Textual analysisBy Natasha Newton.

Country music people MAGAZINE

NME MAGAZINE

Country music people Magazine

• Circulation: N/A

• Readership: N/A

• Mission Statement: Bringing the latest country music news to a worldwide audience, bringing you the best of New Country, Roots, Honky Tonk, Americana, Traditional, Acoustic, Country-Rock, Old Time, Bluegrass, NashPop, Cowboy, Rockabilly, Western Swing, Singer-Songwriter, and Alternative music direct to your doorstep.

NME Magazine

• Circulation: 24,924

• Readership: 289,000

• Mission Statement: To Provide up to date and new information, reviews and listings of the best new music.

Nme magazine target reader profile

They go to gigs and live events. NME readers spend £152 on footwear per year Total readership spends £46m. £532 on clothes per year Total readership spends £189m £1229 on audio equipment per year Total readership spend on audio equipment £326m 52% own a digital camera £170 on digital cameras per year Total readership spend on digital cameras £4.6m

Target Reader Profile: Going out and spending is all part of the new music scene.

INTERNET94% use the Internet – 76% have BroadbandSpend an average of 2.4 hours per day – That’s almost 19 hours per week!

CONSOLES AND GAMES£197 spent on consoles in the past year – Total readership spends £45m£108 spent on games – Total readership spends £18m84% receive digital TV or satellite channels

NME READERS AGREE THAT:They spend a lot of money on clothes – 45%Its important to be well informed about things – 92%Its worth paying for extra quality goods – 71%They like to try new drinks – 75%Its important to them to look well dressed – 71%

Nme publisher

IPC Media is a Time Warner Company.

They are the UK's leading consumer magazine publisher who engage with 26m UK adults - almost two thirds of UK women and 42% of UK men.

Their portfolio of websites reaches over 25 million users globally every month.

With more than 60 iconic media brands, IPC creates content for multiple platforms, across print, online, mobile, tablets and events. 

Country music people COLOUR

Colour

The colour blue used on the front cover suggests the connotation of loyalty and wisdom, suggesting that the readers of the magazine are loyal to the country genre. The colour blue is also associated with inspiration, suggesting that country inspires its listeners through its many variations of sub-genres.

The colour used as the title of the magazine and the strap line at the bottom of the page also matches the colour of the top being worn by the woman in the main image and her eye colour, I believe that this has been used because it brings the pieces together and makes the front cover stand out.

The copper hair colour of the woman in double page spread and the front cover suggests that she has a fiery personality which contrasts against the calm association of the colour blue used as the main image on the front cover.

The colour red used in the text for the contents page and the main text of the double-page spread also suggests the idea of strength, which suggests that the country genre of music is still thriving even though it is not the most popular music choice.

Country music people layout and design

Layout and design

The layout of the front cover is very simple and is not overcrowded with coverlines or inserts.

The masthead of the magazine has been placed in front of the main image, which suggests that the title of the magazine is more important that artist appearing on it. Also, the masthead has been placed at the top of the page to ensure that when it is placed out on the shelves in stores, the title will be visible over other magazines.

The contents page has a very simple layout and uses titles to separate specific aspects of the magazine such as features and reviews.

The layout of the double page spread feature on the artist, the image takes up the majority of the page with some text along the right hand side, which suggests that the feature run across more pages further on in the magazine, this double-page spread is seen as a ‘opening’ page of the feature on the artist.

Country music people images

Images

The artist in the main image is a well known country artist, Reba, who the readers of the magazine are likely to admire and look up to as inspiration.

The main image of the double-page spread has been used to feature the “male gaze” as the target audience of the magazine is majority male and so the type of image used has been suited to fit their gratifications.

The images used on the contents page are much smaller than the ones featured on the other two pages as they are used to support what is being listed in the contents and illustrate what features will be in the magazine.

Country music people pose, style, hair and make-up

Pose, style, hair and make-up

Both of the main images have been posed rather than natural shots. She is not smiling in either of the photos which suggests she has a serious nature towards her musical career.

In both photos of Reba she is wearing cross necklaces which suggests that she feels very strongly about her religion and wants to influence her fans into following her religious ways..

The make up worn by Reba is natural and not overly extravagant, which suggests that she is staying true to her country roots.

Country music magazine composition and framing

Composition and Framing

A medium close up has been used on the front cover because it shows the facial expressions of the artist, without cutting out too much of the background or body.

The background of the two main images are very different, for example in the image used on the front cover the background looks fluffy and warm. Whereas, in the image used on the double-page spread, a shiny reflective material has been used as a background which could represent the two different sides of her personality. The first being warm and comforting and the last being cold and proffesional.

I find the image on the double-page spread more difficult to focus on because of the background standing out more than the artist, I think this is because it draws the attention away from the main focus point.

Country music people written codes

Written codes

The coverlines of the front cover leave the reader guessing as to what will be included in the magazine as they do not go into in depth information on each subject.

The names of the artists are larger than the following text to ensure that the reader knows who is going to be written about in the magazine and make sure that fans of those artists are able to see their names clearly to ensure that they buy the magazine to read about them.

I also believe that the names of the artists on the coverline have been made bigger so that they can be seen clearly when placed on a shelf so that potential buyers can be drawn into buying the magazine as they are more visible from further away.

Country music people language

Language

The language used on the front cover of the magazine is not very good at grabbing the readers attention, unless they already know the artists being named on the coverlines. Also, the smaller text of the coverlines does not give lots of details as to what is going to be included in the magazine, so may not actually grab the readers attention and draw them into wanting to buy and read the magazine.

