Analysing of Music Magazines: Contents pages & DPS

By Marwa Saroya

Contents pages

These are the magazine content pages I am going to analyse.

Vibe is a music and entertainment magazine founded by producer Quincy Jones.Quincy Jones launched Vibe in 1993On June 30, 2009, it was announced that Vibe was shutting its doors and ceasing publication immediately2 years (12 issues) for only $14.95 1 year (6 issues) for only $9.95The audience for Vibe are listeners to R&B, Hip Hop and RapTarget audience is between the of 18-34CirculationVibes circulation recent statistics show that in 2007 it was approximately 800,000

STRUCTURE The structure of these magazines show

similarities in the way they are set up on the page, especially the text which has the house style as it has a layout of usually being on the side although it’s really small therefore it can be hard to read.

However this emphasises the power and presence of the image that is on the contents page itself.

The way the word ‘Contents’ is written has an unusual layout therefore it brings across the individuality and possibly also connotes the individuality of the genre of music the Vibe magazine covers.

From the layout we can also spot that each of the storyline has a spacing between each other so that it can be read and the sub headings (titles) are in bold to show the main stories.

COLOURS

• The Vibe magazine show the differences they use in their House style depending on whether it’s a male artist or a female artist on the cover as we can see that for the male artist there is a darker background this shows the dominance of men also it connotes the type music male artists produce.

• Magazine number 1 has a deep red/ruby background which could connote deep passion for the genre of music.

• The page also lacks colour which could be done purposely so the women stand out as bursts of colour.

• The font is basic and black but creates a sophisticated effect, whilst the subheadings are more fancy and feminine in italic.

• In addition the background is kept plain and simple in order to compliment the font and colour scheme.

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TEXT

The heading for ‘Contents’ is unique as it seems to be Vibes house style.

The magazine is spilt into different sections where mostly it relates to the music industry itself , however it also involves the fashion industry which is a major part of music.

Instead of using numbers the Vibe have used symbols for the contents which isn’t often seen in other magazines.

The text however is really small for the contents page as the image is the main thing that grabs attention.

IMAGES

The big chain has the word ‘Goon’ which also means – gangster, thug or a hoodlum which are supposed to be negatives but with the youngsters it seen as a good thing

The dark background connotes street/hood life

Tattoos

A lot of ‘bling’ this promotes wealth and youth culture

Golden teeth

This advertises other issues of the magazine

The rope chain this artist is wearing also promotes ‘bling’

Direct eye contact with audience

Direct eye contact with audience

A medium close up shot – in order for emphasis on his jewellery and the tattoos to be seen

This is a medium shot therefore we get the main person on the front over and also a glimpse of the street life in the background

IMAGES

Long shot –head to toe which appeals to men

The direct eye contact shows the dominance of the women to show they are in control

The images on itself are really bold and come out strongly as it stands out also is really eye catchy because straight away the audience notice the females on the contents page

This is another genre of magazine therefore I am going to analyse these contents pages to expand my knowledge in the different type of magazines also for a wider range of research.

XXL Magazine XXL magazine was established in 1997 and is a well known hip hop magazine. It was founded by Jules Winnfield.

The target audience of XXL magazine will be fans of Hip-hop/rap music. This may appeal more to young adults as this genre of music is more popular amongst the younger generation.

STRUCTUREThe structure of the magazine’s content page is straight forward as there is a use of one main image and other smaller images surrounding it as it has an unusual layout therefore it brings across the individuality and possibly also connotes the individuality of the genre of music the XXL magazine covers.

The top magazine on the left however has more text then what a regular contents page should have with contrast to the magazine with the picture of the female as it has less text however more images.

There is a similarity in the heading of the page however they are not exactly called the same.

There is a emphasise on the power and presence of the image that is on the contents page as it shows faces of well known people.

COLOURS

The colours used for the contents page of XXL magazine are red black and white like most magazines. These choice of colours help the images stand out more and also allows the text to be much more visible.

The page also lacks colour which could be done purposely so the women stand out as bursts of colour.

The font is basic and black but creates a sophisticated effect, whilst the subheadings are more fancy and feminine in italic.

In addition the background is kept plain and simple in order to compliment the font and colour scheme.

IMAGES

The images on itself are really bold and come out strongly as it stands out also is really eye catchy because straight away the audience notice the artists 50 Cent and Soulja Boy on the contents page. This is done so that the audience recognise them immediately.

Image brings out the female dominance as it helps attract male audience others such as the direct eye contact Emphasises this

A lot of ‘bling’ this promotes wealth and youth culture

Direct eye contact with audience

A medium close up shot – in order for emphasis on the body position

Other smaller images shown of famous artists such Lil Wayne (performing) and Kanye West indicate the style of music the magazines covers

The dress sense shown through the images promote street life and ghetto side of music which may relate to the audience as it may also be part of their everyday lives

Double Page Spread

Here is the double page spread from Vibe magazine which I’m going to analyse.

STRUCTURE

The structure of double page spread is commonly seen . As one side of the page contains just an image and the other just has text.

Having the text ‘Life of a shooting star!’ take up a lot of space shows that this could be seen as a powerful punch line and attracts audiences attention who come across the page. Which would definitely tempt them to read the article.

IMAGES

The image is really eye catchy as straight away writing all over Soulja Boy’s face attracts or lets say grabs our attention.

‘SWAG’ associates to Soulja Boy’s track ‘turn my swag on’ therefore the audience who know him straight away understand the relevance of the word being written all over his face.

Although the shot is close up and there isn't any eye contact the image however still is powerful as it shows up his tattoos which accentuates youth culture

COLOURS

The main colours Red, black and white are like a running theme of colours They personify the genre of the magazine

These bold colours are used to make the text stand out also by keeping it plain and simple at the same time

The background is kept white therefore its simple and plain so that the image would stand out mainly and the main article itself

Here is the double page spread from XXL magazine which I’m going to analyse.

STRUCTURE

Again the structure of double page spread is commonly seen . As one side of the page contains just an image and the other just has text.

The main story line and purposes behind the article takes up a lot of space as its powerful and attracts audiences attention who come across the page. Which would definitely tempt them to read the article.

IMAGESThe image is really eye catchy as straight away it grabs our attention because of the artist who are well known.

5O Cent and Soulja Boy’s dress sense again accentuates youth culture and street life also the ‘bling’ they are wearing comes across as the wealthy side of the music industry.

A plus point is that it compliments the music genre of the magazine which is being represented.

The fact that the there is eye contact as if the artists are looking down on the reader giving the higher status look

The body gesture of both the artists welcomes the reader also the fact that it’s a long shot gives us a full view of the way they represent themselves

COLOURSThis double page spread doesn’t have any colours at all apart from the black for the text and white for the background of the half the page and grey for the background of the image

The writing being plain black is common for a double page spread as it could be easily read also it allows the image and the heading/title of the page itself to be noticeable