Q Magazine Analysis

Q Magazine Analysis

QQ magazine is an alternative music magazine.- It is published monthly in the UK.- It's publishing company is Bauer Consumer Media (Emap).- Mark Ellen and David Hepworth founded the magazine because they felt it was a niche market as there wasn't a magazine for the older generation who were still buying CD's.- Q was first published in 1986 and was different from other magazines due to it's high quality photography and printing, as well as having an older target audience.- It was originally going to be called 'Cue', however it was changed to 'Q' due to possible confusion with it being a snooker magazine, plus a single lettered title is thought to be more prominant on newsstands.- The magazine includes a very wide reviews section (music, reissues, television, films, games etc) however most of the magazine is filled with interviews and compiling lists.- Promotional gifts are given away quite often, such as CDs and books. - Q has a history of association with charitable organisations.- Q launched a radio station in June 2008, however it is only available on digital TV.- Q also has it's own music channel called Q TV.- They hold Q awards every year.- It's circulation figures are 103,017. (81,240 being in the UK and republic of Ireland) 01-Jul-2008 to 31-Dec-2008.- It's cover price is £3.90.- It's single copy subscription figures are 22,798. (19,097 being in the UK and republic of Ireland) 01-Jul-2008 to 31-Dec-2008.- The target audience for Q magazine are the older generation such as people in their 30's and 40's who are looking for a different mode of address, more sophisticated and just want to know more about the music instead of what colour pants so and so is wearing (which would be mentioned in Kerrang). Although the founders state that they want to appeal to all the older generation, it seems that Q magazine doesn't appeal to many woman of that age.

Rule Of Thirds

Masthead- The masthead bold but very simplistic. The font of the masthead is very simple but shows effectiveness with the flick of the ‘Q’ The colours used are white and red which contrast against each other. The red is very eye-catching and will catch the readers’ eyes easily. The fact that the magazine is called’ Q’ shows simplistic and maturity which suggests that there is a older target audience.

Background- The background is in a field which seems really out of place for a music magazine. The colour of the field contrast against the red making a statement by using different ranges of bold colours. The background suggests relaxation and a very calm atmosphere, which can attract the target audience as they might like that too. This may also suggest the Dave Grohl’s life is also very calm. It is only when you read the coverline of ‘Why Dave Grohl’s In A Field Of His Own’, where you understand the link between the background and the magazine cover.

Main Image- The main image is of the main singer in the band ‘Foo Fighters.’ His facial expressions are very inviting and friendly with direct eye contact which immediately makes the reader feel more involved and personal with the magazine. The fact that he is holding an guitar, suggests that this magazine is aimed at an alternative genre as t has connotations of ‘rock and roll.’

Coverlines/ Pull-quotes have been used to attract the readers. They follow the colour scheme of being white so it can be easily seen by the audience against the duller background. The bigger coverlines are in bold as they draw the readers’ eyes in first. The coverlines are arranged in Rule of Thirds to make the cover look professional and organised.

Main Coverline- The main coverline is ‘Foo Fighters’ It is capitalised to show the importance of this band. By using a celebrity on the cover, makes the audience what to read the magazine as they want to know more about their lives. The font is sans-serif and is extremely large compared to the other coverlines so that it can be easily spotted by the target audience. The coverline is white, so it contrasts against the blue and green background.

A flasher has been used. The colour of the flasher is bold red so it immediately draws the reader in as it is a focal point. The flasher is a lure, as it tells you ‘WIN £12,000 of music gear’ This makes the reader want to find out more on this competition and makes them want to purchase the magazine.

Barcode/Issue Date/Price inform the readers on the magazine itself.

Header- A header has been used to inform the readers what kind of articles will be inside the magazine. The header tells the reader of ‘an inside story’ of a band 20 years on. This draws the reader in, as they would like to find out more. The fact it is ’20 years on’ suggests the magazine has a older target audience.

House Style- The house style is very masculine as the colours used are red and white. The colours are consistently used throughout the page and link in well with each other. The font's used are very simple, suggesting the target audience would be very relaxed and simple and do not need very bold fonts to keep them interested. The colours also connote summer which links in with the June month that the magazine was issued out in.

Main Image- The main image is of a member of the band from ‘Foo Fighters’ By using a member of a rock band holding a guitar as the main image on the cover, suggest that the genre of music for the magazine is rock/alternative. The fact that the main image is of a man, in his 40’s suggest that the magazine is not really aimed for females. ‘Q’ have used a celebrity representative of a typical target audience for the cover of their magazine. This makes them want to read the magazine as they would aspire to be like ‘Dave Grohl.’ He is wearing clothes that most mean would wear around his age which makes the readers feel like they can relate to the magazine. The clothing is quite dark coloured which connote rock however this contrasts against the bright, and sunny background.

Coverlines- Many coverlines are about artists and bands which are featured in the magazine. The cover mentions ‘Foo Fighters, Muse, Dolly Parton, The Killers, Kings of Leons and Madonna’ Many of these artists/bands are associated with rock and alternative music which suggests that this is the genre of music ‘Q’ is aimed at. Also many of these artists are quite old and were in their prime years ago. The header at the top of the cover says, ’20 years ago’ suggest that the magazine is aimed at an older target audience who still listen to those artists/bands in the present day.

‘Album Review’ Coverline- This suggests that the target audience are still interested in CD’s and albums which is an important factor for Q’s target audience. This is in bold and in a flasher, which shows that this coverline is an important article in the magazine.

