Country Music Magazine

Textual Analysis

I decided to annotate in depth ‘Country’ music magazine since

it is very different to my own ideas. This way, I can highlight

the differences between my own magazine with the genre

of Indie Rock, with a publication with a completely

different genre.

Front Cover

GenreThe genre gives a publication its identity and

determines the target audience, so can be easily identified by its readers and impacts upon all

areas of design, content and underlying ideology.

Immediately the reader is drawn to the large magazine title “COUNTRY” which is ironically the genre of the magazine itself. This makes it

straight away clear what the genre of the publication is and readers are likely to be

interested in country music. The strap line at the bottom of the title page also establishes the genre as it reads “From Austen to Nashville and

beyond” which are stereotypically associated with this style of music and the people from

there are thought to be interested in it.Words such as ‘CD reviews’ and ‘tour guide’ also determine the genre since they are word

that you would expect to see on a music magazine as well as the tagline ‘Music People’ which directs the audience and suggests that

the magazine is only for people who are interested in music. Also there are no cover lines linking to stories inside the magazine,

other than music artists, which eliminates any gossip features, usually present, in varying

scales, in music magazines. The model himself also fits within the country music genre, as he has a relaxed pose, as his

clothing is pretty simple.

LanguageThe house style of a publication is how it is recognised. Generally, aspects such as the

layout and masthead will be continuous throughout different magazine editions, so

that the reader can easily recognise the magazine, perhaps from just seeing the title. Part of this house style is the colour scheme, which on this edition is red and white, where

red is the dominant colour, a warm and positive colour which exudes a strong and

powerful energy. Mainly red is the colour of physical movement, which links to the themes

of the magazine, as country music artists often play an instrument and are very positive

and enthusiastic. White on the other hand is the colour of

‘perfection’, connoting new beginnings. The background is of this front cover is white,

which could mimic a ‘blank canvas’ suggesting that the music artist is relatively new or upcoming. It also makes the artist stand out more to the reader. Moreover, superimposition is used where the artist covers part of the magazine name, which

implies that it is a well known publication, and also makes the artist appear significant and

important.

LanguageThe masthead consists of the magazine name, which is ‘Country’. It is placed at the top of the

magazine so that it can be clearly seen by reader. The typography adds to this effect, such as the

significant red, bold font in capital letters. The font of the tagline is similar, although in a much smaller

font, so the reader’s eye focuses here next.The layout of this front cover is very simplistic in

comparison with magazine’s such as ‘NME’ where the use of lots of text and puffs is perpetual.

‘Country’ music magazine takes the form of more of a poster layout rather than an integrated cover,

since there is not much text surrounding the main image.

The anchorage text relates to the main image as it is the name of the artist, although this publication

goes against general conventions of music magazines since there is no story or article

suggestions which give the image meaning. This suggests that the target audience are expected to

know who ‘Sotty McCreery’ is. The magazine price and date is shown so that the reader knows exactly when the publication was

released. This also infers that it is a monthly issue and can be collected by the target audience.

Through research I have discovered that monthly magazines are usually priced higher, like this one at £4.00 compared to weekly mags like NME at £2.20, which suggests that more stories are covered, as it

over a longer period of time.

AudienceThe target audience are people who are

interested in country music. I have researched into the TA of ‘Country Music People’ and discovered that they target both male and female readers of ages

between 16-60 (I think that this large TA is due to the niche genre of music).

However, their readers are mainly in the 25-40 age group and 67% male.

The magazine appeals to its audience by its choice of title and the artist in which they have chosen for the front cover - a

young male. The picture is posed as it has clearly

been taken in a studio (with a clear, white background). The artist is looking

directly straight out at the reader, which is called direct mode of address. This makes the reader feel more directly

targeted and may make them want to read the magazine, to find out more

about the artist. The uses and gratifications theory also works here,

where the audience will be more gratified as they will feel more involved, with

interaction between them and the artist.

Representation Scotty McCreery is being

represented as a relaxed, happy, religious, country music artist.

The relaxed aspect can be deduced from his position, with his hands in his pockets. Furthermore, country singers are often stereotypically

thought to wear denim shirts, and it is untucked and open. He is smiling

directly to the reader, with eye contact, which gives him an

enthusiastic, friendly personality and could make the reader want to find

out more about him. Another stereotypical feature of country artists is religion, and Scotty is

wearing a cross necklace around his neck, which reinforces this portrayal. He is being represented in a positive light and this representation adds to

the reputation of the whole magazine.

Contents

Contents ‘GLARN’

The layout is very organised and neat, making it easier for the reader to navigate. Clear page numbers are shown next to the articles also, so that if the reader is looking for an article in particular, they can skip to it. The photos of actual double page spreads gives an insight of what is inside the magazine and may catch the audience’s attention. These pictures link to the articles in the ‘features’ tab suggesting that these are the focus, or most important items in this issue of ‘Country’. The main sections of the magazine’s content are split up into: features, reviews, regulars and charts. The ‘regulars’ section implies that the audience are constant and adds to the collectable aspect of the issue.The reader can also ‘write a reply’ which makes the magazine more interactive and the reader will feel more involved as they can give feedback and their own opinions.The sections are split up by grey filled text boxes with white writing, which makes it stand out against the white background. The boxes also make it clear what different aspects there are to read about. The pictures relate to the genre of the magazine as they all show country music artists. One shows a stereotypical country musical instrument - the ‘banjo’.‘CMP’ refers to the magazine name but has been abbreviated. The TA or loyal readers will understand immediately what it stands for, making them feel more part of a group.People typically read a page top to bottom and left to right, therefore the positioning of text and images in laid out in order of importance. The ‘features’ as discussed earlier, are thought to be the most important and biggest articles in the issue, therefore they are placed at the top of the page as this is what the reader will view first.A wide range of country artists are mentioned on this contents page of this magazine, which suggests that it is trying to appeal to a rather large audience, rather than just focusing on for example, two young male singers. The house style is continued onto the contents page, with a similar colour scheme of red, white and grey, Red is still the dominant colour, and is used to highlight the names of the articles, making it clearer for the audience to read. The typography is also the same, establishes the magazine as the reader can recognise it.

Double Page Spread

DPS ‘GLARN’The layout follows typically music magazine conventions, with three columns of text under a title and a subheading, usually in a larger and bolder font as shown in this example. The typography of the text shown as a quote over the photograph is different which emphasises it. The italic effect reinforces the fact that it is a quote, by the artist being written about.The white font stands out clearly against both the picture and the grey coloured background.The article itself establishes the genre since it is about the artist who is a country singer, his life and his music mainly.I feel as though the magazine is trying to appeal to a particular audience on this double-page spread as the artist being portrayed is male and middle-aged (52 years old) which would attract a similar target audience. Furthermore, fans of the artist will be enticed to read the magazine as they will want to find out more about him. The article also appeals to the TA since there is an interview involved, so fans will be interested. Also, there are mentions of other artists such as Sammy Hagar and Van Halen which expands the target audience even further.

The music artist being represented is being stereotypically portrayed as a ‘cowboy' with facial hair, wearing a cowboy hat and a denim shirt as well as a necklace which is usually associated with this representation. He is also wearing a bandana under his hat. This representation reinforces the genre of the magazine country, since this is what readers will expect to see when looking through or reading the magazine.