The language used on the double-page spread however, is much better at grabbing the readers attention as it includes a lot more detail. The style of language used is very ‘chatty’ which makes it a lot easier for the audience to read through the text, this is a better style of language to use as it makes it a lot less likely for the reader to get bored and stop reading through the text on the page.

Country music people overall impression

Overall impression

My overall impression of the Country music people magazine is mainly positive. The main strengths of this magazine include that the layout of the pages are well set out and easy to read, also the types of images used to illustrate the text fit in well with the context of the magazine and help to show the personality of the artist being written about.

The disadvantages of this magazine include that the coverlines are not in enough detail or worded well enough to interest the reader and grab their attention. I also believe that this could be improved if the coverlines were spread around the page more evenly, rather than being all bunched together, it would make the front cover more visually easy to read.

After analyzing this magazine, it has influenced me to use a less formal style of language when writing about an artist in the double page spread as it will make the reader be able to take in the text easier.

NME Colour

Colour

The colour red used as the main colour of the front page makes the text stand out a lot more and will grab the attention of the potential readers when being sold on the shelf. The use of this colour suggests that the audience of the magazine likes to stand out from the crowd, it also suggests that the audience do not want to conform to the stereotypical ‘teenager’ stereotypes and be different from others their age.

The colour red connotates the impression of passion and love, suggesting that the readers of the magazine have strong feelings about their genre of music and that music plays a vital role in their lifestyles.

Nme layout and design

Layout and DesignThe image used at the main image of the front cover fits in well with the text on the page, as there is a text box dedicated to that artist and explaining what will be included in the magazine.

Bolder fonts have used as they stand out a lot easier from the background image, it also makes the text a lot easier to read from a distance, this use of bold fonts also suggests that the audience have bold personalities and like to stand out from the crowd.

The title of the magazine has been placed alongside the image, which suggests that the title of the magazine and the main image are of equal importance.

The layout of the contents page is very well structured and includes a good mixture of pictures and text, the text also supports what is being illustrated in the image.

Both images used in the front cover and the double page spread use the rule of thirds, this makes the images a lot less difficult to look at and also makes the appearance of the magazine look a lot more proffesional.

Nme images

ImagesThe main images used on the front cover and the double-page spread represent who the target reader of the magazine aspires to be like, for instance the images used for this magazine is the lead singer of the band Muse. The audience may look up to this artist for inspiration as they are the fans of their music and want to be like them.

The images on all three pages represent the content of the magazine, for example on the front cover the main image has been used because that band will be featured on a double page spread further on in the magazine. The images reflect the content from the contents page because images have been used to support the text that has been listed as the magazines content. Finally, in the double page spread, the image has been used as the feature is about Muse so a picture of the lead singer has been used to support the text and what the artist looks like.

Nme Pose, Style and Make-up

Pose, Style and Make-up

The pose of the main image makes the artists stance look angry as he is frowning and has his fists clenched, this could be explained in further in the double page spread. This pose is staged as it wants to illustrate his anger with something.

The pose of the main image of the double page spread is more natural, in the image the artist is staring into the distance, which could symbolize him thinking about the future of his band and looking ahead to creating more music for their fans.

The fact that he is wearing sunglasses in the image suggests that he does not want to be recognized.

Nme composition and framing

Composition and FramingA medium close up has been used as the main image on the front cover, this is because it shows both facial expressions and body language well, the background of the image is blurred which suggests that he wants to stand out more against the background, it could also suggest that he wants to forget the past and move on with the present and future. On the front cover, the feature that stands out the most for me is the text within the red box, which gives details about the double page spread featured inside.

A medium close up has also been used for the main image of the double page spread, this could be because they want to show his surroundings and his lack of facial expression. The use of half open blinds in the background could suggests that he has been restrained behind bars and is looking to escape.

A variety of shot types have been used within the contents page, this could be because each story needs to be illustrated with a different image type.

Nme written codes

Written Codes

The coverlines include quotes from the text that is found from the relevant pages inside the magazine, this is clever because it makes the reader curious as to what the quote is actually referring to and what context it was said within.

The coverlines are mainly quotes from band members, which suggests that the reader of the magazine is not only interested in the bands music, but also their experiences and what they get up to when they are not touring or making music.

The coverlines are bold and are easily read from a distance, which is a bonus because it allows for them to stand out more than other magazines when being sold. This is because they are either red or white which stand out more than just plain black.

Nme Language

LanguageThe language used in the magazine grabs the readers attention by including the names of the artists featured, so that the potential audience and the fans of that specific artist are able to see that they will be featured at some point in the magazine.

The language used in the double page spread details an experience where the artist had met the journalist interviewing them, the way that the text is spoken is quite chatty but does not use many forms of slang language. Many quotes are included in this feature as it is describing what had happened that day, and including quotes from what had been said by various people.

Nme overall impression

My overall impression of NME magazine as a whole is positive. The strengths of the magazine include that it draws the reader in with catchy coverlines, it also uses brighter colourings to make the magazine stand out from the others. I also like how, on the double page spread, they have incorporated the text within the image so that it looks like it is a part of the image. The weaknesses of the magazine include that the way the smaller images have been set out makes the page look quite messy and I believe that it could be improved if they were made to look straighter rather than slanted, also I believe the page would look better if less text was on the front cover.

From analyzing this magazine, I have decided that I will use a similar coverline style to the one used in NME, because I believe that it is unique and will stand out more than if I used the conventional coverline style. I will also use some white text on my front cover because I think it looks better than just black text on its own.