Gabrielle Butler

Music Magazine LIIAR Analysis 1- Top of the pops

REPRESENTATION: This music magazine front cover connotes a happy fun girly pink theme as the images all have celebs who are smiling with a relaxed body posture. The anchorage text for this front cover is located around the image and is short and snappy however getting straight to the point. The choice of text and the wording entices you to read the contents of the magazine as it is what the target audience want to read about. The text relates straight to the target audience as the language that is used is the same language children and young teenagers use. The INSTITUTIONS for this magazine- the magazine will be available in a print version in newsagents, supermarkets and local convenience stores. The IDEOLOGY denotes the fun aspect of growing up and having an interest in music, gossip and fashion. LANGUAGE- The male and female models are youthful and similar in age to the target audience. The clothes worn by the stars are fashionable and similar to those available to any high street shopper. There is an intertexual link with the main image as the text reads One of these girls has a secret as well as Little Mix take over Top of the Pops. Little Mix are very popular with the target audience. The stars are demonstrating that they do have a secret by their hand gestures. The photographer has used a low angle, close up shot for the main image. 7 further images are located around the front cover to denote a range of content within the magazine. In all images the stars are using the direct mode of address and most appear to be having fun in the photo session. Aston however has a shocked look to fit with the text Ill end op like Simon Cowell. The articles in the magazine are highlighted in the sell lines. Features within this magazine include topics such as bullying, secrets and friendships. The Top of the Pops magazine promises to provide an up to date monthly catch up on the music chart gossip at an interest level for younger teenage girls. There are also articles on fashion e.g. 108 ways to look winter wonderful, boys and beauty advice. Top of the Pops magazine always provides a lure or free gift, poster or sticker set. Having stories which engage and attract the reader will increase demand for the product. INSTITUTION-Top of the Pops magazine is a monthly publication published by Immediate Media Company. It features chart information, star gossip, fashion and beauty advice, quizzes, song lyrics and posters. It is a supplementary magazine for the TV show Top of the Pops until the latter was cancelled in 2006. The magazine was launched in February 1995 and it was originally marketed as the missing link between Smash Hits and NME, but its format was gradually changed, with less music content and a demographic shift to young girls. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_of_the_Pops_(magazine)

Gabrielle Butler AUDIENCE-The target audience for the magazine is pre-teenage- teenage approximately 11-15 years. It is mainly aimed at young females. This is clear from the colour scheme, phrases and language. For a readership who are interested in celebrities and teen stars. The main methods used to engage and attract this target audience are the girly pink and red colours, the typography, the use of slang and the contents. The typical contents include: o o o o Your OopsReaders send in the most shameful stories Gossip 2 GoThe month's hottest celebrity gossip The Wonderful World Of The Wanted-A page written by The Wanted Don't MissThe magazine picks some of the hottest films, TV programmes and games, plus the latest single reviews by a random celebrity Top Of The ShopsThe magazine picks out some of the hottest bargains, where you can buy them, and their price Real LifeThe magazine draws our attention to situations that happen in the real world The Surgeryoriginally called Star Therapy, this was hosted by a random celebrity who tries to sort out readers' problems. Your Letters

o o

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_of_the_Pops_(magazine))

Music Magazine LIIAR Analysis 2- Kerrang!

LANGUAGE: The December 2010 issue of Kerrang! magazine features a central main image of the two front men of the UK's biggest bands at the time. The stars are Bullet For My Valentine's Matt Tuck and Bring Me The Horizon's Oli Sykes. In December 2010 Bullet were in the Top 5 with Temper Temper. Matt and Oli are stereotypical rock artists both in their appearance and gestures. They are of the same age and gender (30ish adult male) as the target audience. The language is direct and unfussy- the wording immediately engages with the rock music readership. Kerrang! is named after the onomatopoeic word that derives from the sound made when playing a power chord on a distorted electric guitar, Kerrang! Was produced to appeal to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and the rise of hard rock acts. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerrang!) The sell lines state thats there are also features in this issue on HIM as front man Ville Valo sets the record straight on split rumours, Disturbed and Papa Roach going head to head. Corey Taylor talks on his bid for the Christmas Number One. 30 Seconds To Mars give an inside look at their successful year. For those readers who enjoy tours there is information to engage them regarding the Kerrang! Relentless Energy Drink Tour 2011. Reviews from the Deftones etc will allow the readership to have insider information. This allows the audience to fulfil a need to belong.

Gabrielle Butler Rewards and incentives are advertised on the front cover through the Win! feature. Readers will have a chance to meet You Me At Six, Disturbed, Papa Roach, Buckcherry and Halestorm in the competitions. The headline Kerrang! is in the same position as in earlier editions and uses the standard font in capitals letters for reader recognition. The font looks like shattered glass. The image is placed in front of the text- this is a common aspect on a Kerrang front cover- this is part of the magazines brand identity. The use of strap lines at the top and bottom of the page is common for Kerrang! As is the use of information in the top right pug position. This magazine cover is successful in appealing to its rock and metal fans as it uses a large image of a well known metal stars- this will draw the fans in. The magazine does not stray from its theme as it only includes bands and musicians of this particular genre. This can reduce the size of the potential audience.

