Music magazine analysis

Background information

NME ( New musical express) is a weekly magazine and has been going since march 1952.

It was the first British magazine to include a singles chart, in the

14 November 1952 edition. In the 1970s it became the best-

selling British music magazine.

Total circulation – 38,486

First issue – 7th march 1952

Company – IPC media

Editor – Krissi Murison

Target Audience

• The target audience of NME is generally around the age of 13-35 this magazine really appeals to the indie/rock area. NME is suited to this target audience because the language and structure of the magazine is not as mature as some magazine like Q, this means it will attract a more immature audience.

Seasonal editions

Free give away attracting shoppers and passersby’s to buy the magazine.

About the life of bands and secret events, shows the reader that it is exclusive.

‘Plus’ tells the reader what is further on in the magazine.

Photo is of a performance and is not a photo shoot.

This Cover is well laid out and shows each section clearly.

The seasonal editions will attract a more varied audience, because it is a one of edition.

Play-on words interest the reader, and make them want to read on.

This is a double page spread from NME magazine. Large central picture,

of the band relaxing and not performing.

Need to know section of this spread interests the reader and tells them a lot in a few short bullet points.

A single quote in the middle of block text breaks it up and makes it easier for the reader to read.

Website is advertised to attract more viewers

A section for up and coming bands.

A photo of the band performing and relaxing shows two sides of them.

Large title promotes the bands name and tells the reader what the article is about.

‘Radar’ is NME new bands section.

Background information

• Q magazine is a more mature magazine, including only legends and really good bands, rarely up and coming bands. This is because it wants to keep the readers interested on the good bands and not new ones. Q magazine is a monthly magazine with very high amounts of sales.

Total Circulation – 130,179

Publisher – Bauer media group

Editor – Paul Rees

First issue – October 1986

Target audience

• The target audience of Q magazine is the more mature, music appreciating person. The magazine covers more serious topics, and more serious artists as well as legends of the music business. Q magazine is very popular among 45+ people, this is because the magazine covers a lot of artists from the 60’s and 70’s.

Obviously a very successful and self proclaimed biggest music magazine in the U.K.

This shows us that they concentrate on only the good bands, and not up and coming or joke bands.

This list only has original bands, no new ones, also this section gives us an insight into what is in this issue.

Quite a serious photo suggests that this is not just an interview but, could be some kind of story or backstage happenings.

These two photos are both of very successful bands, and this is Q’s style at depicting them.

Led Zeppelin is someone who the older generation wants to know about and remember, this is how Q interacts with its readers.

The text is of a more mature read, and being in blocks, tells us that it is for reading and taking in and not just flicking through.

This image is of an artist working in a studio, this is a more serious image and shows that artist at work, and not just having fun or on stage.

The overall layout of this article is more mature and focused around neither photo or text but in a balance.

This single quote does not break up the text like in a teen to early twenties music magazine, this is not here to distract the reader but to inform.

Background information

• Kerrang magazine is a weekly magazine, targeted at 11-23 yr olds. It is a magazine involving up and coming bands but also very high standard bands, the genre of the magazine is rock/indie. The magazine's name is onomatopoeic and refers to the sound made when playing a power chord on an electric guitar.

Total circulation - 43,000

Publisher – Bauer media group

Editor – Nichola Browne

Frequency - weekly

Target audience

• The target audience of Kerrang! Magazine is 11-23 yr olds, this is because of the style of writing and genre of music, the language used in the magazine is crude and uses expletives which would probably not appeal to the older generations. The magazine is targeted at young musicians and lovers of up and coming new music and rock/indie bands at the time.

The masthead of the magazine is always overshadowed by the main photo on the front page, this is to promote both brand and the band at the same time.

Free giveaways in the magazine attract more readers and produce higher sales.

Some new and up coming bands mixed with high standard bands involve new musicians to the scene.

A sub title at the top of the front cover tells the reader of what will be included in the magazine and interest them into buying it.

Large full page photo of the main featured band.

Sub photos of other articles in the magazine.

Huge title in the middle vaguely tells the reader what it is about.

¾ page photo takes up most of the space and leaves little for reading, but this is because this magazine it targeted towards flicking through and not sit down reading.

Little text tells us that the writing is not the main feature but instead the picture is.

Language of this magazine article is a little immature and childish.

Text is broken up buy a large single quote taken straight from the article.