Analysis of two existing music magazine covers

NME

NME magazine is a well-known indie/alternative based magazine intended for predominantly a male audience, from the age of 16 to 25. The covers such as the one shown on the left, host a variety of bright colours and contemporary design features. Usually, the magazine features one particular band which is very popular with its audience at the particular date. In this case, it is “The Wombats”- a well-known indie band from Liverpool. They look like common “indie kids”, which would definitely appeal to the audience; it is a band that they can relate to.

The brand name is filled with a bold red, which stands out to the potential buyer. Other important messages are either written in or surrounded by a bright yellow. Other less important features are in smaller text, in a different colour. In total, this cover contains three photographs. One being the main background image; the other being used to promote an interview with another band, and then a smaller image of a musician in the corner- to acquaint a large feature inside the magazine.

NME generally uses a bold San Serif font to keep the appearance simple yet vogue. A distorted or grungy appearance wouldn’t capture the intended audience that would be associated more to a rock and heavy metal magazine.

This magazine cover does very well in getting a lot of the features across to the viewer in such a small space, they use colours to complement each other and ultimately use the space they have to great effect, varying the font sizes and shapes.

SKA 80

I felt that it was vital to study a magazine based around SKA and Two tone music; the genre I will be focusing on for my particular magazine. This magazine “SKA 80”, was published when the genre was highly popular, and did not carry on publishing once the genre faded out. This magazine is for a very niche market, something I hope to change when I create my magazine.

The iconic SKA checkers are used as a border for the cover, to send the potential buyer a message that all of the SKA music news etc. is contained within the magazine. Many people associate the checkers with SKA and two tone music, therefore without even reading the title of this magazine; I believe that a lot of people would already presume it was a SKA focused product. If I want to capture this iconic style on my cover, it is vital some of these checkers are visible.

This magazine is different to NME, as it doesn’t focus on one particular band to feature- it appears from the cover that every musician and band has their own equal feature within the magazine. I believe that this is because the magazine is very niche, and need to the fill the pages with material.

Bright colours such as yellow and cyan are used in the fonts to make the text stand out. Personally, I don’t believe that this has worked, the colours are almost too bright, with no shadow softening the clashes .

The images on the cover are surprisingly not in greyscale, they are in colour- whereas it would be much more suitable for this genre for the images to be in black and white. I don’t think that the colours have been used to a great effect on this magazine, plus the layout isn’t particularly amazing either.

Analysis of two existing music magazine covers

NME

NME maintains a house style of black white and red; unless the magazine is a special edition, as an allowance of colour change is allowed.  Shown to the left is the image of the classic NME contents page, with one feature image, surrounded by small ads and the highlights of the contents.

The bands highlighted down the spine of the page are in red, so it stands out well against the white background. There is also a small written text about the featured band in the image, so the reader begins to read it, and read more in the forthcoming pages.

NME has cleverly highlighted their most important independent advertisement in a bright yellow font; to attract the reader to subscribing to the magazine. The promotion is on the contents page as it is the most important page in the magazine, NME want their promotion to appear superior and important.

The contents are sub-divided into 5 sections, with extra contents being under a final “plus” section. Page numbers are in a red font, so they stand out to the reader. Also, the use of red is cleverly used in the red arrow in the far bottom right corner, to initiate the reader to begin turning the page, and begin reading!

kerrang!

KERRANG! Have a slightly different colour scheme to NME, hosting black white and yellow as their predominant theme. These colours could connote a bee or wasp, of which sting- an iconic rock star. Magazines often use certain imagery and text to give different connotations to the reader.

On the top left of this contents page, I noticed there Is a note from the editor- which helps the fan base get to know the people behind the scenes and ultimately connect better with the magazine as a whole.

A memorable quote from an interview with “Corey Taylor” invites the reader to open up the pages and read the whole interview feature. This is very clever from KERRANG! Magazine.

In this case, KERRANG has used a large variety of photos averaging the same size, except from of course- the feature photo. The magazine wants to appear very energetic- with lots going on, therefore the contents page is a key place to introduce this.

As with NME, KERRANG’S contents page has a small section in a separate colour to the rest of the page so the promotion stands out, this seems to be very common with the top magazines in the industry.

