Initial introductory task 1

General questions about music magazines

What is a music magazine?
A music magazine is a combination of a variety of images and words,
this is a denotative analysis. A music magazine covers a variety of
genres, such as pop, R&B and rock. As well as this, music magazines
also have a wide range of target audiences, these cover a variety of
Ethnicities, Ages, Gender etc.
What content (text/copy/writing/articles/stories)
would you expect to find in a music magazine
I would expect to see images/articles about currents artists/ bands and
up and coming artists, including information about festivals they may be
playing and interviews with the artists. Throughout the magazine I
would expect to see the same genre of music and artists from that
category, to fit in with the theme of the magazine. As well as this I would
expect to see spreads on the artists including special interviews/
articles about their lives and up and coming projects outlining any gigs
in the near future or any album/single releases.
What images would you expect to find in a music
magazine?
I would expect to find images of artists in a music magazine which
represent the genre of the magazine so that it stands out to the target
audience and attracts them to want to read the magazine. The photos
could be anything from them performing live and professional photos in
a studio.
Identify general characteristics/features that you would expect to find in
all music magazines
In a general music magazine I would expect to find music artists from
either a specific genre of music, however it may be a broader magazine
therefore there may be a mix of different genres. As well as this, I would
expect to see articles and interviews of artists. On the cover, I would
expect to see a masthead stating the name of the magazine, and a
main picture of the most exclusive interview of the magazine. I would
also expect to see many coverlines, stating what other articles are in
the magazine. I would expect the image on the cover to be of direct
address. On the contents page of a magazine I would expect to see
page numbers and images of artists, aswell as this I would expect to
see the rule of thirds template.
Questions about music magazines
front covers
Identify the features/characteristics they all have
All music magazines have a masthead, and an image of an artist on the
cover, they all have coverlines around the edge of the page and on
some, the main coverline is over the image. The artist is usually infront
of the masthead as theyre well established branded magazines. On
most of the covers, there are puffs offering something free or the
chance to win something. All of the covers follow a theme and there
seems to be a specific colour scheme. The main artists name is in bold
on all of the covers. Rule of thirds tends to be used on all of these
covers.
Why are these features present on all of the magazines? Why are they
important?
It is important to have a masthead so that the reader knows the name
of the magazine, and gets a feel of the type of magazine theyre
reading. The main image is important as it usually tells us who the main
focus of the magazine is, and would usually attract the desired target
audience. Cover lines are important as they tell the reader what is also
featured inside of the magazine rather than just the main artist, this
may attract more custom. A colour scheme is important on the cover of
a magazine as it then allows for a whole theme to be made throughout
the whole of the magazine so it is aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
Having the main artists name in bold linking to the question is important
as it allows the target audience to be attracted easier and outlines the
main interview in the magazine. A puff is important as it may attract
more custom if people know theyre technically getting more for their
money.
Take one of the magazine covers and say what
type of magazine it is. Provide at least 4 specific
examples from the magazine that supports your
claim that it belongs to this particular sub genre
The music magazine genre is hip hop, this is clearly
stated on the cover under the name of the artist the
new face of hip-hop. As well as this, there is an
image of Drake on the cover, he could also be seen
as a rap artist therefore, may attract other audiences
to buy the magazine. The audience for this
magazine would be people who enjoyed Drakes
music. All of the cover lines are related to
rap/r&b/hiphop artists to appeal to the target
audience.
For the same magazine say who you think the
target audience is
I think that the target
audience is for people
whore interested in hip
hop/rap music. Drake has a
wide fan base consisting of
female and male, however a
female would be more likely
to buy a magazine with an
image of drake on the cover
of it. The age would typically
be older teenagers / young
adults studying.