Music Magazines - front covers

To help me create my music magazine I decided to analyse a number of different magazine front covers from different music genres. I made sure I looked at different genres to get an idea for layouts and conventions used; this will help me decide on a genre for my music magazine.

NME

The first magazine cover I looked at was NME (New Musical Express). NME is a popular music magazine and had been published weekly since march 1952. During the 1970’s it became the best selling British music magazine and was the first British paper to include a singles chart. Over the years NME has changed its music genre, in the 60’s and early 70’s the magazine saw the development of rock music and this replaced the pop style music. By the late 70’s punk music was on the scene so NME tried to include this in the magazine. Now the main genre of NME is indie music although other genres are include like rock, hip-hop and R&B. The NME magazine is targeted at younger adults who are interested in different styles of music. It is aimed at both males and females aged 16-25.

The first thing that I notice about the magazine is the masthead, it is in the top left hand corner in bold red writing with a black and white outline; this helps emphasise the masthead and makes it stand out more. Even though the masthead is made to stand out it is not as big as mastheads on other front covers. The front cover is so busy this draws the attention away from the masthead. It has lots of different pictures, headlines and colours which make the front cover so vibrant.

The main picture on the cover is a picture of Florence Welch from Florence and the machine, this is her recording name and also a collaboration of other artists who provided backing music for her voice. I haven’t heard of her before so had to research who she was on Google. Though I am sure she must be a popular artist for them to feature her as the main artist on the front cover. The picture takes up half of the front cover; it is just a medium shot of the singer. Even though the shot is simple you can tell it has took a lot of time to make sure she is in the right position, it shows off her tattoo on her arm. She has very pale skin and very red lips; also she has ginger hair which helps emphasis the English rose look. All of these things will be her style and her own icons; so when taking the shot all of these factors will have been taken into account and shown off in the best way possible.

There are also 6 other small pictures of other bands and artists. These images have been placed together to fill up the other half of the page. When I researched other magazines for my preliminary task most of them only had one picture whereas on this magazine there are 7 photographs, one main and six others. By having all these different pictures of different artists this will help show the audience what is coming up in the magazine. It shows that it is not just one type of artist that is being featured. Moreover the six small images are not instantly recognisable because they are so small; this might encourage people to walk towards the magazine rack to look closer to see what artists are being featured. Also by having all the pictures on the cover it makes the magazine very visual, this might help appeal to a larger audience.

The main headline goes through the centre of the page and is one of the first things you notice when you look at it. The headline is the only one on the front cover; again this is the opposite of most other magazines I’ve looked at previously. Most front covers would have only one photo and several headlines. This NME front cover only has one headline so that all the attention is drawn to the photos. The headline is on a bold yellow background which separates it from the rest of the page and makes it stand out more. It has a torn effect along the edge of the headline making it look as though someone has carelessly ripped at the page to revel what was underneath. This is maybe trying to portray a “young rebel” image which might appeal to the target audience. The headline says that the magazine includes 10 tips for 2009 and also says it is “The New Music Issue”; the target audience will want to buy this magazine because they will want to see what the “new” magazine is like.

Apart from the main headline there isn’t much text on the page. Underneath each picture is the name of the artist so audiences know who is being featured in the magazine. Also across the top of the page there is a strapline saying “The Killers”, they are a well known band so this is why they have placed this right at the top of the page in large text. Also on the page there are the usual magazine conventions; barcode, date, issue number and price.


Hip-Hop Connection

For my second music magazine I decided to look at hip-hop connection magazine. I hadn’t heard of this magazine before but decided to analysis it. Not only is it a completely different music genre to indie music but hip-hop and R&B is fast becoming one of the most listened to styles of music. I researched it on Wikipedia and found out some information about the Hip-Hop connection magazine.

Hip Hop Connection (HHC) is the longest running monthly magazine devoted entirely too hip hop. HHC has earned international recognition and its first issue was published in 1988. Prior to the first issue, the 'Hip-Hop Connection' was a telephone line that invited MCs to call up and record their own rhyme after listening to the best rhyme of the previous week. It has managed to survive the rapid decline of the magazine market and sold its two-hundredth consecutive edition in April 2006. The magazine looks at different music genres such as R&B and rap but its main genre is hip-hop. Its target audience is people who are interested in this style of music; I would say both males and females aged 16-25, a similar target audience as the NME magazine.

The layout for HHC is completely different to that of NME. To start off with the mast head is a lot larger, it takes up a third of the page and is placed right across the top. The text used is very simple; large bold block writing. It is white which again makes it very plain and simple. In the last P the word “connection” is written, this is not noticeable at first. It took me a while until I saw it, but the editors of the magazine must be confident that the target audience will know the name of the magazine without having to make the “connection” more noticeable.

