Music Magazine Conventions

Before I begin planning for how my completed work will look, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at the conventions of music magazines similar to mine - so I dont end up producing a magazine which nobody wants to read! I want my magazine to really appeal to young women like myself, who are interested in rock and indie music, therefore, I need to know what conventions I need to follow. I want my magazine to be different, but if it stands out too much then nobody will want to buy it! My questionnaire will aid this process of seeing what people do and dont like as well. I also looked at some fairly recent music magazines, and analysed the conventions used on front covers, contents pages, and feature artcicles, to give me a clearer idea of what I need to do.

Conventions:

All magazines follow the same rules, whether they are music, lifestyle, fashion or movie magazines. They all have a memorable logo or image with we associate with the magazine. The title of the magazine must also have this impact. The colour scheme must also create a 'house style' which appeals to the target audience. For example...

Music magazines also need to include a clear mode of address, and is usually written in an informal, chatty style. Magazines usually include celebrities, and 'aspirational' stars are usually included on the front cover of music magazines as a selling point. Magazine covers are the main advertisement for the magazine - therefore, it has to be effective and strong. It has to represent the magazine as a whole, and is usually bright, interesting to look at and eyecatching. The colours need to reflect the target audience, e.g. pink for a girly pop magazine, black for a heavy metal magazine. A variety of fonts on the front cover makes the cover more interesting to look at. There should be a header at the top to create a brand image which is recognisable. There should be a star on the front, a leading caption, subheadings, straplines, the date and a barcode.

Here is my analysis of the front cover of a Kerrang! magazine:

Conventions of contents pages:

Contents pages need to be - bright and colourful

- image dominated (allows 'grazing')

- images with page numbers included

- direct address used in all images

- title/header appears on every page

- list of contents must be included, otherwise it wouldnt be much use!

Here is my contents page analysis:

Feature article conventions:

A double page spread must include - a headline and subheadings (usually witty)

- the article must sell the artist or their album/tour/dvd etc.

The feature needs to be image dominated, and needs to be clear and easy to follow. Text grabs draw the attention to certain lines, making the best parts of the article stand out, encouraging the reader to read on. Tet grabs are usually controversial, funny, or rude!

Here is my feature article analysis:

To make profit, music magazines have to appeal to its audience. The cover price of a magazine doesn't pay for the magazine to be published, the majority of the money made by the magazine company comes from advertising revenue. The magazine can charge for advertising space, so if the magazine is popular, companies are more likely to advertise inside.