Music magazine analysis.

Mood board• This mood board is a collaboration of

grime- dance music. This includes, trance, drum and bass, psy-trance, and euphoria.

• All the magazines have a poster based format, simple with no pull lines, simple title, offers, and lead article. The layouts indicate an audience who are unique and egoistic. And the music magazines offer them this with style options, and all the articles and in particularly the pictures being about an individual, not a group or band.

• However this can also reflect the appeal and values of the magazine, highlighting an individual, it can induce personality, which is why the readers buy the magazines, believing in some sense that they’re enhancing they’re own psyche.

• Par ATM the circulation figures are relatively low, appealing to an ‘underground’ and less mainstream music culture.

CoverHere are the three covers I have chosen to analyse.

Contents

Here are the three contents pages I have chosen to analyse.

Double Spreads

Here is one of three double page spreads, that I have chosen to analyse.

Double Spreads

Here is one of three double page spreads, that I have chosen to analyse.

Double Spreads

Here is one of three double page spreads, that I have chosen to analyse.

Cover oneThis is the first cover I have selected to analyse for my research. As you can see it does not conform to normal magazine formats, in a majority sense. I will go into more detail of this later. I find the magazine simple looking and keeping to a house style, it certainly knows its captive audience, which I will cover in VALS later. I have chosen all URB issues as I can then cross examine easily and in turn I believe It will help inspire my own magazine.

Cover one continuedMagazine format

Left third

‘Z’ format

Left third:-

The left third is usually the section of the magazine which contains items such as the information at ‘1’ and ‘2’. This shows a magazine that is anti conformist, a magazine suited to a particularly ‘non-conformist’ part of the musical scene. Instead in the Left third the only regularity is that of the title, which due to a simple and consistent house style is instantly recognisable. By assuming its not the centre third that will sell the magazine you can assume it has a large circulation or a particularly upmarket audience. As it will be displayed at the front of a shelf, where the entirety of the cover

can be seen.

‘Z’ format:-

The ‘Z’ Format is the usual guideline used to put in information, as this is where the eye follows, according to research. This the magazine does conform to although ‘1’is a little off centre your eye is drawn to it due to the photo. Price and Masthead both conform to this format. This I believe backs up my point about it being a front shelf magazine, which with little words colour and images can sell large volumes.

1

2

Cover one continuedMagazine format

Picture:-

The picture is a medium close up shot of the artist and in this issue, guest editor Kid Cudi it shows him mirrored and looking onwards. It had been put in black and white to heighten the contrast and to make the image more simplistic and hard hitting, which again reflects the house style of this magazine.

House Style:-

Quite clearly the house style can be interpreted as simplistic, there is no footer or skyline, just a simple masthead. Which on all the covers is the clearest thing to see. There is no pull quotes, or selling ‘freebies’ just a short complied list of artists included in the magazine. And of course the barcode and price in small print. Overall the selling point is the minimalistic, poster like cover on this magazine, when compared to the ‘over-crowded’ one on magazine like Kerrang.

Continued

Lessons:-

Of the three covers I do not believe this to be the one that will inspire my own work, however that doesn’t mean there is nothing to learn from it, in my own music magazine drafts, and in my preliminary college magazine my work has been very over the top and reliant on text to sell it. This is why I chose URB magazine being at contrast to my work. It means I can try and work on a simpler masthead, a simpler photo, in order to create more of an effect with less on the page, I believe I can make mine more dynamic.

VALS:- (Values, Aspirations, Lifestyle)

This cover appeals to the VALS of the target audience (about student early adult age) in values by: being simple and dynamic, it is to the point and no nonsense, for people who have the latest technology and are on the go the magazine is very much in the moment as I believe the audience, aspire to be. In doing so the aspirations can be that the audience may want to be like the people in the magazine, who’re portrayed as beautiful, and successful with no inhibitions, this is the message I believe the aspirations come across as. The lifestyle of the audience may be cluttered in which the magazine can in turn offer some escapism from this, and also the lifestyle may be very in the know, and on the go, in which the articles and magazine content, however little, advertised on the front cover, are enough to interest the audience. My criticism of the magazine is that you wouldn’t notice this issue at a distance, a problem when it comes to selling or finding new customers who are looking for new material

Cover twoThis is the second cover I have selected to analyse, Although following the same house style to the first one this takes into account seasonal looks, which I will look into more detail later. I will most likely choose this magazine for my inspiration as it is dynamic, and outside of work I have done before so I believe in doing this I can create a better and new look from the rest fo my look.

Cover two continuedMagazine format

Left third

‘Z’ format

Left third:- ‘Z’ format:-

Cover two continuedMagazine format

Picture:-House Style:-

ContinuedTYPE SHIT HERE

VALS

Cover three

ContinuedTYPE SHIT HERE

VALS

Contents one

ContinuedTYPE SHIT HERE

VALS

Contents two

ContinuedTYPE SHIT HERE

VALS

Contents three

ContinuedTYPE SHIT HERE

VALS

Double Spreads

TYPE SHIT HERE

TYPE SHIT HERE

ContinuedTYPE SHIT HERE

VALS

Double Spreads

TYPE SHIT HERE

TYPE SHIT HERE

ContinuedTYPE SHIT HERE

VALS

Double Spreads

TYPE SHIT HERE

TYPE SHIT HERE

ContinuedTYPE SHIT HERE

VALS