NME Magazine
LANGUAGE
Front Cover: The front cover uses many of the language concepts within itself. A bold, clean, short masthead of NME; a colour scheme of red, white and black which creates a clear house-style; a medium close up of Liam Gallagher, as this attracts the reader’s attention because it’s the image used on the magazine, also it states that this particular issue is going to have an insight to his emotions due to the main article being featured, and using a quote from this article, the advert for this piece is on top of the main imagery therefore the audience realise that this is the main topic, this is what should be read. The front cover of the NME magazine also features different articles within the magazine and free gifts such as posters of musicians relating to the indie-rock genre of the magazine. In the bottom right corner, there’s a barcode, price tag and issue date being used, also the price tag and issue date are repeated underneath the masthead so the audience can see clearly which issue it is they are reading, and the cost of the magazine.
Contents Page: The clear house style has continued from the front cover, this therefore shows continuity throughout the magazine. Thumbnails are used to illustrate a few of the other main articles being broadcasted, also the main articles have a slight description underneath the header, as this allows the reader to have a clear view what the article is about and whether or not they’ll be interested in that particular article. Again there is an issue date and a title which is bold, clear and in capitals reading “INSIDE THIS WEEK.” Also an advertisement has been included, advertising the Christmas special pricing of the weekly subscription to the magazine.
Double Page Spread: The language used on this double page spread would be the clear house style which has been a continuous use throughout the magazine, the reason for NME using these colours are possibly because it is their main theme colours and that is what people know them by. A medium shot of Liam Gallagher different from the front cover, this then therefore allows the reader to see how he reacts to the photo-shoot. The text being used within this piece of writing is appropriate for the media being used across the double spread as it focuses on Liam and his band Beady Eye, also this piece of text allows the audience to have an insight to what the band members actually think of their audience and the problems going on within the world. There has also been usage of celebrity endorsement as the article is about the band, and with this piece of writing it allows this particular band to receive a lot more publicity than what they already have.
INSITUTION
IPC Media are the institution of the NME Magazine as they’re the company which publishes the magazine, they are known to the media world to be one of the best publishing companies within the UK as they publish over 60 different magazines, and sell over 350 million magazines in a year. IPC Media don’t only focus on publishing magazines, they also focus on publishing different types of text such as, books, newspapers, printing (non-newspaper), trade and technical (specialist magazines) and many more. Also this business has three publishing divisions, mass market women, upmarket women and men. The NME team are the ones which write the articles, complete the design schemes and hold photo-shoots for each of the celebrities being shown in the magazine, before sending the information to the IPC Media for it to be published and ready to be sold in retail.
IDEOLOGY
The ideology of the NME magazine would be to portray the truth of celebrities being featured in their magazine, to get information about new upcoming and old bands and to feature tour dates for this genre, so the audience will have an idea about the magazines messages. This magazine will allow the audience to view how Liam Gallagher and the other band members have portrayed themselves, within their double page spread; this will make the target audience want to buy the magazine as they may have an interest in this particular band, or the magazine itself. NME Magazine will also offer more information on other musicians for the target audience to read about, therefore they will be more inclined to carry on buying the magazine weekly as they’ll want to find out the latest information on particular bands, solo-artists and/or the genre itself.
AUDIENCE
The targeted audience for the NME music magazine would be people who have a high interest in the indie-rock genre and finding out a wide range of information to do with the different musicians and tour dates which they may have set. Using the demographics gender and age scale, the category which this magazine would fit into would be the 15-24 years, as they are known to have a high interest in this particular genre and are most likely to buy magazines to keep up to date with their favourite bands. As the target audience falls into the casual labourers, unemployed, state pensioners category from the demographics S.E.G chart, they will have a small budget of money, therefore the cost of this magazine at £2.40 is a reasonable cost, as the company won’t be losing any customers because it’s relatively cheap for the amount of information being handed out.
REPRESENTATION
NME magazine represents this genre of music in accurately, as from the front cover it shows that Liam Gallagher is the main celebrity in this issue and the way he and his band mates are portrayed shows them truthful, they come across as they don’t care how they should behave, they will act how they do in everyday life and not live a lie. This is exactly what the NME magazine portrays as the company itself want the audience to be able to see that the magazine is different to competitions, and is worth the money. Also, the imagery and text being used allows the audience to see that the magazine represents the indie-rock genre accurately as they are focusing on the main bands within this genre and don’t lead astray to other musicians. This entices the audience to buy the NME magazine as they realise they get the accurate information for a relatively cheap price.
