This document analyzes and compares the front covers of music magazines NME and Q. It finds that both magazines target younger male audiences, as evidenced by the predominantly male artists featured on covers posed in a non-sexual manner. While some women are posed sexually, suggesting an intention to attract male readers. The lifestyles promoted involve indie rock themes like drug use. Over time, NME has simplified its covers to appeal more to male tastes. Both magazines feature some non-indie artists to broaden their audiences and sales.

1. It is clear that the targetof both these types of magazines (NME & Q) is the
male gender. This is apparentdueto the artists featuring on the frontcoveres.
The majority of the frontcovers featuremen in a non sexual manor. If the
magazine was aimed at women the men would be posed in a sexual way to
obviously attract the women and gain their attention. However the men on
these magazines arenot posed in a sexual manor,they’re mainlyposed in an
either threatning manor such as the covers featuring Kanyeand Zayn or a more
casual way like the ones featuring Ed Sheeran or The 1975. However thefew
magazies that feature women are both posed in a sexual way, Rihanna looking
at the view with an arguableseductive look and Lady Gaga wearing minimal
clothing. This is obvioulsy to attract the male target audience, gain their
attention and will give them an interest in the magazine.

2. The lifestyle being promted within these is one that woud be expected on an
indie rock genre, as it is promoting a lifestyle that is viewed as typically indie. Fir
example the the strrio typlecal inde lifestyle invloves drug use and smoking, this
is promoted bythe image of rhianna. Shehas previously been photographed
smoking marijuana and the fact that itlooks as though she is exhaling smoke
suggests that it is likely she is smoking marijuana in the photo on the front
cover, however there is no joint featured. Thisis not the first time that NME
have featured an artist that may have connotationsof drug use, in the past they
have famously featured Pete Dohertyeven through theyears of his hard drug
use, this again supportsthe lifestyle being portrayed by the magazine. I can tell
that the magazines are aimed aimed at youger men, possibly aged from mid
teens to late twenties. Finally another featureI can pick up on regarding the
lifestyle being portrayed within the images is that 3 of the covers feautrea band
(a group of people) this may suggest it is aimed at people who have a rich social
life and areoften in the companyfor friend – like the band featuring on the
frontcovers.
There is a clear differencein style between the two types of magazines looking
purely at the frontcovers. Looking at the NME issues the covers arerelativly
simple in the way of text. Theres a mast head, usually a puff and maybe a main
strap line, and that’s usually aboutit. The main image is all that is used to
attract the reader and a single sell line. However this is a very differentcase to
how Q presents their frontcovers, they have a lot moretext, in some issues,
multiple images. Overall the frontcover just looks all round a lot busier and less
simple than the ones of NME.
Three of the frontcovers I have used for NME arenewer issues and the one
that features Oasis is an order issue. Oasis have frequentlyfeatured over the
years on the frontcover of NME and this is due to the fact they are so iconic
within the genre. There is a difference in the way NME have progressed and
slightly changed their style. Originally NME always had a red mast head with a
black outline but recently they have ditched that. They also used to have a lot
moretext on the cover nottoo dissimilar the covers of Q. However recently
they have have changed the cover to be alot more simple, this is something
they have doneto appeal to their target audiece of men even more. Usually
men like simplicity and aren’t attracted to brightcoloursand busy font, so by
simplifying the alreadyrelativley simple frontcover this will appeal to men even
more.

3. The facial expressions of the artisits featureing arerelativly similar, all butone
of the images featuredirect address and all the artists look relativly moody, this
could be dueto the common steriotype of indie rockstarts which is that they
have an attitude to life of ‘I don’tcare’. Arroganceisalso associated with the
indie rock genreand this is also evident in NME’s image of The 1975 wherethe
lead singer Matty Healy is walking down the street with his armseither side as if
to say ‘lookat me’. There is also an image of Noel Gallager where is is looking
down at the camera again possessing this glum look. The facthe is looking down
makes it look as though he is in a positon of authority/ power, this could be due
to his years of success roducing music in the genre however it also refelcts the
arrogencethathe possesses.
On the frontof the magazines there are a few sell lines informing the viewer on
what articles will be written inside the magazine, of course all the articles are
ones that you would expect to be in this type of magazine and articles about
artists or bandsthat the target audience of the magazine would usually be
interested in. Again this is a way in which they try to get a viewers attention as
they areoffering information in the magazine abouta topic of interest to the
target audience.
Free gifts/ freebees areusually associated with pop magazines. This is because
the target audience for a pop magazine is young children, and having a free gift
in a magazine is more likely to attract a child rather than an adult. As the target
audience of the genre of music and type of magazines I am looking at here is
mid to late teengers and the younger generation of adults it isn’t necacary for
the magazine owners to includea gift with the magazine as this won’t be
particularlyapealing to the audienceof this age. Chances areit wouldn’t
increase the amountof copies sold and would just cost the companies
unnecacarymoney to produce. However occasionallyposters feature inside the
magazine, this could be because the targetaudince is mid to late teenagers/
young adults thereforethey areat the age of a univercity student, they may
want to have the posters to decorate their room with bandsor artists they are
fans of.
The magazines issued by Q that I have chosen haven’t used any puffs, however
there is an interesting use of puffsin NME. The brand of NME is trying to
expand its identity and offer morethan just a music magazine (although this is
still their main focus). They are trying to offer other features such as articles on
style, TV and films. This is cleaverly advertised in the puff, as it is a small bright

4. featureon the cover that will gain the attention of the reader and ensure they
notice is, however chances areit isn’t the first thing the reader will notices
resulting in it still remaining a music magazine however their focus has
expanded and they also offer morethan what they previously did. This is also
soemthing that may attracta new reader due to the factthey are offering more
than they previousluy did resluting in this being a new selling point.
Both magazines market themselves as an indie rock magazine. This would lead
you to think that the artists/ bands fetureing on the frontwould be those
involved with the indie rockscene. However this isn’t the case on lots of
occasions when looking at the covers I am analysing. The magazines produced
by Q feautreone recognised band from the indie rockscene, The 1975.
However two of the other covers featurepop artists in Ed Sheeran and Lady
Gaga and KanyeWest from the R&B/ Rap scene. This is a similar case with the
magazines produced byNME, as again, indie rock band The 1975 feature, Oasis
another indie rock band also cover one magazineshowever the other two are
featurepop artist Rhianna and R&B/ alternative artist Zayn. I feel this is
bebcause both magazines are recognised to be associated with the Indie rock
genre, so usually people interested in indie rockwill buy the magazine
regardlessof who features on the cover as they know the majority of the inside
content will be aboutindie rock. However to brnach outand broaden their
audienes the have chosen to use images of artists from differentgenresas fans
of these other genres my see there favouriteartists on the cover of an issue of
their magazines and chose to buy it due to that reason alone. This will help sell
morecopies and expand the readership of the magazine as its appealing to a
larger target audience.