Music Magazine Analysis #2

Similarly wise to 'Q' magazine, 'NME' uses typical magazine conventions. Placed in the top left hand corner of the splash is the masthead, 'NME', which is, along with the selling line, covered by a member of 'The Gossip's' head. As 'NME' is a popular and well known magazine the editors are able to cover some conventions with main images and other text because they are recognisable to the target audience and therefore there is no need to fear the magazine becoming unrecognisable to anyone, due to the fact they are a mainstream institute.

Featured in the main image are the band 'The Gossip' a band who, until recently, were virtually unknown until their hit 'Standing in the way of control' smashed into the charts. This factor compliments the idea of the magazine as it is a magazine aiming to advertise new bands and artists which is shown by the selling line, 'New Musical Express'.

The shot of the main image is slightly low angle, giving the band a sense of empowerment, in turn making the audience feel insecure and vulnerable. The facial expressions and pose of the band also contribute to the element of power as they look in control, posing with strong eye contact and a confident stance. The idea that Beth Ditto is peering over her glasses gives an element of mystery to the band and connotes that there is more to them that meets the eye. This is portrayed due to the fact that her facial features are in full view but part of her face is still being covered by the glasses.

The main cover line, 'The Gossip. Sex, Skins and Standing in the way if control. How three punks smashed the mainstream' not only cleverly includes the bands hit song title, 'Standing in the way of control', but also leaves the reader wanting to buy the magazine and discover how the three band members 'smashed the mainstream'. This attracts the audience as it shows that anyone can become big and the mainstream scene is not only for stereotypical 'pop stars' and there is room for different people with a different sound and image. The way the band are dressed also contributes to this element as Beth Ditto, the band member most clear to the audience, is wearing an off the shoulder dress, a piece of clothing that everyday people are not seen wearing. The band member to the right of Beth also contributes to this as he is wearing glasses in the style of sunglasses but with a clear lens. 'The Gossip' also have tattoos, an assisting factor to the independent image, as more people are without tattoo's than are with. Despite having a hard look, Beth Ditto breaks the stereotypical look further with the use of diamonds both on her glasses and in her hand. This immediately adds glamour to the band and breaks the stereotypical image that when you wear plain colours and have tattoos that you are boring and do not take an interest in being glamorous and taking pride in how you look.

The remaining cover lines run predominantly down the left hand side of the splash. These help draw the reader in and make them want to read on more as they give the main outline of what the magazine contains, without giving too much away so that the audience and buyers have to buy the magazine and read further to discover the true story. One cover line includes Noel Gallagher, a band member who is known for his confidence when abusing other bands and artists without care. This cover line reads "Sorry, i was wrong about klaxons", and straight away makes the reader want to read on more as he is showing a more moral side. Another cover line reads '"Green Day offended me..." The killers sink their teeth in'. The use of '...' makes the reader think there is more to the story and therefore, helps urge them (the audience) to buy the magazine and find out the true story and an explanation to what has happened.

The colour scheme throughout the whole of 'NME's splash is red, white and black. As these are the colours of the logo it makes the magazine, as a whole, more recognisable to audiences. Red is also a bold colour, therefore, not only helps the magazine become recognisable but also helps important features stand out and become more predominant over those that are less crucial to the splash such as the barcode and price.

The price of the magazine, £1.99, shows that 'NME' is affordable, therefore anyone can buy it and enjoy discovering new artists. As 'NME' is low is price it welcomes a selection of different people into buying the magazine and, in turn, makes it become more popular. As 'NME' is so popular it can afford to be low in price as so many people are purchasing it in the first place, and therefore making a profit despite the lower price.

The main target audience for 'NME' are those younger than of 'Q' magazine as younger people aged 15-25 are more interested in new artists and the current popular music scene, which is what 'NME' specialises in, than older people who are most interested in reading about their favorite artists as appose to discovering new ones. The predominant gender for 'NME' magazine are males as a large percentage of the bands features are male dominanted. However, bands which females may be interested in are also included such as 'The Gossip' and 'The Killers'.

The institute of 'NME magazine' is 'NME'. It has it's own website and also TV channel, it's main purpose being to make money, making it a commercial magazine. The contents of 'NME' are mainly music related and therefore put there to entertain, however filling up the spaces are adverts, put in place to ensure the magazine is making money. However, these advertisements are related to the target audience, and include things such as gigs and album releases.