Test
- 1. Media studies - music magazine
- 2. Cover NME
- 3. NME is a weekly music magazine that comes out every Wednesday. The target group for the magazine is young people between 15 to 30, who are interested in music. The magazine contains articles of bands within different genres, but mostly rock and punkbands. NME is written in red with bold letters on the front page of the magazine. Red is a colour often associated with rock and rebellion, which both are words that fits NMEs target group well. The rest of the headings are in white, black and red. The colours used on the front page are masculine colours, they have used these colours because they mostly have male readers.
- 4. The masterhead is bold in red, with capital letters; PULP RETURNS. This stands out from the rest of the headings, and the reason NME has done this is because Pulp fans will be thrilled to know that the famous English alternative rockband is returning. It is the same font all over the front page except over the masterhead. The heading says: About fucking time! This heading is in a different font because it is made for people to notice that exact line. The heading is controversial and shocking. This is a heading that will get instant attention from the person looking at the front page. Under the masterhead there is a heading that says; The Britpop reunion we’ve been waiting for. The word “we” is wisely used to make people feel like they have also been waiting for Pulps return.
- 5. Leadsinger of Pulp Jarvis Cocker is on the frontpage of NME this week in a medium shot. It’s a black and white picture that has an old fashioned look to do. This is to enlarge the fact that Pulp has been away from the spotlight for a while, and to contrast the text of their return. They have used a picture from Jarvis Cockers younger days; this is so the target group can relate more to the cover by age. The white background lets us focus entirely on the picture, and makes the picture and headings stand out from the background. NME is bigger than an A4 page, this gives space for a bigger picture and headliners. This makes the cover more noticeable among the other music magazines. The simple layout and the fact that there is only one picture on the front page makes the audience understand that Pulp is a big enough band itself to cover a magazine, this makes them interesting and the audience wants to read the article about them.
- 6. There are also small headliners on both sides of the picture. One of them is; Liam’s return judged by bands and fans. The fact that it doesn’t say why Liam Gallagher is being judged by other bands and fans makes the audience want to know why, and they will buy the magazine to read more about it. Another liner is “new albums special – My chemical romance, kanye west” This attracts the audience because it’s new and fresh. Fans want to read about their favourite artists and their new albums. There is also a list of other famous bands on the right side of the front page. All of the different bands attracts different people. There is a variety of genres there aswell. Everything from My chemical romance (emo-punk), to Kanye west (rap), to Pulp (alternative rock). This gives diversity and attracts a broader reader range. The last liner on the front page is; The filth and the fury, inside the student riots. This article will attract students because it’s an article that concerns them, the article hits the target group.
- 8. A contentpage purpose is to inform the reader what's in the magazine, and allow the reader to navigate there easily. This allows the reader to choose which sections of the magazine they want to read and what not to read. So it is important that it is in a system and that it's organized.
- 9. NME uses the same colors on the contentpage as on the frontpage; red, white and black. These are colours we assosiate with rock. They also continue to use a simple layout, this is to make the magazine look synchronized and tidy. They have used different fonts in the contentpage, this gives a chaotic feeling that makes us think of rock. Even if it looks chaotic it's still very organized. The pagenumber are very big because the target group are teenagers. The big numbers makes it easier to find the pages quickly, which fits the teenage lifestyle well. The “plus” column makes it easier to navigate quickly, it has sublines like “features, reviews, live, gig guide” and so on. As I said before teenagers like the navigation to be easy.
- 10. There are more pictures than there are text on the contentpage. This relates more to the audience, teenagers would prefer to see pictures then text. This can also reflect back on the magazine, they prefer entertainment over reading. They use both live concert pictures and studiophotos, this is to give a variation to the magazine, and to show that they have different things to offer.
- 11. The picture of Jarvis Cocker, the leadsinger of Pulp reminds us of rock. His clothes and attitude on stage will appeal to the audience. The picture of The National is taken from a low angle to make them look more powerful, and like an important band. Important bands will attracts more readers. The picture of Mystery Jets looks like it has been taken from an interview. Fans will like to read the interview about how they are in real life, and how they answer their questions. So this picture appeals to the audience. The picture of Beady eye is in black and white, but in the text under it, it says “ The response to Beady eye's single”. The contrast makes it interesting, and amplifier the fact that Liam Gallagher was in the band Oasis for a long time ago, but that he has now gotten a new band; Beady eye. The picture on the frontpage is of Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, but as we can see NME has chosen to lay the main focus on a new band on the contentpage. This is to show the audience that they have more to offer than just an article about Pulp. The commersial about subscribing to the magazine is in red, NME has picked up the colour in the picture of Jarvis Cocker, this is to not put the focus on to add, but the rest of the pictures. They want the add to show, but not too much.
