Comparative analysis and evaluation of two music magazine covers

Q and Kerrang! magazines

Similarities

• Masthead
• Features placed centrally
• Mentions other features
• Colour scheme limited to less than 5 colours including black and white
• Banner showing other features
• Taglines
• Issue no, date, cover price, website, barcode     

Differences

• Q has less pictures, main focus is on featured artist
• Kerrang! has names and pictures of other artists in the edition
• Kerrang! has more images than text and three different fonts are used on the cover

                                                             

Kerrang!

The generic music magazine conventions employed by Kerrang! suggest the target audience are 'alternative' males aged 15-21. This is evident in the fact that the title's name comes from a guitar noise heard in alternative rock music. The grungy, distorted typography on the masthead and other text gives the publication personality, an edge that shows they cater to the needs of a niche market; young fans of  rock music.

The mode of address implies that the magazine's readership is young. Informal, non technical language is used on the cover and the offer of free posters in most editions confirms this as they are imperative in the young fan's adoration of their favourite rock stars. Aggressive language, e.g. 'crush', 'storm', 'uproar' demonstrates that it is aimed at young men in particular, as it is linked with traditional notions of masculinity.

Q

Q magazine aims to provide its readers with "outstanding writing and photography, unparalleled access, extensive reviews" and this is evident from the above issue's cover. It promotes the feature article by name dropping industry figures which demonstrates that the magazine is targeted at older music fans who have some knowledge of the music industry and well established acts.

The masthead is simply the letter 'Q' in a white serif font inside a red box. This type of font infers that the publication has an authoritative stance on the music industry while the colour white has connotations of exclusivity. The use of red is to allow older readers to be more familiar with the magazine, because older publications like Melody Maker, NME and Rolling Stone all at one point utilised the colour on their mastheads. Indeed, Q's masthead has changed little since it was founded in 1986.

It is unclear which gender the magazine is marketed towards generally, although this issue's cover includes phrases such as 'girl powered' and female artists are well represented on the cover. Despite this, it is obvious that this is a special edition and there are far more older male entertainers listed on the cover as features. Also of note is the fact that the featured female artist is covered up, suggesting the publishers wanted to specifically appeal to women readers for this edition.