2. Kerrang! magazine Kerrang! is a rock music magazine published by Bauer Consumer Media in the United Kingdom. The magazines name is onomatopoeic as it is the sound which is made when playing a power chord on an electric guitar. Kerrang! started publishing on the 7th of June 1981 initially as a one time supplement in the 'Sounds newspaper' which focussed on the genre new wave of British heavy metal and the rise of other hard rock acts. Kerrang!'s first successful period came under editor Paul Rees circa 2000 when the new metal genre, featuring bands like Papa Roach, Slipknot and Linkin Park, became more popular. Later on, they started covering other bands, like Foo Fighters and Metallica. Rees went on to edit Q Magazine and Ashley Bird took over as editor from 2003 to 2005. However the magazine's sales went into decline and Paul Brannigan took over as editor in May 2005. Brannigan took the magazine into its most commercially successful period with a record ever ABC for the title of 80,186 copies. Brannigan left Kerrang! in 2009 and Nichola Browne was appointed editor. Kerrang! today has its own radio station and its own music channel, you are able to buy the magazine on-line and subscribe. Overall Kerrang! is a very successful music magazine that has an ever growing fan base.
3. Q magazine Q is a music magazine published monthly with a circulation of around 130,179 as of June 2007. Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were disappointed by the music magazines of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology. Q was first published in October 1986, setting itself apart from much of the other music press with monthly production and higher standards of photography and printing. In the early years, the magazine was sub-titled "The modern guide to music and more". Originally it was to be called Cue (as in the sense of cueing a record, ready to play), but the name was changed so that it wouldn't be mistaken for a snooker magazine. Another reason, cited in Q' s 200th edition, is that a single-letter title would be more prominent on news-stands. Q' s current editor is Paul Rees, former editor of the UK edition of Kerrang!, another musical Bauer publication based on heavier rock/metal music. In 2006, Q published a readers' survey; the 100 Greatest Songs Ever, won by Oasis' Live Forever. In the April 2007 issue, Q published an article containing the 100 Greatest singers, won by Elvis Presley. Q has a history of associating with charitable organizations, and in 2006 the British anti-poverty charity Ware on Want was named its official charity. In late 2008 Q revamped its image, with a smaller amount of text and an increased focus on subjects other than music. This "Rolling Stone-isation" has led to criticism from much of the traditional Q readership, though it is yet to be seen if this change in attitude will dramatically affect sales.
4. Bauer Media Group Bauer media owns more than eighty influential media brands spanning a wide range of interests including kerrang! and Q. Bauer Media is a division of the Bauer Media Group, Europe’s largest privately owned publishing Group. The Group is a worldwide media empire offering over 300 magazines in 15 countries, as well as online, TV and radio stations. Bauer Media joined the Bauer Media Group in January 2008 following acquisition of Emap plc’s consumer and specialist magazines, radio, TV, online and digital businesses. Collectively, the Group employs some 6,400 people and has a 2008 turnover of 2.08 billion Euros.
5. Deconstruction of Kerrang! I am able to clearly see that Kerrang! Is a rock magazine as it has a distorted, rough masthead and the style of the musicians on the front. Also the colour scheme is very dark suggesting it is a rock magazine, the style of the musicians on the front cover is very dark, often seen as the ‘rocker’ look. The rough edges of certain elements of the magazine also suggest the genre of music. Kerrang! Is a very successful rock music magazine and is published weekly. Q magazine and Kerrang! Have the same editor which would suggest why Q magazine has no general music genre. The colours contrast against the dark background, as white and red stand out a lot, also the guitar stands out as the musician is dressed in black, all this contributes to the ‘rock’ look of the magazine. In this particular issue the emphasis is on the writing in the centre of the cover, this is in bright writing while the musicians are in black which blends into the background.
6. Kerrang! Contents page From this contents page i can see how Kerrang! Has kept the ‘rock’ theme throughout by having a very busy and overcrowded contents page, they are advertising everything from albums, bands and festivals. They have an advertisement to subscribe to Kerrang! Magazine, this is something I hope to put into my magazine as I feel it is a good way to boost sales of my magazine. The contents page has kept the Kerrang! Colours of black and yellow and I think this is important so it looks like the magazine flows. Compared to Q magazine, Kerrang! Has a very colourful and busy contents page with many bands and solo artists featuring.
7. The colour scheme of the magazine is spread throughout the magazine. The layout is very unorganised with pictures dotted around and writing split up by images. All of this portrays the rock genre as the writing is rough and distorted. The way the articles are written are very easy to understand and are basically written.
8. Q magazine The logo and name of the magazine is clear and has a very basic colour scheme. Other smaller stories, still fitting with the colour scheme. Well known pop artist, all writing put around her face. Main story, bright red, same colour as the logo. Free smaller magazine inside, helps to boost sales. Writing fits in with colour scheme.
9. Q contents page The contents page for Q magazine has a very basic layout, it also fits in with the main colour scheme of red and white. The font is very basic and the whole look of the page is quite formal and easy to read. The page numbers stand out as they are in a different colour to the rest of the font. All the articles are on the left hand side which makes the page look organised and formal. Also everything is in blocks making it easier to understand and to find what you are looking for fast.