Analysis of Two Existing Music Magazine feature pages

NME

This double page NME interview with Jamie is a perfect example of how to create a stylish double page spread in a magazine. What I have noticed with NME is that they choose one or two colours for the spread, then use them  scattered around the page to maintain  a “one off” house style. In this case, as Jamie T is a very British modern culture inspired musician, the colours red, white and blue are the perfect choice. See how these colours then occur again where the small text is; only a very small amount yet it attracts the reader’s attention.

The photo has been carefully set up, so that the title can go to the left of Jamie, with the interview on the right. In this case, the photo is the more important than the actual text itself; as the double page is predominantly covered with the image. The image speaks for itself in a way, it oozes with English inspiration- the iconic Harrington jacket and brogue shoes perfectly underline this.

Of course, as with any interview, a small section is copied and enlarged in a different font so the reader has a slight idea of what the conversation will be about; then it introduces them to read the whole text.

NME is known to be a very political magazine; which is justified in this image and text. The fact they have referred to Britain as “BATTERED” is a very negative connotation of the country, whilst the ripped jeans, and altogether negative, working class setting adds to the message. These messages are constantly put into magazines which the readers subliminally understand and gain a political view.

To summarise this double page feature, I love the fact that it is mostly a large photo with a small amount of text; it is almost as if there is a large message in itself from the image.

Disney kids magazine

A variety of vivid colours are present on this “Disney magazine”, featuring “The Jonas Brothers” who have a very large young female audience. The target age ranges from 9-13 and is predominantly female. The layout is typical of a magazine such as this, with a feature image surrounded by many smaller images and brightly coloured text boxes.

Bold headings are used to attract the reader’s attention, using a variety of fonts, and feminine colours. The characters are dressed in a somewhat normal way, targeting no particular sub-culture.  When the term “rock” is used, it is ultimately a strong form of pop-rock, as the young audience will have no specific favourite genre of music except from the latest chart hits.

The main colours present on this feature page are yellow, pink and red- all generally feminine colours. Images appear to be more important than the text as there are many more than there is writing. I believe that this is because the audience will be more interested seeing the picture of the “hot boys” than reading an in depth interview.

Just as with the Jamie T NME interview, a small section is copied and enlarged in a different font so the reader has a slight idea of what the conversation will be about; then it introduces them to read the whole text. It is in bold and in a blue text box, with the actual text surrounding it.

This double pages feature is ultimately present to promote the “camp rock” saga and give a broader view of the characters that the audience wouldn’t understand simply from watching it on television.

Full analysis of NME Magazine

NME is Europe's biggest and most read music magazine. It has earned worldwide respect for its rock music news and features, which are updated around the clock. It offers unparalleled access to an affluent young audience and a unique opportunity to communicate with them in an environment that they relate to and return to frequently - 63% buy the magazine weekly or more frequently*. TheNME audience is made up of key demographic groups that can be difficult to target through other media: -

• 65% Male*
• 50% 16-24*
• 23% 25-34*
• 79% ABC1*

NME stands for “New Musical Express”, formerly published as a newspaper form yet recently turned into a glossy paged magazine. NME is well known for knowing what is going on in youth culture and obviously what music is popular at the moment. It is also seen at concerts and gigs, renowned as one of the giant names in music.

The logo of the NME magazine is located on the top left of every cover. On average, each main picture on the cover page fills 70% of space. Usually, the main title is situated just under half-way of the page, on top of the photo. The cover page often contains two banners, one on the top, and one on the bottom.

The main colours are red, yellow, black and white. These colours all bold and stand out on the page. These colours are also very recognizable for NME as they are always used.

