Music Magazine Analysis

Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group.

Named after the onomatopoeic word that derives from the sound made when playing a power chord on an electric guitar, Kerrang! was initially devoted to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and the rise of hard rock acts. In the early 2000s it became the best-selling British music newspaperLaunched as a monthly magazine its high

demand meant it could then be printed fortnightly and eventually weekly.

Background information

Starting out their company in a small printing house, the Bauer Publishing Group has grown into a worldwide publishing empire. Managed by four generations, the Bauer family own 238 magazines including some of the UK’s biggest sellers such as Mojo and Q as well as TV and radio stations worldwide in 15 countries.

During the 1980s and early 1990s the magazine placed many thrash and glam metal acts on the cover. Readers often criticised the magazine for repeating this process every time a new musical trend becomes popular. Kerrang!’s popularity rose again with the hiring of editor Paul Rees at the turn of the millennium. At this time, the nu-metal genre, featuring bands such as Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park, were becoming more widespread. Unfortunately, the nu-metal wave did not last long and in 2003 Kerrang!’s sales went quickly into decline.

This meant a new format needed to be established in order to sustain readers. With the emergence of emo and metalcore, Kerrang! Magazine began to heavily feature this new musical trend within its pages. However, the revamp was not welcomed by all readers and many complaints were received about Kerrang!'s sudden emphasis on emo and metal core music. The magazine continued to print issues with My Chemical Romance on the front cover for several weeks causing a slight alteration in readership figures.

Sales figures

In the period 01-Jul-2008 to 31-Dec-2008 Kerrang!‘s circulation sales in the UK and the Republic of Ireland were at a high of 50,128 insuring it remained the market-leading music weekly. These figures display that Kerrang! is a successful magazine despite its audience being one demographic entity.

This devoted audience of rock fans is made up of: 60% males 40% females with Kerrang!’s demographic fall into social class D-C. The main ethnicity of the readership is white British with a target population of 16-24 year olds. The magazine’s psychographic is defined as ‘people who aspire to be respected among other people.’

Audience

Kerrang! aims more at a male audience and appeals to them by using content such as hard rock and metal iconic male bands on the front cover pulling angry faces or violent expressions. Female readers are targeted by the use of male bands on free pull out posters and feature interviews.

The masthead is written at the top of the page and it has a kind of broken glass effect. This could be interpreted as the smashing of a glass or mirror maybe by a guitar which links back to the rock and roll lifestyle that this magazine is trying to portray. The use of onomatopoeia and the broken glass effect in the title all link and are woven together to show the the magazine ‘s musical nature. And it also gives the magazine an edge and adds vibrancy which leads back to the readership of this particular magazine. The title is red which is a primary colour, associated with many interpretations and because the artists are placed over the title it shows that the magazine is quite popular, because it can still be identified without the title being in full view. Also the magazine builds up its image as it uses the colour technique/ scheme for every issue e.g. 3-4 colours maximum are used.The top 2 colours are red and yellow (both primary colours)Red is a very emotionally intense colour as its the colour of fire and blood and is associated with energy, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. Also Red brings text and images to the foreground. Use it as an accent colour to stimulate people to make quick decisionsYellow is associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy. very effective for attracting attention, so use it to highlight the most important elements of your design

The magazine uses strategies such as “free posters” to help attract readers to make them feel like they are getting more for their money. Using this strategy is very clever as some people might even buy the magazine just so that they can get the free posters.

The magazine is aimed at a young audience 16-24+ (majority male): we know this through the use of graphics, fonts, layouts and presentation. Kerrang! is aimed at the youth and their lifestyles. It has a contemporary and up-to-date look, making use of modern typefaces and a down-to-earth feel. The magazine even accommodates the young readership by using advertisements that relate to their interests E.G. “See slipknot for a fiver” = Cheap entertainment as all young people look for affordable fun in today's world.

The edgy, underground and individualistic style appeals to rock readers and draws them in, this is a crucial element of any successful magazine.

The magazine features a male band the majority of the time. This issue includes young guns , a British rock band. I found it interesting as the magazine only chose to shoot the lead singer this informed the audience that his feature is more personal and about him. A male audience will find the main article interesting as the quote “i had to fight for everything” relates to many young male audiences aspiring to be like there idols so they can relate to the issue. This front cover would also attract more female audience as the singer is topless and has lyrics written all over his body , therefore more women will be enticed to the product.

Front Cover

The contents page is divided in half, focusing on a bring me the horizon mini review. This is not a main article as it is not featured on the front cover but is the focus of the contents this acts in the same way of a front page, enticing the reader in.The page is divided into sections, with images being

the main focus of the page, This format means the reader is immediately drawn to the images, enabling them to feel more involved within the magazine, and be more entertained.

There is a consistent house style throughout the magazine : a majority of the time black and yellow is always featured as well as another colour in this case the magazine uses subtle hints of red which stands out but isn't over powering.

Editors notes make the magazine more personal to the reader as it gives them updates on what she has been up to and which parts of the magazines are her favourites and what she would recommend

Images and article titles are numbered (in red) making it convenient for the reader as they are able to identify what page its on.

Ads / special features are put in boxes for the reader to immediately notice them

Contents includes: feedback from bands/ viewers, news, swag (merchandise), reviews, posters, features, album reviews, gig guide, letter from editor, subscription info

Contents Page

Double Page Spread

This double page spread uses a lot of imagery which is good as it entices the reader and allows them to enjoy the article visually. The main image is of the main singer of a band (my chemical romance) , this will allow the reader to know what the article is about , this image takes up a whole page of the 2 so there is very little text which is another good and key aspect as it is important not to bombarded the reader with a lot of text as they will get bored and skip the article.

The other images on the other page are of different members of the band and implies that the article doesn't forget about them and there are features of them within the article which attracts many readers as many like to read the updates and journeys of different band members in a music magazine.

In terms of colour the main colours used are black and red which contrast each other very well and stand out at the same time which allows the reader to enjoy the article without being distracted by the red. The use of white text also works very well as all three colours blend and work alongside the images as well as into the page

The use of font size and place is very in interesting as the title is placed tilted which allows the magazine to add Kerrang's! Own flare and style to the article without taking away from what is about as it also portrays the bands style extremely well

The effect of having a white background in the corner of the page

adds good contrast and allows the text to change to black which makes the magazine more exiting as colour is

played around with and make the article more visually expressive.

Kerrang!‘s website is dedicated to finding out more information to do with the magazine and also the latest information on the readerships favourite bands and upcoming events. The website hosts Kerrang’s! online shop, podcasts, message board, TV and radio segments ensuring even more opportunities to sell associated merchandise and products.

Website

Kerrang goes for a traditional rock-styled site with blacks, whites and reds which are dominant through out the site. The site is separated into stylish blocks of writing but a more modern layout. It does have it advantages but one could say that block make the site look slightly cluttered sometimes making it hard to read.Another point is that the style of the site doesn't portray the style of the magazine a lot as technology has progressed more modern themes are used.

the site includes features such as news, access to all areas, podcast, radio, tickets, shop , bands and subscription as well as the latest issue of the magazine itself, making it more convenient for the consumer/ audience to view all on one site. The site also allows you to create an account for “noiseletters” where they are emailed updates and information on the bands and tour dates, this allows the audience to keep up to date on a daily basis without the missing anything again making it more convenient as they do not have to wait for the next issue of the magazine to be released as everything and more is featured on the website.