Contents page analysis

I have chosen Hip hop as my music genre. As you can see from my contents page i have used various pictures linking in with Hip hop. I think this makes my magazine look more street as the pictures and text represent rappers from 'the hood'.

Although I can't use the pictures I have used in the final copy, I used them because I wanted to get an idea of what it would look like in the rough draft. 

Rough draft of contents

Here is a rough copy of my contents page:

Q

I am going to analyse and answer the following questions for the magazine i chose:


Q music

Why is it called Q?
It is called Q because the founders wanted the magazine to sound like cueing a record, ready to play.


What are the significant words?
The significant words are 'discover great music' if this weren't in the title then people may get confused weather it is a music magazine or not. 
Also the word florence is a significant word because it backs up the picture of her. Also makes the viewers interested in the magazine as she is a famous singer.
Lastly the word 'GIG' is pretty significant as it is in big bold letters indicating that there is more information inside. I also think that it was important to mention Zane Lowe's name on the front cover as he is a famous DJ from radio 1.


What connotations do they have?
On the front cover the letter Q is surrounded by a lot of red, this to me symbolises passion it also links in with the picture. 


What type of reader is it targeting?
I think that the magazine is targeting young adult aged 12-17. I think this is the target audience because there are pictures of famous celebrities inside and on the front cover. Also this stand out to the younger generation as this what their age group is into.


How does the reader 'interact' with the magazine?
The reader will interact with the magazine by looking at the front cover, if they like florence and the machine then they will probably buy it. Also they will look in it at the competition such as other artists they are interested in. For example in Q magazine they have pictures and information about artists like Dappy, jessie j e.t.c.
Also they may go to the advertisements and check out whats being advertised. For example in Q magazine they advertise what concerts are going on and how to book tickets.


Analyse the images on the cover, the types of facial expressions, body language, clothing and so on.
On the magazine there is only one picture. However it covers the whole page which draws attention to the magazine. 
This tells us that the target audience is interested in florence and the machine and the latest update of celebrity life. i also think that females would be more interested in this magazine then males as it appeals more to females. The title is in the top left corner of the front cover and stands out clearly. This again draws in viewers as they may want to find out what kind of magazine it is. 

Hip Hop

HipHop music

I created 5 questions about Hip Hop music to ask what poeple thought about Hip Hop music and music magazines, here are the questions i asked:

• What do you expect in a Hip Hop magazine?
• Who's your favourite Hip Hop artist?
• What do you like about Hip Hop music?
• What do you expect to see in a music magazine? 
• What are your opinions on Hip Hop music?

These questions were important for my research as I needed to know what people thought about Hip Hop music.

Here is what they said:
They expect pictures of popular HipHop artists, they also expect a preview of a song that hasn't been released yet, they expect to find whats going on in a HipHop artists life.
Their favourite artists are: Eminem, Lil Wayne, Dappy, 50 Cent, Jay Z, Kanye West, Example and Nikki Minaj. There aremany more rap artists this is just a couple of them.

What they liked about HipHop music was the lyrics as it often tells a story about their lives. Also they thought that the lyrics are inspiring as they felt like the artists are trying to reach out to the fans.

What they expected in a music magazine was pictures of famous artists and pictures of them performing, adverts of upcoming events such as concerts or festivals and finally they wanted news/information on artists about whats going on in their lives.

Their opinions of HipHop were mostly positive, however there was a few negative comments which were: Too much swearing, the music is rough, they also thought that HipHop music d a negative impact onpoeple such as little children who may listen to it may learn how to swear. 

Overall this information has helped me with my music magazine as I now know what poeple expect in their magazines and what they like and dislike about HipHop music.

Bricolage

Bricolage:
A bricolage means to make creative and resourceful use of whatever materials are at hand, often things that do not mix. For example bricolage is used a lot in art: As you can see from the picture it is a mixture of random things that are completely different from each other. Bricolage is mostly used in art because people want to se things that 'do not make sense.'





Another example of when bricolage is used in music, such as walk this way (aerosmith) which is a mix of rock music and pop music. Another example is Stan by Eminem and Dido. This is a bricolage because two completely different artists from different genres have come together and produced a piece of music.

Investigate at least 2 music magazines currently on sale in Britain:


NME:


History:

NME is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, in 1952 edition. In the 1970s it became the best-selling British music newspaper. An online version of NME, NME.com, was launched in 1996. Today NME.com has 5 million users per month. 

Target audience:

NME's target audience are mainly teenagers aged around 16-21. Also the main genders that read this magazine are males. 

Produced/Distributed:

NME is produced and distributed by IPC media which is an International Publishing Corporation.

Kerrang:

History:

Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer magazine group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the sounds newspaper. Kerrang! commenced publication on June 6, 1981 and was edited by Geoff Barton, initially as a one-time supplement in the sounds newspaper. Angus Young of AC/DC appeared on Kerrang!'s first cover. Launched as a monthly magazine, Kerrang! began to appear on a fortnightly basis later, and in 1987 it went weekly.

Target audience:

The main target audience for Kerrang magazine are 15-19 year olds who are interested in rock/punk/indie music etc. I get this impression because of the bands listed at the bottom of the cover who will be inside the issue and because of the central image of the magazine.


Produced/distributed:

Kerrang! is distributed and produced by Bauer Media Group which again is an international publishing corporation. 

Memes and Tropes

Memes:
A meme is an idea that spreads through people, which eventually becomes a trope. For example if someone started wearing a particular clothing then another person started wearing the same e.t.c.


Trope:
A trope is a recurring convention. For example a particular type of music.


Hip hop/rap:


Rap music originated in the 1970s in the South Bronx area of New York. Being the new music on the scene, rap was recorded by small, independently owned record labels. it was created by Keith Cowboy and carried on by other artists such as DJ Hollywood. It is now very popular and is produced around the world, the current artists that have carried it on are Eminem, P . Diddy 50 
Cent e.t.c.

• Usually sexual
• Often wear a lot of jewelry
• Most artists have a lot of tattoos  
• Will often collaborate with other artists
• Always appear like there from a rough background
• Lyrics often tell their life story 

MC Hammer became one of the most successful rappers of the early nineties and one of the first household names in the genre. The album raised rap music to a new level of popularity. 

Eminem's success, beginning in 1999 with the platinum The Slim Shady It sold over ten million copies in the United States and was the fastest selling album of all time. Again this album raised rap to a new level.    






Heavy metal :
Heavy metal music is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960's and early 1970's

• Very aggressive and angry
• Wear chain and leather
• Most artists wear face pain
• Have a lot of tattoos 
• Usually symbolize dark music
• Usually sing about something they are passionate about
• Artists usually in bands

Pop:


Pop music is a genre of popular music which originated in the 1950's

• Fashionable dress sense
• Artists are usually attractive
• Idolized by the younger generation
• Artists normally appear perfect
• Music video is very professional 
• Lyrics often tell a story
• Mostly for girls 
• Normally about love