Music Magazine- Contents Page

Music Magazine- Front Cover

Music Magazine Proposal

My music magazine will be focused on heavy metal, and cover news, reviews of new albums and a special article in an interview format with a featured artist.

For the front cover, I will have the featured artist, ideally a medium close up. I will construct the picture with the idea that to either side of the featured artist there will be cover lines describing other features in the issue, so the artist in the cover will be positioned centrally leaving enough cover space.

Once you open the cover, the contents page will be a single column style, with one main picture relating to the front cover, and then a list format of all the other articles. 

The double page spread will be an interview with a member of an up and coming metal band (who will be featured on the cover) with a main picture and text over the top.


Basic flat plans

Audience Research into Music

From my audience research, the interests are varied. There is a strong presence of pop, and what would be considered “main stream”. Artists such as Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and  Rhianna are repeatedly named, but there are also more surprising choices from different genres such as Muse, Kings of Leon and Foo Fighters.

To summarise this, it would seem alternative rock and pop are the dominant interest currently, but this does change when looking at different age groups. In my questionnaire, every response from someone under the age of 16 would list a pop star of some description. When looking at older audiences, the classic rock genre becomes more prominent and surprisingly metal fits in as well.

 Overall, the younger generation’s knowledge of different genres seems to be well informed, and listen to a variety of genres. This makes marketing certain magazines difficult but also can open up more boundaries.

The questionnaire I used:

1. Gender? [Male] [Female]

2. Age? [15 or below] [16-19] [20-25] [25-30] [31+]

3. Do you buy mostly physical copies of music or download? [Buy] [Download]

4. What is your favourite genre of music? [Alternative/Rock] [Heavy Metal/Metal] [Pop] [Indie] [Rap/Hip Hop] [Dance] [Classical] [Drum n’ Bass] [Dubstep] Other____

5. Name your top artists/bands of this genre (3 max.)

6. Do you read music based magazines?

7. If so, can you name some of your favourites?

8. Are you currently subscribed to a music publication?

9. Does the content on the cover of a magazine influence your decision to buy?

Research into current state of music magazines

Music publication sales figures have dropped significantly over the last 3 years, with top names such as NME reporting they have dropped under the 50,000 mark.  Other big names such as Kerrang have also suffered, losing 32.1 per cent of its circulation year on year, down from 76,937 to 52,272. Overall, it’s the music weeklies which suffer the most as the entire sector falls 12% (as of February 2009).

Music magazines (percentage changes are year on year)
Q - 103,017 (-21.6%)
Mojo - 100,507 (-5.4%)
Uncut - 87,069 (-4.3%)
Classic Rock - 70,188 (4.1%)
Kerrang! - 52,272 (-32.1%)
Metal Hammer - 50,269 (9.7%)
New Musical Express - 48,459 (-24.3%)
Rock Sound - 20,011 (-13.1%)
BBC Music Magazine - 45,144 (-4.2%)
Classic FM - The Magazine - 35,751 (-13.7%)
Gramophone - 34,628 (-5.9%)
RWD - 77,050 (131.6%)
mixmag - 30,159 (-15.8%)
Terrorizer - 13,786 (-7.8%)
Word Magazine - 34,280 (3.2%)
Rhythm - 9,472 (-4.5%)
Total Guitar - 42,171 (-13.4%)
Guitarist - 31,917 (8.5%)
Guitar Techniques - 22,387 (7.0%)
The Guitar Magazine - 11,994 (3.0%)
Future Music - 10,860 (11.0%)

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Source: http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=43068
(As of February 2009)

There have been some rises in sales (for example Metal Hammer, with an average circulation of 50,269). But it’s the drop in numbers which attract the most attention, especially with such prestigious names falling so dramatically. There are many reasons for this, but one of the biggest factors is the internet, where music news and everything in these magazines is available within seconds, and more importantly, free. It’s much easier and with the rising prices of these publications it makes sense.

Music Magazine Analysis

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. 

Design Work- College Magazine Contents Page

This is my design for the contents page of my student magazine

Original Images: