NME Music Magazine Analysis

NME• NME, also known as for ‘The New Musical Express’ is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. • It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. • It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, in the 14 November 1952 edition. In the 1970s it became the best-selling British music newspaper.• During the period 1972 to 1976 it was particularly associated with gonzo journalism, then became closely associated with punk rock through the writing of Tony Parsons and Julie Burchill.• An online version of NME, NME, was launched in 1996. Today NME.COM has 5 million users per month• NME is now currently edited by Luke Lewis.• In the 80’s, NME used to focus on R’n’B, hip-hop, indie and dance genres however now focuses on indie/rock genres. • The typical bands now featured in the magazine regularly are, ‘Muse’, ‘Kings of Leons’, ‘Artic Monkeys’ etc.

Key FactsPrice £2.30Frequency WeeklyCirculation 56,284Readership 411,000Launch Date 1952Male/Female 73%/27%Average Age 25ABC1 73%Target Market Men 15-30 years old

The nme.com audience is made up of key demographic groups that can be difficult to target through other media: - 65% Male* 50% 16-24* 23% 25-34* 79% ABC1*

http://www.nme.com/mediapack/pdf/nme_media_information_full.pdf

Masthead- A masthead is used so that it creates recognition for the readers. The font is bold and is outlined in black so that it stands out and is eye-catching to the readers. The colour of the masthead uses red, white and black which is consistent throughout the cover. By using red as the main colour of the masthead, makes the readers eyes automatically get drawn to it first, therefore creating recognition and memory. It also contrasts to the white background.

Flasher- A flasher is used as a little taster to tell the readers what’s going to be inside the magazine. This engages them and can lead them into purchasing the magazine if they are interested. The flasher is also red, which immediately draws the reader to it.

Background- The background is quite busy which could reflect on Dizzie’s personality. There is graffiti which could represent Dizzie Rascal as urban which could interest the target audience as they may like his ‘rebellious’ behaviour.

Pull Quote- They have used a pull quote which is in bold, big font. This stands out against the background and immediately catches the readers eye. By using white, it ties in with the rest of the cover, following a consistent colour scheme. The pull quote itself, suggests that their could possibly be a interview inside with Dizzie Rascal which could interest them and lead them into purchasing the magazine.

Main Image- The main image is of Dizzie Rascal with a very energetic facial expression. The picture denotes he is happy which can make the reader feel happy too and make them want to buy the magazine. His body language is open and inviting and by having direct eye contact with the camera and readers, make the audience feel invited and welcome.

Barcode and pricing is used to inform the readers about the cost of the magazine and to follow conventions

Footer- allows us to see what other artists are featuring in the magazine. The footer is white and the text is bold and black which contrast against each other but also against the magazine background. This is so that we can still notice this feature but doesn’t take away the importance from the main image.

Rule Of Thirds

Main Coverline- The main coverline is just of Dizzie’s name which shows the importance of him. The fact that he is a celebrity and a artist which fits in with the genre of the magazine, makes the reader want to buy the magazine as they would like to read more about him. The coverline is bold, and in big white font which stays in theme of the colour scheme and also draws attention from the reader. The black shadowing being the main coverline is canted with could represent Dizzie’s personality of being ‘rebellious’ and fits in with the urban feel to the cover.

Coverlines- the colours are black, white and red following the colour scheme. Also are in rule of thirds to make the cover look professional.

Target Audience- The target audience for NME is 15-30 year old males who are interested in indie/rock music .

The colours used are red, white and black which are consistent throughout the cover. These colours work well together and are eye-catching for the readers. They are also masculine colours which suggest the magazine is mainly aimed at males.

Main image – The main image is of Dizzie Rascal who is not a typical artist that would normally be featured in this magazine as he is more urban/ hip-hop. However, his body language, bubbly personality and the graffiti in the background suggest that he is in fact a bit outgoing and wild. This links in well with the rock/indie genre which makes the readers still interested with the new artist on the NME cover. He is also wearing clothes that is quite young and most of the male target audience that this magazine is aimed at, would be wearing. This supports the fact that the target audience is from 15- 30 years old. He is wearing clothes that follow fashion today, (which also tie in with the colour scheme) which makes the readers want to buy the magazine as they could relate to him. Also, by using a male for the main image, suggests that the magazine is in fact aimed at males.

The mode of address is quite factual but extremely informal and colloquial. The pull quote on the cover says ‘I’m spreading the joy around the world, man!’ By using ‘man’ on the cover suggests that this magazine is aimed for males as this is a common term used between young men today as ‘slang.’ The magazine also uses informal words in the flasher such as ‘Wowee zowee’. By using informal words on the cover, it shows that the magazine is possibly aimed at working class people but also for younger people who like to be entertained and informed. This immediately attracts the younger target audience and leads them to purchasing the magazine.

The footer includes names of many indie/rock artists and bands such as ‘Paramore’ and ‘The Big Pink’ which suggests that the magazine is aimed at rock/pop genres of music.

The price of the magazine is at £2.30. This is suggests the magazine is aimed at working class people who can afford to purchase the magazine on a regular basis.

