Article Analysis: NME

The choice of artist featured in the article of NME magazine is Gerard Way, lead singer of Rock band My Chemical Romance. He mentions in the article his previous album (The Black Parade) which was well known by teenagers. This suggests that the article may be aimed at teenagers who will know Gerard from his work. The language used in the article is mostly formal but the artist is informal in way to express to the audience how he really feels. The artist uses swearing words which show that he doesn’t care and also matches the reckless style of the magazine ('I think people just wanna fucking rock'). This sort of language would appeal to the audience as this language is commonly used by teenagers and young adults.

The magazine addresses the reader in a tone that treats them as a member of an in crowd and an informed intelligent fan. The article gives information of the artist from his missing years which is not featured anywhere else and also talks about tracks that fans of his previous album would know of and talks of bands such as Muse ('..whose 'The Resistance' isn't exactly shabby'). As the article is very long it may not appeal to a reader who wouldn't have the patience to read so much. The article uses a plain black font which matches the previous pages of the magazine. There are a few entry points, one placed above the beginning of the article and one which spreads across two pages at the top. This has been done to draw in readers as they would have to read the whole article to know more about what the quotes are about. The article has been spread across four pages, most readers would not read an article this long. There is alot of text and only few images which makes the pages different from the previous pages of the magazine that use more images. The images show what Gerard currently looks like and a previous image taken from The Black Parade tour. This shows the audience how the artist has changed which reflects the new style of their music. The main image at the beginning of the article shows Gerard Way in a close-up shot. He has a serious expression on his face and is not looking completely into the camera. The Quote placed next to him reads 'This record is going to be the grand failure if people don't get it'. The overall image shows that he is serious about these words and as his mode of address isn't completely direct it shows that he wants a close but at the same time distant relationship with the audience.

The people who knew My Chemical Romance during the time of The Black Parade would understand the article more than new fans who may not understand why the band would want to change. 'While MCR's music is now different- they've stripped back, they've gone back to basics, they've trimmed off the fat' -new readers won't know what the band have changed from so therefore will not find the article appealing. The article also features information that only fans of the album released four years ago would be aware of 'a baroque concept fantasy about the surreal flashbacks of a cancer patient in his final minutes, shifted over three million copies'- this is reffering to track from The Black Parade album. Though the article features a lot of background information about this album and the tour, it still may appeal more to previous fans.

Experimenting with photoshop

Analysing Contents Pages

The contents page for this Q magazine uses 9 images. The images show pictures of celebrities who will feature in the magazine with the page number in bold next to it. This shows that these celebrities are the main attraction for the magazine. The celebrities shown consist of different music genres which matches the target audience who will be interested in different music genres. There are celebrities such as Cheryl Cole who is a well known singer with new album, John Lennon from a previously well known band 'The Beatles', and Muse- a well known band. This also indicates a male audience. The colours on the contents page match the theme on the cover, red, white and black. The same mixture of fonts on the cover are used on the contents page which shows that the magazine has a style of its own. The page has a mix different page numbers (not in order) which indicate different articles. As the page numbers are not in order this could connote that the magazine does not have an order. There are only certain articles listed which shows that they are the most important while reading the magazine. There are no promotional features on this contents page which could mean. The magazines logo is shown in 4 different places on the magazine. There is one at the top of the page in the left corner of the first page. The second page has an image of the cover which shows the logo, here it seems to stand out. Both pages have a small image of the logo at the bottom of the page in the right corner. This may have been done to show how important the magazine itself is. There are no other franchise promoted on the contents page which may show that the magazine has focused on the articles more.

The contents page of this NME magazine uses a central image of Blur. The image seems to be in the backround surrounded by an artcile and other text. Blur are used as the main attraction on this page as they this was their first appearance after their gigs in the summer. People will be interested in seeing them after a while. Another image postitioned at the bottom of the page in the right hand corner shows a January issue of NME. The image of Blur indicates a teenage/ young adult audience for the magazine and its aim at a male audience. A red, black and white theme is used which matches the same one on the cover. The text is the same as the one on the cover and title block which creates a style for the magazine. There is an list of all the bands which will be featured inside in alphabetical order with the page number next to each of them. This lets readers decide which page they would like to read as they can pick what band they like. It makes it easier for them as they wont have to look through the whole magazine to find something that appeals to them. As the magazine is organised page by page it tells us that the magazine wants to make it easier for its audience and is different from other magazines which would usually have a name for each article on their contents page. There is a promotional offer at the bottom of the magazine giving the audience a chance to suscribe to the magazine and save 85p per issue. This gives readers who dont have the money to buy magazines each week an oppurtunity to save money. NME will also sell more magazines this way. The logo is shown in a small image on the bottom in the right hand corner. This shows that the magazine wants to portray the band as more important than the magazine itself. The promotional offer also shows the name of the magazine in bold writing.

Choosing a Title Block

I have decided on the name 'Viva La Punk' for my magazine as it will be based on the Punk genre. Here are some considered fonts for my magazine.



Font 1











Font 2









Font 3

Analysing Questionnaire Results

I handed out copies of my questionnaire which helped me find useful information for when i make my magazine.

These questions helped me find that most people prefer to buy a magazine that is released weekly, this would be quicker for the audience to purchase the magazine after reading an issue. I found that out of the following music genres: Punk, Indie, Reggae and RnB, most people would prefer Punk. This has helped me decide to stick with using Punk as my magazine theme. I found that most people would like to have badges free with the magazine but also that most people are interested in a magzine with free posters. As most people are drawn to magazines with posters, i will include this feature in my magazine. Most people are willing to pay £2.00 for a magazine. I find this a reasonable price for a magazine and is different from most music magazines which charge slightly higher. Most people do read other magazines which tells me that more of my target audience will be most likely to buy my magazine. Most people would like to see both old artists and new artists. However, as my magazine will be based on old artists i will also include new artists inspired by the old artists in my magazine.

Proposal and Questionnaire

The genre i have chosen for my music magazine is 70's Punk, featuring other genres from this time such as Ska and Reggae. The audience i have chosen is 16-30 year olds, both male and female. This audience will be interested in punk, reggae and ska music. They will be located in the United Kingdom. This magazine is needed in the market as there are no magazines based on these genres today and many audiences seem to find this era of music appealing .


Questionnaire

1. Which magazine do you prefer to buy?
a) Monthly b) Weekly c) Fortnightly

2. Which genre of music do you prefer? (you can tick more than one)
a) Punk b) Indie c) Reggae d) RnB

3. What freebies would you like to get with the magazine?
a) Posters b) CD’s c) Badges

4. What interests you in buying the magazine?
a) Band reviews b) Interviews c) Posters d) Gossip

5. How much are you willing to pay for a magazine?
a) £1.50 b) £2.00 c) £2.50

6. Do you read any other magazines?

7. If yes, please state which ones.


8. Which do you prefer to see in a magazine?
a) Old artists b) New artists c) Both

Preliminary Task- School Magazine