This document discusses conventions used in music magazines to indicate their genre to readers. It provides examples of conventions for different genres, such as dark colors and leather for rock magazines and ball gowns for classical. Codes and conventions allow the audience to identify the magazine's genre just from the cover. Specific magazines are also analyzed, such as Kerrang using a rock star pose on the cover to indicate their genre. Throughout, the document emphasizes how conventions like images, colors and layouts help classify a magazine's musical focus for readers.

1. Kenza Hardy
AS Media Studies

2. Codes include mastheads, images, features and
intuitional details and when these are used
repeatedly, they become conventions.
The conventions relate to a type of genre. For
example, dark colours and leather for rock, ball
gowns for classical and bright images for pop.
Codes and conventions are there so that the
audience can tell what type of genre it is just by
looking at an image or certain word.

3. In terms of music magazines people can tell which type
of music the magazine is writing about due to the front
cover. For example the picture, conventional words etc.
The picture is a vital part of the magazine because it
stands out and it is the first thing people see.
If you have a classical music magazine you may have a
picture of Beethoven or a performer like Julian Bliss (
Famous classical clarinettist.)The masthead is also
important.This is the title of the magazine. If you have
a bold mast head people will notice it and want to read
it.

4. MAGAZINE 1
 In billboard [ an American
magazine] the artist is stood side
on whilst looking at the camera:
this is a front cover convention.
This shows others that her music
is mainly ballads and soft pop.The
background is good because it is
plain and it is a good background
for a pop artist.
MAGAZINE 2
 In Kerrang the artist is stood like
he is playing and not looking at
the camera.This shows that he is
more of the “Rebel” character. He
is rock star and the way he is
dressed, his posture and his
expression reflects his music.

5. The Contents page in a magazine
tells you all about what you will
find in the magazine.
In this magazine contents they
have used words like “gig” and
“battle of the bands.”
Other conventions are columns,
a large image for the cover story
and the colours match the front
cover.

6. Double page spreads usually include
a picture of the artists on one side a
and article either about the artist
themselves or about something
they’ve done. Double page spreads
also have a catchy caption.

8. As soon as you open the Q magazine website
your eye is instantly caught by the small
articles that feature on the main page.
It is well set out and easily accessible.There
are hyperlinks to various pages which are
easy to work round.
Q magazine use simple colours but at the
same time bold.The colours on the website
match the magazine.
Q is distributed by Bauer.

9. As soon as you open
the Billboard webpage
you are met by the bold
black and white
colours.This is good
because it catches
peoples eye, again the
colours match the
magazine so a brand
identity is created.

10. Kerrangs website reflects the
rock and metal music they
advertise and write about.
It has mainly dark and neon
colours representing the dark
and the glow of the neon
coming through.The
magazines are the same and it
is easy for the audience to
recognise it.

11. Top of the Pops website is very
young.
It indicates that its more for girls
than boys below the age of 16.
This is due to the pink and yellow
colours.There isn’t much text on
the website either.This is
because this product is for a
young audience so the
convention is to have many
images instead.