Here are two different music magazine front covers which I have attempted to analyse.

1. This music magazine is called Nylon, the
masthead doesn’t need to be on full show
because it is obviously a well-known magazine,
and this is .
why the image of the artist tends to
cover the masthead. This is done because it
maximises the impact to the viewer and gives a
good first impression to the magazine;
especially if it is featuring an artists that you
like.
The barcode and price
are at the bottom right
of the page; it is usually
one of the smallest
things featured on the
magazine. Anything
printed in the bottom
right hand corner are
not visible when placed
on the shelf.
Other artists’ names
have also been put
on this cover, this
draws in attention
from another type
of audience.
The band on the front of this
magazine holds an audience
in the age range of 14-26.
They are young themselves
so they prefer to aim at a
younger target audience.
There is a pink, black and white colour scheme. This is used because it
is simple yet effective; it shows that the magazine is sophisticated yet
able to meet the needs of the target audience.

2. The selling lines of the magazine are quite an important
part of the magazine; they give the reader an insight to
what is going to be inside. “Beyoncé live at Roseland
elements of 4” is the selling line for this magazine, as
soon as fans of Beyoncé see her name printed in bold
letters it will make them want to purchase the magazine.
The masthead has been written in white writing so
that it will stand out from the background, colour
has been used inside a few letters to stop it from
being plain and boring. The masthead is the most
eye-catching point of the whole magazine, it is
written in big bold letters to provide a sense of
familiarity and recognition. I think that the
masthead being in lowercase makes it look more
professional and sophisticated.
The main image is of
Beyoncé, who takes up
most of the page; her
pose could be classed as
being sexual because
she is stood holding
something between her
teeth. The whole image
has quite a tanned look
to it, because of her
makeup and her hair
colour the image has
quite a natural feel.
The colour scheme is
suggesting that the
target audience for this
magazine is not as
young as those for
‘Kerrang’ and ‘Top of
the Pops’ because it has
all white writing apart
from the few pops of
colour in the masthead.
I think that the white
writing has been used
to balance out the
darker colours of the
artists’ make up.
‘Billboard’ is quite a personal
magazine for a more mature
audience; this is suggested by
the direct eye contact image and
the calm background.