Music Magazines Analysis

Music Magazine Covers:

        

The above magazines are: Under The Radar, Spin, Paste, Clash, Rolling Stone and Q. 

The layout of the magazines stick bright colour schemes featuring reds, yellows and blue tones to attract attention to the covers. For example, the colours used on the Paste magazine cover are influenced by the outfit which the cover girl is wearing. This is improves the aesthetic of the layout as it appears more organised. 

The fonts used on these covers are simple and the mastheads are placed either above or behind the main image which has been edited and airbrushed to improve the image quality. The Clash magazine has been edited so that the cover image appears slightly distorted, creating an effect similar to the lights at a concert which appeals to the readers of Clash magazine who would typically go to concerts and gigs. The Font saying 'MIA' is also like the font used on posters and the red shape under the writing is also a connotation for concerts because it is a connotation for something being 'sold out'. This attracts the target audience of people who enjoy live music. 

Inside the magazines there are always exclusive interviews with the featured cover artist. This is usually a double spread with an interview and a photo shoot with the musician. On other pages of the magazine there may be pages with other artists so it's important that the main featuring artists' spread is bolder and better than the others. This could be by adding more glossy images and more adventurous font styles. 

Sub category: Indie rock

My Chosen Sub Genre:INDIE ROCK

My chosen sub-genre for my music magazine is indie rock. I have chosen this sub-genre because it's a genre I personally like and I read magazines associated with this genre.  To create one myself would be very interesting. I think it would be versatile to work with as there are lots of musicians with different styles which fit into this category so composing the layout will be exciting to work on. 

Popular Indie Rock Artists:

Arctic Monkeys, Bastille. 

Magazine Cover Examples:

Both magazines both use a basic colour palette (red, white, blue) to create a simple yet effective look. This relates to indie rock music too, because indie rock music is usually simple, with catchy beats and meaningful lyrics. The font 'Summer Live Guide' and 'Lana Del Rey' is written in is connotative for vinyl and record shops which is where most people who listen to indie-rock music would visit to buy music, for example places like Rough Trade. This is because a lot of indie-rock music is inspired by modern beats with an old school twist from the past and this genre is often remixed. Lana Del Rey focuses on the 60s and has described her sound as 'gangsta Nancy Sinatra' and 'old school Hollywood', both which are considered modern takes on the past. This has clearly influenced her cover on Clash magazine as she is wearing fur which is associated with glamour and fame, however her makeup is minimal which contrasts the glamour with innocence and youth, similar to her music. When I create my own magazine I will have to incorporate themes which are associated with the artist I feature.

It is also important that Lana is not looking camera so there is no mode of address with the person looking at the magazine. This contributes to the minimalist house style which links to the indie-rock theme of being understated and mysterious. The editing of the cover makes the image resemble an old Polaroid picture which also is symbolic of the past.

The Spin cover presents Mumford & Sons as being fun and young, as the image appears almost candid in comparison to traditional magazine covers. This appeals to a younger target audience and as most indie-rock artists are not very well known this could invite more people to read the magazine and find out more about them. Different tones of blue create harmony and displays the relation between the band members. As the person on the right is wearing a suit in a dark colour, this suggests that he is the front band of the group and presents him as being important. 

The composition of the image with the two feet being extended makes the front cover appear 3D as the boxes which the headlines and coverlines are in are positioned on top of the central image while the masthead is layered behind. When I compose my own front cover I will have to consider different ways to layer images and headlines to create a well organised layout. The house style appears more busy than Clash magazine and this could be as the readers are more interested in the written content in the magazine, therefore they are slightly more loyal than readers of Clash who may be interested mostly in the musician which is featured and the photos than the magazine itself.