Researching an Alternative

music magazine

-Q magazineEmma Collins

Year 12

Alternative music magazine conventions

• Mastheads are bold, often in artistic fonts

• Cover pages are ‘busy’ and feature a lot

• A lot of colour is used across the magazine

• Skylines are used

• Cover lines overlap the cover image

• The cover image overlaps the masthead

• Very bold text

• Anchorage text

• Issue information on the cover

• Cover images have a direct mode of

address

About Q

Source-http://magazines.bauermediaadvertising.com/magazines/detail/Q

-Audience

‘Q’s audience is younger and more

affluent than any other music monthly.

97% of readers rate Q as a quality

magazine. In research it outperforms

competitors on measures such as best

interviews, writing and awards winning

photography.’

Circulation58,980 (Jan-Jun '13)

Readership377,000 (Jan-Dec '12)

Websitehttp://www.qthemusic.com

Magazine AddressEndeavour House, 189 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JG

This shows just a few of ‘Q’

magazine’s brand extensions , this

shows that the magazine is well

established and also allows for

more items to be featured in the

magazine itself

Source-http://magazines.bauermediaadvertising.com/magazines/detail/Q

‘Q is the magazine that brings music alive. It draws together

the biggest stars, the most exciting phenomena, the new

artists that matter and a healthy dose of irreverence to create

an unmissable widescreen picture of what’s really happening

in rock and roll right now.

Every issue features agenda-setting star interviews, the

month’s biggest moments in music, and fascinating

investigations into the wider world of rock and roll. Each

month Q’s comprehensive reviews section gives the last word

on all the most important new releases and reissues – and

feeds Q’s readers’ hunger for new music to enjoy.

Q’s reviews section is the ultimate critical overview of music.

And magazine’s unrivalled access brings its readers up close

and personal with the stars who set the agenda. Q is the

ultimate rock and roll read.’

About Q

Evolution of Q

magazine

Masthead- Placed on left hand side (people often read from left to right) meaning the masthead would be the first thing people will

see. However it is not made to be the centre of attention as part of the main picture overlaps onto the masthead, which is conventional for a established magazine.

Main Image- The main image dominates the page, this is a convention for most music magazines, especially an alternate

magazine such as Q as it draws in the audience. The black pieces of clothing links to part of the colour scheme used in the skyline and some of the sell lines. The pose is provocative and would draw in people who are attracted to her. It also flaunts her figure and shows her as a

strong female, as she looks domineering

Colour scheme- Red, White, black and grey. Grey is the base colour as it is the background and helps for the image and the sell lines to stand out. The red is used to attract attention to important pieces on the cover such as the

masthead and some sell lines. White links to the colour of Lady GaGa’s hair and also is used for the main anchorage title which links to the image used. Black is seen in her outfit, skyline and some sell lines.

Cover lines/sell lines- These fall on both the left and right side of the

cover. The main anchorage text is placed across the centre of the cover, as it links to the image of Lady Gaga, it is white to link to her hair and the use of white in the masthead. The skyline is also in white and black at the top of the

cover, this stands out to the red masthead and the red sell line on the right. Beneath the main sell line in a smaller font there are a further four artist’s mentioned which are featured in the magazine. There is also use of pull quotes on the front

cover from other interviews featured in the magazine There is a varied use of different fonts for each sell line to make the cover look ‘fun’.There is also use of shapes around sell lines to draw people into what is written inside them, in this case it’s a

circle (within the circle is a plug for a album) and rectangle. All of the sell/cover lines follow the colour scheme.

Conventions- follows the regular alternative music magazine conventions; Main image is dominant, sell lines link to the image, big anchorage text , barcode in the bottom right.

Q cover analysis

Features section- A section dedicated to hi-light the main features in the particular issue,Is situated on the top left in a red banner, to draw the audience into it first.

‘Oasis special’ – The main

band featured in the particular issue of the magazine, also a convention that it links to the cover, the main image of the contents and the double page spread feature. Gold is used to hi-

light that it is not in every issue so doesn’t follow Q’s conventional red banner.

Every month section-Hi-lights the features

of the magazine that always appears, draws in regular readers. Follows Q’s conventional red banner.

Smaller Q logo, and contents title

Q review- Again use of logo, sectioned off from the rest of the contents. Has a slogan ‘ The worlds biggest and best music guide’ draws readers

into another section of the magazine. Almost like a contents within a contents.

Main image- The main image would conventionally link to the front cover image and the double page spread, helps keep the reader interested, especially if they brought the issue because they

are interested in the artist(s) which is featured.

Caption links photo to page number including pull quote, most likely page of the double page spreadSecond image- most likely links into the ‘review’ section of the

magazine, keeps the reader interested. Smaller because is not the main feature

Issue information given, and website.