Front Cover Research

To begin my research into music magazine front covers I decided to look at this month's edition of Q magazine, which can be seen below. By looking at the features used and the effect they have on the viewer, I can start to form ideas for my own front covers and which features to use. 

The November 2012 issue of Q magazine which I analysed.

As my questionnaire has shown so far, the main image of the magazine cover is the most important factor to make a viewer purchase it. On this cover, the use of a very well known and famous musician with a large fanbase means people who follow him will be likely to buy the magazine. The fact that Noel Gallagher is part of the mast head and next to the magazine title shows that he is important and as big as the magazine brand, and this is conventional when a very successful artist is used on a magazine cover. His gesture codes of folded arms and the camera angle suggests that he is looking down on the reader and that he is intimidating. As I would like to create my magazines for a younger audience, I will not be using these gesture codes as it is conventional that the gesture codes of the artist will be more inclusive and inviting to the audience, such as Justin Bieber smiling on the edition of We Love Pop which I also looked at. The model credit 'get Oasis back together? Not even for starving children' emphasises this intimidating style, as well as shocking the viewer and making them want to know more from the interview. I would like to use model credits to give the viewer exclusive information rather than causing controversy, as younger audiences value knowing about their favourite artists. Gallagher's dress codes of a leather jacket, jeans and scruffy boots suggest that he is casual and realistic about the interview, as well as fitting with the intimidating biker style. His lifted chin and raised eyebrows add to the idea that he is judging or looking down at the reader, and is confident. This style of image is very different to the images that are on pop magazines such as the edition of We Love Pop that I looked at. Conventionally, these magazines use the main central image to include the audience rather than look down on them, for example gesture codes such as smiling, laughing and direct mode of address.



Noel Gallagher's gesture and dress codes connote confidence and are intimidating.

The use of mainly black and white colours shows that the magazine is a classy and quality product, whilst the simplicity appeals to the older target audience. The red and white 'Q' is the most colourful part of the cover, making the magazine name the first thing the audience sees.  Red and gold are also used to add interest to some artist names and features of the magazine. The use of gold connotes wealth to the viewer, and again shows that the product is of good quality. This has given me the idea to use a similar colour scheme for my classical music cover, as it is a sophisticated style of music, however as my target audience is still quite young I will use a few more colours or shades of the colours, and fill my cover up with more insert images and cover lines as this is conventional of magazines aimed at younger audience such as We Love Pop. This appeals to a younger audience who stereotypically look for bright, eye-catching covers which are full of things to look at. The colour palette of Q magazine is also very different to indie or alternative magazines such as The Fly which conventionally use softer, paler and less bright colours to appeal to its target audience, and I will use this colour palette in my folk/indie magazine.

Alternative magazines such as The Fly use a paler, softer colour palette to appeal to their target audience.



The left third of the page in Q features the magazine name with the selling line 'The world's greatest music magazine!', and as this is the section of the magazine that will be on show in shops it is easy for the audience to see and recognise it quickly. The selling line makes the magazine seem important, and may make the viewer want to see more. The left third also features a large 'NOEL', pulling in fans of Oasis and Noel Gallagher to buy the magazine. We Love Pop magazine's left third features the selling line 'Actually amazing mag!' and the colloquialism 'mag' is conventional of pop magazines aimed at a young teenage audience. Cover line '10 posters (even hotter than last month!)' is written in bold typography and bright colours and this would persuade the reader to find out more when stacked on a shelf. In Q magazine there are lots of cover lines including insert images, making it easy for the audience to see exactly what is featured in the magazine and appealing to as many fans of different artists and genres as possible. I would like to use lots of cover lines and insert images of artists and bands in my folk magazine to make the target audience clear and to interest the young audience with a packed cover. 

The left third

The price of Q magazine is £3.99, which is in the upper range of common prices for music magazines. This appeals to an older audience who spend more time at work and have less time to read magazines, so the magazine would last a long time. This also appeals to an audience with a higher income, as it is quite a lot to spend on a magazine. This is a contrast to We Love Pop which costs £2.99 as the class E target audience rely on their parents income and don't have a lot of money of their own to spend. Also, the younger audiences have a lot more time to spare and can read the magazine within a shorter period of time, so may buy magazines more often. I would like to retail my folk magazine at a young target audience so the price of £2.99 would be suitable for my magazine, while my classical magazine will be aimed at a slightly older target audience so Q magazine's £3.99 will be a suitable price.

In Q magazine, the question 'How did that happen?' in the cover line about Madness makes the audience want to find out more and see what the answer is said to be. The model credit from the Noel Gallagher interview as well as the 'Fame drove me mental' quote from Ellie Goulding are exclusive, never heard before quotes so this creates enigmas for the reader, and makes the content of the magazine seem more exciting. The Green Day 'Answer Your Questions' feature may make the reader want to buy the magazine to see if their question has been answered by the band. The use of enigmas is very effective and I will use this on my folk magazine cover to involve and intrigue the audience.

The inclusion of 3 controversial quotes on the cover of Q shows that the target audience is interested in the latest music gossip, while the 'Albums Goldmine' section shows that the reader values being the first to know about new music. The range of artists on the front cover show that the audience is mainly interested in punk pop, rock and indie music, and the large artist names help the target audience to relate to the magazine quickly. Older bands such as Madness contrast with younger artists such as Ellie Goulding and Lady Gaga, showing the audience has a wide age range and interests. The We Love Pop magazine cover features a 'Star Style' cover line suggesting that the target audience values knowing about current fashion and following trends set by celebrities. The '1D's funniest pictures ever!' cover line and extensive use of insert images implies that the younger audience values seeing photos rather than a lot of writing.



Magazines aimed at younger audiences such as We Love Pop follow very different conventions to Q magazine.

We can also see from the features of the front cover what some of the main values of the magazine are. The 'Albums Goldmine' section in Q magazine shows that the magazine values informing its readers about new music and being the first to publicise and review the latest albums. The selling line including 'world' suggests that the magazine values it's reputation worldwide and provides the reader with information on artists from other countries. The model credit from the Noel Gallagher interview shows that the magazine values exclusive interviews and being the first to release information, as well as causing controversy. I would like my classical magazine to value being sophisticated and a good quality product, as well as being something unique and new to its readers. My folk magazine will value informing its readers about the latest music to be released and new artists, as well as providing the audience with exclusive photos.

Covert advertising is used by Q magazine with a HiWatt amp clearly shown, while Nike trainers are visible in the insert image of Conor Maynard in We Love Pop. My photoshoots for my front covers will involve instruments such as guitars, violins and mandolins so I can use covert advertising to promote the brand of instrument maker.