Classic Rock double page spread analysis

The main focus of this double page spread is 'Motley Crue' which are placed left off-centre against a white background, this is effective because of its simplicity. Also because of the white, the writing and the pictures pops out, making it more eye catching. The band is sat down on a red sofa, they are not in a particular pose, this makes this more casual, fitting in with the Title of the DPS 'Friends Reunited' which would be a casual gathering. This is effective because it makes the reader feel closer to the band ad because it is a reunion of a band, it is also an exclusive article.

The colour theme of this Double Page Spread is Black, White, Red and Green. It fits in with the rest of the magazine which gives it a regularity which is good.

Metal Hammer double page spread analysis

In this double page spread, the band's picture takes up all of the space and the writing is layered on to it. This is good because then it has no need to add more pictures on top of it. The picture itself is quite simple, with the members standing with branches and twigs in front of them. The brown of the branches and twigs is a good backgrownd for the white writing and the picture doesn't distract from the writing either but the white/grey clouds complement the colour of the font.

'Scene Not Heard' is the title of this spread and includes a quote from the article next to the heading. They take over a whole page, creating a statement and making it very easily seen. The colours on this double page spread all complement eachother and stick to a theme, it has a relaxed feel.

Kerrang! Double page spread analysis

On the Kerrang! magazine double page spread, the focus is on the picture which is placed slightly off-centre, surrounded by other different pictures. The main picture is in colour, whereas the other pictures are black and white. This goes well with the black background and the red border. This double page spread of the band 'The All-American Rejects's colour theme is Black, Purple, White and Red. These colours go well together and are layed out well. The lead singer of the band's clothes even co-ordinate with the colour theme of the page.

'The All-American Rejects's fans would know that the title of this double page spread 'Dirty Little Secrets' are the name of one of the bands songs. This is could mean that within this feature, the band would reveal their secrets which adds a lot of interest and excitement because fans want to know as much about their favourite celebrities as possible.

The mixture of different fonts and both lower and upper case fonts that have been used is good because it adds depth and variety to the page. Also the effect of tape that they have gives an urban feel to the page and matches with the black and white pictures too.

Focus Group Questions and Answers for Rock/Metal Magazine.

1) What is your favourite Rock/Metal magazine?

Don't read any- this shows that there is a gap in the market for more rock teen music magazines.

2) What colours do you think represent the Rock genre?

Red Black Grey Purple Silver White

3) What would you want to see on the front page of a Rock/Metal music magazine?

Rock bands and artists because it is relevant and it might be off-putting if it was someone from another genre and it wouldn't be staying true to the magazine.

4)What would you like to be featured of the magazine?

Artists, local concerts, gigs, competitions, interviews

5) What would be a good name for a Rock/Metal music magazine?

Bass-ics, True Rock, Power Chords, Hard Rock, Hard Place, METAL WAVE

6) What sub-genres would you like to see included in the magazine or would you like all of them to be featured within it?

Punk, New wave, different sub-genres of metal eg: Heavy, pagan, groove, electro, death, jazz, pirate... Glam rock so basically all the sub-genres.

7) What news would you like to hear in the magazine?

News of gigs, new albums, chances to win prizes, new up and coming artists, band updates,

8) What sort of prizes would you like to be included included inside the magazine?

Free tickets, posters, chances to meet rock stars, trips, free music, t-shirt.

9) What would set us apart from other Rock/Metal magazines?

The variety of music we show, less mainstream music.

10) Who would be the target audience (age)?

16-25

11) What price would you consider reasonable for a Rock/Metal music magazine?

£2.00

Evaluation

This focus groups questions and answers give me ideas on what to include and what the audience could be and what they want out of the magazine. For example this shows me that there is a gap in the market for a decent 'teen' rock magazines but that could also be assessable to older people therefore I would make my audience 16-25 year olds. Our USP (unique selling point) would be that the magazine would include a variety of rock and metal, because its such a vast genre, and focus on the bands that may not be as well known. Also it would be priced at £2.00, making it extremely good value for money.

Metal Hammer contents page analysis

This contents page had a lot of variety and depth, but some people may think that it is too busy and cluttered. It has different pictures in it, and they take up a good amount of space, they aren't overwhelming. Some of the pictures overlap, which again, adds depth to the page. The articles are separated into the 'Features' and the 'Regulars', I think this is a good technique because it tells the reader what the articles are. Also under the pages, they give a short description of what the pages are about which is good because tells the reader what they are. The colour theme of this page is Black, White and Red. These colours are used regularly in Rock magazines but they all use the colours a different way. It shows the versatility of the colours and what can be done to them.

