Magazine research

Kerrang

What is Kerrang?

Kerrang is a UK based music magazine in the genre of rock music. The first magazine was published in 1901 as a supplement in the Sound newspaper. The magazine was names after the ‘onomatopoeic’ which originates from the sound those electric guitars make. Nevertheless, Kerrang was firstly made for Heavy metal and hard rock acts.

Target Audience?

Kerrang’s target audience is near enough 50/50 which shows that this magazine is appropriate for both genres and doesn’t discriminate females and vice versa. The main readers and buyers of this magazine are people aged 15-24. It is very obvious that this magazine is aimed at a young audience. I can tell due to the layout, font which is bright and bold, the presentation of each article and the front page as well as the graphics.

I feel that this magazine specifically chose this audience as it concerns topic and themes that are relatable to people who listen to rock music. Moreover I think that it’s aimed at the youth and their lifestyle. The magazine incorporates adverts which interests then such as gigs and products. It also advertise music companies which as Play.com and HMV.

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Top of the POPs

What is TOP?

Top of the Pops magazine is a monthly published magazine by BBC Magazine. TOP shows chart information, gossip about celebrities, fashion and beauty advice, some quizzes (cross word, word search and spot the difference), posters and song lyrics. This magazine is accompanies the TV show Top of the Pops.

The magazine was launched in 1995 and is known for giving the girl group The Spice Girls their nickname. The magazine was first marketed as the link between NME and Smash Hits. However this all changed and was shifted to what young girls were interested in. The magazine is on-going even though the TV show has been cancelled.

Target Audience?

The magazine is targeted for pre-teen girls. I think this due to the colour scheme they have used. From looking at a few magazines issues, they colour schemes are mainly similar, using pink, baby blue and purples. This shows that TOP is biased towards boys as they use very girly colours moreover they have celebrities which girls prefer more than what boys like to read.

This magazine will appeal more on girls aged 11+ as they’re more interested in this type of magazine than girls. Boys will rarely buy this magazine as it will not interest them as much. Their interests are cars and cartoon such as Ben10 or characters and things like that.

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A Fresh Start

Link to my AS School Magazine Blog.

There you will be able to see the first task I completed in order to prepare myself for this Music Magazine. 

In my opinion, having to do the School Magazine was a trial and error stage. I felt like I was able to create mistakes and improve on them. It's a good stage to also get used to the software we will be using (Adobe CS4 InDesign) although I did come across some difficulties in using it at first. 

I have a few ideas about my Music Magazine in my head and I cannot wait to actually make it. Over this Halloween half term I will be reading different genres of music magazine, analyse the cover photo and its contents.