Magazine Analysis Q and NME magazine

DPS Analysis Q Magazine

Q MAGAZINE DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

Franz Ferdinand’s upcoming new album is featured as a double page spread in the review section of Q magazine. Through choosing to feature Franz Ferdinand it is suggested that the target audience first and foremost their loyal fans but also those who are looking to find out about new bands and albums that are released. Due to the profile of the band it is safe to assume that the target audience of the band has a very target audience from the age of 14 to mid 20s. This is because of the sound of the band which appeals to young teenagers to young adults. Franz Ferdinand are also a very mainstream band in the supposed still existing “Indie” genre. For this reason those who are interested in Indie music are likely to be persuaded into reading the article. Although they are quite a young band their songwriting likens them to older bands such as Blur, XTC and Roxy music. For this reason there target audience can expand further as they are a fresh young band in the mould of some old successful bands. For this reason middle aged people will also be interested in the band.

The article aims to inform the reader of the band and the quality of their newest album. As it is a review with only A 3 star rating it clearly sees the album as being average. For this reason they do not build it up a huge amount. The article seems quite structured and formal. It uses a more advanced level of vocabulary within the article. This is similar to the tone of the magazine which appears quite formal but also with a creative spark attached to it. The article begins with the quotation “They’ve just got it haven’t they”. This quote was taken from Morrissey the former lead singer of the notorious band The Smiths. Although previously I disagreed with the statement that Q aim to persuade the audience to buy the album, what they quite clearly do is outline the quality of the band. No doubt the quality of the first album showed Franz Ferdinand as having the potential to be a household name but after the failure of the 2^nd, this opinion vanished and fast. Though the quotation, the audience is attracted to the band as it is praised by Morrissey (someone who knows a fair bit about music) and that this statement has been agreed on by Q magazine. The article also comes across as being quite opinionated as all reviews are. He says that Lucid Dreams a song released by the band in 2008 was “OK” here clearly he gives his own opinion which is in place to give the audience advice but also so that they check out the song so they can make their own judgement on it. The language used throughout the whole magazine is quite expansive

Colour is not an important factor in the review. The colour of the font is black. This is so the audience is able to read it with ease. The font of the article is times new roman which is quite a conservative font. It is used throughout the magazine. One reason for this is because the target audience is does not need crazy creative fonts in order to be attracted to the article. The context of the article is expected to be enough to pull them through. This gives off the impression that the target audience is highly educated, mature and has a large interest in the music industry.

The article addresses the audience as both an informed intelligent fan and a potential fan who is interested in the genre of music. We learn this through Q highlighting who the band sounds like and the opinions of them from fellow rock bands and musicians. The magazine sells the band through giving Morrissey’s opinion of them. He says “they’ve just got it” Through this the average rock fan who recognizes Morrissey for his work individually or with the Smiths, may be influenced by his opinion of Franz Ferdinand. This is because they trust him as he is a rock legend. The uninformed music fan will not feel Morrissey opinion is valuable because he means nothing to him. Through this we assume that the audience are people with knowledge of rock music.

The double page spread is spread out with one page filled with content while the other has an image of the band looking particularly random in a supermarket. Due to the fact that the article is a review of the album it is clear that the content informing the audience of the quality of the album is the most important thing. This is reflected through the in depth review in which background information and reviews on previous songs and albums are noted. The purpose of the image is to inform the average fan who has never heard of the band a little bit about them. Often also the appearance of the band can be enough to win over the audience and immediately make them consider listening to their music. This is the shallow reality of the world which influences the music industry. Through the image the band appears to be quite young, fresh but yet trendy. They also aim to stand out from the supermarket. They do not appear to fit in because they are all wearing dark colours. Through this the audience may believe that the band is quite fresh and different. This will attract fans as they are always looking for typically different bands.

The front cover featuring U2 is quite classy and modern. It also has quite an arty feel to it. Both the cover with the image of U2 on it and the image of Franz Ferdinand appear quite random as Bono is wearing eye liner and Franz Ferdinand is in a supermarket. This could be reemphasizing how Q is different from any other music magazine on the market.

The last point about prior knowledge is answered above through the use of Morrissey and his reputation. The aim of the review is to guide the audience whether or not the album is worth buying. Through this the need of prior knowledge is not particularly necessary although it will help determine whether buying the CD is worth it.

NME MAGAZINE DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

The Gaslight Anthem is a punk rock band who is greatly influenced by their idol Bruce Springsteen. Due to their look and influences such as Miles Davis, a famous jazz performer, the article aims to appeal to people from a diverse group of different genres. Due to their sound and there referring to ULU in the article, it seems as though they are looking to attract an 18+ audience.

The article for the most part has a formal and a persuasive tone to it. They use big words like “epiphany” which is like a sudden realisation. This word also makes the band seem as though it is deeply influenced by Christianity. Through this the audience could be impacted once again as Christians may become interested in their music. Due to the articles formal tone this could again reinforce the audience who the article is looking to attract as it is unlikely a 15 year old teenager will want extended sentences and complicated vocabulary. It is persuasive as they describe the band as being all about the “Thrill and the thunder” of the rock industry. The audience will immediately become fixed on this as they cannot help but be excited by a band which is so wild.
The article focussed on the band seems to differ drastically to the typical language style of the magazine which can sometimes be more informal and colloquial. This may be because through covering a band like Gaslight, NME aims to broaden the audience they aim to attract.
The article heading “Born To Run” is in a bold very punk rock black colour. This links with the punk theme of the band. This links with the splats that are around the double page spread. These are platted out around the article in effect to stand out and give the article a grungy feel. There are also random parts of stars around the article which are in red and blue. This gives off the impression that the band is proud to be American but they are still a punk rock band. For the most part the colour scheme is quite basic and in its form to make it quite readable for the audience. For this reason they use times new roman font which is quite a basic text. Throughout the magazine the times new roman font is constantly used. Again to reiterate the main priority for the magazine is to make the articles clear, this is the reason for why this choice of font is used.
The use of images and text are quite evenly spread across the feature. On the right hand side of the feature there is an image of the band. The reason for this is because the audience is able to gain a greater understanding of the band. They also want us to become aware of the band because the feature in a sense is an introduction to them. It also makes it clear who the audience is. Through the bands member’s tattoos and piercings, NME makes it clear that the audience is looking to attract an alternative punk audience. The other page is almost completely text based. This shows that the audience of the magazine is unlikely to be lazy teenagers, instead NME looks to attract an older audience who are able to appreciate a biography about an up and coming music band. This means that the magazine is not attracting the typical target audience who are teenagers. The elder audience is more likely to appreciate the text because they are more intellectual. They look for good quality information and are not purely attracted by images. Through including such a vast amount of text, NME look to target their older range of their target audience.

The magazine addresses the audience as a music fan who they assume has no knowledge of The Gaslight Anthem. The reason we know this is because they give so much background information on the band. They tell the audience about the band’s sound and where they are from. It also tells us who the band is like for example “The Hold Steady”. This aims to inform the reader of the sound of the band in an attempt to make the audience interested in them. The image of the band aims to identify the target audience. The audience sees the band as having quite a street punk feel. This is further emphasized through their tattoos and piercings.
The article has quite an urban young street feel to it. This is reflected through the fonts and the images in the article. The cover also has quite a street young feel to it aswell.
The article is emplaced to inform the audience of the band. For this reason it does not demand any prior knowledge.