- 12. The language used on the contentpage is very informal. NME uses the same language as the teenagers do to day. They use words like “ douchebag, gay fish, kinda, xword”. The audience can relate to the language used. Every article has a quote as a headline, and an explanation as a subline with a pagenumber. This is to give a hint about how the article is going to be. This makes it easier to see straight away what you want to read and what you don't won't to read.
- 13. NME DOUBLEPAGE
- 14. The masterhead says “On the road with Mystery jets.” The bandname is in capital letters in contrast with the rest of the heading. There is also a large picture of the band. This is to get the fans to notice the article easily. The band was formed in the early 90's, the band is an established band. And this equals a lot of fans which again equals a lot of readers. The masterhead presents what the article is going to be about well.The masterhead will make the audience want to read more, bandtours are assosiated with crazy rock behaviour. Fans will also want to know how the bandmembers are in real life, and more about their lifestyle. Mystery jets released the album “ serotonin” in 2010, this makes the band current and interesting.
- 15. The colours used in the article is again red, black and white. Red is used to show the time and places, and the rest of the text is in black. This makes it tidy for the readers. Red, black and white are colours associated with rock and NME. The white background puts the focus on the pictures and the text, and keeps the layout simple to synchronize it with the rest of the magazine. The picture of the band under the masterhead is bubbly and happy, this attitude will attract readers.
- 16. The view from the crew collumn in red breaks up the text, and makes it look less heavy. This collumn can also be interesting to fans who wants inside information about the band.
- 17. NME has used a lot of pictures to not overwhelm the readers with text. This gives a less heavy look, and will appeal more to the readers than a lot of text. The text on the right page is divided in two. NME has chosen to use the same pattern here as on the left page. The line that mentions time and place is in red, and the description line is in black. The pictures on the right side is put togheter like a collage, it's messy and presents rock in a lot of ways. The pictures contains smoking, drinking, concerts, the tourbus, stage diving and fans. These are all things we assosiate with rockstars.The pictures from the concerts will give the readers a feeling of the atmosphere at the concert, this will make them feel apart of the experience.
- 18. The language in the interview is very informal «it's ridicouilos – the whole idea of it is nuts!» The language is youthfull, and relates the band to the readers. «kai and blain lovingly simulating vomit- spattered blowjobs in one of the beds on the top deck» NME is using shocking teenage language, which will appeal to the target group. They present the band as fun outgoing people, the target group will aspire to be like them.
- 19. COVER KERRANG Kerrang! Is a weekly music magazine for teenagers, owned by the company Bauer Media. Kerrang covers genres like Rock, Punk, Goth, and Indie, but it’s mostly aimed at Rock.
- 20. The logo Kerrang on the front page is written in a way that makes us think of rock. The heading looks like shattered glass, and we can associate this with rebellious behaviour and rockstars. The logo is partly covered up by the picture, this lets the audience know that it’s such a well known magazine that they don’t need to show their entire logo to get buyers. This will attract new buyers because it gives a feeling of experience in the music magazine industry. The fact that the picture of My chemical romance is larger than the magazine lets the readers know that the band is bigger than the magazine itself.
- 21. Most rock music magazine uses black, red and white as colours but Kerrang’s use of different colours will make it stand out from the other magazines in the same genre. The chaos of different colours, fonts, and pictures can also make us think of rock and the chaotic rock lifestyle. This can be an aspiration to teenagers who wants to live the life of rockstars. The headmaster is in Blue and White and says; 48 hours with My chemical romance. The band is current and they have a lot of fans. This headline tells the audience that Kerrang has spent 48 hours with My chemical romance. Fans of the famous band will want to know how the four band members are in real life, and about their life and lifestyle. Their new album Danger days: The true lives of the fabulous killjoys is released the 22. November and their fans will want to know more about their upcoming album.
- 22. Ray Toro(the bandmember to the left) has a lot of tattoos on his fingers, tattoos is associated with rock. Garard Way has colored his hair red; this is associated with punk, rock and rebellious teenagers. The target group will associate well with their costumes, and this will be an inspiration for the audience who wants to look like rockstars. The blue writing makes Garard Way’s hair stand out even more; this makes the audience notice the magazine and the band faster.
