part of the front cover dedicated to showing the freebies in the magazine (calander, posters) which would entice a reader to buy it. There is infomation about up and comming bands aswell as old bands and various shows they are performing. 

There are a lot of different advertisements that appear in the magazine. These include: Adverts for gigs, phones, against animal testing, magazine subscriptions and clothing advertisements. This is because the target audience of the market are young people and therefore have disposable income. The prices for these items however is quite low​ since young people do not tend to have a huge supply of money. 

The majority of those in the magazine are males since rock is heaverly dominted by male artists. They are generally shown to be carefree and cheeky but lovable which allows people to relate to them and identify with the artists. Also if the artist seems to be just like a regular person it may make someone want to listen to their music. ​
The people that read this magazine may often be musical themselves or be part of a band and can therefore identify with the bands in the magazine. ​
There is a limited range of representations for women since there are very few women in the magazine. Also most of the images are of white males and therefore does not appeal so much to different cultures or genders and have a very niché audience.
However there are also older musicians in the magazine which would appeal to those of an older generation as they would be more familiar with their music.
There are no celebrites in the magazine since the niché audience of this magazine wouldn't like mainstream music and therefore are unlikely to follow mainstream celebrity 'gossip'. The kind  of artists shown are mostly new and up and comming musicians​, or bands that have recently been on tour or started a new album; the type of articles that the reader would be interested in.​

Similar magazine that​ are in competition with Kerrang! are Q, NME and other rock/alternative music magazines. These magazines tend to stay at around £2-£3 with kerrang! being the cheapest at £2.20. The similarites between these magazines is that they follow similar artists and cover the same topics. They also both give dates and infomation about gigs and often give away posters. ​

The reason Kerrang! is so popular is because it is very up to date with popular bands but also because it has little competition; rock is not a mainstream genre. Also the magazine sells at a very reasonable price considering the other magazines on the market.

Magazine Analysis - Vibe article

This is double page spread from VIBE magazine. Vibe is a music magazine that is focused on Rnb and hip hop music, which is aimed at young adult readers . The text on the double page spread is going down in columns which is a common convention of all media texts since it makes the text easier to read.

The layout of the article is very simple and easy to navigate around since it is clearly set out.

The anchor image of the page is only image on the page and is of the artist which provides a mode of address because both he and the child with him are looking the readers, allowing them to relate and with him and feel more involved in the article. The story goes downwards and then around the image in the centre of the magazine, providing a narrative for the readers.

The purpose of the article is to inform the readers about the recent interview with reggae dancehall musician Mavado. The double page spread conforms with the house style because of the font. There is not a title to the article but there is just a pull quote from Mavado which says "Everybody wanna see, what's mavado gonna do? Who's goin up against Mavado? Who's gonna die?"This has an effect on all of Mavado's fans because it is the latest interview with the big star from Jamaica and it also connotes anger and malice which would make the readers want to find out both why he is so angry and who his anger is aimed at.

The use of pull quotes is a typical convention of music magazine interviews because it makes it clear to the reader that they are connecting to the artist and reading their actual words, rather than it just being a review.

The image size for the article is average because there is a lot of information and only one image. The background of the image is of a run down building which links to the article . The image is of Mavado with a little girl in the Jamaica and they both look sad. This is used to make the reader feel sorry for the little girl and it shows she lives in a poor environment. It also makes the reader want to find out what Mavado is doing in this poor enviroment and what connections he has with the little girl. In the background of the image you can see other men sitting around in some poor area. But you can see three other people who are wearing sunglasses and they seem to be Mavado's bodyguards. This is the reason why the image has not been cropped. The text size is very small and lots of information is squeezed onto one page which is uncommon for music magazines since younger people find it difficult to digest big chunks of information due to being part of the 'MTV generation' where everything is fast moving.

The article is about something that is really happening and this links back to the magazine because the magazine is about serious and real things that are happening in Hip Hop. The tone of the magazine is friendly but serious and this also links back to the magazine. There is no intertextuality throughout the double page spread.

The article is set out with dates as subheadings 'January 13 2009 Stephen Megreggor is battling the sniffles through the smoke'. This makes the magazine appear informative but also casual as it is set out similarly to a diary.

