Conventions of an NME contents page

The contents page typically uses a pale background that's pale grey with red, white and black text. The contents page uses red because it's a powerful and intense colour and it uses white and black because they contrast well and stand out of the grey background. The image isn't actually of a person but the building is being represented as magestic because the camera is tilted up at it which links in with the headline, 'Our photo tribute to three decades of gigs at one of the world's greatest music venues'. The magazine has an ideology where music is important. A piece of media language that shows this is the 'Band Index' on the left side of the page which shows that there is a lot of music featured in the magazine. There are five different sections on the right side of the page that show what the magazine is split into. The other contents page shows that the headlines stay the same every week which creates continuity.

There's one main image on the contents page of Ricky from the Kaiser Chiefs and a reference to what page the interview is. The main image take up about 2/3 of the page but there's a box along the bottom and down the right side of the page taking up the rest of the space.

The box along the bottom has pictures of people and probably page references whereas the box along the side splits the magazine into sections: Gig Guide, Live!, Reviews, Features, Radar and News.

Each of these has black or white text which makes it easy to read against the bright colours of the boxes. The actual background to the page is white though.

The contents page also advertises it's own magazine at the bottom which shows that NME is a commercial institution as it's selling for money.

Conventions of Radar's double Page Spread

On both of the pages blue is a dominant colour which is obviously to do with the magazine's colourscheme, 'Radar'. On the top one the background is still plain although it's blue rather than the typical, white, black or grey. The background on the other one is white bu the background of the main image is of a bedroom to imply that the article will go into the artist's personal life, 'Need to Know: The Teenagers'.
On both spreads the artists are represented in different ways. On the first one they're being represented as confident and stylish by their pose and costumes whereas in the bottom one the artists are being represented as relaxed and chilled out because of the setting their in, the bedroom, their costumes, informal T-shirts and jeans, and their layed back pose. The text on both only takes up a quarter of the space which is typical of double page spreads and on the bottom one two pictures are used rather than one. The audience of the magazine are probably a younger generation whose into fresh artists and bands. The ideology of the magazine is new music. An item of media language that shows this is the article on the new band, 'Mini Viva'.

Comparing the Conventions of a Double Page Spread

The image still takes up 3/4 of the page except it's set up so that the text is along the bottom and the pictures are along the top. The double page spread is also unusual because it uses two images instead of one. The magazine obviously has an ideology where music and image is important. This is shown by the fact that the interview is with a singer. Also Shakira's clothes and style shows that the magazine wants to look quite glamourous but realistic as the main heading links in with the picture 'Danger! Shakira at Work'. By using an office as the setting for the picture it makes the interview seem more realistic than it would if it was in a studio. The magazine uses colour in the double page spread. It uses pale blue because it's a soothing colour and by using it continually throughout the article it creates continuity. Shakira is being represented as hardworking, by the setting, glamourous, because of her costume, and confident because of her pose where her feet are on the desk. She also is wearing red heels because red is a powerful and intense colour that catches the reader's eye. Red is also used throughout the article creating continuity. The magazine is obviously commercial because it's looking to make money out of selling. The audience would probably be quite young as Shakira is a young artist who are music enthusiasts but who also want to see style, fashion and glamour.

The text on the double page is only 1/4 of the space. 3/4 is the picture. The headline, 'Will He Won't He?' is the same colour as the main artists clothes which creates continuity throughout the page.
The font is black against a white background so that it's easily readable and it's an interview with the band.
Only one image is used and there is a constant colour scheme. The band is being represented as confident in the picture as they're looking directly into the camera. They're also being represented as sophisticated because of the costumes they're wearing.
The ideology of the magazine is style and image. A feature of media language that shows this is the main image were each member of the band is wearing a sophisticated and stylish costume. The audience is probably quite young because Black Eyed Peas aren't a really old band.

Conventions of Q Contents Page

The contents page uses a plain background so that the reader's eyes isn't drawn from the main image. It uses mainly three colours, white, red and black except for the picture which are the colours typically used on the cover of a music magazine.
The contents page helps reinforce the reader by showing the context of the magazine therefore it reinforces the ideology and reflects a typical front cover.
The contents page has one large image and one smaller one at the bottom of the page advertising a review.
The ideology of Q is obviously music enthusiasts who like a diverse range of music. An element of media language that shows this is the main image of the band Oasis.

