Mrs D

Well done Jac - you have completed your research before your deadline.

Your analysis is thorough and you have picked out some good egs from existing RMAs. Your initial ideas are interesting - have another think about age and pricing. Put some ideas about your featured artist soon and other contents. Keep up the good work.

Proposal for Music Magazine

My music magazine will be aimed at mostly young men aged between 13 and 25. This is because they are the age group who listen to my chosen genre the most, which is alternative music. Alternative music covers music such as punk, rock, metal, heavy metal etc and I will include various bands of these genres in my magazine. My magazine will mostly use dark colours such as black or grey as these are mostly related to my genres. I have decided my magazine will either be called "Quake" or "Crag" as these are synonyms for metal and rock. My magazine will also be available to purchase for £1.49. For the contents page I will  organize my articles into 3 columns, with images of the bands featured, including artists such as Halestorm, Rise Against, Papa Roach and Anti Flag.

How Research will Inform Planning

From the research and analysis of 3 magazines (cover, contents page and double page spread) I have learned 

• To use a dark colours and tones to portray my chosen genre (Alternative Music) but use one lighter colour and use it throughout the magazine.

• To include the main artist from the cover as the main image on the contents page.

• To entice the reader with competitions and free gifts on the cover.

• To add taglines on the front cover but not too many to draw focus away from the main artist featured.

• To lay out the contents into three columns and to add pictures of various bands/artists which will be featured.

Product Placement: Kerrang!

• Their target audicence are teenagers/young adults who are into punk/rock/metal or alternative music.

• The magazine features free gifts such as posters, badges and occasionally CD's. The magazine also includes newer bands and interviews with existing poular bands, information and reviews about upcoming CD's and gigs, competitions to meet bands and win tickets to see gigs and other news. Kerrnag has been published in Spain and Germany, as well as Australia as there are more audiences who listen to alternative music.

• Kerrang! was first published on June 6 1981, and was meant to to be initllay a one time magazine. Angus Young form "ACDC" was on the cover for the first ever edition of the magazine, trying to focus more attention on newer genres of msuic such as rock and metal.

• Sales started to grow with Nu Metal as a new music genre until 2003 where sales of Nu Metal decreased, so Kerrang! was in decline. The average issue of Kerrang! can be purchased for £2.20.

• Other genres have been featured have included glam rock, heavy metal/metalcore, emo, pop punk diverting into new markets and appeal to wider audiences.

• 42,077 issues of Kerrang! have ben distributed to a world wide audience, making it the number one music magazine for alternative music, beating NME.

• Kerrang! is mostly sold at smaller corner shops and petrol stations, and through larger supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsburys and ASDA.

Magazine Analysis: Double Page Spread (3)

The magazine's double page spread shows members of the two bands "Sum 41" and "The Blackout" and it shows news and information about an upcoming tour, which promotes themselves and the magazine.

The photos of the members are of medium shots and they are in a boxing ring and wearing boxing gloves, which can portray the bands as violent and angry. Their facial expressions also show anger and aggression, which could intimidate fans and stereotype fans of punk and rock as angry, aggressive teenagers.

The white text and background of the article help reduce the impression of violence in the photo as the colour is meant to portray peace and purity. Most of the colour in the photo shoot is red which symbolizes anger and danger. 

Some of the quotes from the article say "Get Back in the Ring" which again gives the connotations of bands being angry but also shows that they are sporty and take up hobbies. On the right hand side there are other bands mentioned as well such as "Metallica", "Rammstein" "AC/DC", "Iron Maiden" and "Aerosmith" this advertises and promotes these bands in the magazine, so readers can be updated with recent news and they can listen to more songs and purchase more albums by these artists.

Magazine Analysis: Contents (3)

The magazine's contents page is of a different style to the  front cover, that different colours are used such as white and blue, which gives the contents page a more relaxed and calming atmosphere, not and angry or violent environment which means the stereotype of most rock and metal fans are subverted.

The main and only image on the contents page are the band "You Me at Six" as the magazine offers a competition to meet them. This is to persuade readers to buy future issues of the magazine as they can win other competitions to meet their favorite artists. The band on the cover of the magazine are not shown in the contents, which shows the focus of the magazine is not mostly on them.

The photo of the band is a medium shot,  and by their facial expressions and clothes they seem to be serious and committed to their work. They are all wearing black clothes which makes them seem dark and depressing.

The taglines of the contents are all on the right hand side in one column. The articles are all easy to read, which is so that the audience can find their favorite articles more quickly giving the consumer more freedom and choice. The main image on the cover is not featured heavily on the contents, which can irritate the reader as they might buy the magazine specifically to read about the main band, and if they are not in the contents then they might not buy the magazine at all.