NME attracts their buyers due to the reasonable price, their stature in the music industry, and the fact that they get the top artists to feature in their magazine. NME staff are well knowledged when it comes to everything teenagers find interesting, therefore NME promote this, with titles such as “review of top 15 rock bands in the last 10 years”

   

Our readers are passionate about music and as a result of their close relationship with the site content they are far more responsive to advertising. Whether they are more positively disposed towards brands that they see as supporting their favourite site or accessing advertising that they see as particularly relevant to them and their lifestyles they are 33% more likely than average to have taken action as a result of seeing an advertisement on the site.

review of media product- Call of Duty: World at War

NME-

It doesn’t matter if you spray and pray, camp in bushes, or generally suck at first person shootem’ ups- the new addition to the COD series will well and truly blow your brains out. Activision have done a superb job of making the game as realistic as ever- with stomach churning graphics and pin-point sound effects. The campaign lets you take on the role of the Yanks and the Soviet Union, as you churn through over 20 gore filled missions. For all you hard core multiplayers, the maps and perks lived up to the pre-release rumours, making the experience even more intense and gripping than Modern Warfare. Joking aside people, this is a must buy- if you’re not attracted to the addictive multiplayer or campaign mode- try the all now horror fest going by the name of “Nazi Zombies”. Trapped in a building, with up to 4 players, fending off endless hoards, of the undead. I don’t know about you, but my spine is already tingling.  Now what are you waiting for? Get your arse down to a store now, before they all run out! Over and out!

OK!-

Ladies, lock up your husbands- the new Call of Duty computer game is out. The controversial series of games will no doubt have many stores in deadlock in the coming days, judging on the amount of sales of the previous episode. There’s not many things which keep a man silent- its either a fresh beer, casual sex, or Call of Duty- statistics which are on all of our lips at this moment in time. The game offers even more barbaric, unmoral situations and graphics which will be sure to get many of our teeth gritting. Of course, this isn’t a review, think of it ladies as more of a- warning. Yes, begin to hear the sound of gunshots 24/7, and the image of blood all over your television screens, COD is here to abduct your partners.

Mood board of Two Tone and SKA audience

Research into Two Tone and SKA audience

Institutional data “overview of industry”

IPC Media produces over 85 iconic media brands, with our print brands alone reaching almost two thirds of UK women and 44% of UK men – almost 27 million UK adults – while our online brands collectively reach 20 million users every month.

IPC's diverse print and digital portfolio offers something for everyone, with a focus on three core audiences: men, mass market women and upmarket women.

Our men's portfolio (IPC Inspire) comprises a wealth of leisure brands including Country Life, Horse & Hound, Rugby World and Decanter, as well as lifestyle brands including Nuts, Mousebreaker and NME.

Our mass market women's division (IPC Connect) comprises famous women's weeklies including Look, Now, Chat and Woman; TV entertainment brands including What's on TV, TVTimes and TV & Satellite Week and, online, the goodtoknow network.

Our upmarket women's division (IPC Southbank) comprises luxury fashion brands including Marie Claire and InStyle, lifestyle brands including woman&home and essentials and home interest brands including Ideal Home, Livingetc and housetohome.

From this information, I have acquired the knowledge that the IPC media corporation is one of the few major producers of magazines. New magazines entering the market often turn to a company like this, to produce the magazine in large batches- yet IPC gains a certain amount of profit. If I was to publish my SKA magazine in the UK, I would need to run the design and features past a company such as IPC to ensure it was suitable to be printed. Magazines are often much more trusted if they are produced from a well-known, reliable company such as this.

Institutional data “Music Magazine”

“About the NME

You know us. We're the NME. We're a weekly magazine that's a must for right–thinking music fans. And very wrong–thinking music fans. We have the best access to your favorite bands. We have the greatest music writing and photography. We're the ultimate source for discovering the best new music first. We also give to charity.

In our pages recently you'll have read about Klaxons meeting God via drugs, Bombay Bicycle Club unsuccessfully busking in Ibiza, Jack White's war on the internet, Arcade Fire's financial woes, Liam Gallagher revealing his Beady Eye. This stuff happens every week.

In a world drowning in musical disinformation we're shit–shoveling Vikings, clearing the path for your festivals of wine and song.

NME comes out every Wednesday and it's priceless. Well, it's £2.30, but you get what we mean.”

Key Facts

Price £2.20

Frequency Weekly

Circulation 56,284

Readership 411,000

Launch Date 1952

Male/Female 73%/27%

Average Age 25

ABC1 73%

Target Market Men 17-30

Above is a prime example of the statistics given for a well-known music magazine; NME. It can clearly specify who its predominant audience is. IPC publish this magazine. The magazine has been going for over 60 years which means that it is well established and trusted. The genres of music that it covers are indie, rock, alternative and folk.

what I need for my music magazine