Typical Headlines

'Lily Allen - & her wicked, wicked ways' - Q
'Christina Aguilera - The Dirty Girl Fights Back' - Rolling Stone
'Taylor Swift - Country Teen Queen Takes Her Music Global' - Billboard
'Johnny Cash - The Untold Story' - Uncut
'The Beatles' - Uncut
'Anthony Kiedis - SEX (LOTS!), DRUGS (NOT!) AND MAN SKIRTS' - Blender
'Katy Perry - Kiss 'N' Tell With Pop's Bi-Curious Babe' - Blender
'R.E.M. - Ressurected' - Spin
'Duffy - A Pop Soul Sensation' - Spin
'The Jonas Brothers - God! Girls! Guitars!' - Rolling Stone
'Taylor Swift - Secrets Of A Good Girl' - Rolling Stone
'Kraftwerk - Rebuilt and Rebooted' - Mojo
'The Beatles - The Album that Shocked The World' - Mojo
'Slipknot - Somebody's Gonna Get Killed...' - Kerrang
'Madonna - Stupid Question! Next!' - Q
'Morrissey - The Mozfather Back At His Shocking Best' - NME

All of the headlines have the artist that features in the main image's name followed by a catchy tagline that sometimes uses illitaration or a pun, 'God! Girls! Guitars!'

Magazine names

Typical name is one word (or one letter) either 1 or 2 syllables:
Uncut
Blender
Spin
Rolling Stone
Paste
The Wire
Mojo
Kerrang
Q
NME
Rocksound
The Word

Possible names:
Crunch
Fourty
Season
Demand
Cube
Voltage
Tune
Zone
Fate
Trace

Prices + Frequency

Q - Cover price: 3.90. Frequency: 12 issues per year
Kerrang - Cover price: 2.20. Frequency: 51 issues per year
Mojo - Cover price: 4.50 Frequency: 12 issues per year
NME - Cover price: 2.10 Frequency: 51 issues per year
The Word - Cover price: 4.80 Frequency: 12 issues per year
Uncut - Cover price: 4.20. Frequency: 12 issues per year
Rock Sound - Cover price: 3.80 Frequency: 13 issues per year

Prices range between £2.10 - £4.80 and are either issued every month or once a week. The magazines that are issued monthly are more expensive than the weekly magazines. I would issue my magazine once a week at either £2.10 or £2.20 so that people can afford it as pop music is mainly aimed at younger people that might not or only just be financhially independent so they can't afford to spend £5 on a magazine.

Covers for Magazines that Feature Pop

On all of the covers there is a main artist and all of them are looking into the camera. The artists names are all used as headlines. Pop music magazines have an ideology where image is important. A piece of media language that supports this is the main images where all of the artists are posed to make them represented as seductive and glamourous whereas artists that specialise in other genres of music would be represented differently.

The audience for pop music magazines are obviously pop music enthusiasts. The target audiene are probably young people as most pop artists are young, 'Taylor Swift'. The audience expects the artists to be represented as rich and glamourous. It's probably important to the target audiene that they keep up with all the new pop music through reviews and interviews. All of the magazines have a plain background but the Rolling Stone cover uses a pale blue as the background rather than using the typical white, grey or black background.

The other subtitles all reference music, 'I am a tiger - Oasis'. In all three covers there is only one main image and no smaller images.

Top Pop Music Magazines

1. Q

2. Rolling Stone

3. Entertainment Weekly

4. Billboard

5. Blender

6. Alternative Press

7. Paste

8. Vibe

9. NME

10. Spin

http://top40.about.com/od/top10lists/tp/musicmagazines.htm

Research on Main Image of Music Magazines

My research of a diverse range of music magazines showed that a music magazine is most likely to use a male solo artist as the front cover of their magazine who is looking directly into the camera.

Then it's next likely to be a band looking into the camera:

Then it's female solo artists looking into the camera.

The next likely main image is a male solo artist who isn't looking into the camera:

Then it's a band who isn't looking into the camera:

And the least likely main image is of a female solo artist who isn't looking into the camera.

My research also showed that plain backgrounds are often used in magazines with either white, grey or black backgrounds. 5 out of 30 magazines had a coloured background. Most covers have a main picture which is the only picture but some have smaller ones as well to go next to the subheadings. 9 out of 30 magazines had smaller images as well as a main one. 19 out of 30 magazines used red on their covers.

Conventions of Uncut

Uncut is a UK music magazine that also features film reviews as well as interviws and news. As an institution Uncut is mainly a magazine but it used to produce a DVD magazine as well.

Uncut's audience are probably middle age as it features quite a lot of older music as well as some new music. Uncut has an ideology where old music is important. A piece of media language that shows this is the headline, 'The Beatles'.