Magazine Analysis: Front Cover (3)

The magazine Kerrang! is a magazine targeted at mostly young men/teenagers who are fans of alternative music, such as punk, rock or metal music. The cover of the magazine is of the band "New Found Glory" and from first look they look like a stereotypical rock band as they have tattoos and have angry facial expressions  so they look mean and aggressive. The band are wearing boxing gloves so this could show that they are tough and strong and not meant to be messed with, trying to look as masculine as possible. 

The colours used on the cover on the magazine are mostly red and yellow, this is as because red is a masculine colour so it is meant to make the band look more violent and aggressive, as red portrays anger and rage. The yellow background makes the band look less violent so the band looks less intimidating towards the customer.

Some quotes picked from the cover read "Who will land the knockout punch". This suggests that the magazine portrays violence which stereotypes fans of rock and punk metal are angry, loud and violent.


The magazine attempts to persuade readers to buy the magazine is to offer 5 posters of other various artists of the same types of genre the magazine offers. This to make the reader feel they get more for their money when they buy the magazine. The magazine cover also offers a competition for the readers to meet a band. This is also to make the reader feel they receive more for their money, which means they will buy more issues of the magazine for other such competitions and free gifts. 

Magazine Analysis: Double Page Spread (2)

The magazine’s double page spread shows Josh Franceschi from “You Me at Six” and Oli Sykes from “Bring me the Horizon”. One page shows a medium shot of the two men who are both smiling and happy and nice, which subverts the idea of musicians who play loud music are violent. “Oli” is creating a heart using his fingers, which again shows that these men are kind and caring.

The heading of the second page “You Me at Sykes” are play on words from the band and the surname of both artists. This shows that these men can be humorous and can have fun like anyone else, and this can relax the reader as nothing hurtful can be said in the article.

The heading is bold and the largest font used on this page. Some of the letters are in red which could be controversial as the aim is to not appeal violent or angry, which is what the colour red can portray. The article is a question and answer session and the questions are highlighted in red font, which could show that it’s more suited to male audience as it is a masculine colour, but also so that it is clear for the reader to distinguish between the interviewer and the interviewees.

The word “Exclusive” show that the information in the article are only in the magazine, which entices the reader into purchasing the magazine, as this cannot be found anywhere else, making the magazine unique.  The page also says “Come back next week for more from Oli and Josh” which helps promote the artists and also promotes the magazine as fans of these two artist will buy the next magazine as these two are featured, so by informing the reader the magazine can hopefully guarantee more sales.

Magazine Analysis: Contents (2)

The magazine’s contents page uses a similar style to the cover of the magazine, that fact that the lettering still continues to use the yellow and black colours on the cover, continuing with the style throughout the magazine. The contents page also uses a blue banner with white and yellow writing, which symbolises the magazine isn't meant to be threatening or violent, as the blue and white have connotations of peace and relaxation.

The female member from the band featured on the cover is also featured heavily in the contents page, the fact that that her picture is the largest photo on the page. The photo of the girl is a medium shot and in the photo she is happy and smiling. Her hands are also out showing that she is not a threat and she is not aggressive or rude. This helps confirm that her and her band are the main focus of the magazine, and that they are not violent people. This also shows that the magazine is aimed at females who are also fans of rock and metal too, as the girl is the main focus on the contents page.

The content of the magazine are all laid out on the right hand side, and is clear and easy to read so that the audience of the magazine can find articles of their favourite bands featured more easily, giving them more variety and control over what they read.

On the opposite page, the magazine promotes pop punk music promos on their TV channel, advertising their music to a wider based audience and their music style which can be anything from punk, rock, metal, heavy metal genres which are covered by the magazine. A quote from the poster “Riot” does have connotations as violence and anger, which reinforces stereotypes of punk rockers.

Magazine Analysis: Front Cover (2)

The magazine Kerrang! is aimed mostly at young men as the genre of music featured is punk, rock and metal which is generally stereotypically as a male/masculine genre. However the band featured on the cover “We are the in Crowd” has a female singer in the photo, so this could suggest that the magazine is trying to appeal to a young female audience of metal and rock, as they can relate to the female singer in the band.

“We are the in Crowd” are the only band featured on the cover, which shows that all the focus in this magazine are on them,  which promotes the band and the magazine so they can both distribute and sell their products to a wider audience.

The band on the cover do not reinforce the stereotype of metal fans as loud, aggressive and violent, as the photo of the members are of a medium shot and all the members of the band are happy and are smiling, which shows they are inverting the stereotype. The white background also inverts the stereotype as the white reduces the image of violence and has connotations of purity and peace.

This cover mostly uses black and white colours as they contrast well, giving a slightly more grown up a bit but still youthful appeal with the use of other colours such as yellow and pink, which helps target the audience more to young females as pink is more seen a feminine colour.

The tag lines for this issue of the magazine are all on the right, showing that they are not blocking the main image on the cover. This also makes sure the magazine is neat and does not have different taglines all over the cover, as this will decrease focus from the band mostly featured on the cove.

