The document analyzes and annotates the covers of three music magazines - Kerrang!, Q, and Classic Rock. It finds similarities like the use of buttons to advertise articles and anchorage text on all three covers. One difference is the images used - Kerrang! and Q show full bands for the main article while Classic Rock only shows the lead singer. The target audiences also differ - Kerrang! aims for younger readers and offers free posters while Classic Rock targets an older audience with a free CD. The conclusion states the author will use techniques from the magazines, especially Kerrang!, for their own magazine cover but recognizes the need for own market research first.

1. Music Magazine Research Jack Crompton

2. Masthead Main Article and image of the band Tag line for the Main Article Button Banner informing reader of other bands within the magazine. Free posters to boost sales Barcode with the date of release price and issue number Other bands featured in the magazine

3. Magazine Logo Banner with the Magazines selling tag line Barcode Image of the Band that will feature as the Main Article Button Quote from the Main Article Anchorage text, to reveal other bands featured within the magazine. Quotations also used to help showcase the articles Tag line for the Main Article The phrase ‘World Exclusive’ makes the content seem more important, and therefore encourages a purchase

4. Masthead Barcode Tagline for the magazine Button shaped like a guitar plectrum (making it specific to the subject of the magazine). It also advertising a free CD in order to boost sales Banner advertising an ‘exclusive’ article. Anchorage text revealing the other bands featured inside The Main Article Images showing only James Hetfield from Metallica Date, price and issue number

5. Conclusion In the previous slides I have analysed and annotated three magazines that focus on the genre of rock and it’s sub genres. I have done this because rock has always been a popular genre of music for years and seemed an appropriate area to research. From my research, I can conclude that there are obvious similarities between all three of the magazines. The use of buttons in order to advertise other articles and features within the magazine was an obvious one. The use of anchorage text was also apparent on the covers of all three of the magazines, none of them appeared to be plain or lacking in detail. There were however some differences. The first of these is how both ‘Kerrang!’ and ‘Q’ had an image of the full band that were to be featured as the main article where as ‘Classic Rock’ did not, they only showed the lead singer of the band which in this instance was James Hetfield from Metallica. I believe that this has been done because he as the lead singer is the main subject of the band and ‘Classic Rock’ want to illustrate his importance. Another difference is how each individual magazine tries to appeal to it’s target audience. ‘Kerrang!’ for example, I would estimate have a readership of 12 – 18 year olds and therefore, free posters would be a good way of encouraging it’s young audience to purchase the magazine. Similarly, ‘Classic Rock’ will have an older target audience and they are appealed to with a free CD, something from their generation, rather than free posters or a free download. ‘Q’ however in this certain issue do not try and encourage the audience, they solely rely on the fact that it will sell as it is more of a sophisticated read and that the audience know this.

6. For my own magazine front cover, I want to try and use the majority of the factors and techniques the magazines I have looked at on the slides prior to this conclusion. From my own research I can conclude that ‘Kerrang!’ is the highest selling rock magazine in the country, so they must do something right in order to boost sales, appeal to the target audience and maintain a high readership. To do this, it has become apparent to me that the next thing I must to do prior to designing and creating my magazine is some market research of my own.