Music Magazine Mastheads by Slidely Slideshow 'Q' magazine has this large white 'Q' with the red background and it represents the magazine of 'Q'. It is present on almost every single page of the magazine and the colour scheme of red and white are used also throughout the magazine. The writing is a serif font due to the flick on the Q etc.
'NME' have a very similar masthead to that of 'Q' magazine with white writing and a red background. The writing is what looks like an ARIAL font because it is more rectangular and it is in block capitals to make it stand out. Here is the 'Kerrang' masthead and as you can see the writing is white with a black background. The writing is a special type of font which looks quite rough giving the impression that Kerrang is more of a rock music magazine. The exclamation mark also emphasises this.
Here is the 'Vibe' masthead and as you can see the writing is black which is uncommon for music magazines because as you can see from above all the other mastheads are white writing. The font for the 'vibe' logo seems to be a more vibrant font which is similar to the magazine itself.
Q magazine front covers: I have chosen Q magazine as one of the magazines to research front covers for because my chosen genre of Indie/Indie rock is represented by this magazine more so than others.
This first front cover has a picture of the band Coldplay. There are four members in the band and they are placed a different lengths behind each other, the lead singer being at the front with the other band members behind. There are various advertisements for other bands around the main image with a large cover line across the front outlining that it is a world exclusive interview with coldplay.
This next front cover is of the lead singer for Foo Fighters and a special effect has been used effectively as he has his mouth open the other three band members are shown in a sort of explosion inside his mouth. There are various advertisements for different bands around the page with the graphic on the right and the masthead on the left.
This front cover for Q magazine is slightly different with the front cover having a certain layout used. There is a one column table on the right with the list of elements within the magazine which as you can tell is different to the other magazine covers on show. The picture is of Noel Gallagher standing beside a large amplifier. This is a different shot to all the others and therefore it shows the different page layouts that Q magazine have done.
NME front covers: I have chosen NME as a magazine to research for front covers because similar to that of Q magazine these magazines represent the genre I have chosen of Indie/Indie rock.
This first front cover from NME is of Alex Turner, lead singer of the Arctic Monkeys and Miles Kane, a solo artist. At the time of this magazine the two got together to form a band called 'The last shadow puppets' and they made an album together which is why they were being interviewed. The image has them back to back but also it is a medium shot of them both. There are various advertisements around the page mainly on the left and this layout is different to that of Q magazine. They make use of a pull quote to give an insight to what is included in the interview.
This next front cover is a more recent front cover and it has a picture of the Arctic Monkeys on the front. The lead singer Alex Turner is at the front of the picture followed by the other band members behind. This photo is similar to that of the first front cover shown of Coldplay with the lead singer at the front and the other members behind. There is very little shown on this front cover because the story within the magazine is of such high importance with Arctic Monkeys very recently releasing their new album called 'AM'.
Here is another front cover and The Gallagher brothers are being shown as they are members of the band 'Oasis'. This cover has much more on the page than the previous cover shown and this illustrates that NME vary their front page layout depending on the story involved and the band on show. There is a cover line across the front in white writing and a black background which is different from all the other writing on the page and this makes the cover line stand out more effectively.
My chosen genre - Indie/Indie Rock Independent music (often shortened to indie music or indie) is music produced independently from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, a process that may include an autonomous, do-yourself it-approach to recording and publishing. The term indie is sometimes also used to describe a genre (such as indie rock, indie metal or indie pop); as a genre term, "indie" may include music that is not independently produced, and most independent music artists do not fall into a single, defined musical style or genre and usually create music that can be categorized into other genres.
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include indie pop, jangle pop, C86, and lo-fi, among others. Originally used to describe record labels, the term became associated with the music they produced and was initially used interchangeably with alternative rock. As grunge and punk revival bands in the US, and then Britpop bands in the UK, broke into the mainstream in the 1990s, it came to be used to identify those acts that retained an outsider and underground perspective. In the 2000s, as a result of changes in the music industry and the growing importance of the Internet, a number of indie rock acts began to enjoy commercial success, leading to questions about its meaningfulness as a term.
The term indie rock, derived from "independent," describes the small and relatively low-budget labels on which it is released and the do-it-yourself attitude of the bands and artists involved. Although distribution deals are often struck with major corporate companies, these labels and the bands they host have attempted to retain their autonomy, leaving them free to explore sounds, emotions and subjects of limited appeal to large, mainstream audiences.
Above information gathered from wikipedia Live Performances (Indie/Indie rock bands) Live performance of Arctic Monkeys performing their single 'R U Mine?' at Glastonbury 2013. These are one of many indie rock bands and are currently one of the most well known Indie rock bands out there. Live performance of 'Mumford and Sons' performing their single 'The Cave' at Glastonbury 2013. 'Mumford and Sons' are famous for their folk rock vibe which makes them particularly unique in the industry.
