Research

Rock Sound Magazine• Rock Sound is a British magazine which champions rock

music. The magazine aims at being more “underground" and less commercial, whilst also giving coverage to more well known acts.

• This is similar to the genre I have in mind, targeting a more niche audience. Therefore the magazine is useful for my research to see how they target and sustain a loyal consumers.

• The magazine’s name reflects it perfectly – it focuses on the genre of rock music and they have managed to fit the exact word into it’s name, alongside another word related to the music industry.

• Circulation = 15,005 - monthly.

Simple masthead – this makes it easily recognisable to a niche audience. It also fits the conventions of a magazine as it is positioned at the top of the front cover so it is visible when stacked on shelves.

Buzz Words such as “epic” “revealed” “exclusive” and “preview” give the impression Rock Sound are the only magazine to have covered the stories and emphasise the impact and appeal to the audience.

Bar code fits conventions of a magazine. Central image is of a recognisable

celebrity (Hayley Williams the lead singer of Paramore.) This shot immediately attracts the target audience and fans of the band.

Colour scheme is red yellow green black and white. Aside from the images, nothing on the FC is anything but these colours – this gives it a much more professional/ mature appearance.

Plugs include a list of well known artists (again relying on knowledge of who they are from the consumer.) The only other thing to entice the reader into buying the magazine are the buzz words describing the plugs.

Free gifts also emphasise the attractiveness of the magazine. (Right at the top so visible on a shelf)

Anchorage of the page number parallel to the text – so the audience know where to find each item

Many graphic features instead of one central image, this is to give an impression of the entire magazine. This could work for my magazine idea as there would be different genres of music, and to only show one artist/item could be unrepresentative.

Simple colour scheme is continued onto the contents page but with fewer colours. The reds and blacks are generally dark/gothic colours

Header stating it’s the contents page – most magazine’s do this simply to make it clear and fit their general conventions.

The typography represents the genre/themes of the magazine as they are slightly gothic looking and alike to ones used in similar magazines.

Central image is, again, a recognisable name – the centre of the article. Having pictures of the bands/artists that are featured is continuously used throughout magazine articles.

The typography of the text is so large and thick it is almost a graphic feature/image.

Page numbers – Relate back to the contents page – makes the read and navigation through the magazine easier for the reader.

Tagline – the name of the author and picture provider.

This double page spread is an introduction to a bigger feature on the, mentioned, “Skrillex.” Therefore it’s aim is to entice the audience into reading the article (a similar purpose to the FC.)

The spread has very little text – presumably as it is the introduction to an article, rather than the article itself.

The graphic features are the point of focus on the spread, as opposed to the text.

Semantic field of music and genres – “Punk,” “Rock,” and “future.”

MOJO Magazine•MOJO is a popular music magazine in the UK, published monthly, initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer. Noted for its in-depth coverage of both popular and cult acts.•It’s main focus is on classic rock acts (The Beatles, Bob Dylan etc.) Thus targeting a niche, or non mainstream audience – similarly to the magazine I am planning to produce.•Regarding their audience profile, Bauer publishing’s website say: “the MOJO audience is predominantly male (77%) and affluent (63%.)” Other sources would suggest the target audience are generally over the age of 21. This will be useful when analysing it’s content and relating it back to my target audience.•Circulation = 94,617 - monthly. (“The world's biggest UK music magazine” – http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/Brands/Mojo/)

Masthead is plain white - although it has been known to alternate between this and black. This is different from most music magazines who go for more excessive logos and mastheads. This would suggest an older readership, and also fits in with the layout of the entire page.

The overall layout of the page is very simple/bare. All of the attention is therefore diverted to the main point of focus (the central image) and the text (headline and plugs.)

The headline is simply one word – anchorage is used here so that the audience relate it to the central image – “Bowie.”

The central image is an extreme close up of David Bowie; (fitting in with the theme of the magazine) a very iconic figure. The eminence of him allows for the simplicity in the layout and draws in the target audience well.

Barcode – as seen on the other FC’s – n essential feature.

Cover lines are also presented in the top corner. These also include other artists names (similarly to the other front covers I have looked at.) This suggests interviews with artists are a key convention of music magazines – as all of the magazines I have researched have good circulation figures and contain them.

