1. Similar Magazines: Q
How Q has influenced my
magazine…
Genre: Rock/Pop
Differences to Billboard:
Instead of taking an exclusively
“pop as a sub-genre” approach to my
magazine, Q has made me consider
working in elements of rock
magazines more into my magazine.
The influence may just take form
through the name of the magazine or
the striking style we can see in the
three covers.
It could be argued that Q
appeals to a wider target audience
than Billboard purely based on the
magazine’s respective sub-genres.
While Billboard is exclusively pop, Q
blends elements from both the pop
sub-genre as well as the rock subgenre….
• While initially focusing more on the genre of rock in its earlier and edgier days, Q has more recently
leant towards focusing on more popular and mainstream artists. Some critics and readers argue the
magazine now chooses to focus on artists for their popularity as opposed to their music as they traditionally did.
Similarities to Billboard:
• The design of their magazine covers conforms with other traditional layouts seen across the various music magazines even from other subgenres. The masthead is bold and in the top-left hand-corner of the page and bold colours like red are used to attract the audience. This
plays on the striking sound of the genre of rock, as well as pop incidentally.
• The sub-genre of pop is often made to look glamorous, with rock generally taking a more edgier style. This is evident from the comparison
between Adele (who would represent pop) to Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters and Liam Gallagher from Oasis (who would represent rock).
More stark and even comical imagery is used to portray Dave Grohl with a serious tone helping represent Liam Gallagher. We can
generalise that Q magazine adapts the style of its front cover in relation to the artist on the front cover.

2. Similar Magazines: NME
Genre: Rock/Indie
Differences to Billboard:
• There appears to be no consistent style across varying covers of the magazines, with different colour schemes being used in each
instance shown above. This could be a result of the magazine focusing more on the artist and building the cover around them, their
style and persona. Billboard however maintains its own house style throughout all of its magazines.
• There is also a difference in genre, with the magazine seeming to focus more on artists from the rock and indie genres.
Similarities to Billboard:
• NME usually focuses on popular artists; while it is a different genre to Billboard, the two both focus on artists who are reasonably
famous or well-known within their own genre.

3. Similar Magazines: Spin
Genre: Rock
Differences to Billboard:
• SPIN has a different genre focus to Billboard; additionally, the magazine doesn’t seem to feature artists who are particularly famous but
who would genuinely interest their target audience and attract more readers.
Similarities to Billboard:
• The masthead has remained reasonably consistent overtime. This is identical to Billboard’s constant usage of the same masthead
across the top of the magazine, with the same style and colours used in each case. In also seems that layering here has been used to
make individual artists more of a focus as opposed the magazine’s name; Billboard also occasionally does this.
• The two magazines both aim to target younger audiences. Spin began with a focus on college-orientated rock, and Billboard’s nature as
a pop magazine makes it so younger people are in their mind.

4. Ideas from: Billboard
Possible Names for Magazine;
• Volume – represents the “sound” part of the music
magazine; volume as in “turn up the volume” to make
audiences more excited about the magazine.
• Pop-ular – plays on pop as the sub-genre as well as
focusing on popular music.
• Melody – links in with the whole musical aspect of the
magazine, perhaps for a more serious tone.
• Famous • Trend
Genres;
Billboard’s solitary focus in terms of sub-genre is pop
as well as popular music; therefore it only makes
sense for a magazine inspired by such a magazine to
belong to the pop sub-genre.
Possible Articles for Magazine;
• Relating to main image on front cover…
• Interview on…
• coping with fame
• new releases
• rise to stardom
• Appearing as cover lines on front cover…
• Interviews with artists similarly to above
• Reviews of new releases
• Tips on how to get in industry (i.e. “How to
work with a songwriter” from cover with
Eminem)
• Overview of decade/year/month of music in
sub-genre
• Music relating to social networking sites (e.g.
Facebook, Twitter) and media sharing sites
(e.g. YouTube)
• Collaborations between articles
• Upcoming festivals
• Artists “to watch”

5. Ideas from: various
Possible Names for Magazine;
• M – as in Q; “M” would stand for music. Not so obvious
but a more discreet name. Seems to be edgier, like Q.
• Vortex – based off of Spin; “Vortex” would play on the
rough and edgy tone seen in rock music magazines.
• Cyclone – same with “Vortex” as an idea name, would
give the magazine an edgier tone but would be more
suited to rock magazines.
• Key – links into the popular feeling of Billboard
magazine, with music being “key” to life, and artists
being “key” to that music…
Genres;
All of these magazines have a focus on rock as well
as incidental focuses on pop. These two sub-genres
interchange often and as the magazines have
progressed. Rock gives the magazines an edgier feel
while pop seems to make the magazine more
attractrive and marketable. To concord with ideas
from Billboard magazine, I am going to continue with
the pop sub-genre.
Possible Articles for Magazine;
• Relating to main image on front cover…
• Interview on…
• coping with fame
• new releases
• rise to stardom
• Persona & history of artist (i.e. “being
a rebel” as seen on M.I.A’s cover of
Spin)
• Appearing as cover lines on front cover…
• Interviews with artists like above
• Reviews
• Upcoming festivals
• Artists to watch
• Free giveaways