In the front covers of the magazine there are two really different colour schemes because one is really coloured whereas the other one is really bland with only, grey, white, red and black which shows that Uncut doesn't have a typical colour scheme for each magazine. Both covers have a line at the top of the magazine, 'The Return of Blur', which shows that Uncut follows the conventions of a typical music magazine as it also has subtitles and no more than two pictures.

Conventions of Blender

Blender has an audience who is probably young and enthusiastic about music as it features modern artists and also advertises downloads. Its audience includes people who like general music as Blender ranges from dance and hip-hop to rock, alternative and R&B. Blender is also known for it's pictorials of female celebrities.
Both magazines have bland backgrounds. One is white whilst the other one is grey. This means that all the attentions is on the main image and the subheadings are easy to read. On both covers 'Blender' is covered by the main image which shows that it is a well established magazine because people don't need to see the name to know what it is.

Blender has an ideology where a diverse range of music is important. A piece of media language that shows this are the two main pictures on both front covers. Both of the artists are completely different to each other which shows that Blender includes interviews with diverse artists.

Conventions of Spin magazine

The audience for Spin are young as the magazine doesn't only focus on music but also includes film and art. The audience are also music enthuasiasts who are into ska, pop R&B, rock, hip hop, and rap. The ideology of Spin shows that the youth culture is important. A piece of media language that shows this is, the subtheading, 'Black Kids - the young and the restless'.

Both main images have the band and the artist looking directly into the camera in front of a plain background so that they look confident. They're both doing something with their hands which makes it look like they're reaching out to the audience which represents them as artists who can relate to the audience.

On both front covers the backgrounds are plain and either white or black which makes the name of the magazine, 'Spin', stand out in red. Also the background doesn't draw the readers eye from the main image. Spin also has a website online but doesn't have a radio station or a channel on TV.

Conventions of Rolling Stone

Both covers main titles are covered by the main image which shows that the magazine is well-known so people can recognise it without seeing the title. Both covers have a plain white background and the main image is of either an artist or a band which is one of the conventions of a typical music magazine.

Rolling Stone has an ideology where new and popular music is important. An example of media langaugae that shows this are the two main images of two upcoming artists that are still fairly new in the music world. The audience of Rolling Stone are a younger generation which is obvious because the magazine specialises in new, popular music and includes young artists rather than old and established bands.

In both of the main images the artists are represented as confident because they are looking directly into the camera. Taylor Swift is represented as young and innocent by making her where white which has innocent and pure connotations.

Conventions of Paste

Paste magazine has an audience of general music enthuasiasts but it has emphasis on alternative, Americana and indie rock. The audience for past magazine are also people that enjoy films and books as it features reviews on films and books as well as music.

Paste magazine has an ideology where arts in general are important as well as just music. An example of media language that shows this is the cover line, 'Our 4th Annual Art House Issue'.

On both covers the main image is of people looking into the camera in quite natural enviroments which helps reinforce the ideology and representation of the magazine. The main images of both magazines help define the target audience for the magazine as in one there are books and in the other one the model has a camera which shows that the magazine isn't just about music and helps add to the naturalistic feel of the magazine. The colour scheme also uses very natural colours: green, orange and brown, which helps the ideology and representation.

Conventions of the Wire

The Wire has an ideology where music from the 'outer limit' is important. An example of media language that shows this is the colour scheme that the magazine uses. There is little colour and is mainly, grey black and white on all of the covers. The audience of the wire are music enthuasts who are mainly into avant rock, breakbeat, jazz, modern classic and electronica.
In only one of the covers are the artists featuring in the main image looking at the camera. The other covers main images, all include the artist looking away from the camera which represents them as rebellic and out of the ordinary because typically on the front cover of a music magazine the main image is of the artist looking into the camera.
Since 2003 the Wire, as an institution, has run a radio station as well as making and publishing magazines independantly.

Conventions of Mojo

The audience of Mojo is probably an older generation as they use quite old bands, 'The Beatles' and don't feature more modern music. Mojo, as an instituton, is well known and is on line and has a TV channel. This is shown on the covers back covering the main title with part of the main image.

Colour is important in Mojo because it uses mainly white text and on one magazine the background is red which has connotations of power and danger whereas the other cover has a mainly dark background which contrasts well with the white and there aren't many other bright colours which are often associated with fashion magazines.

Mojo has an ideology where older music and bands are important. An example of media language that shows this is the main title, 'The Beatles - the album that shocked the world'.

Conventions of Kerrang

The audience of Kerrang are music enthusiasts that are generally into: rock, goth, metal, punk, thrash and classic indie and the media language reflects the ideology, representation and audience as the main title of the magazine, 'Kerrang' uses effects to make it looked smashed which reflects the rebellic ideology and representation that Kerrang incorporates.

