Music Magazine Research

NME is a british music journalism magazine that has been published since 1949. It was the first british paper to include a singles chart. It was particularly associated with gonzo journalism. It then moved towards covering punk rock news. Beginning as a music newspaper, before changing format to a magazine in 1998. An online version of NME was introduced in 1996 becoming the biggest standalone music site. Due to poor sales the magazine became free in September 2015 and in the process changed their style. However I am going to analyse older issues of the magazine as I want to create something that people will pay for. A mission statement from the magazine states that their purpose is to ‘provide up to date and new information, reviews and listings of the best new music’.

The masthead is bold and in block capitals showing the magazines professionalism and authority in the industry.

This whole front cover for an issue of NME is an example of graphic continuity as the bold reds, whites and black of the font engulf the cover.

Mise en Scene- both Alex Turner and Miles Kanes outfits and hair are the same creating the idea of cohesion between this group.

Generic to most Magazines an ‘exclusive’ is advertised on the frontcover to tempt people to purchase as they wantTo know what others don’t.

Quote requires some pragmaticknowledge of Alex Turners historyIn the Arctic Monkeys. This wouldappeal now to both Arctic Monkeysand Last Shadow Puppets fans enlarging the target audience.

The Cream/Pink back dropIs very smooth almost reflectingthe smooth apparel and demeanour of the band.

NME presents itself as a trendy modern magazine, through the Mise en scene and colour schemes.

NME: Cover

The contents page in NMEseems to always containsome comical image or Sub-headline relating to a Band. This one in particular Isreflected in the imageAs the dim lighting suggestsThe romanticism described In the title, creating somehumour.

The contents page is very busy comparedto the rest of NME which seems morerelaxed and easy on the eyes, perhapsby plastering this page with text and Imagery (which typically should show what the magazine has to offer anyway)they can get away with the rest of the Magazine looking more composed.

Amongst the busyness of this contents page –which follows theblack and red colour scheme of the rest of the magazine- the striking yellow on black attracts A lot of attention immediately, Coercing people into actually subscribing to NME.

A feature of most styles of written media, the contents page provides us with page numbers for articles they findparticularly interesting, allowing easyaccess to the most prominent articlesIn the magazine. This contents page is also split into sub-sections making it even easier to find articles to suit you.

NME: Contents

The quote which draws mostof the attention on this pageIs designed to appear to havebeen composed of other Newspaper/magazine clippings, showing she doesn’t care about what others have to say about her, suggesting this is the only magazine for musicians.

The actual text is small and tight, filling a minor part ofthe double page spread, yetIt is clear there is a lot being said, suggesting that NME, being aimed at an indie crowd cares more about its Image, which incidentally fills a whole page.

NME: DPS

The sub-headline of this article provides a brief yet enticing Introduction into the story.

NME Reader ProfileBeing an indie magazine, the typical reader of NME are aged between 15-40 and on average 24, as it advertises to the trendier members of the population. It is evident through research that the average NME reader is heavily concerned with image, spending at least £650 a year on clothes. This is possible as most of the population that read NME are in the ABC1 Bracket, 65% in fact. The magazine appropriates itself to this target audience through the mise en scene and costumes of the bands displayed on the covers. They typically always dress smart and the colour scheme is very soft and appealing. The circulation of NME is at 308,606 copies over a 6-month period, yet the readership reaches around 500, 000.

Jake Bugg.Alex Turner Miles Kane

DIY is a fairly new magazine that was founded and first published in 2002.

The colourful rainbow colourscheme appears very warm and Inviting. Also matching the nameof Jamie XXs new album ‘In Colour’

The medium close up of Jamie XX shows him lookingdown away from the camera makes him lookQuite lackadaisical matchingthe colour scheme which is tainting the cover.

The captions simply refer to other bands, implying this magazine focuses on the bands, not gossip or advertisement.

The plain white masthead Shows the magazine wantsto draw attention from itselfand to the bands.

Four images are used in this contents Page yet are collaboratedinto a Montage to appear as oneimage.

This is to create a strange special effect that places certain members of the band in the foreground andbackground, suggesting their Importance in the band.

This particular issue places this band‘Bastille’ in images on both the front Cover and contents page,implying They are the stars of the time.

DIY: CONTENTS The named articles are quite vague, simplyreferring to other bands featuring in this issue. This ambiguity is quite Important as it entices the reader to findout what is being written about these bands.

Two of the band members can be seen reaching or pointing out towards the camera, as if trying to touch their fans and readers. Perhaps showing that thisband loves being close to its supporters.

How the text is laid out on eitherSide of the large red ‘Vs’ is almost symmetrical, creating a nice graphic continuity over the double page spread.

