Textual Analysis Of Music Magazines

The first music magazine I am going to analyse is Top of the Pops.

Firstly, the masthead which is in pink, it stands out quite a bit from the white background. This makes it clear what the magazine is about and the title will stick in the readers head as the font is quite large and it will pop out at them. Next, the magazine has a menu bar at the top which informs the reader of what celebrities there are inside so it intises them to purchase it. Furthermore, it has a bar code which on this issue is on the right hand side. This is for a machine to scan so the price is noticible at the till. Also, there is a splash which is the white circle under her name and this stands out from the dark background so it attracts peoples attention. There is a second splash where its bright yellow so it really pops out against the white background. Another convention here is direct mode of address, here Tulisa who is the main artist on the front cover has eye contact with the reader as well all the other artists like the saturdays and Cher Lloyd. Having eye contact with the reader is very important becasue it likes there being spoken to directly and so the reader will feel involved. Carrying on, there is a banner at the bottom which shows the reader some of the contents of the magazine therefore it will persuade them to want to read it. Also, the cover uses sell lines like" JLS confess everything" just so the reader will want to know whats inside the magazine and whether the sell line is true. Lastly, the shot used here is a mid shot which most magazines use to capture the artist.

This is a contents page for a top of the pops magazine, I couldnt find one for the same issue but I think they all have very similar conventions in them anyway. Firstly, the house style of Top of the Pops is that it has bright colours and similar images. Here it proves that the housestyle is kept throughout the magazine to keep persuading the consumer to carry on reading it. Also, the contents page uses sans serif font which is better than sefif font because its more modern so it appeals to a younger audience. Just like the front cover of Top of the Pops One Direction use direct mode of address which makes the reader feel more included and as if they are seen as friendly. Furthermore, the colours in the contents page are very bright and they make the titles pop out against its background so it seems like its jumping out at the reader therefore it catches more consumer attention. The use of numbers on the contents page makes the magazine feel organised and it will be easier for the reader to find what they are looking for. Lastly, in this magazine they use many different images so that the reader will be intrested in seeing what else is on offer in that particular column, and they use images which they think there typical audience would love so it appeals directly to them.

This is an example of a double page spread from a Top of the Pops magazine. Again I couldnt get the same issue double spread. Firstly, the title of this story is actually a quote which I think makes it seem like its being said by Leona herself making it seem more real and intresting for the reader. Next, underneath the title is a banner which gives a quick short summary of what the rader can expect from the article. In this article they have stuck to just using 3 colours black, pink and white, this makes the article still really fun to read but not to many colours are distracting the reader. Also, they have included a very big picture of Leona Lewis herself and here she is making eye contact with the reader therfore this will directly address the reader making them feel included. Around the double page spread there are little teasers and quotes to intise the reader into reading the whole interview making them think its really intresting. Lastly, other little images have been used to make the story have a funny side to it making it more enjoyable to the reader and the sketches will intrest a wider audience.