The main photograph uses up all the space on the front cover and headlines are written over the top. This is done so there is no blank space but also if the photograph is this large it defiantly catches the attention of the audience. The NME front cover used several different photographs but HHC relies on just one to represent their magazine. The photograph is a simple close up shot of Lil Wayne but again it has been very carefully considered as to what he should wear etc. He has been positioned so that all his tattoos and jewellery are on show; these help represent the Hip hop genre. Also he has a cap on sideways; all of these factors together portray a bad boy/rapper image. Lil Wayne is staring straight into the camera giving an air of confidence.

The Main headline links in with the picture; it is very simple and just says Lil Wayne with another sub heading underneath saying 2008’s biggest superstar. The editors are confident that they have the biggest superstar of 2008 featuring in their magazine. It does not go right across the centre of the page but is to the left. However even though it does not cross the centre it still stands out very clearly.

All the headlines and their sub headlines are in the colours white and red. This keeps the front cover looking simple and makes it seem less crowded. The text used is a simple font but bold and stands out on the cover. The other headlines are all down the right hand side of the magazine; this keeps them separate from the main headline. One of the headlines just says 2008 but if you go closer and read the subheading underneath “albums, singles, quotes & people of the year” audiences will be keen to know who HHC considers to be “Top Dogs”. Also down the right hand side of the page is a list of different artists. This text is relatively small compared to the other text on the page and slants down; this will draw potential readers’ attention and make them go up to the cover to read whose name is featured.

Along the top of the magazine is a strapline saying free CD, this will instantly make readers more interested in the magazine and make them more likely to buy it; perhaps just for the free CD. Also the front cover has the usual barcode, date, issue number etc. The whole feel of the front cover is one of confidence; Lil Wayne is staring right into the camera, the writing is bold but simple and there are no embellishments. It is as if the publishers and editors are saying “We know who our audience are, we know they will want to buy our magazine, so let’s keep things simple.”

Smash Hits analysis

For my third and final magazine cover I decided to look at Smash Hits magazine. Smash Hits was a pop based music magazine aimed at children and young teenagers, aged 9-15. This is again a very different music genre from the previous music magazine covers I’ve looked at. Smash Hits ran from 1978 to 2006 and was issued fortnightly for most of that time. It was founded by Nick Logan, who previously published NME magazine; these two magazines are very different in music genres. Smash Hits was published in the United Kingdom by Emap. In the 1990’s the magazines circulation declined massively as a result of the BBC’s magazine, Top Of The Pops. Then Emap’s other teen magazine Big! stopped production; Big!’s main focus was celebrities and stars of television therefore when the magazine closed the celeb focus shifted over to Smash Hits. The magazine then became more of an entertainment magazine instead of focusing on teen pop. In February 2006 it was announced that the magazine would publish its last edition on 13th February due to declining sales. The name still carries on due to a spin-off digital television channel and a digital radio station.

The other two previous magazines I’ve look at have had similar target audiences however Smash Hits had a much younger target audience so therefore the language used was more light hearted and less technical. Also NME and Hip Hop Connection have had a higher male readership whereas Smash Hits has a higher female readership. The colours featured on the front cover of the magazine are noticeably lighter than those on the front covers of NME and HHC, giving the magazine a softer more light hearted appearance. The front cover is quite busy and has a lot going on; however this helps to draw the attention of the audience. The masthead is right at the top of the page, slightly to the left but is still the first thing you notice when you look at the cover. The text used for the masthead is very bold and has a black border around it which makes it stand out even more. The Smash Hits logo is very well recognised; however the publishers have chosen not to cover the masthead with anything, leaving it the most noticeable text on the page.

The main photograph is of Madonna, who is a very well known pop artist. Madonna has sold millions of records and is recognised worldwide. When the magazine was in publication Madonna was at the height of her fame and having her on the cover would defiantly have attracted the attention of the target audience. She is an idol for many people particularly teenage girls, who the magazine is mainly aimed at. The camera shot used is a very basic shot which is used on most front covers of magazines, a medium close up. The main headline cuts across the centre of the picture so it is clearly noticed but does not obstruct Madonna’s face. The headline is in two different texts, the “Madonna” part is in a big, bold, block text that stands out and the second part “RULES UK!” is in graffiti style writing. Graffiti writing is associated with teenagers so the publishers are trying to identify with their target audience.

Down the side of the cover are several different pictures with headlines underneath them about other popular artists. The artists featured on the front cover are Destiny’s Child, Westlife and G-Town. When the magazine was in publication all these artists were at their peak and would have been very well recognised by the target audience. By having the pictures along with the headlines makes the page very busy. The pictures are quite small therefore giving them the same effect as the pictures on front of the NME magazine; they will encourage people to look closer to see what artists are being featured and therefore tempt them to buy the magazine. Along the bottom of the front cover there are also names of other artists that are featured in the magazine, these again are big artists. The Smash Hits magazine has lots of different artists on the front cover, either their photographs or just their names. This makes the magazine very appealing to the target audience because many big stars are featured. Being able to attract such stars not only makes the magazine more popular but also reflects the importance of Smash Hits magazine.