DIY: DPS

The imagery of the ‘Vs’ seems to be included to fuel the apparentrivalry between these two femaleled groups. As red is used to represent danger, the magazinecould be including such a large mass of red to convey the angerarising between them.

However this double page spreadIs designed to appear symmetricalon either side, ‘Hayley Williams’ on the left side of the DPS, of Punk group Paramore is dressedIn black and white conforming tothe colour scheme, yet extravagant hair colour comes through to show her carelessness, which the magazine allows herto express.

The right page of the DPS is devoted to the other end of thisfemale grudge match, Lauren Mayberry of Synthpop band Chvrches. The medium long shot of her looks like she is a stencil drawing which looks very surreal. She she appears to be cowering behind the huge ‘V’. Suggesting she is the weaker oneIn this feud.

DIY Reader Profile As the name of this magazine suggests it revolves around bands that are making it well on their own as part of the indie music scene. Therefore the general readership of this magazine are mainly interested in the earthier, real side of music. The typical age of a reader of DIY is on average 19 years old. They enjoy such hobbies as skateboarding and spend most of their money on street wear. Less than half however of the people who read DIY are in the ABC1 clique at 43%. Which is not actually a problem as the magazine is available for free in many music venues and stores. The physical circulation of the magazine is around 40,000 a month, yet the readership tops 85,000.

Rat Boy Ellie Rowsell Grimes

Mojo is another very popular music magazine, it began publication in 1993, initially beingPublished by Emap until 2008 when they changed to Bauer. One of its most Prominent and interesting features is its occasional inclusion of lists, including ‘Top 100 songs To listen to whileon drugs’ and ‘top 150 rock epics’.

However it does feature articles on most genres of music, it mainly features indie and classic rock, like the other two magazine I have researched. Mojo also broadcasts its own ‘Mojo radio’and ‘Mojo rocks’.

This is a mission statement from MOJO: ‘At MOJO we cover the good stuff. Our award-winning editorial team prides itself in delivering a magazine that ispacked with insight, passion, and revelatory encounters with the greatest musicians of all-time, be they established or emerging musicians. The magazine is loved by its readers and artists alike because it engages them on the subjectthey love the most: music itself’.

The plain white masthead resemblesthat of DIY magazine, in that it doesnt attempt to draw much attention away from the actual bandor artist being featured, as well as being plain white, the masthead is also being partially hidden in this Issue.

Whilst sticking to a bland yet professional looking black and whitecolour scheme, orange and green are used to outline the guitar and For some font creating a neon effectOver the black background. Possibly to express the flashness of the era ofLou Reed.

The inclusion of a free CD with this issue shows the effort that this magazine puts In in order to connect with its audience. The colour scheme of the CD art also mirrors that of the magazine for cohesion. The close up of Lou Reed also makes for some intimacy between him and his fans.

The advertisement of other articles Within this issue on the cover is quite limited, only to a thin band along the top of the cover. This grey band is also the only exception to the adamant colour scheme, which allows for some attention to be drawn to the smaller stories.

MOJO: COVER

MOJO: Contents

The urban looking backdrop of this medium close up seems tobe an attempt to keep up withother music magazines, as Mojo was originally a classic rock magazine. Yet the waningpopularity of classic rock may have pushed Mojo to explore other styles.

Morriseys costume is very smart,which is intrinsic to his style, thisalso reflects the manner of the magazine Mojo which is quite a formal, respectable magazine.

The ‘features’ section gives quitea detailed description of each article, yet still in a short brieffew sentences, showing Mojosprofessionalism.

This quote from Morrisey is Immediately noticeably important, as it is the same sized font as the names of the articles which, compared to the much smaller fontof the article descriptions, is distinctly bigger.

The inclusion of names of cities isused to show Mojos huge widespread popularity.

Mojo magazine tends to takea professional stance with itsdouble page spreads, they set out in a smart way as often they are about serious Issues.

For example the thought provoking headlinequote ‘It keeps dragging me back’ seems quite emotional,Whereas other music Magazines are less serious.

MOJO: DPS

The medium close up eye levelshot of David Bowie makes him appear quite distressed, the fact that we are also eye level with him allows us some insightInto him as a character.

David Bowies costume reflectshis persona of the late 70s in which he wore denim jackets and took lots of cocaine, perhaps this is what the head-Line quote is referencing.

The colouring of the pages isquite a faded vintage look, much like earlier published Magazines.

MOJO Reader ProfileThis magazine is often associated with older generations as it tends to include more articles about classic rock than modern contemporary genres. The average readers age is of around 36-52, and most of these people are included in the ABC1 bracket, at 82%. This is possibly because the generation that read this magazine are older and more settled with steady jobs. A monthly circulation of Mojo is at around 80, 000 (based on the june 2013 circulation of 79, 345). However the actual readership reaches higher at 120, 000.

Mick Jagger Bob Dylan Neil Young