TASK 4 – RESEARCH INTO A SPECIFIC MUSIC MAGAZINE THAT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO

EMULATE.

KERRANG!• Kerrang! is a UK based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media

Group. It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one off supplement in the Sounds newspaper. Named after the onomatopoeic word that derives from the sound made when playing a power chord on an electric guitar, Kerrang! was initially devoted to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and the rise of hard rock acts. In the early 2000s it became the best selling British music magazine.

METAL HAMMER • Metal Hammer (sometimes Metal Hammer) is a monthly heavy metal music magazine

published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music. In Germany, Metal Hammer has been the market leader since it was launched in 1984. the market leader since it was launched in 1984.

KERRANG! - PUBLISHER • Bauer Media Group is a multinational media company headquartered in Hamburg,

Germany which operates in 15 countries worldwide. Since the company was founded in 1875, it has been privately owned and under management by the Bauer family. It was formerly called Heinrich Bauer Verlag KG, abbreviated to HBV and usually shortened to H. Bauer. Worldwide circulation of Bauer Media Group's magazine titles amounts to 38 million magazines a week.

METAL HAMMER – PUBLISHER • Future plc (LSE: FUTR) is a media company; in 2006, it was the sixth-largest in the

United Kingdom. It publishes more than 150 magazines in fields such as video games, technology, automotive, cycling, films and photography. Future is the official magazine company of all three major games console manufacturers. It is a constituent of the FTSE Fledgling Index. The company also owns the US company, Future US.

KERRANG – TARGET AUDIENCE • The magazine appeals to a specific kind of audience because it concerns topics and

themes that are relevant to people who listen to and are interested by rock music and its background. Kerrang! identifies its audience as ‘individually minded, independent of thought and musically experienced, an audience defined by attitude, passion and loyalty’, this is a similar audience that I am basing my magazine on, it will help if I base my magazine on this one.

METAL HAMMER – TARGET AUDIENCE• This magazine appeals to the darker side of rock, it appeals to the ‘Goths’ section of

society offering them a glimpse of there favourite heavy metal band, they target teens and young adults as these people are more likely to listen to the music in the magazine, the magazine is also about not fitting in and rebelling witch younger people are more involved in, I like the overall style of the magazine but I feel that the content is to far in the wrong direction for what I want to put across with my magazine, I want to display rock bands but not heavy metal rock bands that promote death and evil, witch is what metal Hammer does.

CONCLUSION • I think that out of the two magazines the best one to cop/emulate is Kerrang!, this is

because they focus mainly around bands witch is what I want to focus on, I also like the layout of the magazine compared to metal hammer, metal hammer is very chaotic and always has some kind of scenario mostly with people setting fires or in some cases killing a person, with Kerrang! it is just focused on getting a picture of the band, they seem very chilled and relax witch is the vibe I am trying to create with my magazine. I also prefer the types of questions that are asked by the interviews in Kerrang!, they ask questions relating to there fans and there upcoming tours, there is also a lot to write when following up these questions, where as metal hammer sometimes asks irrelevant questions that I don’t feel my target audience would fin appealing.