Billboard magazine's website research.

1. MAGAZINE RESEARCH
Beatriz Poleza

2. http://www.billboard.com/

3. The title/masthead is the first and
foremost feature of the website. Its
position – at the top of the page –
and black bold letters immediately
grabs the audience’s attention. This
is a common characteristic of
Billboard products; in the magazine’s
front covers the masthead is also
one of the main focus. Perhaps the
strong brand presence that Billboard
has is due to the emphasis they put
on their titles.
Contents click makes the navigation throughout the website simpler for the
audience, as it is easier to find what they are looking for, thus making the website
more professional and organised: contents are separated into specific categories.
The Search Billboard feature also makes the website more appealing, for
example, if the person’s interest is a certain artist, by typing the artist’s name on
the Search bar the website will gather all the information it has about the artist.

4. The website provides the audience with
links to all other social networks where
they are able to interact even more with
Billboard. This gives the magazine a
wider access rate as it is easier to keep
up with it from networks that are used on
a daily basis, without having to actually
buy the physical product.
The latest issue of the magazine is
available for sale at the website. This
allows frequent readers to keep up
with the magazine, in case the last
edition was not bought.

5. News and Features makes the website more interesting for the audience because
there is a variety of options to choose from; dance, photos, charts, etc. which
gives a sense of the range of qualities and information that Billboard has, it is not
focused on providing a specific type of entertainment, rather there are many ways in
which the audience can make the most out of the website.

6. Billboard magazine
Billboard is an American music magazine, originally
headquartered in New York City, New York. Now owned by
Prometheus Global Media, it was first published on November 1,
1894. It is well-known for being among the oldest trade
magazines in the world. The magazine originally focused on bill
posting and outdoor amusements before specializing in the
music industry in the 1950s.
Billboard maintains several internationally recognized record
charts, which track the most popular songs and albums across
several categories on a weekly basis. Its primary charts are the
Billboard Hot 100, the Billboard 200, respectively, ranking the top
songs and albums regardless of genre. Song rankings are based
on digital download sales, radio airplay and internet streaming.
Albums were based exclusively on sales until 2014. Its data are
largely based on the Neielsen SoundScan tracking system,
which it has been used since 1991.

7. Prometheus Global Media
• Prometheus Global Media is New York City-based B2B
media company. The company was formed in December
2009, when Nielsen Company sold its entertainment and
media division to a private equity-backed group led by
Pluribus Capital Management and Guggenheim Partners.
The company owns and operates a number of major
entertainment industry trade publications and their
associated digital properties, this includes Billboard.
• http://www.prometheusgm.com

8. Target audience
Billboard is not focused on one specific genre of
music and therefore is available to a wider
audience. Wikipedia states that “Billboard is
intended for music professionals, such as record
label executives, artists, music retailers, and
radio DJs - although it is generally considered a
business-to-business magazine -.”
The Billboard magazine is also read by many
young people, usually aged 15-25 who are
interested in music, news, celebrities, etc.,
therefore although the content of the magazine
may be business based, it contains many
features in order to attract a younger audience,
such as celebrity endorsement. For example, the
front cover on the right has a very influential
young singer as the main image. On the other
hand, even though the celebrity is young, it
suggests that Billboard is not for children, as she
holds a provoking attitude, which would not be
suitable for a younger audience.

9. Analysis of Billboard cover

10. Masthead & Strapline
The popularity of Billboard is evident in the masthead, which is covered by the model
making it not completely readable, this implies that readers of the magazine do not
need to read the full masthead in order to still purchase it.
Above the title, the strapline gives names of many artists, this could be so that all tastes
and preferences are pleased; if the reader is not interested in one artist, the strapline
shows others that may be of their interest so that they do not resent in purchasing the
magazine. The colours between the letters break the elegant and sophisticated look,
this is a common feature of Billboard, even though the layout may vary, the colours of
the masthead are always the same, which could be another reason for the strong brand
presence this magazine pursues.

11. Main image
The image within the cover presents an
elegant picture of the worldwide singer,
Taylor Swift. Due to the sophistication
and elegance of the model, along with
her personality and music genre, this
front cover would appeal to teenage
girls/young women. Her body language,
direct mode of address and dominant
colour (red background) with her pale
skin, make the cover stand out amongst
others.
A second audience is being attracted
through the use of a public icon, this is
because fans of Taylor Swift may
purchase the magazine because she is
in the cover, even if they are not usual
readers/buyers.

12. Colour scheme
The same colour scheme is maintained
throughout, with mainly three colours – red,
yellow and white – constructing the front cover.
This is seen in almost all Billboard front covers
– as illustrated by the secondary images –,
there is a particular colour scheme for each
product, and even though the colours may
vary from one cover to the other, they are
always kept the same for that specific
magazine. This type of layout doesn’t
overwhelm the audience’s eyes with a rainbow
of colours, and doesn’t make the magazine
“funky” or too childish.
The colours are another way of pleasing a
certain audience. An example is the front
cover with Taylor Swift as the model, the
colours chosen appeal to both men and
women as they are not genre-specific or
stereotypical. For example, if the colour
scheme was entirely pink, men would hardly
be interested in purchasing it.