Analysis of magazine front coversCover 1.NME Sept 2009

Dizzee Rascal Edition

FRONT COVER ANALYSISTHE MASTHEAD

This is bold and stands out so that the target market can recognise it. This takes up quite a large portion of the magazine to it can be seen. Also the NME sounds like ‘enemy’ which is associated with rebellion which hip hop music is linked to.

THE HEADER

The header has stuck to the consistent house style and allows extra information if required. It also rounds off where the title and image begin

THE SELL LINES/COVER LINES

Attracting the reader to the magazine as they give an insight into what will be included in the magazine

THE MAIN IMAGE

The main image of a famous star, Dizzie Rascal as it says on the page, this is a recognisable face and links to the genre people will be expecting to read about. It is an unusual shot which makes the reader take a longer look, the front cover is image dominated as he takes the whole entire frame.

THE MAIN COVER LINE

The main cover line is the celebrity artist’s name

BARCODE-date/issue/price

This is so the magazine is sellable and so the reader knows when it was issued, whether it’s new or old

THE FOOTER

Giving a summary of what the contents of the magazine contains

USE OF A PULL QUOTE

This is something Dizzee has said which intrigues you into what else he has said

BACKGROUND

The background looks like graffiti which is a typical street stereotype, this also is very colourful yet the main image still stands out.

USE OF A FLASH

This is offering the target audience something extra, this may attract them further into buying the magazine.

RULE OF THIRDS/THE LEFT THIRD

The left third is usually kept free from cell lines however this hasn’t happened here as dizzie is leaning towards the left and taking most of the space up. His face will be in our direct eye line abiding by rule of thirds however he isn’t centralised.

TARGET AUDIENCE OF THIS MAGAZINE

-The main image will initially attract the target audience as they will want to read about Dizzee Rascal who appears on the front.

-By naming the other artists this will also attract the target audience to find out about them.

-The colours of red, white and black will also attract them as it looks cool and stylish.

The target audience for this magazine will be somebody who enjoys all kind of music from Dizzie Rascal’s rap to indie and punk this edition focused on Dizzie Rascal’s genre of music therefore he will be attracting those people, they are likely to enjoy different types of music as NME cater for lots of types. Their gender could be male or female however stereotypically I would say male for this magazine in particular, NME cater for both genders as different covers have been female too. They would be in their teenage years and come from a middle class family as they have money to buy this music magazine to begin with which costs £2.49 every week which would be hard to manage without some sort of stable income. You can tell the magazine is aimed at this age group as without being young and tacky the magazine still looks exciting with the way the photo is taken and the big fonts that attract your eye and are easy to read at a glance.

Also by mentioning the ‘Autumn Tour Special’ this is showing that perhaps the reader may be working and have an income so that they can afford to go to these sort of festivals.

STRETCH AND CHALLENGEACTIVITY-

The target audience for NME would be older teens into early twenties as the music is more mature and established than young pop bands. The front covers are stylish and professional, quite minimalistic yet with key details included. The front still attracts the readers as the colours are bright and inviting like the big bold fonts. The main image will also entice the target audience as the artist will be somebody they desire to read about.

The New Musical Express, known as NME, is a music magazine in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, in the 14 November 1952 edition. In the 1970s it became the best-selling British music newspaper. During the period 1972 to 1976 it was particularly associated with gonzo journalism, then became closely associated with punk rock through the writing of Tony Parsons and Julie Burchill.

NME is known as an indie/rock magazine. Including typical music magazine content such as music news, reviews, charts, tickets, newsletters, info on festivals, tours, clubs, concerts, rock, indie, rap and hip-hop as well as exclusive photos of the artists from photo shoots.

NME features current bands and artists as shown on the right.

It was initially published in a non-glossy tabloid format on standard newsprint. On 14 November 1952, taking its cue from the U.S. magazine Billboard, it created the first UK Singles Chart.

Editor: Mike WilliamsCategories: Music MagazineFrequency: WeeklyFirst Issue: 7 March 1952Company: IPC Media Country: United KingdomMagazine reaches: 1.1 millions music fans every weekIssued: every Wednesday

NME readers:MALE 69%FEMALE 31%AVERAGE AGE 24WORKING FULL TIME 52%WORKING PART TIME 7%STILL STUDYING 29%