IDEOLOGY Kerrang! Began with the focus of the New Wave of the British Heavy Metal and the start of hard rock acts. Currently rock music is the bigger focus. Features and content are on hard rock and heavy metal with iconic all male bands on the front cover. This front cover fits with the house style as the stars are looking angry and violent. INSTITUTION Kerrang! is UK-based magazine published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one-off supplement of the Sounds newspaper. It is now a weekly magazine. It is named after the onomatopoeic word that derives from the sound made when playing a power chord on an electric guitar. Music focus has ranged from New wave to thrash to glam metal to nu metal to emo to metal core. In the early 2000s, it became the best selling British music newspaper. Kerrang! Enterprise has not only the print magazine but also a website, awards, TV channel, digital radio station, tour and rock chart. This range of media platforms is a strategy known as synergy. Kerrang! promote the products steadily through different broadcast mediums and thus attract new customers< all forms will refer to each other e.g. the Kerrang! website gives customers the option to subscribe to the magazine. International editions of Kerrang! Are available in Australia, Germany and Spain. Kerrang! represents an example of cross media ownership within the music magazine industry. Bauer media not only owns Kerrang! but also Q and MOJO AUDIENCE- from my research on the industry I found that Kerrang! is aimed at the youth and their lifestyles and it has a rocky edge. 45.3% female and 54.7% male readership. 51% of ABC1 profile. 56.1% aged 15-24 Source: NRS January 2012 - December 2012. Kerrang!s audience is niche. They mainly target that of males who have a deep interest in rock culture and music. They also are targeting a younger audience, when compared to Q Magazine. -Kerrang! also includes in depth articles and themes that are heavy rock and its background. Kerrang! has many engaging topics to interest the readership. The readers can get involved by replying to polls and surveys as well as sharing opinions and views. REPRESENTATIONS- The colour scheme follows the house style of Kerrang! I.e. black, white and splashes of yellow. These colours are often associated with the genre of rock/metal. The black and white contrast well against the alternating background colours. These colours will entice the audience. The contents pages follow the same colour scheme as the front cover. The double page spread will also do this as part of the brand identity.

Gabrielle Butler

Music Magazine LIIAR Analysis 3

This issue of NME (23 Nov 2013) is the most uncluttered of the 3 magazines in this piece of work. INSTITUTION-The New Musical Express, now known as NME, is a music publication in the UK, published weekly since 7th March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, in the 14 November 1952 edition. In the 1970s it became the bestselling British music newspaper . circulation was 23942 in July Dec 2011. the current editor is Mike Williams. Theodore Smythson was the founder. NME has become a truly unique multi-platform media proposition. Across the magazine, NME.com, NME Video and the brand's live events and awards, NME reaches over 1.1 million music fans every week. NME is the longest published and most respected music weekly in the world. Every week it gives its readers the most exciting, most authoritative coverage of the very best in new music, including award-winning features, the latest releases, live reviews, the definitive guide to the best new bands in its Radar section, as well as a regular look back through the magazine's incredible 60 year heritage. AUDIENCE- NME.COM is the world's biggest standalone music site serving an intensely engaged audience of 16-24 year-olds. It draws on NME's heritage as a music authority to delight users with a mix of news, opinion and artist interviews. NME.COM is where the most passionate music fans on the planet come together. Constantly innovating across a variety of platforms, NME is everywhere its audience wants it to be. ABC: 20,011 (ABC Jan-Jun 13)/ NRS: 247,000 (NRS July-Dec 12)/ Unique Users: 7.7m. The front cover will engage predominantly males aged 16-24. The front cover also suggests that the audience will be dedicated indie music fans and they will also be regular and loyal buyers of this magazine. This magazine is available on line or on newsstands under music magazines. The magazine has national distribution with a percentage of global sales or online hits including readers in America. REPRESENTATION-The front cover of the magazine features the band the Pixies. They are well known but interest is current due to the addition of a new bassist. The Pixies are an American alternative rock band. The Pixies achieved relatively modest commercial success in their home country, but were significantly more successful in the United Kingdom and mainland Europe. The group disbanded in 1993 under acrimonious circumstances, but reunited in 2004 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixies). Their popularity across Europe is important as readership can be expanded from more than just the UK. The band's style of music contains a range of elements, including indie rock, psychedelia, noise rock, and surf rock. Songs include a number of offbeat subjects in the band's songs, such as extraterrestrials, surrealism, incest, and biblical violence. This will appeal to the target readership IDEOLOGY- The stars are wearing black and white and this complements the colour theme for the front cover. The back ground is also white. The only real splash of colour is the red Masthead- the magazine title NME. The stars are from the same age group of the target audience. The magazine

Gabrielle Butler includes many features (Lily Allen singing in a floating capsule, Rolling Stones' old tour snaps, Broken Bells); interviews with The Black Lips, Darlia, Alan McGee and... Geordie Michael - Alan Partridge's mate! Plus album reviews from Torres and Lady Gaga. Live acts are featured e.g. Arcade Fire and The Killers. None of these are listed on the front page. Only the names of Jake Bugg, Chvrches and Lily Allen are listed by the masthead. LANGUAGE- Technical codes-The main colours used are a white background with a contrasting black. The typeface is very regular in style and is mostly in lower case with a contrasting background to the text box. At the bottom of the image there is a hand from the photographer/ reader which is extending to the new bassist. The reader will feel welcoming of the new player as he smiles and tilts his head slightly to the side suggesting friendliness and approachability. The camera angle is a low angle, close up shot - this is to emphasis the status of the band. Text included on the cover has a clear language, the font colour alternates as the reader scans down the introductory sell line. The main function of the message on the cover is to engage the reader in learning about the main feature.