Puff words “BRAND NEW” used to entice the customer into reading. The words themselves suggest that the feature is news worthy and exclusive – things that are also appealling to a magazine reader.

Repeat of the logo on front cover

Page number at bottom (fitting the conventions of a magazine – as well as the repetition of the logo/ magazine name.

Graphic features and images act as an anchor to the text – obviously works well in a contents page as its purpose is to be an insight as to what the magazine contains and where.

More than one header “regulars” and “what goes on!” etc. to separate the articles and make it easier to distinguish and locate what the audience want to read.

Separate section at the bottom with graphic features of some important/ separate articles.

Page numbers juxtaposed to the text.

Simple colour scheme – red, white, gold and black (simple and dull) – popular amongst the target audience as they are older (over 21)

Specific colour assigned to different elements – eg. Page numbers are in gold and text is in black. Gives it a smarter layout and makes it easier to read. This also prevents it from looking over crowded and keeps it simple/ stylised for the older audience.

This double page spread (DPS) is from a different issue, however the magazine seem to run simple colour schemes through each one (although they vary) this one is grey, blue and black. They also seem to fit with the themes of the main articles in each issue.

The theme of the article is distinguished in the header and pull quotes – semantic fields of depression are featured “eternally bruised… cry… fatal… evil…” the greys and blues reflect this mood.

The typography is used effectively in this DPS. Key word (mentioned above) are in bold and the artist’s name the article is about is in a different colour (pale blue/ grey.)

Again, they repeat the logo in small next to each page number – in every issue I have seen.

The main image and focal point is in black and white – fits in with the colour scheme of the article.

The by-line is in a small print but in bold so it is still clear.

Drop cap of the letter “O” – adds to the look o the text and makes the start of the story clear. Gives it a smart look.

Header at the top of the feature stating that is in “THE MOJO INTERVIEW” the capitalisation, graphology and position of this text make it one of the most obvious focal points. Maybe it was featured on the front cover and they are reminding the reader of this – it is an important/ key feature.

Kerrang! Magazine•Kerrang is the world's biggest selling weekly music magazine and the original multi-platform youth brand for all rock genres.• “Kerrang delivers the hottest news, reviews, gig guides, exclusive features, posters, videos and more every week. In print, on TV, radio and online, Kerrang lives life loud for its army of dedicated, music loving fans.” – taken from their site.•The audience is predominantly male with the average readership age being between 15 and 35.•It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper. •It is named after the onomatopoeic word that derives from the sound made when playing a power chord on an electric guitar.•In the early 2000s it became the best-selling British music newspaper.

The cracked from graphology of the masthead is common of a rock/ metal magazine and makes it clear to and audience instantly who it is aimed at. Immediately attracting the correct target audience.

The colour scheme (red, white and black) is sustained through almost all of their issues and is quite iconic for their magazine – but also amongst the genre in general.

The puffs and call-outs are typical of the age group (they have a relatively young target audience) – consisting of jagged edged shapes and dark colours with bold fonts and exclamation marks.

Lots of graphic features on the FC give it a crowded look – typical of the age range and generally not found in more ‘mature’ magazines (see MOJO.)

“+” symbol is also use often in magazines (especially rock ones with a young-ish audience) to indicate more features – making it a graphic feature rather than additional text.

Barcode – fits the conventions of a magazine – practicality.

Main graphic feature is a mid shot of a well known music artist (Jared Leto) who plays music of the genre the magazine is aimed at. His outfit and pose indicate that he is a rock artist anyway – leather jacked and a violent stance.

Header “contents”

Lots of graphic features – again this represents the age of the target audience.

Date and issue number.

Editor’s letter – very common in magazines – to introduce what the issue is about and give it a sense of intimacy (letters are generally quite personal) good for a regular readership.

Black and white photo – probably for the same reason as MOJO – fits with the theme of the issue.

“THIS WEEK” indicates that is a weekly/ regular magazine to new readers.

Vibe magazine• Vibe is a music and

entertainment magazine founded by producer Quincy Jones. It mainly focuses on R&B, rap and hip hop artists.

• The magazine's target demographic is predominantly young, urban followers of hip-hop culture.

• As of 2007, Vibe had a circulation of approximately 800,000.

Billboard magazine• Billboard is an international newsweekly

magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world.

• It’s circulation is around 16,327.