1. Billboard Front Cover Analysis
The mast head–
The white writing stands out against the
The main image-
dark background, the white gives a
The main image is a photograph
sophisticated approach but the colours in-
of a popular, well known artist.
between the letters help the audience
Kesha, the artist, will give the
recognise the style and which magazine it
audience an idea of what the
is straight away.
genre of the magazine is.
Kesha is sexualized in this
The background– photograph, I know this from
We can only see very little background, but the expression on her face and
what we can see it shows black; which goes because she has a lot of eye
with Kesha’s eye make up and head band. make up on, she is shown as
Because there is so little colour, it shows attractive, yet sophisticated.
that it is sophisticated.
The main cover line-
Selllines/coverlines- Is of the artist who is the main
These give the readers an idea of image’s name. Its in a white
what's inside the magazine. they font, placed on a dark
may include some artist or band background making it stand
names which will help set the genre. out. The dollar sign used as the
The word ‘plus’ is used to make the ‘s’ in Kesha’s name, is used on
audience feel as if they are getting many things such as her
more for their money. albums. This will make the
audience immediately know
Barcode-date/issue/price– who the artist is.
The issue number is so that the
audience can keep on track of Underneath the main cover
what issue they are looking for. line, has information about
The barcode is used so it can be Kesha bringing out something
sold in shops. And the price is on new. This will make the
the magazine so the audience audience want to read more
know how much it is before about it.
taking it up to the counter in the
shop

3. Billboard History
• Billboard was founded in Cincinnati on November 1, 1894, by William h. Donaldson and James
Hennegan. Originally titled Billboard Advertising it was a trade paper for the bill posting industry, hence
the magazine's name. Within a few years of its founding, it began to carry news of outdoor amusements, a
major consumer of billboard space. Eventually Billboard became the paper of record
for circuses, carnivals, amusement parks, fairs, vaudeville, minstrels, whale shows and other live
entertainment. The magazine began coverage of motion pictures in 1909 and of radio in the 1920s.
• With the development of the jukebox industry during the 1930s, The Billboard began publishing music
charts. Originally, there were only three genre-specific charts: Pop, Rhythm & Blues, and Country &
Western. In the 1950s it introduced a section covering the television industry, including ratings charts for
programs. It continued to carry news of fairs, carnivals, theme parks and other outdoor entertainments
until 1961 when these departments were spun off into a new weekly magazine called Amusement
Business. By this time the television coverage had also been moved to another publication.
• At the start of 1961, The Billboard was renamed Billboard Music Week. The publication was now devoted
almost entirely to the music industry, with some coverage of coin-operated vending and entertainment
machines on its jukebox pages. The title was changed to simply Billboard at the start of 1963. In 2005, the
magazine and its web sites were repositioned to provide coverage of all forms of digital and mobile
entertainment.
• Amusement Business prospered for a few decades, but was struggling by the beginning of the 21st
Century. Shortly after then its frequency of publication was reduced to monthly, and it finally ceased
publication following its May 2006 issue.