Main task: Detailed analysis of music magazines

Magazine: Q

Genre: Indie, pop, rock and classic rock.

Audience: 21 – 35, succeeders, carers, traditionalists (psychographics) as well as post-materialists (social values). JICNAR SCALE: B – Intermediate managerial, administrative and professional (GPs, teachers) / C1 – Supervisory, clerical, junior administrative or professional (work in offices).

Title: Simple, no stupid titles or puns – just straight to the point. Also a well know and trusted name.

Style: A red, black and white colour scheme (simple) with the known Q logo at the top left hand corner. Layout quite plain – established magazine doesn’t need to really capture the audience’s attention because it already has a group dedicated readers.

Content: You’d expect to find features and articles about classic artists (Paul McCartney, Robert Plant) as well as other major/mainstream more recent artists (Kings of Leon, Lily Allen). Quite often issues featuring things like ‘Top 50 greatest albums of all time’ or ‘100 greatest songs of the decade’ etc…

Mode of address: Q uses a simple and straightforward language in order to appeal to its demographic and also a wider audience; anybody could pick it up and understand what they’re blabbing on about. They also quote interviews with artists (normally something a bit extreme or unusual) in order to attract the reader, for example; “I save all my beard clippings in a bag to send to Neil Tennant” – Brandon Flowers. These quotes often sum up that person and their style of music e.g. When you think of Billie Joe Armstrong, you think of his band and lyrics which are strongly against the old republican government, so they use this quote: “If I went for a beer with Bush, hopefully I’d have a gun on me.” Very funny, even if it does contradict everything he supposedly believes in, but what else could you expect from a sell out?

Photographs: The photographs within Q magazine are pictures of well known and established (sometimes up and coming) British and American musicians, these artists often integrate and have special features where a new artist will interview a “legend” and vice versa. A lot of these pictures are taken in a studio with a simple backdrop (white or black), the musicians don’t tend to smile and look very serious because that’s what Q would like people to think it is; a serious music magazine. This represents the artists in quite a serious, noble and pretentious light; to some they would seem impressive and mighty, but to others they just look ridiculously snobbish and up themselves.

Contents page: The contents page includes or the main artists within its big feature (“Artist of the Century”) it also shows regular features and a special review. At the top right hand corner it displays the front cover and at the bottom right hand corner it reveals a page deep within the actual magazine. Q uses a 3 column contents page.

Double page spreads: One the first page, it includes a big statement in a sans serif font, then three columns of the beginnings of an article. On the second page there is a collage of images representing the Noughties; music, media, politics and so on. It combines simplicity and words with a clash of colour and photographs.

An example of the kind of band you'd find in Q:

Main task: Analysis of a range of music magazines

Title: NME

Audience: 16 - 26 year old aspirers and radicals, hedonists and post-modernists.

Main contents: New, up and coming indie bands (from around the world, but mainly english), as well as bigger acts e.g. Lady Gaga, Eminem etc...

Brand identity: An informal magazine for a younger teenage audience who want to hear more underground music but with a sprinkling of mainstream. A magzine for people who enjoy popular music, but don't neccesarily take it seriously.

Title: Classic FM

Audience: 26-50 year old succeeders, carers, traditionalists and achievers.

Main contents: A mixture of classic composers/musicians as well as new and up and coming composers/musicians (new artists playing old music). It looks like they're trying to make classical music (which is generally consider to be something middle/upper class older people listen to) into a "cool, modern and sexy" genre. Which is why you'll find people like Myleene Klass on the front cover - a modern audience recognise her and like her, she appeals to a younger target audience.

Brand identity: A formal and sophisticated magazine for older classical music lovers, but also a magazine for younger students perhaps - this is certainly what the denotations and connotations tell us.

Title: Top of the Pops

Audience: 8-14 year old aspirers and underachievers, post-materialists and hedonists.

Main contents: Mainstream, generic artists produced only to make money - all the artists they use have a squeaky clean image and child friendly lyrics, the chances of finding a band who fight dominant ideologies (e.g. Fucked Up), is hugely improbable. They all fit into Theodore Adorno's idea that the products of the culture industries are formulaic, simplistic and emotive - they are pseudo-individualist artists, produced by major record labels.

Brand identity: A downmarket publication for younger people who enjoy mainstream artists, watch mainstream television (e.g. X Factor) and film.

Main task: Magazines

The main objective of this task is to create the front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine. All content must be original and created by the individual, e.g. photos taken by yourself, arcticle written by yourself etc...

Deadlines:

• 8th January 2010 - Research and planning
• 12th January 2010 - Production
• 12th February 2010 - Post-production
• 5th March 2010 - Evaluation

I intend to start the work early in order to complete the task on time, efficiently and to a high standard. I hope to produce an imaginative and unique magazine.