Double Page Spread: The text used on this double page spread is relevant to the media as it’s all about The Rolling Stones, and their album Beggars Banquet; the clear house style has been continuous throughout the magazine; the article title of ‘BEGGARS BANQUET’ is in capital letters and a bold font as if the article is shouting “read me”; also the imagery used within this page would be a medium shot of the album art, CD, and an image taken from the Sympathy For The Devil, as these images used illustrate the article and make it a much more appealing page to look at. This double page spread however isn’t as appealing as the competitive magazines spread as this is mainly text and isn’t very interesting, whereas NME and Kerrang use interesting layouts and don’t only use block images.
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| Front Cover of Kerrang Magazine |
KERRANG Magazine
LANGUAGE
Front Cover: The front cover of the Kerrang magazine uses many concepts of the language area within the LIIAR asterisk. If the reader is a first time buyer than they may not appreciate how the magazine has designed it’s layout as the musician covers the normal styled masthead, and usually the masthead is bold and clear to draw attention to itself therefore the reader will know what the magazine is called, however if the audience has been buying this magazine for a long time they will appreciate how the layout is. The way the masthead has been styled it’s as if the word ‘Kerrang’ is being shouted loudly due to it being an exclamatory, also if the audience is extremely interested in music, then they will realise that the name Kerrang is a similar noise to what an electric guitar makes when it’s being strummed hard. The musician used for the main imagery has been shot in a long shot, allowing the audience to see his full body, also the way the musician has posed looks as if he is reaching out to the audience telling them to pick the magazine up and read the article about him, however when looking at the front cover there isn’t an article about the musician himself like there is with the competitive magazine NME, this musician is advertising what he believes are the “50 heaviest albums of all time” also written underneath this small heading there is an insight to what bands and apart of the list. There is a colour scheme of red, black, white, blue and yellow which is clear, however usually a clear house-style is two to three colours whereas this colour scheme has five different colours; the colours seem to have been thrown together without much thought being put into the design which can lead to the target audience walking away as the magazine doesn’t look to be appealing. Usually on magazines there is a price tag and issue number somewhere on the front cover, not just in the barcode box; however with this magazine these items can only be found in the barcode box along with the Kerrang website. Also on the front cover are thumbnails of what the free gifts are inside, which are posters of Avenged Sevenfold. The layout of this front cover isn’t very appealing, however it fits the genre it represents which is rock/metal, as this genre stereotypes people to be untidy and care-free.
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| Contents Page from Kerrang Magazine |
Contents Page: However unlike the untidy layout of the front cover, the contents page has a clear layout which is simple and easy to read, but the layout is bland and boring, which may not appeal to the target audience. In the competitive magazine (NME) the main article wasn’t just broadcasted on the front cover, but also broadcasted on the contents page, however in the Kerrang magazine, the ‘main’ article is under the features heading, which could make the reader’s believe that, that particular article isn’t worth reading as it doesn’t get much recognition. The colour scheme first issued on the front cover continues to the contents page, but this time the colours aren’t all teamed up together, they’re separating which allows it to be clear and seen well. There are also small descriptions underneath certain articles allowing the reader to have an insight to these particular articles; also there are thumbnails which illustrate three articles. Along the bottom of the page there is a letter to the readers from the editor, and an advertisement for a subscription fee for the Kerrang magazine.
Double Page Spread: The language used on this double page spread would be the continuous flow of the colour scheme which has been seen throughout the magazine; big bold writing which draws the audience’s attention to the title then down to the actually media referenced text, the text is appropriate to the genre and the media within the Kerrang magazine, as it focuses on what the title states which would be “The 50 heaviest albums ever made,” this relates to the target audience as they’ll be able to either agree or disagree with the journalist/musician which came up with this list. Also, to illustrate each album being named are small thumbnails of each album art, and thumbnails of the band but only on certain pieces of text.
INSTITUION
The institution of the Kerrang magazine is the large German Bauer Media Group publishing company, operating in 15 countries globally. This company publishes six different magazines, media and television issues, and also has its own radio station. The publishing company also owns 50% of certain music channels shown in the UK. Kerrang will be working with this publishing company as they have a good reputation for doing well within the media business, therefore they’ll publish Kerrang weekly and keep them in business. The Kerrang team are the people which design and write particular information for the magazine, whereas the Bauer Media Group is the company which do the publishing.
IDEOLOGY
The ideology which the Kerrang magazine chooses to portray would be accurate as within this particular issue Robb Flynn tells the magazine in his own words about the rebirth of his band and how he owes it to his friends from the band Metallica, which allows the target audience to see his emotions poured out onto a page, and his actual behaviour rather than how he would act on stage when performing. Kerrang also portrays other musicians and information inside the magazine truthfully, as the musicians will want all the publicity they could possibly have and for people to go out and attend their tours and buy their music. With the magazine doing this, the target audience will be far more motivated to buy this weekly edit magazine, this way they can find up to date information on the genre they like the most.
