Initial Introductory Task 1a>General questions about music magazines.

What is a music magazine?A music magazine is a magazine specifically for music and then focused on one certain music genre. Music magazines are used as a tool to update the target audience with information about upcoming things happening within the music genre and what is happening within it right now. The music magazine is used to brand artists of that genre and is an easy way to get new artists well known to their target audience. This acts as a synergy because both the magazine and the celebrity artist on the front will both advertise each other and both develop because of each other. Music magazines were developed in the 50’s, when new music genres started to become more common.

What content would you expect to find in a music magazine?

A music magazine would follow the similar layout of most magazines having a mast head at the top which relates to the genre of the music magazine. There will be a main image of a well known celebrity on the front who again relates to the genre of the magazine and have a main cover-line which also relates the them. The magazine would have a colour scheme which would relate to the music genre of the magazine. For example ‘Kerrang!’ a rock music magazine would have a very dark colour scheme using black because this would relate to the rock artists. There is likely to be a variety of fonts used in different colours and sizes, that would be different depending on magazine genre. There is likely to be a cover mount in a music magazine, maybe a CD or a poster relating to the main celebrity on the cover. It is likely to see competitions on the inside or cover of the magazine which involve the target audience into the magazine.

What images would you expect to find in a music magazine?

In a music magazine you would expect to see a main image on the front cover of a music artist or band, one that is well known to the target audience. This will attract peoples attention if they see a famous celebrity on the cover. The use of band or artist images allows promotion for both the artist and the magazine. The artists fans buy the magazine to see their artist which gains customers for the magazine. The magazines fans buy the magazine for the magazine but then see all the artists so they also gain fans.Other pictures used in the magazine would be images related to the specific genre of the magazine. In a girls pop magazine you would tend to see hearts ect whereas in a rock magazine guitars would be used. This is because these things are what automatically relate to the genre of that magazine which would then draw the attention of the required target audience,

What are the general characteristics/ features that you would find in all music magazines?All music magazines will feature things seen on every magazine; main image, masthead, cover lines, barcode, date line, main cover line. These things are codes and conventions of any magazine, not just music magazines, and so all magazines will have these features. These things would all be set out on the cover using rule of thirds. This is an imaginary grid of nine on the cover and allows space for the most important things to be put in certain places. The main image would go straight through one of the grid lines or hit a hotspot making that the first thing the readers look at. The less important things like the barcode etc. would be placed in the bottom corners as this is seen as not important space. Music magazines would have different things to other magazines such as artist pull out posters and tour dates. This wouldn’t be seen in other magazines.