Task 3: Part 2 - Magazine Analysis
Billboard
Magazine Analysis
Billboard is a worldwide news magazine dedicated to the music
industry and music. It was founded on 1st November 1894 in
Cincinnati by William Donaldson and James Hennegan as a trade magazine, but
after the invention of the Jukebox in the 1930’s it began publishing music
charts. The main charts are the Billboard Hot 100 (for the top 100 songs based
on sales, internet streaming and radio play) and the Billboard 200 for album
sales.
Target
Audience
The target audience of Billboard magazine is evident
through the main image, as it usually features popular music artists such as
Taylor Swift and One Direction, appealing to the younger generations of today,
most likely between the ages of 16-25. As the covers differ weekly on musicians,
the magazine appeals to both female and male audiences. The most recent cover
(10th October 2013) being Katy Perry, who has released a new album
and is hot news to the target audience as they will be following what she does
and listening to her album. This particular cover would appeal to females as
Katy Perry is a role model, but would also appeal to males as they find her
attractive. The age range would be 16-30 as she is 28 so her fandom is based
around her age and those who listen to chart music. The audience would be from
any class background and worldwide as she is well known. The magazine itself is
also worldwide making the audience even larger. Katy Perry is also a fashion
icon, so not just those who are into music, but those who like fashion as well
would be likely to buy this magazine. As it is a popular magazine it can be
bought from anywhere, and is a reasonable price, making sales high.
How does the cover appeal to audiences?
The April 23rd 2011 cover featuring Darren
Criss as the main image appealing to audiences as he was a hot topic at the
time and is still well known. The use of the medium shot on his clothes and
shows his character as the blazer is iconic to the hit Fox show Glee.
The use of the tag line “The accidental
& inevitable success of Glee’s Darren Criss” tells those who do not
watch Glee what the article is about, and informs those who know of Darren
Criss through Starkid that he is now on Glee. The use of the large masthead
makes the magazine easy to distinguish so fans will buy it. The pink and the
black writing links to the colours of his blazer and the font is the same as
the masthead making it a house style for the magazine. This makes it as the
font is specifically for Billboard and no other.
What conventions of the cover design are evident?
The conventions of the cover design that are most
evident is the main image as it is the first thing you see and part of the
reason you would buy the magazine if you are a first time buyer, as it would be
something that appealed to you. The next thing a potential buyer would look see
is the masthead as it is bold, large, in a prime location and is a well known
magazine. The use of a question above the masthead arouses curiosity as the
viewer would want to find out more as it appeals to them, as Spotify is a well
known app. The banner telling of the website, cost, barcode and date are key to
the conventions of the magazine as they are needed on most products. The use of
barcode on the front of the magazine makes it quicker for the vender to scan
and so the consumer can read it faster. The picture bleeds into the bottom
making it so the main image is the body and the face as it reveals much about
the subject. The caption and the cover lines give information about the main
feature and are used frequently on magazines as the largest and most seen text.
The font links to the house style as it doesn’t
change throughout all Billboards covers and magazines. The negative space
around the image and text makes it so the cover isn’t completely full and doesn’t
distract the reader. The use of the words “ultimate” and “new” cause the reader
to want to gain the information. Finally, the use of the date as well as the
month shows that the magazine is weekly and comes out around the same time each
week.
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Image: Darren Criss - Billboard Magazine http://schumachermgmt.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/69350_1036760.jpg
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