Codes and conventions of a pop music magazine.

1. CODES AND
CONVENTIONS OF A
POP MUSIC MAGAZINE

2. MASTHEAD
• The masthead is one of the main conventions
of a pop music magazine as it stands out the
most. The masthead is used to draw the
audiences attention to the page. The
masthead is usually big, colourful, and bold to
attract the most amount of attention and to
stand out.
• The masthead should also have links to what
the magazine is about, so for a pop music
magazine the masthead should have links to
music. This makes it obvious to the audience
what the magazine is about. An example of
this is the ‘Top of the Pop’s’ magazine. The
masthead has the word pop in it would tells
the audience the magazine is about POP
music.

3. COVER LINES
Cover lines on the front cover of
the magazine shows the audience
what they will find in the
magazine. They attract the
audience by encouraging them to
read the magazine. They usually
stand out from the page because
they are trying to attract as much
attention as possible.

4. DOMINANT IMAGE
The dominant image is the background
image on the front cover, or any other page
of the magazine. It is the most important
image on each page of the magazine. It is
important in pop music magazines because
the audience are interested in the artist and
their music so the dominant image will attract
the audience using a big photo of the artist
they want to read about. The dominant image
usually fills up the whole page, or the
majority of the page so it is clear to see and
attract attention.

5. COLOUR SCHEME
The colour scheme of a pop music magazine is an
important code and convention. It attracts a certain
type of audience, so the editor of the magazine
would have to pick the colour scheme of the
magazine based on its target audience for that
issue. The colour scheme depicts whether the
target audience is male or female for that particular
issue. The colour scheme is shown throughout the
magazine including the front cover, which also links
the pages together and makes it more appealing to
the audience.
The colour scheme for magazines vary depending
on target audience, but usually contain at least one
bright colour to attract the audience.
Dark colour scheme to attract
the male audience.

6. CONTENTS PAGE
A POP music magazine must contain a
contents page to let the readers know where
each article is. It often shows the readers clearly
where the feature article is in the magazine
whilst also encouraging them to read the other
articles in the magazine.

7. PAGE NUMBERS
Each page of the magazine usually
has the page numbers written on the
bottom corner of the page. This is to
make it easy for the readers to find a
page from the contents page. This is
a very common convention as it
makes the magazine easier to read
and understand, making it more
enjoyable to read.

8. SUB HEADINGS
Sub Headings are used throughout a POP music magazine to
make it clear to the readers what information is where. It puts
context into the information on the page by putting it under
a heading which provides more information on the topic. It
makes finding certain bits of information easier for the
readers, and also attracts the audiences attentions. Sub
headings are used on the cover page, contents page, and
article pages throughout the magazine.

9. COLLOQUIAL LANGUAGE
Colloquial language, colloquial dialect, or informal language is a variety
of language commonly employed in conversation or other communication in
informal situations. This type of language is commonly used in POP music
magazines because POP music and its audience are recent and modern.
POP music creates a slang language of its own because in a lot of songs
informal language is created and used so the modernized audience
understands what the artist means. This same language is used in POP
magazines to fit with the music they are writing about and to allow their
target audience to understand the contents of the magazine. This language
attracts younger audiences which is usually the target audience for POP
music magazines.

10. BOLD FONTS
Bold fonts are a typical code and convention in POP music
magazines because it attracts the audience. The bold fonts stand
out on the page and attract the audience to the information on
the page. The bold fonts make it clear to the readers which writing
is more important than other bits of writing on the page. The bold
fonts give character to the page as well as making it stand out.
Bold fonts are used throughout the POP genre on album covers
and for song titles etc., so using bold fonts also links back to the
genre making the magazine fit more.

11. AN ARTICLE
An article is a code and convention of a POP music magazine. The article
provides information on a certain artist or artists. Articles are featured
throughout the magazine, on the cover, contents page, and on other
pages of the magazine. The article is what grabs people to buy the
magazine, as the readers will buy the magazine for the informative
content, and not for the images they can easily access online for free. The
article is usually well written and informative to make the audience read
that page of the magazine, and the rest of the magazine. The article will
feature an artist that is popular at that time to increase their audience
number. The article is usually put over two pages, with images on the
page linking to the article to make it more interesting and to provide a
visual aspect. The article will use a range of different sizes of text, fonts,
boldness, and italics to let the readers know which parts are more
important than others.

12. BARCODE, DATE, AND ISSUE NUMBER
The barcode, date, and issue number are usually seen close together on a
POP music magazine, as although they are key points of information, they
will not attract the audience. They are included on the front or back of the
magazine as they are essential bits of information for the audience,
however they usually detract from the cover and make it look less
appealing. The barcode, date, and issue number may also cover parts of
the dominant image which would then change the affect of the magazine
and will attract less audience members. These codes and conventions
must be included on the magazine for the audience to be able to
purchase the magazine, and buy the right issue.

13. STYLE
The style and layout of POP music magazines are usually
informal. The layout is often made out of shapes to attract the
audience and give them something to focus on. There is always
a mix between text and images to keep the magazine
interesting yet informative. The fonts are changed to represent
the chosen target audience for that magazine issue, but are
usually bold and stand out to attract attention.

14. PUFF AND PUGS
Puffs and pugs are often used on the POP magazines targeted
at the younger audience because they are seen as tacky, and
unprofessional. They aim to attract the audience to the page
using bright colours and shapes, often offering a freebie or a
deal. They will sometimes offer information on the content of
the magazine and often use buzz words like ‘exclusive’ and
‘brand new’.
Puffs usually offer the information on the content where as the
pug gives information such as the price, date, and issue
number. Puffs are used to entice the audience before they see
the price so they are persuaded to buy the magazine no matter
the cost.