Classic Rock contents page analysis

Although this contents page is taken from a different issue i think the codes and conventions of the contents page still stays the same and that they give off the same vibe.

This contents page consists of both writing and pictures. One of the four pictures is the biggest and dominates the whole page. This suggests that this is relevant to the main article of the issue. Every page that is referenced to on this page has a short description. This gives the reader the idea of what the article is about. The colour theme on this page is black, white and red. They are used well and with effect. But I do think that the pictures should be more different. For example all of them are of a single person, to add more interest to the page, they could have a group photo, a building, an album cover?

Kerrang! Contents page analysis

This contents is taken from the Kerrang magazine which i analysed for the front cover, This isn't from the same issue but i find it useful to analyse one from the same brand of magazine because they will be in the same guide lines for all magazines.

Layout: The layout consists of multiple pictures, one bigger than the rest- this could indicate that this is related to the main focus/article of the magazine. Every picture had a short description which is good because then it is makes the photo relevant. On the left is the contents page, this is more brief. it splits the pages into sub sections which i think it is good because it allows the reader to go to a specific section which they have interest in for example 'gigs'. The colour theme has carried on mostly from the front cover, but the red isn't as prominent. This could be a flaw in the design.

Music Genre Research- Classic Rock

'Classic Rock' suggests that this is a magazine about the Rock music industry and it includes the classic rock music as well as the modern. In the masthead, the 'Rock' is bigger, emphasising the importance of the genre and that 'Classic' is small in between two stars, this highlights the word but in another way. The masthead is partially covered, this suggests that the magazine is so iconic, it is recognisable even if some of the masthead is covered. 

The focus of this magazine cover is Matthew Bellamy, the lead singer of the Rock band 'Muse'. This picture of him is a simple mid shot, which is effective because of its simplicity. 

Matt Bellamy is co-ordinated with the colour theme, this is good because it doesn't look out of place and it looks professional. The colours of this magazine are white and different colours of grey, silver and beige, with hints of  different colours like orange and red and blue. Even  This doesn't suggest any particular gender it is aimed at. the colours are simple and not too bright and busy. 

This magazine cover uses a variety of different fonts and sizes. This is effective because it adds depth to the page and it isn't boring by using just one font. The writing is also at different angles and sizes and at different places on the page, this gives a sense of busyness on the cover, which is a good contrast from the simple background picture. 

This edition of the 'Classic Rock' magazine, certainly looks quite busy words-wise, but I think this is effective because it gives the audience alot to look at. It uses words like 'Epic' 'Rocks new royalty' and 'Hottest new bands'. This is good because it excites the reader making them want to purchase and read the magazine.

Music Genre Research- Kerrang!

Rock and metal music magazine- Kerrang!

The masthead is different to different because it isn't an actual word, more like a sound. maybe that's why it is a successful magazine because the name stands out and is an onomatopoeia. Also the word may mimic a particular sound, for example this is a rock magazine so some may say that it mimics the sound of a guitar.

On the front cover, the main person is a famous lead singer from a band 'The Black Veil Brides' Andy Six. So this will firstly attract BVB fans or inform readers about the band if they have not heard of them before.

The other pictures on this magazine tells the reader that it is in fact a rock music magazine. This is because of the people and how they are portrayed. For example, Andy Six has got long jet black hair and is wearing black face paint on his face and black clothing, this would not typically be portrayed on a jazz magazine for example.

The colour theme of the whole magazine is Black, Red, Yellow and White. I think these colours represent the rock genre quite well and none of them (maybe except red which can be feminine) are gender bias. They are all primary colours and therefore stand out and are very effective together. 

The font used on the front cover is quite bold and is all in capitals, it also has a grainy, slightly scratched effect. This gives the impression of and urban feel to it, relating to the genre of music. The masthead has lines through it, giving the effect that is it broken maybe, again mirroring the rock/metal genre, but it is still quite big and understandable to read.

Kerrang! has persuasive words in this issue that would make you want to buy and read more about it for example 'awesome' and 'biggest'. They also have a few exclusives, as written on the front cover, 'Billy Joe gets personal', 'clown reveals future plans' and 'inside their UK comeback'. As fans, people want to know as much about their favourite artists and their lives as possible, and if it is an exclusive to Kerrang! it adds more value to the information.