A pull quote from the magazine says “A Celebration of Three Chord Fun” which gives the impression that this magazine is not stereotyping metal and rock fans as aggressive and rude, as the word (fun gives more of a happier and welcoming vibe. This could also be another way that the magazine tries to promote itself to a wider audience who don’t normally listen to the music that the magazine promotes.

Magazine Analysis: Double Page Spread (1)

The magazine’s double page spread shows the two bands on the cover: “Bullet for my Valentine” and “Cancer Bats”, so this reinforces the young, male audience this magazine is aimed at. The camera is zoomed in on their faces shows that they are having fun and are friendly people.

The lettering still continues to use the red from the cover and contents, which reinforces the theme of the magazine and it’s a masculine, angry colour which probably suits the music being advertised/promoted. The white background tires to reduce the violent aspect of the red lettering, which shows that the artists shown are not necessarily violent people, which they can often be associated as

The faces of the two artists show that they are having fun but trying to looks scary. The mise en scene of the image shows an axe, reinforcing violence and horror that is associated with the music, and the photo-shoot is meant to be associated to the film, The Shining. The reason for the axe prop is that the name of the band is called “Axewound” and it is meant to portray humour, and with the pull quote “Heeeere’s Axewound” which is also meant to be funny and clever.

Magazine Analysis: Contents (1)

The magazine’s contents page is in similar style to the cover that is uses the same red and yellow colouring to make the contents match the cover. This is to keep the idea of a male audience, as red can be a masculine colour, which could also symbolise danger or warning. The yellow helps mellow the mood of the contents.

The contents page is laid out in one column on the right, which is made so the contents have more space to advertise other bands such as “Slayer”. The bands on the front cover are not highlighted in huge letters or with a picture in the contents so this shows they're not as focused as featured on the front cover, so fans/audiences can lose interest quickly.

The magazine also uses competitions and deals to advertise and promote to their audience, so that they can receive more for less, such as a competition to win tickets the band Slayer. This is also another way in which the magazine can generate more revenue as the audience can be intrigued by competitions.

The shot of the band “Slayer” is a medium shot of the band, and they look serious so this shows that they are committed to their music and to their fans. They can be seen as rough, aggressive men as they  have wither long hair, beards and sunglasses which could interpret them as not nice people.

This also advertises and promotes band, letting music fans know that they have a gig soon, so that if they don’t win the competition they can still buy tickets to see the band if they are really desperate to see them. The magazine also offers at the bottom of the page for a subscription to the magazine £5 a month, this helps the audience become more updated about their favourite bands and the magazine.

The language used on the contents also shows its appeal to younger audience, such as "gigs" which refers to a youthful audience, which is what the magazine is aimed at.  Other words such as "rock star" and "albums" show that the magazine is meant for punk, metal, rock and heavy metal fans as this terminology can be associated with these genres.

Magazine Analysis: Front Cover (1)

The magazine is called Kerrang! Which is aimed mainly at young men as the magazine’s music genre is mainly metal and rock, which could suggest the magazine, has conations of violence, as the men in the photo shoot have tattoos and wearing black leather. The white writing for the text reduces the violent aspect which the magazine promotes.

This issue of the magazine promotes two bands: "Bullet for my Valentine" and "Cancer Bats". This still shows that the magazine is mostly aimed at me and reinforces the genre of music the magazine which is rock and metal music.

The colour blue is used as the background against the white letters of Kerrang!  This contrasts with the background and makes the letters stand out. Other colours include yellow, black and red which reinforces the young male audience.

The magazine also uses other bands such as "Paramore" and "30 Seconds to Mars" to promote themselves and the magazine, confirming the genre of metal and rock, which is mostly aimed at young men.

The magazine uses words such as "rock star", which has conations that the audience aimed at are loud, angry, and rebellious and are into rock and metal bands, as these are stereotypical aspects of rockers/punks/goths etc which are featured in the magazine.

The two artists from Bullet for my Valentine and Cancer Bats are taken in a medium shot, and their facial expressions show that they are friendly and funny, as they are making music for their fans not for money. The cover is mostly taken up by these two bands, suggesting all focus is on them and they are the ones that this issue of the magazine are concentrating on, and they are also the ones mostly being promoted. Fans of these bands will buy the magazine becuase they are on the cover.

This cover  has lots of information in bright yellow and red, suggesting that this a youthful appeal and they like to be kept up to date with news, so that suggest the cluttered, compact feel of the magazine.

The final way in which the magazine cover tries to persuade readers to buy the magazine is by offering posters of other band and artists, which also promotes other bands similar to the ones featured in the magazines and makes the customer feel that they can get something extra for free.

College Times Magazine (Final Draft)

Audience Feedback

Audience Feedback

·         Sort out main image, contrast, brightness

·         Add more original images

·         Add a background colour, or use two set colours for the magazine

·         Improve name and font of the magazine

·         Add a barcode

·         Add a price for the magazine

Collij Magazine First Draft

Media Checklist