Music Magazine Research

By Chloe Porter

Magazine research

Masthead

Main image

Lead article

Cover line

Pull quote

Cover line

Price/barcode

Q magazine Front Cover• The main image of Q magazine features The Kings Of Leon,

a very well known and successful rock band. What I like about this front cover is that the main image fits in with the lead article. Where the image is of the band breaking through what appears to be glass, the lead article says “Kings Of Leon break through” which anchors the main image and the lead article. The magazine layout has remained the same as any other magazine placing the main article and masthead in the left third, which is an key element for selling a magazine.

Main Image

Masthead

Pull quote

Page Numbers

This contents page consists of purely page numbers, a main image of the cover features, and small descriptions as to what you will expect to find in this magazine. So the contents page has stayed conventional.

This is a main double page spread article in Q magazine on the band Muse. As you can see the font and layout are conventional with simple colours as well. A handful of images have been used of the band, one of those images you can see is of the band performing live and the band to what it appears to be in the studio recording. Altogether this double page spread has stayed to the conventional values with a

simple font and plain colours with a select few of images used.

Magazine research

Masthead

Skyline

Lead article

Cover line

Pull quote

Main image

Cover lines

FlashBarcode/price

• This front covers main image is of the indie band The Wombats, who are highly known in the indie music world. I like how they have made the image to fit the lead article as the image shows the band acting in a silly manner and with the lead article saying “why Britain's gone silly for the lords of the indie dance floor” so they both relate which is a key selling point of any front cover. The text anchors the image. There is quite a lot going on in this front cover such as there is a flash inserted in the bottom left hand corner, skylines, cover lines and pull quotes. These things are what make a magazine front cover and what will sell a magazine. Also the house theme remains the same throughout the magazine, especially through the contents page as the main colours do relate to the front cover too.

NME Front cover

Masthead

Main Image

Page numbers

Advertisement

Editors column

This magazine features page numbers and a short paragraph from the editor explaining to the reader what they are to expect from this issue of NME. There is also an advertisement in the bottom right hand corner trying to sell NME on subscription to the reader. And again a masthead is included as well on the contents page. And again this contents page has stayed conventional.

This is the main double page spread featured in an NME magazine of the rapper Dizzie Rascal. As you can see there are 5 images of him and one main picture. The images used are of Dizzie at different stages, there is one of him on stage performing so we get to see the performing side of him, one holding an award so we know he must be a well known singer, one of him in his younger days before he made it big, one of him taken from the music video “Bonkers” so we get to see his crazy out going side and finally the main image of him where we see him getting up to no good. The background of the first page of this magazine has a house effect of graffiti style, which anchors in to one of the themes of this article. And also it must have been done on photo shop as well so if I wanted to use a graffiti style in my magazine I could do so. There is also what's known as a “stand first” which gives us a short introduction to the article usually underneath the masthead which you will find on nearly every magazine article. Also a pull quote has been used from the article.

Rock Sound Magazine

Masthead

Lead article

SloganFlash

Pull quoteFlash

Barcode/Price

Main image

Cover line

Cover lines

• The colours of this front cover are mainly dark colours, the fonts are also quite dull and dark too. This will be because the main target audience are rock music fans, their preferred choice of colours may not be bright and colourful ones as opposed to some other magazine front covers. The main image is of the lead singer from Bring me the horizon, who is looking as though he is quite remorseful for something he maybe did in the past so he looks like he may reveal that in the interview. There is also pull quotes used, “This time I’ve gone too far” which anchors with the main image with the way he’s posing. Again this magazine has stuck to all the conventions of other magazines such as cover lines, flash’s, masthead etc..

• The masthead has stayed to just one colour, with no fancy font used which I think the target audience will appreciate.

Rock sound Front cover

Main image

Pull quote

Page numbers

Issue number

This contents page has stayed quite simple and plain, however it does feature a main image and pull quote of one of the main bands featured in this magazine and gives us page numbers and a short description of the features in this magazine. So this contents page has stayed conventional.

This article stays plain and simple, underneath the masthead there is a stand first introducing the article. There are 2 main images spread across 2 pages of the band as what it appears to be they are both pointing at the reader. I do like though how on each page it shows a different side to them such as on one page there is a pose of them looking serious whereas on the other page we get to see possibly they’re more outgoing side with pull quotes added by the side of each image.