'5 Awesome posters' are in this issue of Kerrang! This makes readers feel that they are getting something extra for their money to convince them to buy it. 

Music Genre Research- Metal Hammer

 

'Metal Hammer' is the name of this magazine. It is a double entendre meaning a hammer made of metal and the genre of music 'metal'. The mastheads size is very big, with the 'hammer' taking up most of the space and

the 'metal' is just in one part of the 'H'. This suggests that this magazine, taking characteristics of a hammer, is big and hard and not to be messed with. The metal which is written in a handwriting sort of font, suggests an urban and more down to earth quality to this magazine.

On this addition on 'Metal Hammer' the main and only focus on this cover is a famous metal band 'Avenged Sevenfold' so this suggests that this issue is mostly about them. This cover will immediately attracts Avenged Sevenfold fans and regular buyers of the magazine. 

Most of the colours used on the front cover is beige, brown, black and white. This gives the effect of being dirty maybe. That this is purposefully not a 'clean cut' magazine but in fact goes against this image, aiming for a rough, dirty feel, maybe replicating the Metal genre, or what they perceive it to be. Also because lots of browns are used, this could suggest that this is a magazine aimed at men, but it is done subtly so it doesn't restrict women from reading or buying it.

The front cover uses a mixture of different fonts, but they don't look entirly different from eachother. they are all simple and easy to read and all in capitals. This shows that all of the things written on it holds importance.
Some of the writing is written in a clear, clean font, and some is written in a grainy, urban style font. This adds variety on the page so it is more interesting to look at.
 
'"We're building a cult"' because this is a quote it strongly suggests that it is from the band and part of and exclusive interview to this magazine. 'Declare war on the mainstream' says that this band is straying from and fighting against the normal popular music, or even way of life. This is both a statement and a challenge which would temp people into buying this issue.

Music Genre Research- Jazz Times

Jazz Times Magazine

The masthead of this magazine suggests that this is a magazine is a Jazz Magazine. 'Times' suggests that this magazine are for those Jazz moments when you want to listen to it or that it is a reminder of jazz in the past and present.

Of course this is a music magazine so on this cover it would attract fans of 'Rahsaan Roland Kirk'. Also he is playing the saxophone it would attract the musicians.

The only other picture is of a trumpet player called 'Lee Morgan' this could be a feature within the magazine and therefore also attract his fans too.

The colour theme on this magazine seems to be Black, Orange, Blue and White. All of these colours are quite different and contrasting, this makes them all stand out. These colours on a whole aren't considered to be predominantly either male or female so then this suggests that this magazine is not gender bias. 

The font that is used on this front cover is very simple and easy to understand and read. The subtitles and additional information are in different colours and the subtitles are all in uppercase letters. This gives importance to different things.

Some of the words and subheadings on this magazine hae a certain effect on the reader, it makes them want to read more about whats inside and find out more about whats going on the jazz music industry. "Ambitious new miles project" using the words 'Ambitious' and 'new' makes the reader want to read inside and find out what it happening, it creates excitement and gives you a sense of exclusivity.

There are two copetitions that can be ntered to on the front cover. One of them is to win a holiday, and one is to win two saxophones. These competitions apply to different people, musicians and other people who would like to win a holiday. this is a good technique to get people to buy their magazine if they aren't regular buyers because it might just be an impulsive buy to get a chance to win a holiday.

Music Genre Research- Reggae Vibes

Reggae Music Magazine- Reggae Vibes

The masthead 'Reggae Vibes' indicates that this magazine is a reggae magazine and has the 'vibes' of the music.

Because this is a music magazine, having a reggae musician on the cover would be fitting and make sense. Therefore it would attract fans and inform people who are unaware of the musician(s) about their music and work. 

As far as other pictures are concerned there aren't any. On this issue of 'Reggae Vibes' it focuses just the one person on the cover. 

The colours used in this front cover are usually associated with reggae and Jamaica (the origin of reggae)- Red, Blue and Yellow. These colours are not necessarily male or female, but the genre is arguably male influenced. 

The font used on this front cover is quite chunky and is all in capitals, it is also kind of grainy. This gives the impression of and urban feel and it stands out as the font is in the Yellow, Blue and Green colours. This is good because it follows on with the colour scheme and is consistant.

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This blog will be where I post my Main Task for Media AS for OCR

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