Initial Research Magazines (Any Genre)

The main task that I have been given is to create a music magazine of a particular genre, consisting of a front cover, contents page and double page spread.
In order to to do this i will need to complete three things:

1: Research and Planning
2: Production
3: Evaluation

Rock Sound Magazine
Front Page
This magazines genre is rock/indie/pop-punk. It profiles a different variety of new and old bands, and tries to advertise to both mainstream and independant music audiences. Both male and female people will buy this magazine, and both of them will read it. They would be underacheivers and radicals, hedonists and be around an E and a C2 on the Jicnar Scale. The black and grey colouring of the magazines look very stylish, and indicate that this magazine is aiming out to an older teenage audience, so about 16+ whereas other magazines, like Kerrang! aim at a lower age.

Content
Rocksound uses a large image to cover two pages with a smaller article. The effect of using this large image is so that the reader gains instant interest by being able to directly focus on a large image. This is therefore more successful than using smaller images and as the article continues onto another page, the reader will be more likely to continue reading. For the image, the individuals are all wearing similar colour clothing which identifies them as a group. The magazine then uses yellow title boxes in the corners as to make them stand out as the section within the magazine on band 'exposure', this stands out to the reader and draws them even further into looking at the page and reading the article. The image also presents the main/lead person in the band to be percieved as the person in the centre as he is the person with the most animated expression, while the others look closer to being contempt. This ensures that the reader is focusing more upon one individual that the article may focus on.

Mix Mag

Front Cover
Mix Mag is a specifically designed magazine for dance music. It is aimed at students, who obviously like to get out and have a good time. Both male and female would buy this, although it does look slightly girly. It features things like Ibiza trips and free CDs to entice the audience further.
Content
This is an example of the kind of pages MixMag has in its content. This is titled 'This months must-have tunes!' Having that kind of title automaticaly entices the reader, especially as it would of been why they would of brought the magazine in the first place. This kind of title is good for an audience who has maybe just brought a new music player, or phone and would like to know what good, dance music there is for him/her purchase. The rest of the page shows example of a top ten chart, having the songs put down in chronological order, putting a small review of each tune underneath a picture of the artist who created the song. It then has a small section dedicated to one of the dance music industrys top artists, writing for MixMag exclusively. By that he has divised his own chart list. This is a very good feature as people will obviously be interested to read this anyway, as it features a good artist, but to know what music he finds good lets the audience feel closer to him, and it also ensures the reader will carry on reading it.

Q Magazine

Front Cover
Q magazine has a very, very varied take on music. Featuring Lily Allen to U2 it covers all sorts of music. The front cover is very simple, but it makes it stylish and appeal to the audience. It would appeal to both male and females, and it would aim at people around 17+. I dont think it appeals to a younger audience as it looks simple, and not very creative, and young people like there magazines to be filled with imagination.

Content

This is a double page spread featuring the band The Gaslight Anthem'. The way they are stood in the picture suggests they are very carefree, and happy to stand up to what they belive in, which is probably one of the themes of the piece about them anyway. I dont think that teenagers aged around 13+ would read this, unless they know of the band and are real fans of them. I think this because the page isnt very exciting, and magazines like Kerrang! have set a high bar for pages to be exciting and appealing to age groups like that. I think that the obvious older audience wouldnt be interested in what the page looks like in general, just aslong as it is simple and easy to read, which this double page spread is. It has simple, yet complimenting colours and how the picture is placed next to the text is very unoriginal, and chronological, so therefore easy to read.

Kerrang! Magazine

Front Cover
This magazine has a genre of rock and mainly 'emo' music. Although sometimes other kinds of music is profiled in the magazine, it is usually of those two genres. It is aimed at both male and female people, aged around 13 to 25, depending on what the magazine is covering. They would be underacheivers and radicals, hedonists and be around an E and a C2 on the Jicnar Scale. I think that this cover appeals to the audience because it has a sans serif font, which doesnt imply style and class, and makes it less intimidating for the readers. The main sell is the band LOSTPROPHETS, and the picture for them is large and takes up most of the cover, this entices fans of the band and it makes it more appealing, as it indicates there will not be alot of writing to read, and that is good for the audience of this magazine.

Content

This is an example of the content Kerrang magazine have in their magazine. It is of an album review of the band 'Five Finger Death Punch'. Prior to that it also has small album reviews on less well known bands on the side. On the review for FFDP it has a small interview from someone in the band. I think this is a good page as it lets the audience know which albums they think are good and not good, and as the reader will probably trust kerrang! they will go by what they say, and therefore create a sense of loyalty to the magazine. So if that reader needs to know about an album in the future, or about a band, then they will look to kerrang for the answers they give. It is a very simply laid out page, and it looks very neat. Although it wont exactly entice the reader, it gives them a chance to focus on the text, as there is alot to read.