Analysis of two music magazines: Kerrang! and Metal Hammer
There are clear differences between these two magazines, although both feature the metal genre, Kerrang is more mainstream and crosses several types of rock to appeal to a wider audience. This is clear from the layout of the Kerrang cover, as there are various cover lines spread across the page, featuring a variety of bands from punk to heavy metal. The "explosion" of colour and dominating text make it impossible not to look, and with the text cramped together it helps to reinforce the idea of how packed the issue is. Essentially it is showing the reader that are getting their money's worth with the magazine.
- Featured artist Slipknot dominates the cover, even obscures some of the magazine masthead. Shows that Kerrang is such a big institution in the world of music that the masthead is not even essential, fans will know immediately what it is.
- The tabloid style layout suggests it is aimed at a wider target audience than publications such as Metal Hammer. It makes it more accessible and gives the reader a lot more content ready from the start.
- Magazines like Kerrang are more likely to include "freebies" or extra content like posters, it's useful method of attracting readers. Since the magazine is fairly cheap compared to others, occasional readers/ passers by in the shop may be more inclined to purchase because of these offers.
- The Slipknot-Paramore contrast on the cover reflects the big spectrum of rock that Kerrang covers, and helps to reach out to a wider audience.
- The way in which the members of Slipknot are staring directly at the camera, into the reader's eye makes it slightly intimidating, and in a way adds pressure to buy.
Metal Hammer is a polar opposite to Kerrang in its cover layout and content. There are no other cover lines, as often with this publication the focus is one particular group, normally quite a prestigious group with a massive fanbase. The emphasis is more on quality of production rather than masses of content, as readers are normally subscription based or will buy regularly regardless of the featured act.
- Like on the Kerrang cover, the mast head is obscured again, this is common as regular readers will recognise which magazine is it purely through other elements. Having the full cover image also helps in attracting potential new readers to purchase.
- The quote featured on the cover, "Everyone around me dies!" is very direct, and should intrigue the reader.
- The masthead logo itself is "chained" down. This not only helps reinforce the seriousness of the publication but an aggressive side (perhaps the content) that needs to be chained down to be contained.