The language used throughout the magazine gives the article a conversation feel since slang and colloquel phrases are used throughout to make it seem as though the reader is chatting with a will informed friend. The writing style is both formal and informal at times to appeal to both the younger and older target audience but because Mavado is older, the writing style is more formal so as to connote maturity.

The background of the spread is a slightly dusty grey, so as to link to the dusty, dryness of the centre image. It also allows the bright, bold red typeface to show up clearly as well as making the black text easy to read.

The typeface is the same throughout the entire article as it very easy to read and is also a narrative device so as to lead the reader around the page.

In conclusion, the article is reletivly unconventional in the respect that there is a lot of text crammed onto one page, which is unusual for an article which is aimed at young people, in which most text is consolidated into bitesize chunks of writing. However, other conventions are followed, such as the pull quote and the main, anchor image in the center of the page.

It is also very unconvetional for a music magazine to feature an article that covers such a serious topic, since they usually cover topics about the artist and their work, rather than their home.

Magazine Analysis - Q Article

This is a double paged spread from the magazine Q, which as a target audience of older readers who are fans of the rock genre. The article is about the band Red Hot Chilli Peppers and their careers as rock stars. The first part of this page that the readers are attracted to is the image. Three of the four band members are looking at the camera and therefore create an entry point for the audience as well as a direct mode of address which allows the readers to feel as though the band are directly talking to them. This makes the readers feel close to the band and gives them a sense of good feeling towards them.

The last person, who isn't looking at the camera may also make people want to find out why he is distant from the audience, unlike the rest of the band.

There is a headline near the bottom of the page so that it doesn't detract any focus from the image. This makes it clear to the reader what the article is about, if they didn't already recognise them from the image. The language used within the article is quite informal, a typical convention of a music magazine, however it is more formal than most music magazines. This would attract the target audience since it uses more sophisticated language than a rock magazine aimed at younger people.

The layout of the page is very simple since all the text is enclosed by boxes or written in columns which is a convention of all media text, not just music magazines. There are two columns of writing about the main bulk of the article but there is a circle in the middle of the page to give additional information about the band's CD.

The background of the main image is a dark pink/red colour which connotes passion, which is what the band feel about their music.

The opening sentence of the article is 'The Red Hot Chilli Peppers can be rightly regarded among rock's greatest survivors' and shows that the magazine hold red hot chilli peppers in high regard which would mirror the feelings the readers of the article feel.

The small box on the side of the article gives information about the band that isn't strictly relevant to the interview but is still interesting and relates to the band.

The sentences are often long and have a more complex sentence structure than Kerrang! Or NME since the target audience of Q is older and are more likely to sit down and read the article rather than skim over it.

The language used in the text makes the reader feel as though they are chatting to a friend rather than reading a magazine and encourages them to relate to the band. This is done by the mode of address which is very calm and casual, using slang and some music jargon but not too much to scare readers away. The language is easy to understand for both musically inclines readers and those that are interested in the artists themselves. Many colloquial phrases are used throughout the article.
Both formal and informal language has been used so as to appeal to both the young audience and the slightly older audience, both of which are interested in rock music.

There is direct mode of address used by the band since most of them are looking at the audience, making the readers feel more involved in the article

The style of writing is quite formal but uses colloquial phrases and swear words such as would be used in normal conversation, so as to appeal to the target audience who would read this article for pleasure, as well as to inform them about the band. Mixes of both complex and simple sentences have been used so as to make the interview flow and gives it a strong structural pattern.

The background of the page is a plain white colour so as to allow the text so show up very clearly on the article and make it easier to read. It also relates to the white of his hair, which is the part of the image the readers are first attracted to. By using the plain, white background, there is no attention diverted from the article or the images and the black text is easily visible.

In conclusion, Q magazine follows certain conventions of music magazines within the article such as using conversation tones within the text, as well as keeping the topic of the article casual and 'easy reading'. However, the formality of the language used is unconventional for a rock music magazine.

Magazine Analysis - NME Article

This is a double page spread of a magazine NME, a magazine that is aimed at young people who are fans of rock/indie music, from August 2007and has a feature on a band called “The Teenagers”. The article is about the band called “the teenagers” and gives an overview of who they are and what sort of music they produce.