Kerrang has an ideology where rebellic music is important. An example of media language that shows this is the subtitles that the magazine uses, 'Somebody's Gonna Get Killed'. Kerrang also uses iconic images which helps reinforces the ideology.

The artists used in the images of Kerrang are represented as rebels who might be socially unaccepted. Kerrang does this by using powerful and captivating images. On one of the covers, the artist isn't looking into the camera but the camera is looking up at him which makes him seem powerful and not vulnerable so the image connotates that the artist doesn't care about what the world thinks of him but is still strong and powerful.

Conventions of Q magazine

On one of the covers the title of the magazine, 'Q' is covered by the main image but because it's an established magazine the audience still knows what the magazines name is. On one of the magazines the main image is a medium close up with Madonna looking into the camera so that the shot represents her as confident whereas Lily Allen has a long shot where she's looking over her shoulder into the camera so that she is represented as confident but seductive and mysterious.

Q has an ideology where music and celebrities are important. An example of media language that shows this is that both magazines have the name of the arist they've used as their main image as their masthead. 'MADONNA', and 'LILY ALLEN' which shows that celebrities are important in the ideology of Q. Both covers reference music a lot as well, 'Exclusive! The Stone Roses' which is a convention of music magazines.

The audience of Q magazine are music enthuasiasts that are into modern celebrities such as, 'Madonna' and 'Lily Allen'.

List of Music Magazines

- Alternative Press

Magazine includes information on music, videos, books, movies, fanzine reviews, upcoming release listings, music charts, more.









- Billboard

News, current charts, artist information, and more from well known music magazine.










- Fly
UK music magazine covering dance, jazz, hip hop, and jungle. Offers loads of features, reviews, club info, and more.

http://www.world-newspapers.com/music.html
For More magazines

Conventions of NME 2

In all three front covers of the NME the title is covered by a part of the main image to show that the magazine is well established and it is able to cover is title and people will still know what it is. All three covers have one main image and either two small images or no other images but they all have subtitles that portrays the texts audience because all of the sub titles are relevant to music enthusiasts, 'Artic Monkeys "Our favourite new band"'.

In all of the main images, the artists are staring at the camera to show that they are being represented confidentaly. In two of the covers the artists are looking down at the reader which makes them seem represented as confident and powerful.

On each of the covers there are subtitles advertising musical events to the audience, 'Last 200 tickets' which helps reinforce the audience of music enthuasiasts. The NME also involves a lot of modern music in it's content which makes the audience younger.

Conventions of NME 1

The title 'NME New Musical Express' is covered by the main image as well as a sub title which shows that everyone already knows what it is so it isn't a new magazine.

The text has typical conventions of a music magazine because it advertises music, 'Jack White's Shock New Album', and it has reviews of albums, 'Panic at the disco album' and it interviews artists, 'First major interviw as The Last Shadow Puppets'.

The audience of the text is obviously music enthusiasts which is reinforced by the music magazine conventions.

The two artists that are used as the main image are represented as quite mysterious and sophisticated by their costumes and confident pose.

Conventions of Rock Sound

The main image on the cover is of a band which links in with the audience because the audience is probably music enthusiasts. Part of the mast head is covered by the artists head which shows that the magazine is well established because people still know what it is.

The institution controls the language, represention and ideology of the magazine. The band that is used as the main image are being represented as confident because they are staring into the camera and they have a confident and domineering pose.

The ideology of the text is the values that the text portrays. The title of the magazine is Rock Sound which shows that the ideology is of rock music and the audience will also be rock enthusiasts.

Conventions of a music magazine

• main cover line
• Image of band / artist
• Adverts for music
• Reviews of albums
• subtitles
• Sub images
• Interviews with musicians

LIIAR

Language - magazine terminology.

1. Masthead
2. dateline
3. title
4. main image
5. colour scheme

Institution - Create Media Texts.

1. Control language
2. represetation
3. ideology of text
   

Ideology - The values that the media text conveys. e.g. Q magazine has an ideology where music is important. An example of media language that shows this is the subtitle, 'From Gob to Glory! - Punk's Lost Years'. It had some modern music from 2002 like Kylie and Oasis but it had older bands and music like punk and the Sex Pistols so that the audience is established for an older generation who can remember things like Punk.

Audience - what type of person would buy the product: age, wealth, interests, occupations

Representation - how are groups/issues/individuals portrayed

Brief Main Task

Main task: the front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine. All images and text used must be original, produced by you - minimum of four images