Mode of Address- The mode of address is extremely factual and serious. However the language used is very informal and although it tends to used standard English. The header uses play on words such as ‘Madchester’ in order to hook in the readers and make them interested in the magazine. On the cover of the magazine, ‘shagging’ is used which suggests that ‘Q’ is aimed an older target audience as that would not be suitable for a younger audience. By using that terminology on the cover, connotes ‘rock and roll’ stereotypes which link in with the genre of music the magazine is aimed at.

Background- The background of a field suggests that it is aimed for an older target audience as they are stereotypically know for wanting to relax and being peaceful. This contrasts against the busy and bold connotations of the alternative music genre.

Price- The price of the magazine is £3.90. This is quite expensive for a magazine and suggests that the target audience is working class people (social class of A/B/C1/C2),who are older as they can afford to buy the magazine on a regular basis.

Target Audience- The target audience for Q is 30-40 year old males who are interested in alternative music and purchasing CD’s/albums.

There is no editorial which breaks the typical conventions of using one. This makes more room for articles and images which shows that the magazine truly bases the contents on music related subjects.

House Style – The house style is the same as the cover of the magazine; red, white and black with the font simple and bold. By keeping the house style the same, it shows consistency which looks more professional. The white, sans-serif font, contrast the black background, making it stand out more. The page numbers are all red, which stand out against the white background. However on the contents page, there is a ‘Summer Guide’ section, where the background is yellow. Yellow connotes summer, sun and beaches which link in well with what the topic of the section is about. By using a bold, bright colour, the audiences eyes are immediately drawn to it.

Main Image-The main image is of a rock artist who is mentioned in a coverline on the cover of the magazine. By using a rock artist as the main image, shows that the magazine is aimed at rock/alternative music genres. The man is wearing black, dark clothing which connotes rock and brings a edgy feel to the page, which contrasts the bright, vibrant yellow section in the ‘Features’ column. The image has a caption which makes the reader what to buy the magazine to continue reading about the article.

Layout- The page is divided up into Rule of Thirds which is a common convention to make the page look organised. The main image takes up 2 columns, which suggest that the article about the artist is quite big and important. The image is a focal point of the page. The contents is down the left hand side of the page and along the bottom, which created an well-thought through feel to the magazine. The sub-heading is split up into ‘Features, Summer Guide, Every Month and Review’ This categories the articles and coverlines, making it easier for the readers to find pages.

Mode of Address- The mode of address is quite colloquial and chatty. By using comical rhetorical questions like ‘Can there be anyone less likely to have his own branded tea towels?’ and using words like ‘Ouch!’, creates a relaxed and personal atmosphere for the readers and makes them feel entertained.

Lure- A lure is used on the contents which says ‘The World’s biggest and best music guide.’ This is used to entice the readers and makes them want to buy the magazine, as it is the ‘best.’

Headings- The headings and sub-heading are capitalised to chow the importance and make it stand out compared to the rest of the copy.

The double spread is an interview of a rock band called ‘Madchester’ who have come back together after 20 years to talk about their lives currently.

Masthead- The masthead is written in big bold, sans-serif font. This is so that it will stand out against the non-serif font, of the rest of the text on the page. The colours used on the masthead, are white and red which are the colours of the ‘Q’ masthead and the house-style consistently used throughout the magazine. ‘Northern’ is used as it links to Manchester; the hometown of ‘Madchester.’ ‘Uproar’ connotes the loudness and noisiness which is usually associated with rock music. It is also in red which is bold, and is the main focal point on the whole double spread page.

Main Image- The main image is of a rock band called Madchester. The image is in black and white which plays upon the ‘20 years ago’ article and exaggerates the fact that 20 years ago was a long time ago. Although the image is in black and white, the readers can still notice that they are wearing black, dark clothing which generally connotes the rock genre of music. Also the image shows a member of the band in the background with guitar which is a prop that is usually associated with rock. Captions are also used to inform the readers of the date that the picture was taken.

Drop Capital- There is a drop capital of 6 lines which is used to follow conventions and to make the page look interesting. The font of the drop capital is sans-serif and bold and is in red which contrasts against the which background and other black text. This makes the drop capital stand out and draws the readers’ eye in as red is a bold, bright colour.

Mode of Address- The mode of address is very factual and serious, as it contains many dates and figures in the text like, ‘UK gigg in 1984.’ The interview includes many sophisticated words like ‘oppressive’ which suggest that the target audience for the magazine is older as not many younger people would understand what that means. Although the information is very factual, it is still includes humour which manages to keep the audience entertained. For example, they say that 20 years ago, Madchester had music in their heart but they also had ‘ecstasy’ as well. This provides light-hearted humour and makes the interview more colloquial. By using ‘ecstasy’ in the article, it can also make the readers link this to the stereotype of rock artists have of taking drugs, and living the ‘rock and roll’ lifestyle. The mode of address also shows that ‘Q’ is aimed at an older target audience and at rock/alternative genres of music.

There is by lines which shows the reader who wrote the article. The name is in red which stands out against white background.

Stand First- It briefly summaries the article and interview in a humorous manner which attracts readers as they are entertained which makes them want to read more of

the double spread.

Layout- The page is divided into columns which follows the Rule of Thirds convention. By using columns, it immediately shows the reader that the double spread is an interview.