Research and Planning

Analysis of music magazines

The masthead is eye catching and bold letter which makes it easier for the target audience, which is roughly between the ages of 25-40, to recognise the magazine form a distance and makes it easier to also grab their attention. Furthermore, this is also reinforced by the fact that the typeface is somewhat old fashioned. In addition since the name of the magazine is just one letter it makes it easier for the target market (readership) to remember the magazine. As a result of this it also stands out more when the magazine is laid next to other magazines as it has a red background with white writing.

From the main cover line the audience is able to see as to what there will be within the magazine and what type of information and music genera this issue is based around.

The font helps keep the front cover somewhat simple and since it is bold and san serif it helps make it clear and easy to read. Furthermore, the colours used in the font contrast with the background making it easier to read and understand as to what is within the magazine.

The cover price is a somewhat expensive as it costs £4 which shows that its target market would have a fair amount of dispensable income. It stands out clearly and makes it easy for the target market to read the price.

The lure is the final feature of the front cover that effectively lures in the customer as it is the name of a well know DJ of their time and so the reader would feel confident that he would know what he is talking about and would want to buy it. Also since it has a sticking font and colour scheme they are able to attract the attention of the audience.

The strapline is a simple, attractive and straight forward moto as it clearly sates the contents of the magazine “Discover Great Music”. From the use of the word “Discover” the magazine is able to tempt customers to pick up the magazine and buy it. They are also able to suggest to the customer and the readership that they don’t have to be experts in music that instead they can become experts. This is further enforced by the fact that within the strapline it says that it contains “Great Music” , which expresses confidence, and makes the customer confident that within the magazine there is a lot of great contents.

The cover image shows a seductive and powerful lady but seems to have insecurities. Her seductiveness is show by the way she is staring straight into the reader, or lens, and by the way she has her mouth open. This would entice the male audience as they would find her to be attractive. On another hand, her insecurities are shown through the fact that she is using black nail polish and blue eye shadow. This is because black is a gloomy colour with the blue being depressive. Even thought these colours shows she is insecure she is also able to show that she is confident and isn't afraid of expressing her insecurities. Furthermore, within the blue eye shadow there is a hint of gold which shows the power and confidence that she has, which is also supported by the black nail polish as it can also be a powerful and prestigious colour.

From the this cover line the reader is able to see a familiar name with what seems to be quite an interesting story. From this the company is able to entice the customers to buy the magazine as the cover line and other aspects of the magazine as a whole are constantly luring in the customer.

The pull quote attracts the attention of the audience as it gives them a piece of the story that is quite interesting. Due to this they are able to entice the curiosity of the customer.

From the Q magazine media pack- all magazines have these

The strapline shows that it is a magazine based around the new music genres and artists. This is expressed by the fact that the word ‘new’ is used in the strapline.

The way the masthead is presented is in a eye catching manner as it has a bold, red font. Furthermore, it has the largest font size making it stand out more than the rest of the other pieces of text.

From the main cover line the audience is automatically reeled into the magazine and are instantly captivated as to what could be the full story behind the cover line. Due to the font and the colour of the writing the cover line is able to stand out more than the rest of the magazine and because it has the same colour as the title it suggests that the interview is as important as the company.

From the font that the magazine uses the company is able to ensure that they are eye-catching and look professional at the same time. This is further empathised by the colours that are used, these colours also help distinguish as to what is more important and what is less important.

The cover price is £3,30 which shows that the magazine is aimed at a large amount of people instead of it being aimed at people who have a large amount of disposable income. Furthermore, the manner in which it is presented shows that the magazine is trying to keep it both obvious but discrete at the same time. This is because it is rather small compared to the other components of the cover page and it is side ways in a corner of the page. This makes the reader think about buying it without wanting to know the price but also because it makes the reader focus upon the contents of the magazine.

From this cover line we are able to see what other content the magazine has and what it is about. by doing this they are able to address their magazine to a larger amount of people and possibly increase the sales and demand of the magazine.

The cover line gives the audience a sneak peak into what is inside of the magazine and as to what type of artists the magazine is going to be focused around.

NME’s ideal readerBased on the image and content of the front cover of this NME magazine, which was published on the 25th of September 2010 . The ideal reader would be someone who knows quite a lot about music and would be interested in learning about different music genres, as well as getting to know of new musicians or bands.

The ideal reader would also know about the current problems faced by musicians and bands, as well as be interested in some “gossip”. However, the main trait of an ideal NME reader would be that they are profoundly integrated into the music world. This could be by buying large amount of music equipment, CD’s and any other thing that is related to the music world.

Statistics from the NME media pack states their target audience and their demographic statistics. It states that the average age of their reader is 25, while their magazine is aimed at males between the ages of 17 – 35. 73% of these males are within the ABC1 social grade, which are well educated with 34%in full time jobs and 26% studying full time. It also states that the readership is predominantly male with 73% and who are dedicated to the magazine as well as enjoy new entertainment.