- 23. The headline Mega comp: hang out with bullet for my valentine & bring me the horizon, will make fans of the two bands buy the magazine straight away. The use of the word “mega” shows that this is a huge opportunity to win a meeting with the bands. A competition will also bring a broader audience to the magazine. “I know how to disappear” Jared Leto’s tour secrets! People will want to know more about this because the frontpage does not reveal the entire story about this article about jared leto. This will also attract all 30 second to mars fans.
- 24. There are three pictures in the left corner that is represented with the headline: Poster special. This headline lets buyers to think that they are getting more than just a magazine. There is mentioned three bands; Biffy Clyro, Lostprophets, and Placebo. Under the placebo picture it says; and more. The audience will want to know what other posters there is in the magazine. Another headliner is; Exclusive “My world was ripped apart!” This is an artcle about Craig Owens. The word Exclusive! Is written in white on a red background to make the audience notice it. The word exclusive will attract the target group by making them think that this is an exclusive interview and that Kerrang is the only magazine where you can read this article.
- 25. There are a lot of famous bands mentioned on the bottom of the page, names like Linkin park and Paramore. Linkin Park’s album A thousand suns was released in 2010, and they are going on tour in 2011. So fans of the band will want to read about their plans for the tour. The more names that mentioned, the more fans of different bands will buy the magazine.
- 26. KERRANG CONTENTPAGE A contentpage's purpose is to inform the reader what's in the magazine, and allow the reader to navigate there easily. This allows the reader to choose which sections of the magazine they want to read and what not to read. So it is important that it is in a system and that it's organized.
- 27. The Kerrang contentspage uses the colours yellow, black, red and white. Yellow and black er contrasting colours so this makes the yellow stand out even more. There are subheadings like feedback, news, win. All the subheadings are in black and yellow, this is to make a system. All the page numbers are written in red to make a new system and to make it clearer where you can find the articles. The layout on the contentpage is very similar to the frontpage. They have mostly used the same colours and fonts as on the frontpage. This makes the magazine more structured and professional. And the main task for a contentpage is to be structured, and easy to understand. The cover stories are marked with a red circle with a black star inside, this fits with the genre rock, and it also makes it easier to navigate quicker to the cover stories. The language on the contentpage is very informal, and there is also used exclamation point a lot to make it more loud, just like the audience, the magazine, and rock. Like in this sentence “ Florida's ska-punk heroes hit the capital!” Kerrang also uses oral language and slang. This fits the target group, teenagers can relate to the language used. The letter from the editor hits the target group well. The editor Nichda lets the readers know that she has already heard My chemical romance new album and that they should be excited for it to come out. She also tells that you can read more about this in the magazine. It makes the magazine more personal when she writes towards the readers in the form of a letter. This letter from the editor column gives the magazine a personal touch.
- 28. There is a picture of Alter bridge playing live in manchester in black and white. This picture will appeal more to the readers then a studio picture, because rock is meant to be performed live. The low angle shot on the photo will also make Alter bridge look bigger and more powerful. This also makes the picture come more to live, it looks like it has been taken from the audience position. The pagenumber is listed under the picture, so the readers who is interested in knowing more about the band can find the article. The contentpage links to the frontpage by following up with the same picture of Craig owens, and a picture of the spread with the pagenumber. They also follow up on the story of 30 seconds to mars Jared Leto, and the poster special. The linking between the frontpage and contentpage will make the magazine seem synchronized and connected.
- 29. NME DOUBLEPAGE
- 30. The doublepage is about Linkin park's concert in London. Kerrang has made a concertreview of the band. The colours used in the article is green, white and black. Green is used to highlight the headlines so you can quickly navigate to what the article is about. Every headline is in white with a green highlight, and the text under the headline is always in white, this makes it organized. Kerrang have used the same fonts and layout as on the frontpage, but with a darker background.This is because the front page is made to promote but the article is made to inform.
- 31. The black background makes the concertpictures blend in the background. This gives a dark atmosphere that Linkin Park's songs usually has, the background matches their music genre, which is rock. The pictures from the concert is one close up of Chester Bennington, and one long shot of Brad Delson with his fans surrounding him. These pictures gives a sense of how the atmosphere was at the concert. The article contains more pictures then text, this makes it more entertaining and eyepleasing. The audience is teenagers. Kerrang has given a review of the concert, and also made a column about how leadsinger Chester Bennington taught it went. There is also three interviews of fans, where they tell how they think it went. This gives a diversity of opinions on the concert. The fans are in different ages and genders to get a variation of opinion. We also get a sense of how the band is by seeing pictures of the fans. We can see that the fans all have clothes that can be associated with rockfans.
- 32. The article is written in a way that is demanding for the reader, you have to know a great deal about the band and their music to get the concertreview. The language is pretty informal.