Music Magazine Analysis
See how the front covers have been analysed using relevant media language.
To analyse fully the genre conventions of your new Music Magazine Front Cover you will have to understand and explain the technical and symbolic codes which reveal more about the target audience, meaning for the target audience and how the magazine creates audience appeal. Music Magazine front covers can also link to narrative (stories about the band/artist) and issues of representation – front covers can reveal a traditional, stereotypical representation or challenge the dominant culture or dominant preferred meaning. They can also reveal synergy, convergence and production values, many magazine purchases are impulse buys based on the appeal of the cover.
Music Magazine Research
1. What is the name of magazine?
2. Why did you choose it?
3. Is it a magazine / site you regularly read?
4. What is the look or style of the magazine?
5. What kind of music does it usually feature?
6. Who owns the magazine /site?
7. Who is the editor?
8. What other members of staff are involved in making the magazine / site?
9. How much does it cost to purchase / access?
10. Is there any advertising in the magazine / website? Choose two examples to analyse.
11. How many ads / pages?
12. What products or services are being advertised? Why do they suit the magazine or website?
13. What does their website include?
14. What do you like best about this magazine / site?
15. What would you change about it?
16. How often is the magazine published and how much does it cost?
17. Who is the institution that publishes this magazine? Do they publish other magazines? Is it a mass media institution or an independent?
18. Who is the target audience and how do you know? Look at adverts and articles as well as the front cover. Also look to see if they have a press pack on the website describing their audience.
19. Front cover analysis (see slideshare example)
20. Contents page – layout, images, what are all the different elements included in the contents page?
21. Double page spread – layout, images, text – denotations and connotations
Enjoy! Looking forward to your presentations.