The masthead of the page is the name of the band “the teenagers” and catches the attention of the audience first since it is in the centre of the page.
On the left hand side of this double page spread is an image of the band that takes up the entire side. The band members are all looking towards the camera which gives the magazine a personal feel as you read through it and creates a mode of address so the readers can relate to it. This is a common convention of music magazine articles and makes the reader feel close to the band and therefore more likely to continue reading.

There is a small box in the corner which looks like a a ripped piece of paper with small pieces of information on the band. The ripped effect is used to connote that teenagers are messy and uncareful with things, emphasising the point of the article which is about teenagers the band, as well as the age group.

In the middle of the page is the band name in a box same colour that is used throughout the spread. It stands out as the title as it is bigger than anything else on the page. But not so big that is becomes the only thing. There is also a shape above that says “NME loves” which gives support to the band and encourages people to buy their CD if their magazine likes it.This is another direct mode of address because the magazine is giving its own opinion, making it seem conversational and friendly.

There is an article on the page about the bands history and there are some pull quotes aswell which are highlighted inside a box of the same colour of the title. This makes the page corespond colour wise and makes them stand out on the page as well as clarifying to the readers that this is an actual interview rather than a review.

On the far right of the page in a column is some information on other bands similiar to this band. This is another method to make the reader feel involved in the article as well as folling the convention.
The language used throughout the article is both formal and informal to appeal to both age groups but mostly informal to connote that is how 'teenagers' speak, as well as appealing to the target audience and making the tone of the article sound conversational. Colloqual phrases are used such as 'Everyones talking about' and 'young dumb and full of.... fithy tunes'. These sorts of phrases wouldn't be used in magazines aimed at an older target audience.

The background behind the band is mostly of half naked women which is a typical stereotype of teenage boys. This is also linked to the pull quote in the centre of the page 'of course we're a sexual band. We're the teenagers and thats all they think about'. The language used in the text makes the reader feel as though they are chatting to a friend rather than reading a magazine and encourages them to relate to the band. This is done by the direct mode of address which is very calm and casual, using slang and some music jargon but not too much to scare readers away. The language is easy to understand for both muscially inclines readers and those that are interested in the artists themselves.

The sentence structure used is a mix of both short and long sentences so as to make it sound very professional.There is direct mode of address used by the band since they are all looking at the reader, making them feel more involved in the article

The style of writing is informal, using colloquial phrases and swear words such as would be used in normal conversation, so as to appeal to the target audience who would read this article for pleasure, aswell as to inform them about the band. However, the writing is also formal at times so as to appeal to the slightly older audience, who tend to use more sophisticated language.

The background of the page is white so the bold blue colour shows up in strong contrast against it. The black text is also easy to read against the background. The typeface used is the same throughout the magazine and is easy to read and understand.

In conclusion, the NME article follows certain conventions such as having a main image as the focus of the page, as well as the headline being central on the page. However, the mix of formal and informal language is quite unconventional for a music magazine aimed at young people, especially fans of rock music.

Magazine Analysis - Kerrang! Article

This is an article from Kerrang!, a rock music magazine that is aimed at young adults. The first part of the article readers are attracted to is the image which shows the focus of the article since they are the only image on the page. All three members of the band are looking at the screen and therefore create an entry point for the audience as well as a direct mode of address which allows the readers to feel as though the band are directly talking to them. This makes the readers feel close to the band and gives them a sense of good feeling towards them.

There is no mast head because most of the people that would read the article would already recognise the band from the image but there is a pull quote which is situated where a masthead usually would be. This makes it clear to the reader what the article is about and also clarifies to the reader that it is an actual interview and not just a review of the band.

The layout of the page is very simple since all the text is enclosed by boxes or written in collums which is a covention of all media text, not just music magazines. There are very small captions to each image and bylines so that the reader can read what is happening and who took the images, but are not distracted from the images themselves. There are two collums of text for the main bulk of the article but a third colum with small extra infomation about the band.

The background of the main image is what appears to be the studio of the band, making them appear relaxed and calm in their own enviroment. This makes it easier for the audience to relate to them. The two smaller images on the second page help connote that they are in the studio as there is an image of Mark Hoppus with his signature guitar. This makes certain readers feel as though they are part of an exclusive club since they recognise the importance of the guitar but they also relate to the article since it describes their stuggles in music and also their new tracks and times spent in the studio so readers that do not understand the guitars significance are not hindered by the image. Also, the fact that they are in the studio allows the reader to see their personal space, giving them a privileged position.

The opening sentence of the article is 'There's a surveillance camera trained on an alleyway behing the hollywood recording studio where blink 182 are making their new album'. By using this sentence, both drama and expectation is produced, making the reader what to find out both why there is a surveillance camera and also find out about the new album. This is a very clever use of sentence structure since it first pulls the readers in with the excitement of the camera and then the promise of information about the new album. The readers are then kept interested throughout the article through a mix of information about the band and what they are doing, and speechs and opinions from the band.

The small box on the side of the article gives information about the band that isn't strictly relevent to the interview but is still interesting and relates to the band.

The sentences are often quite short and in small chunks of information which is perfect for the 'MTV generation' that the target market of Kerrang! is.

The language used in the text makes the reader feel as though they are chatting to a friend rather than reading a magazine and encourages them to relate to the band. This is done by the mode of address which is very calm and casual, using slang and some music jargon but not too much to scare readers away. The language is easy to understand for both muscially inclines readers and those that are interested in the artists themselves. There are also several colloqual phrases used such as 'Travis has to pull another all-nighter' appeals to the young target audience as it addresses them in a conversational tone.
Both formal and informal language has been used so as to appeal to both the young audience and the slightly older audience, both of which are interested in rock music.

There is a lot of speech in the interview, with the band telling the story more so than the interviewer, which emphasises the idea that the reader is feeling close to the band, rather than just reading an interview.

There is direct mode of address used by the band since they are all looking at the audience, making them feel more involved in the article

The style of writing is informal, using colloquial phrases and swear words such as would be used in normal conversation, so as to appeal to the target audience who would read this article for pleasure, aswell as to inform them about the band. However, the writing is also formal at times so as to appeal to the slightly older audience. Mixes of both complex and simple sentences have been used so as to make the interview flow and gives it a strong structural pattern.

The background of the page is a metallic grey colour so as to relate to the colour in the background of the image of the band. This connotes that the band are quite cold and emotionless which is an unusual connotation of a music magazine. It also relates to the silver of the guitar. By using the plain, grey background, there is no attention diverted from the article or the images and the black text is easily visable.

In conclusion, Kerrang! follows a lot of conventions within the article such as the subheadings and having a single main image. However representation of the band within the pictures is unconvential of the music genre as it shows the band looking quite placid, breaking the steriotype of rock muscians.

Magazine Analysis - Vibe Contents

This is the contents page from the magazine Vibe. Vibe is an American publish magazine and would appeal mostly to a younger audience who enjoy Rnb and hip hop music. The layout is very simple and easy to understand with one main image and the text pushed to the side of the image. This also includes the masthead which is kept on the right hand side of the page and split into 3 levels which is a housestyle of Vibe magazine and therefore makes it easily recognisable for frequent readers. It also makes the magazine look hip and trendy which is very important to the target market of the magazine.

The main image of the artist Kanye West takes up the majority of the page and is clearly the most important part of the page since all the text is pushed away, making him the main focus. He is also directly addressing the audience as he is looking straight at the camera which provides an entry point for readers and since he is looking quite serious it makes the reader feel obliged to read about him.

The colours used are greyscale and make the page look very professional and high-class but is quite unconvential for a music magazine which tend to cram quite a lot onto the contents page. However it does connote depth and since the magazine is published quarterly, the audiences need to be certain that they are getting their money worth.
The calm, coolness of the artist's face also reflects the music genre which tends to focus as much on the artist as it does on the music. He is also posing for the audiences so as to make him appear sexy and since the demographic of the magazines audiences focus a lot on appearance, appeals to them. His sex appeal is also demonstrated by the female arm draped across him holding the bold red heart which provides a sharp contrast between the monotone. Also male readers will aspire towards his success, weath and sex appeal.

The V behind Kanye West balances out the v of his cardigan, making the page look professional and give the reader a sence of security. This also relates to the name of the magazine 'Vibe'.
The typeface used is very flowing but easy to read however I think the writing should be made bigger.There are clear subheadings so that if a reader wants to quickly skip through the magazine to the bit they want to read it is easy to find for them. There are different types of typeface in the contents table so that the different parts are easily distinguishable from the others.

