Finished Products

Forms and Conventions

Evaluation: Representation

My target audience was the male youth who listen to rap music and as such have chosen to do specific things with my photos and articles that will appeal to the target audience. For example my cover lines on the front page all mention either a famous rap artist like Eminem or they mention rap in general.

People who are fans of the genre will pick up on these and be more likely to buy my magazine. My picture is also tailored to my target audience. In the picture I am wearing a hoodie which would be the stereotypical look for somebody who is a fan of this genre of music. I also am not smiling and just staring intensely into the camera. This is what a lot of magazines in this genre will have their talent do as the serious tone appeals to fans of the genre.

An example of this  currently in the magazine industry can be seen in almost all issues of VIBE magazine.

On my contents page I also Included the names of famous artists that will attract the attention of fans of the genre. Once again I include pictures that fans of the genre will respond well to. In one picture however I challenge the stereotype of everyone in the genre wear hoodies or tank tops and the talent is wearing a smart shirt over the top of a round neck t-shirt he does still carry a similar intense facial expression.

In my double page spread I chose to focus on questions which are more about the music than any personal questions that are typical of other music magazine this is because I feel that other people in my target audience would prefer to hear more about the music and the creative process than the artist’s personal lives.

Q Complete Analysis

Complete Analysis of Q

Q was first published in October 1986, setting itself apart from other music press with a monthly release and higher standards of photography and printing. The magazine was aimed at an older generation of music buyers that the founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth thought were being ignored by the current music press. The magazine is aimed at people in 30s and 40s who are looking for a more formal way of finding out about their favourite bands and artists. Q used to be published by EMAP but in January 2008 it was sold to the Bauer Media Group. In 2008 the magazine revamped its image and started using a smaller amount of text and they increased their focus on subjects other than music. This change received complaints from the normal readers but has not impacted sales.

The magazine has big review section which reviews new releases, reissues, live performances. The magazine interviews a lot of popular music artists. The magazine is also well known for its lists like the ‘100 greatest albums’.  They often give out promotional gifts like CDs and books. Every issue has a message on the spine and will usually relate to the content inside this month’s issue of the magazine. This has become known as the ‘spine line’ and is common found now on most British magazines.  The magazine usual features include ‘The Q50’, in which the magazine will list the top 50 essential tracks of the month. They also have cash for questions in most issues where reader ask the music artists questions and if their question gets published they get £25.

Q radio lunched in 2008 as a full service radio station with a complete roster. The shows include Q the 80s with Matthew Rudd and Drivetime with Danielle Perry. Coldplay helped promote the radio station at launch with an exclusive interview. The radio station was closed in 2013 so Bauer Media could use the bandwidth to launch Kisstory, a spin off from their other station Kiss. Q also had a TV channel which launched in 2000. The TV channel was later closed in 2012.

Kerrang Feature Article Analysis

Q Feature Article Analysis

Billboard Contents Page Analysis