Kerrang Magazine Analysis 2

Kerrang is a music magazine and from the front cover this is very evident. Even from the title we get this impression by the use of onomatopoeia in the word “Kerrang”. It sounds like the strumming on a guitar, which is the instrument it is associated with. Also from the front cover I can tell that inside the magazine there will be a lot about bands because there are 4 images on the cover and they are all of bands, m ale Caucasian bands to be precise.

The target audience for this particular magazine are young white males who are interested in musicians and bands such as ‘Triviam’, ‘Madina Lake’ and other bands of this nature. I can tell this because both of the bands that I mentioned are featured on the front cover and these bands take up all but one of the puffs on the front cover. The magazine is looking to attract readers who are into this “pop-rock boy band” image, people who enjoy this type of music and take pleasure in going to gigs and festivals to see these musicians perform.

The cover image is of a band named You Me At Six and the way in which they are addressing the audience is in quite a cool manner and reflects their rock attributes and persona. They are all looking directly at readers but the lead singer is making a face. A face that looks as if he is screaming in shock, which again adds to their persona and gives the band an edge. Also I noticed that all the bands clothing are all black and are all quite similar along with their boy next door hairstyles. This could be used to show that they want to bee seen as one because they are all in sync.

As I mentioned previously the name of the band on the front cover are You Me At Six. I think that the magazine editor chose to have them on the front cover because they represent what the magazine is all about, the “pop-rock boy band” image down to every last inch. Also the anchorage text leads me to believe that the band is quite new on the scene because of the phrase:

“Rocks New Hotshots You Me At Six Doing It Their Way”

This also leads me to believe that they are quite edgy because it says that they are doing it their way which means they must be different from other bands in this genre in some way, shape or form. Also the band have a very strong and loyal fan base and the editors know that these fans will buy the magazine because the band are on the front cover, so in turn they most probably will help to boost magazine sales. This is every important because it is one of the things that the editor worries about most when choosing who to put on the front cover. They appeal to the target audience and because of their dedicated fans it is almost a certainty that the magazine will sell. It also shows that they are quite highly regarded amongst people in this scene of music and interests.

The message that the band are sending out is a message of warmth and they are quite welcoming. They are connecting with readers because of their direct mode of address and the smiles on their faces. Their poses also portray them as quite laid back and are showing them in a positive light.

In this magazine a certain group of people are being represented. A group of people who are interested in rock, pop and punk kind of music more specifically white males. The magazine represents them as quite cool and is showing them in an encouraging manner.

There many buzz words on this page such as ‘new’ and ‘hotshots’. This adds stimulation to the cover and makes the band seem more exciting. I think that the use of many buzz words on this page is very clever as it draws readers in when they glance at the cover.

The title of the magazine is written at the top of the page and it has a kind of broken glass effect. This could be interpreted as the smashing of a glass or mirror maybe by a guitar which links back to the rock and roll lifestyle that this magazine is trying to portray. The use of onomatopoeia and the broken glass effect in the title all link and are woven together to show that the magazine is of a musical nature. And it also gives the magazine an edge and adds vibrancy which leads back to the readership of this particular magazine. The title is black which is a neutral colour and because the artists are placed over the title it shows that the magazine is quite popular, because it can still be identified without the title being in full view. Also the magazine builds up its image as it uses the same colours on every cover which is black & white.

The puffs on the front cover are all involving white males who are the target audience for this magazine. They suggest the magazine will be solely about these types of boy bands and music of that particular genre.

On the front cover a wide range of colours are used but black is the colour that stands out most. This is typical because this colour is associated with males and is seen as quite a hard and rough, colour. This again shows that the magazine is targeting towards males. There are other colours that are on the page such as yellow, green and red which could be seen as them also trying to attract people that are not necessarily part of their target audience.

The magazine uses strategies such as “free posters” to help attract readers to make them feel like they are getting more for their money. Using this strategy is very clever as some people might even buy the magazine just so that they can get the free posters.