Contrary to most music magazine conventions, the contents page is quite empty with the majority of the focus just being on the artist Kayne West. However, Kanye West is a global superstar, who would be easily recognised by most people who would read the magazine. It is set out very similarly to many front cover pages and has conventions more similar to front covers than it does to contents pages. However, the simpicity of the page reflects the music genre and the fact that there is only the one image of the artist connotates the target market prefer to take things slower than the target market of a rock music magazine like Kerrang! Which is often crammed full of images and text. However, because the magazine is published quarterly it can afford to spread the contents over several pages.

The language used in the contents is casual makes the magazine seem friendly and therefore the audience can relate to it. There is no subject specific lexis used so it is easy to read for both first time readers and frequent readers. The language used is more sophisticated than most magazines and uses several literary features such as the alliteration of 'dollars for donuts'. This makes the magazine sound poetic and therefore more sophisticated.

The main image connotes that the music genre is a very serious and heavily influenced by appearance of the artists aswell as the music itself. This is shown by the fact that there is only a small caption to accompany to the image and that most people that read the magazine are most likely to know who it is.

This contents page uses the mode of address of the artist looking at the camera to identify with the audiences and make them feel as though the artist is directly focused on them.

The main purpose of this contents page is to show the reader the type of artists featured in the magazine. It also reinforces the importance of appearance and sex appeal in artists for the target audience.

In conclusion, the Vibe contents page is quite unconvential in certain respects such as not having the masthead across the top of the page and only having one image on the page. However, it still uses the narrative device of the numbered pages which is a stong convention of all literary texts, not just magazines.

Magazine Analysis - Rolling Stones Contents

This is contents page of Rolling stone magazine. The rolling stone magazine has a fairly old target audience which is reflected by the ridged shaping of the layout. It is easy to understand and read since everything appears to be boxed which reflects the target market who may prefer the calmer approach rather than be overloaded with information as is sometimes the case with magazines with younger target audiences. This is a very recognisable style and makes it clear to the reader what genre of music magazine they are reading as this clear layout is a convention of classic rock magazines.

Audiences can interact with this magazine by visiting the website and downloading music or viewing photos online.

There is very little colour on the contents which is uncommon of music magazines since the cover and contents pages are the first things the reader see and therefore need to entice the reader, but since the target audience of this magazine are most likely to be middle aged, they may prefer the simplicity of the colour scheme. Rolling stone magazine relies on its loyal audience to recognise the housestyle of the magazine since there are abbriviations that first time readers may not understand.

There is nothing on the page to tell the reader that this page is the contents page and to first time readers it looks quite confusing since there is nothing to guide the reader through. The numbers of the pages, however, are clearly displayed with a bold typeface which is the same as the subheading of the page.

The layout and colours of the page make it look as though it could be an old newspaper or broadsheet since it is mostly monotone and very ridgedly set out, a strong contrast to other rock magazines such as Kerrang! or Nme.

The typeface is consistant throughout the page and is very clear, easy to read and understand, even when in public such as on a bus or train. Keeping the typeface the same is a convention of most music magazines, in all genres.

The background is plain white which provides a sharp contrast between the black and pink of the text but also links into the white of the image that is in monotone.

Another factor of this magazine that is unconvential of music magazines is fact that it begin the story but then stops and tells the reader they can continue reading on a different page. This is generally a convention of newspapers which emphasises the image that the contents page is like a broadsheet.

Each of the images are captioned and tell the reader the number of the page that the image relates to so they can read about it if they wish. This gives the magazine depth and connotes the reader that they are getting their moneys worth from the magazine. Since this magazine is aimed at an older audience this is very important because they have less of a disposible income than younger audiences.

The main image connotes fun, in an old fashioned sort of way and may make the readers nostalgic and therefore wish to read on. Unlike most music magazines, there is no clear mode of address and the language used is very clear, standard english with very little slang. This, in my opinion isn't a very good way to entice readers to buy the magazine as it makes it seem very distant and therefore is difficult to relate to.

The main focus of the contents page is to show the reader where each feature of the magazine is and to provide the audience with an idea of what they will find in the magazine through the use of the images. The layout of the page connotes that the music genre is quite calm and may therefore appeal to an older target audience.