AUDIENCE
The target audience for this particular magazine would be people aged 15-24 who have an interest in the rock genre, also categorised as casual labourers, unemployed, state pensioners’ according to the demographics S.E.G chart, meaning that they won’t be receiving much money for themselves to buy the things they may want, this is why Kerrang magazine have chosen to price the magazine at £2.20 this way it’s only a small amount of money going towards a magazine each week; if the pricing of the magazine was higher than they may start to lose customers.
REPRESENTATION
Kerrang magazine represents the musicians in this particular rock genre accurately; because on the front cover it uses taboo language however asterisks are being used to keep the magazine seem reasonable for the issue. Kerrang do this so the audience will buy the magazine as the magazine features exactly what is being said by the musician, therefore the audience they will realise that everyone is the same, and use different types of language every day. This allows the audience to realise that the magazine will be portraying this particular article truthfully due to the text being used. Also, the imagery being used throughout the magazine represents the genre accurately according to the stereotype which the rock genre is given, to be tight black clothed, long hair, big bands and quirky instruments. The audience are lured into buying the magazine as they believe that every piece of information is true, due to the way it is presented throughout the magazine.
LANGUAGE
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| Front cover of UNCUT Magazine |
Front Cover: The front cover of the UNCUT magazine features many of the language concept s; the magazine has a clear masthead of ‘THE ROLLING STONES’ however this isn’t the name of the magazine, this is only the masthead because it’s the The Rolling Stones special. A colour scheme of red, black and white, which creates a clear house style; a long shot of the band which is featured throughout the magazine (The Rolling Stones) but the imagery used is in black and white which draws attention to the audience as the only colour used is the text, also having The Rolling Stones as the main image, allows the audience to see that this particular magazine will definitely feature the band, and due to the main cover line ‘Fight the establishment? We just wanted to be free!’ shows the audience that the band will be discussing important issues which they feel needs to be discussed; also there are many other cover lines which are featured along the bottom of the front cover, therefore the audience will realise there are other articles throughout the magazine, and free gifts such as rare photos which could be used as posters. The front cover also includes a barcode, price and issue number in the right third section of the page.
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| Contents page within UNCUT Magazine |
Contents Page: The contents page found in the UNCUT magazine doesn’t really appeal to the audience, as its lists of the articles which are featured in the magazine, without any thumbnail images to illustrate the article; the layout is dreary and weak. However underneath every article there is a small description, which allows the audience to have a slight insight to particular articles. In the competitive magazines both Kerrang and NME have better contents pages as they have a better layout, however the NME contents page appeals more to the audience as it’s many thumbnails being used, and not a lot of text which can look unattractive. The colour scheme from the previous page continues onto the contents page, however a new gold colour has been used, which highlights the type of article being issued, such as interview or LP. Along the bottom of the page, it shows the institution of the magazine, and the UNCUT team.
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| Double Page Spread of UNCUT Magazine |
INSTITUTION
The institution of the UNCUT magazine would be IPC Media, who also publishes the NME magazine; they have been called the best publishing company by the media world, as they publish over 60 different magazines, and sell over 350 million each year. However the UNCUT magazine don’t do the publishing, they have a team which do the producing of the magazines e.g. writing, editing, interviewing and taking the photos of the musicians featured within the magazine.
IDEOLOGY
The ideology issued from this particular issue of the magazine would be accurate readings, as The Rolling Stones sell their ‘complete story: 47 years of big hits and high times,’ this allows the audience targeted to read the first-hand information given to them from each musician within the band. Also, their behaviour is the same as what it would have been 47 years ago, they have progressed as people, however their attitude has stayed the same as musicians, the target audience will realise this if they listen to this particular band. UNCUT magazine does this as they know the target audience will be more tending to buy this particular magazine if they are given to truth in an accurate way, without the media lying so they can gain more customers/viewers.
AUDIENCE
The target audience for this particular magazine has been founded by the IPC Media to be 86% males usually around 37 years of age, using the demographics the age group for UNCUT magazine is 35-55, however UNCUT themselves try to target their male audience to an age range of 25-45 years of age, as they have more of an understanding and an appreciation for the specific genre of music which this magazine focuses on.
REPRESENTATION
UNCUT magazine represents the musicians within the rock genre accurately, as the language used on the front cover of the magazine is said directly from the band featured in this particular issue. The magazine does this as this is what the specific audience look for in this magazine, the audience don’t want to read about the ‘new’ rock genre, they want to read about the rock genre they grew up listening to and this is what UNCUT magazine has to offer.
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