Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music. It aims to attract a young audience aged 16-20 through edgy designs, competitions and featuring popular male bands. While initially focusing on heavy metal, it shifted to grunge in the 1990s to keep up with music trends. Beyond the magazine, Kerrang! expands its brand across radio, websites, merchandise and music channels to engage fans across different media platforms.

1. Initial Music Magazine Case Study
Kerrang!- Front Cover
The magazine includes 7 The Kerrang title is covered by the main
posters that the readers can artists head. The magazine is confident of
get for free. This draws in an its brands name and the audience are also
audience who feel like they familiar with the brand, this means that
are getting more than just a even though the title is slightly covered, the
magazine read. audience will still know what magazine
they are picking up.
The colour scheme of red,
yellow and grey are
contrasting colours that clash. The magazine has lots of extra
However, like rock music features to the magazine so the
which is crazy and loud. This readers can win things.
reflects the colour choices
chosen by the magazine.
The artist “Young guns” is a
famous, young, UK band that
readers will
The magazine gives the
readers a chance to take part
in competitions to win things.
This will attract readers more
not only for the music that’s in The magazine is messy and has a lot
The mid shot of Gustav Wood, the lead
the magazine, but so they can of things on one page. It is very “In-
singer of the band Young Guns, is
also take part in these your-face” which relates to the genre
appealing to the audience for both
competitions to win things of music the magazine portrays which
genders of the readers. It can be
that relates to music which is rock music itself.
appealing for people who find him
the readers will enjoy.
appealing but also for people who will
recognise him straight away from the
music he does.

2. Initial Music Magazine Case Study
The contents page is shown
Kerrang!- Contents Page on the right hand side of the
page. It has subheadings of
There is a letter from the what is included in the
editor, which tells the magazine with the page
audience what is going to be numbers located next to
in the magazine. This makes each subheading.
the magazine feel more
personal for the reader.
The colour scheme on the
The images are of artists,
page is bright yellow and
bands and events that the
black, like the colours of
magazine have articles
warning signs which is eye-
about in the magazine. The
images are more appealing catching and stands out at
the reader. This makes it
than just lots of text. This
easier to reader and more
not only makes the contents
appealing.
page look better but it gives
the readers a chance to find
what they want to read
about quickly by looking at
an image, without having to
read a lot of text.

3. Initial Music Magazine Case Study
Kerrang!- Magazine Article
The band "Architects" have
one whole page which is
just an image of them taken
specifically for the article.
This can appeal to the
reader as it will attract the
readers who know the band The masthead, "THIS TIME
and will want to see what IS NOW" is big and bold,
the article is about. especially the word "NOW"
because of the bright yellow,
which is shown also on the
front cover of another
Kerrang! magazine. These
The colour of the magazine colours against the black
article is used to keep the background stand out and
audience interested in the catch the redress attention.
article. The yellow is used to
highlight important things
that the magazine would
want the audience to most
read, while the white used The article is put into
over the black background is columns, which makes it
used to make the writing easy to ready and makes
stand out which means the it look like a formal
reader is more likely to stop There is a comment from one of the band members on the newspaper article.
and read the article as the image, which is like a taster for what the article includes. This
brightness would attract the gets the reader to want more and will carroty on reading the full
audience to it. article on the next page.

4. Initial Music Magazine Case Study
Kerrang!- Target Audience
Kerrang magazine is a UK based magazine devoted to Rock music published by Bauer Media Group
The edgy, underground and individualistic style appeals to rock
readers and draws them in, this is a crucial element of any
successful magazine. Key words on the front cover that also make
the target audience evident is the words “free” “win” and “sex”
which appeal to the younger audience of 16-20. These get the
target audience to catch the magazines attention and to buy the
magazine. Kerrang uses these words on lots of their covers.
Kerrang aims more at the male audience. The target audience
would appeal to the hard rock content and metal iconic male
bands on the front covers pulling faces. Female audiences are
attracted however through the free posters and the male rock
artists and also interviews.
It is clear that Kerrang is aimed at a young audience through the
use of fonts, layouts and presentation. It is aimed at the youth
and the lifestyles they have. It has a up-to-date, modern and a
down-to-earth feel.
The magazine includes adverts that appeal to the young audience
by using adverts that relate to their interests. These are
advertisements of HMV, play.com, Xbox, alternative clothing and
concert tickets.

5. Initial Music Magazine Case Study
Kerrang!- Magazine Across Other
Media Platforms
Companies that own magazines get their magazines
known and purchased through media products such as
radio, internet and TV. For example, Kerrang magazine has
their paper back magazine which is sold in shops but also
has a Kerrang radio channel and Kerrang music channels
on Sky and Virgin. The also, like most of the magazines
have a website with news, subscriptions and articles from
the magazine itself. Most of these are free to use, apart
from the magazine itself.
The internet websites of the magazines give their The Official Kerrang website is dark, grungy and gothic. This
audience and daily readers to keep up to date with the reflect the type of music that they promote and include in
latest gigs and festivals and new album releases. They their magazine.
can check up on these things everywhere they go as
these can be accessed through phones, iPods, computers
and laptops.
The website has a banner which is at the top of the website
that instantly draws attention to the competition and the
Most households have at least a TV with Sky or Virgin things the readers can win.
where they can watch music channels, in this example
Kerrang. Or they will have a laptop which they can use
the magazines website to keep up to date or also a
phone. These are all completely free which would appeal Kerrang has two main columns on the front of the
to their target audience very much. magazine which are called “News” and “Access All
Areas” this gives the readers an easy shortcut to what
they want to look at and read.

6. Initial Music Magazine Case Study
Kerrang!- Background information
•Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group.
•Kerrang took over from Sounds magazine but continued to be a metal and punk rock
,magazine. AC/DC was the first band to appear on Kerrang front cover.
•The original owner was United Newspapers who then sold it to EMAP in 1991. However, in
2008 EMAP sold the magazine to the current owner Bauer Media Group. The current editor of
Kerrang magazine is Nichola Browne.
•Kerrang has a magazine, a radio station, weekly podcasts, merchandise, a website and a music
channel.
•During 1980's and 1990's the magazine included heavy metal and rock acts
such as Bon Jovi, Metallica, Venom and Motley Crue. However, the magazine
later discarded these bands and did not have them on the magazine anymore.
Instead they chose grunge acts like Nirvana as they rose to fame. The magazine
is often criticized that the magazine changes when a new or different music
trend becomes popular or "In fashion"