I also need to research codes and conventions of music magaines, of front covers, contents pages and double page spreads so I know what in necessary for my own magazine.
Codes and Conventions of Music Magazine Front Covers:
- Mast Head (the title of the magazine)
- Feature Image (large and centred)
- Feature Article
- Cover Lines
- Headlines
- Puff (mini advert that persuades the audience to buy that magazine eg 'The UK's best seller')
- Pug (freebie/gift exclusives- usually a CD or poster in a music magazine)
- Price
- Barcode
- Issue Number
- Buzz Words (eg 'exclusive', 'free', 'plus')
- Banners (can be at the top or the bottom of the page)
- Other images (very small to avoid distraction from the main image)
On a front cover there is a colour scheme of limited colours and they will represent the gender that is targetted. Having fewer colours can save money as there are less inks being used, however, I enquired this to a publishing company and they said that they do not have a problem with printing many colours and usually the prize remains the same, but obviously it will be more expensive than just black and white printing.
To help me get a feel for magazine covers in general, I researched many on the Internet, using sites such as The Maggies (http://www.themaggies.co.uk/2009-winners/#). This website specialises in magazine covers, and here I could see some of the best, showing me what made them so great.
I also visited different galleries and news agents, looking at covers of not just magazines, but also for books and posters:
Codes and Conventions of Music Magazine Content Pages:
- Editorial (but not all include one)
- Main image (that relates to the main feature)
- Sub images (often with captions that relate to their relevant article)
- The colour theme shares a link with the front cover
- Sub headings and their corresponding page numbers are listed (in ascending order)
- Page number
- Name of magazine at botton of the page
Codes and Conventions of Music Magazine Double Page Spread:
- Large Heading
- Sub Heading (this tends to be witty)
- Introduction (provides and insight into what the article will contain)
- Main Image
- Possible sub images
- Page Number
- Name of magazine at bottom of the page
- Drop Capital
- Quotes (often placed with the text wrapped around it, or placed by images)
- Name of writer and photographer
Different Music Magazine Genres:
- Rock (eg Kerrang!, Revolver, Rocksound)
- Classic Rock (eg MOJO, Uncut)
- Metal (eg Metal Hammer, Terrorizer)
- Pop (eg Top of the Pops, Smash Hits)
- Indie (eg NME)
- Punk (eg Big Cheese)
- Rap (eg Rap.up)
- Hip Hop (eg XXL, Urb)
- R&B (eg Vibe)
- Acoustic (eg Acoustic)
- Jazz (eg Just Jazz, Jazzwise)
- Country (eg Country Weekly, Up Country)
- Blues (eg Blues Matters)
- Dance/ Electro (eg Mixmag)
- Instrument specialised (eg Bass Player, DJ Magazine, Keyboard)
Indepth look at a range of music magazines:
1. MOJO
MOJO is a British, monthly music magazine published by Bauer. First published in 1993, it now has a circulation of around 100,500.
It caters to people with a love for classic rock, which is instantly recognisable by the type of artists that are featured on the front covers, such as Bob Dylan.
It is known for in-depth coverage on classic acts but also on popular and new music. The magazine very regularly includes a pug of a CD which is related to that magazines theme or a specific artist.
The target audience for MOJO will be mostly males of ages 30 to 60. Nearly all covers and articles use dark and masculine colours.
It is known for in-depth coverage on classic acts but also on popular and new music. The magazine very regularly includes a pug of a CD which is related to that magazines theme or a specific artist.
The target audience for MOJO will be mostly males of ages 30 to 60. Nearly all covers and articles use dark and masculine colours.
Not only do they specialise in rock but they often have special issues where they focus the entire magazine on one particular genre, such as the Motown magazine. Other special editions include “The MOJO Collection: The Greatest Albums of All Time” and short biographies known as “MOJO Heroes”.
The use of colour in MOJO is very specific to its target audience while at the same time complementing the artist featured. Colours such as blacks, blues and reds are reguarly used.
The layout of MOJO is extremly simple. The font is plain and easy to understand, and the titles are stong and bold and easy to differentiate from images. The house-style uses the colour white and black and red, which are rather masculine colours, once again attracting the target audience.
2. Q
Q is a monthly magazine published by Bauer media Group, first published in 1986. It features large amounts of review sections, reviewing new music, live concerts and even film, television and radio.
A large section of the magazine is devoted to articles on popular music artists. It is well known for its lists, such as “The 100 Greatest Albums” and “50 Bands to See Before you Die.”
Q is the sister magazine of MOJO and they have a joint special edition out every other month.
Q very often has promotional gifts such as CDs and books. Every Q issue has a different message along the spine - the ‘spine line’ - and make the readers think about how the message relates to the contents of the magazine.
The layout is very similar to MOJO with easy to follow text, however the writing in Q tends to be more informal.
3. Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, the supplementary magazine of the TV show, is a monthly glossy publication, published by BBC Magazines, first published in 1995.
Its format now is very different to its original, featuring much less music content and targetting young girls, aged between 8 and 13.
It features chart information, star gossip, fashion and beauty advice, quizzes, real life stories, song lyrics and posters. It also has reviews on music, film, TV and games.
The colours used are all very feminine with lots of bright pinks, purples, yellows and turquoises in order to attract their audience. The images used are a lot more playful and informal than other magazines that target older audiences in order to capture the youth of their readers.
The layout is very comic like, with lots of boxes. There is little writing with lots of images used.
4. Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer is a monthly magazine published in the UK by Future Publishing. It was first published in 1986 and has a circulation of 49,140.
It focuses on heavy metal, both mainstream, underground and new music.
In the UK it is currently outselling Kerrang! and in Germany it has been the market leader since 1984.
The colours are all very dark with a lot of blacks, browns and crimson/blood reds. These colours not only attract the target audience of young males aged 15 to 30, they also represent the dark music of the genre.
The layout of articles is very simple, with few images and lots of small, clear text, usually with black backgrounds. The titles are very big and bold with gothic font.
Final choice of Magazine Genre:
I have finally decided to do an Acoustic Magazine. This is because I have an interest in this genre so I feel I will be able to understand it better and enjoy it at the same time. Also, I have previously made a Rock magazine in GCSE so this will be a challenge.
There are not many acoustic magazines, and there is only one published in the UK, therefore there would be a gap in the market for my magazine, meaning less competition.