10. Q magazine is a very successful monthly mainstream music magazine. Q has an older target audience as they have some very in depth interviews and the style in which the magazine is laid out is very sophisticated. Q has a very basic colour scheme making it very noticeable and easy to remember. The colour scheme is red and white and is portrayed in the logo. This colour scheme makes it very recognisable. As the style is quite simplistic it doesn’t portray one genre of music. Q also has many very detailed reviews on many different genres of music.
11. Initial ideas When I needed to decide on a name for my rock music magazine I originally thought that a short title would be good, for example Q and NME, these are both very easy remembered and modern. However I did think of a few longer titles in comparison. Some i came up with included: - R - Riot - Wind - Spin - Unplugged - R&R (ROCK and RIOT) I decided to go with R&R (ROCK and RIOT) as I feel it sounded most like the title of a rock magazine, it gives the impression not only is the magazine a good source of information about rock music but also that it is a fun and modern way to find the information out.
12. For my main task I will be working individually to create a Music magazine Front cover, contents page and double page spread. The first thing I need to do is decide a genre for my magazine. I have looked at a variety of genres of music magazine including, Q magazine, Kerrang! magazine and NME magazine. All are successful magazines. Kerrang! magazine is based more on rock music genre whereas Q magazine is more of a pop and Alternative genre of music magazine. As I am a personal reader of Kerrang! magazine I have chosen to focus on the rock genre, I need to be aware of the conventions of this type of music magazine and bare in mind the target audience. Kerrang! magazine is generally aimed at young teenagers, say from the age of 14 – 19 as it has some quite sophisticated articles and in depth interviews, it does however offer new album reviews. Kerrang! also offers free features, which may include posters or a free download, this will attract a wider audience and I need to keep this in mind and think about whether or not to include this in my magazine. Secondly, I need to bear in mind other general conventions such as layout. For example, where the masthead and subheadings are generally situated on a rock music magazine cover. I also need to think of a general style to use throughout my magazine. Q for example, uses red and white throughout their magazine as they are the colours used in their well known and eye catching logo, Q. I also need to consider the picture used on the cover, and how it gives the rock impression that my magazine is punk and rock magazine. To help me do this I have looked at Front covers of rock magazines and took note on poses and clothing which I will take into account when taking my pictures.
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14. Results from questionnaire This is a graph to show age. This is a graph to show how people access the magazine. This is a graph to show what music people listen to.
15. This is a graph to show how many people subscribe to a magazine. This graph shows how much people are willing to pay for a magazine. This graph shows what people want from the magazine.
16. Contents Page For my contents page I have decided that I am going to stick with the same colour scheme of orange and purple. My text is based at the bottom of my page, I have different main titles organising my news and articles in my magazine, this is because it makes it easier for readers to find what they are interested in and also make my magazine look organised.
17. Double page spread In my double page spread I have decided that I am going to use notepads to write my text on, this makes the magazine look different to a normal article and gives the article a less formal feel. I have also decided that the title of the band will be in purple, again fitting in with my colour scheme. The images of the band down the left hand side makes the double page spread look more realistic.
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29. Analysing my final front cover Black and white background image makes models stand out and look gothic. Defined edges, makes the shapes stand out strongly and makes the other stories noticeable. Drop shadow gives the images definition and makes them stand out more. Strapline, this is advertising another big story in the magazine, very similar to Kerrang! Magazine. Masthead, the main headline/title of the magazine. I chose a strong bold image font as i felt this was appropriate for the genre of my magazine as it is distorted. The bands name is defined and in a different font than the rest of the text. This makes the reader think the story is important and makes the text stand out. Barcode, this has the price and the date of the magazine on, also the issue number.
30. Analysing my final contents page Variety of images of different models, makes the reader want to read further. Subscription box, this will tempt readers into subscribing to my magazine. Distorted colour effects links back to the front cover and also make my magazine look more gothic. Image text the same as the front cover, as I feel it makes the name of the magazine look interesting and remember able. I have included a note from the editor as I feel that addressing the readers directly is a good way to make them feel important and a way to personally thank them for buying the magazine.
31. Analysing my final feature page I decided to put the name of the band in a different font as the rest of the text as I felt this makes the reader see the name and may interest them to read further. Quotations make show the key things the artist or band is talking about and if the reader see’s these first they may be interested to read the article. Pictures of the band, joking around I feel are important as it gives the reader a look in on the band they are reading about. By-line, showing who has written the article and who has taken the photos. Large main image, which draws the reader in and makes the article look visually pleasant.
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33. Audience feedback 2 Secondly I asked the 100 people if they would buy Rock and Riot magazine. 80% said “I definitely would 10% said “probably would” 8% said “probably not” 2% said “I definitely wouldn’t”
34. Audience feedback 3 I also asked what could be done to improve my magazine. Most people said to have a wider colour scheme and to have more love images of bands and artists. Other people said that my feature page could have been more busy to fit in with the rest of my magazine.
35. Audience feedback 4 Finally I asked them what they liked about my magazine. Most said they liked the colour scheme and the busyness of my front cover and contents page. They also said that I had a variety of different images that also fit in with the colour scheme.
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41. I have attracted my audience to my magazine by having a very bold front cover, my front cover for my magazine will stand out against other magazines, I have also included free posters as I have seen this used in many magazines to help increase sales. I have also made some interviews in my magazine exclusive which mean for my audience to read about that particular artist or group they must buy my magazine as it will not be published in any other magazine. I have also addressed my audience by addressing them as friends, this give the audience the feeling of being recognised which I think is an important feature in a magazine.