Live performance of 'The Killers' performing their single 'Mr Brightside' live at the Royal Albert Hall. 'The Killers' have been voted one of the best all time indie rock bands and continue to produce singles and performances like the one here at the Royal Albert Hall.
Who are your favourite bands or artists currently?
How much time do you spend on the internet in a day?
What is your favourite social networking site?
What magazines do you often buy? In particular what music magazines do you read?
Do you regularly listen to the radio and if so what radio stations do you consistently listen to and why?
What does your typical weekend consist of?
The following video is a news report on my specific target audience. I interviewed two different people to see the differences and similarities to their responses on the above questions:
As shown in the above video it is clear that the genre of music that they both listen to is indie and alternative and a bit of rock. These are in fact my chosen genres for my magazine. They both stated that they listen to indie/indie rock bands like Bastille, Arctic Monkeys, You Me at Six, Deaf Havana etc who are more than likely to be included in my magazine contents page. They both roughly spend a 1-2 hours on the internet per day with Instagram being a popular social networking site among them. Q magazine and NME magazine are the two music magazines they regularly buy which are the two magazines which I have chosen to base my music magazine around since these magazines best represent my chosen genre. They both listen to Radio 1 as this radio station provides a variety of different artists and bands from different genres and radio 1 is renowned for introducing new upcoming bands onto the scene. Finally they both enjoy hanging with friends in their spare time and listening to music which highlights them as people who like music and so are perfect for my target audience.
Indie Scenesters are dedicated to finding the newest music, exploring all avenues to get there – online, print, record shops, club nights and word of mouth. Staying ahead of the curve is a must, but it’s borne out of a genuine love for music – and this is what separates them from those more fickle dabblers and dilettantes, the Hipsters. For Indie Scenesters, there’s nothing better than discovering new artists and spreading the love. Guitar music has seen its cool usurped by the rise in electronic-synth based music in recent years, and Indie Scenesters have broadened their musical tastes as a result. It’s no longer just about indie rock bands like Vampire Weekend, Indie Scenesters have embraced experimental, genre-blending artists like Four Tet. Yet, the Indie Scenester approach remains the same. It’s about championing independent artists rather than a specific genre, especially before the masses get in on the act. Boys and girls are rocking similar looks – skinny jeans, vintage and Converse/Vans. Their high street staples focus around the functional and unisex – Uniqlo, Cheap Mondays and American Apparel.
Hipsters prefer to be recognised as the trendsetters often living life to the fullest. More affluent than indie scenesters and highly retailed fashion items are of great interest. Fashion is very important to them and they have a slightly retro mind set. They are also interested in gadgets and latest technology. Trendies have got the cash to splash. They are early to mid 20s and very middle class. They likes shops like Urban Outfitters/Topshop. They are educated well with a like for reading on current/mainstream affairs. I gathered all of this information from UK tribes official website.
Possible magazine title names: The genre for my magazine is going to be indie/indie rock and I have chosen this genre because this is the type of music I listen to on a regular basis. These were some initial title names which i came up with.
I took some of my better magazine title names and took a tally from other people in my class and they decided which name they preferred. I chose people from my class as they are of a similar age to who my magazine is aimed at. Possible magazine title names: Unknown - I feel this ties in well with my genre because all indie bands are first unknown and they find their own way into the music industry and so i think this works well however I think it isn't enticing enough. Undiscovered - Similar to the one above all indie bands are undiscovered at first and thy are independent making their own way into music before eventually becoming known. Diverse - Indie bands have a different music style and so this makes them 'diverse' so i think this title works well however it doesn't have a music style to it making it unclear as to whether it is a music magazine or not. Distinct - Indie bands have a unique and distinct sound to their music and so i think this fits the genre particularly well. Modify - All music gets modified and although this is music related it can be applied to any music genre not just mine. Desolate - This means to differ and indie bands are different so i think this works well but it can be mislead for desolate meaning destruction so people may think the magazine is a rock magazine only when it isn't. Anonymous -This name is my least favourite out of all my titles but it still links in with my genre but lacks that musical touch. These were my initial ideas and after conferring with my teacher she decided that they weren't catchy enough and they wouldn't entice the audience to buy the magazine if i were to put it up on sale. Also they didn't tie in well with my genre and so i had to rethink of some new title names. I then decided to look up the definition for the word indie:
It is evident the independence is a particular importance within this genre and so i looked up some synonyms for the word 'independent':
I also thought that Indie bands are quite unique and have a unique sound so i looked up synonyms for the word 'unique':
After Having Researched all of these synonyms, I decided to change my approach and decide to choose a name that went against the idea of independence which Indie bands and artists represent and twist it round.
I came across the word 'Standard' as one of my favourite magazine titles. I then did a survey to see what other people thought was the best name for a title of a magazine and here were my results:
The survey above shows that 'Standard' was chosen as the best name for my magazine and this was also one of my favourites so I have chosen this as my final name for my magazine.