House Style- The house style used on the contents page is very similar to the cover page. The NME masthead is placed slightly differently, to the right, compared to the cover page to make room for the band index column running all the way down the left hand side. Next to the masthead, is a ‘contents’ title which informs the reader on the what’s in the inside of the magazine. The colour scheme is the same as the cover, using black, white and red throughout the page, which increases the reader familiarity and shows professionalism. However, the subscription box in the bottom right hand corner has text written in yellow. This is to draw attention from the rest of the page so the readers will notice that immediately. The colour scheme is consistent throughout the page, using white and black to contrast each other like on the ‘contents’ sub-heading and the ‘Touring Special’ column in the middle of the page. The page numbers are in red, contrasting against the white background and the bold, black font. On the band index, the font is sans-serif and in red, so it is bold and easy to spot by the target audience as it is a key feature on the page.

Mode of Address- The mode of address is very informal and colloquial. In the editorial, they uses rhetorical questions like ‘Thank god the sun has disappeared ey?’ By using such casual language it makes the readers feel more engaged and laid-back with the magazine and makes them want to purchase it again. By using informal language, it reinforces the fact that the magazine is used to entertain and inform the readers.

Main Image- The main image is of a young female standing next to a coach. This picture links in well with the fact that this is a touring special. By using a young girl, It suggests the magazine has a teenage target audience. The main image is also canted, with could reflect the fact that this is a rock magazine and not everything has to be in complete order.

Rule of Thirds/Layout- There is 3 columns in which the page is divided into. The masthead and contents page take up 2/3 of the columns. There is one column for the band index, editorial and the coverlines. This is to show organization. With the band index and the square main image, the contents page almost feels like an album cover which connotes that this magazine is music empowered.

Editorial- The editorial is written in a very chatty manner in order to talk and engage with the readers and make them feel more involved. This is to make them feel more relaxed with the magazine and makes them want to buy it again. The editorial explains that this magazine is a touring special. The fact that this is a touring special immediately connotes a rock genre and links with the ‘always on the road’ stereotype rock artists and bands have. Gigging and travelling are common associations with rock/indie genres so will attract the target audience who are interested with those genres of music.

Band Index- By using a band index, it immediately attracts the audience as they can scan the page to see if their favourite artists are featured in the magazine, leading them to purchase it. Most of the bands listed are indie/rock artists/bands therefore suggests this magazine is aimed at people who enjoy that genre of music.

The double spread is images based and very visual. The picture of Dizzie covers one whole page which suggest the target audience is teenagers and by using imagery, it attracts them more then it being more text domineering.

House Style- consistently uses red, white and black against each other to make the text stand out. This increases reader familiarity. The text is all written in black, against a white background. Dizzie’s jacket is the only thing on the double spread that is red. This is so the reader’s eyes immediately get drawn to him and shows he is the main focus in this article. The text also uses the same sans-serif fonts.

The images play upon the stereotype that young people have of being ‘rebellious’ and always associated with crime. The picture of Dizzie Rascal ‘graffiting’ is continued from the cover, and is of him looking guilty and suggests that he is scared of getting caught. This makes the younger audience attracted to the article as it appears ‘cool’ and they can relate to the same situation as Dizzie. The images on the right hand page, is of some empty bottles of alcohol which reinforces the stereotype that teenagers always drink. However, this image contrasts to the only image that is music related on the page, which is of the stereo. This is used to ensure that music is still a main part of the article.

The article is about Dizzie and how he changed his life around from being a ‘stereotypical teenager’ to a celebrity by music and determination. The article suggests that the magazine is aimed at young teenagers as they can aspire to become into a better person like Dizzie did.

Mode of Address- is colloquial and informal. The language used in the article consists of slang which suggests the target audience is younger. The title of the article is also ‘play on words’, as it’s been changed from ‘rags to riches’ to ‘tags to riches.’ This shows that NME still want to entertain their readers as well as informing them.

Layout- The magazine has followed the typical conventions of a double spread by using one large image across one page and using the second page for the article and smaller images. The article is also divided into 4 columns which shows good organisation and structure.

Drop Capital- This follows the conventions of a article. It drops 6 lines and uses the same black, bold, sans-serif font that it uses on all the other pages. By using a drop capital, it draws the readers eyes to the article as it looks interesting.

Tag Line and By Lines are used to follow conventions of a double spread article. Tag lines inform the reader who the article is about if they are scanning through and the by lines inform the reader who wrote the articles and took the images for the page.

Stand First- is used to persuade the readers to read the article by briefly summarising it. They have highlighted Dizzie Rascal’s name in bold so that it stands out, and the readers eye is drawn to it first.

Identify the elements that connect the 3 different parts of the magazine.

• There is a consistent house style used throughout the magazine. The fonts used to highlight key information were big, bold and sans-serif. The colour scheme of red, white and black have been used consistently over all 3 pages with shows professionalism and that the magazine is well organised.

• Canting have been used all 3 pages. On the cover, the main coverline had canted shadowing, the contents page had a canted main image and the double spread had a canted title for the article. This could show that this magazine is edgy and not aligned which reflects the rock feel to the magazine and each page.

• The mode of address is also consistent throughout the pages. The language is very colloquial and chatty but the content of the copy is quite factual. This reflects the fact that the magazines’ purpose is to entertain the readers as well as informing too.