UK music magazines research

Music magazines available in the uk

Bauer media Bauer media produces one of most well known music magazine in the UK; Q magazine.it produces many other magazines, not just in music. These include ‘classic car weekly’ , ‘Grazia’ , ‘Bike’, ‘heat’ and ‘zoo’.

• Q magazine sells itself as ‘The ultimate guide to modern music’ and it prides itself on being ‘well respected by artists and labels’ and having ‘unrivalled access to music’s biggest names’.

• Q reaches over one million music fans each month and according to their media pack, Qs average reader age is around 34.

• Q was first published by the EMAP media group in October 1986, setting itself apart from much of the other music press with monthly production and higher standards of photography and printing.

• Mixmag is a British electronic dance and clubbing magazine published in London. Mixmag was first launched in 1982 the magazine covers dance events and reviews music and club nights.• According to their media pack, 72% of readers are male and 28% are female. The majority are single and live in cities.

• Kerrang! Is a music magazine, mostly focussing on rock music and its readership is around 421,000.• Kerrang! Sells itself as reaching a young audience with a median age of 22, who are open to a wide range of rock music.

Mast head

Selling line

Headline- This is the largest text font used and is designed to grab the target audience’s interest- this is a great way to sell magazines as it is their main story and so will influence who buy’s this month’s magazine.

Anchorage

Feature article photo

Secondary lead

Date line

barcode

Plug- this is a freebie and therefore a great way to draw the audience’s attention as they feel they are getting something out of buying the magazine. This can also be known as USP or unique selling point because it can be individual to the magazine.

Colour scheme – this magazine has made use of only three colours; black, orange and white. Yellowy-orange is often used for magazine front covers as it stands out against the backdrop. These three colours are bold and distinctive, however for some perhaps it could be classed as garish, clashing colours, therefore it could be more fitting for a younger audience.

Puff- ‘worlds biggest dance magazine’ tries to emphasise it’s importance in the market, which in turn makes the audience want to buy the magazine

Buzz word- ‘world exclusive’ draws the audience, it gives the magazine this inclusive feel, as if it’s the only place to find this piece of ‘gossip’, therefore it gives a certain sense of urgency ‘you must buy it now’. This could also be part of their USP (unique selling point)

Main image- the main image is of the celebrity Amy Winehouse. She is looking directly at the camera, this is a form of direct address- the audience may feel directly interacted with. Amy’s expression on her face is a strong, almost masculine expression, this coupled with the high contrast of skin on show and the delicate lace bra, fits with the artist’s strong feminine personality.

Selling line- this magazine makes use of selling lines in order to ‘name drop’ big artists inside the magazine. It is in a bright white font, which obviously attracts attention, and once the reader sees the big names it makes you want to read more, on how and why these names are connected. In actual fact, it is advertising their own NME awards, but it will help sell magazines anyway.

This months Mojo has unusually chosen a four colour scheme; black, white, light blue, and a little red. However the covers mostly black and white, and this gives it this striking monochrome effect.Particularly combined with the bold, direct gaze of Madonna- it stands out from other Mojo editions.

Puff- again this is a common technique ‘the only interview’ creates this element of exclusivity.

Left third and right third- the right third has smaller, less important information on what’s inside the rest of the magazine, whereas the left third is all about the main story; Madonna. The writing and the image is all slightly to the left, and generally are in a bigger size. ‘Madonna’ is deliberately in a bigger font side, to show her importance within this issue, and is written is in the typical distinctive style it is usually written in that represents the artist’s unique image. Madonna’s image has connotations of religious symbols- and the font type reflects this. Therefore it is instantly recognisable, distinctive and will sell magazines.