here i have analysed existent music magazine names and mastheads and also made a brainstorm of magazine names for my own music magazine.

1. Magazine name planning and analysis
Billboard-
I believe this name and masthead is extremely effective with ‘billboard’ having
the direct link to the music industry. The writing is thick, bold and black
meaning it will stand out fromthe background. Thecolour-filled letters add to
this and create a block effect. The colours red, yellow, blue and green are of
coursebright and stand out so they have been well chosen as this masthead
will always stand out on the shelf. The name ‘Billboard’ also has inner
alliteration of the letter ‘b’ which is quite a harsh sound adding to the standing
out of the magazine. Any music that makes it onto the billboard is popular
music so this magazineappeals to people who enjoy music that is in the charts
right now so covers a wide range of genres. The masthead of this magazine
stays the same in every issuemaking the magazineeasy to find.
Vibe -
This name is also an effective name for a music magazineas again it is a direct
link to the musical theme. ‘Vibe’ tends to havegood connotations when used
especially within the younger generation to describean atmosphereperhaps
that of a music concert. Just recently I believe this word has become more
popular especially within the youth so this magazinewill particularly appear to
them. The magazinetends to have an R and B theme so would perhaps appeal
to them anyway, thename just reinforces this. The word vibe creates the idea
that the artist on the front cover will give the reader an amazing feeling when
they give the artista listen. The style of the masthead is the same throughout
every magazine but the colour of the masthead changes dependent on the
background so this shows methat having your masthead stand out fromthe
background is important.

2. Kerrang! -
‘Kerrang!’ is unique in that ‘kerrang’ isn’tactually a word so it is original by the
company and magazine. The name ‘kerrang’ has quitea harsh sound linking to
the genre of the magazinewhich is rock music. The exclamation mark on the
end of the masthead is significantas it adds to the loudness of the masthead
and again links to the rockiness of the magazine as rock music tends to be loud,
have shouting/screaming sounds which this ‘!’ reinforces. The background has
deliberately been made black against the white name of the magazine to make
the name stand out. The masthead also includes the ‘kerrang’ websiteso the
magazine is plugging more readers in and more ways they can find out more
about the magazine and maybe even subscribe. Themasthead almost looks
like a smashed mirror again emphasising on the rock genre as sometimes rock
music can have connotations of violence. Italmost creates the image of a rock-
star smashing their guitar in the reader’s mind.
We love pop-
This magazinename and masthead is different to the others I havelooked at in
that it uses a graphic feature instead of a word within the name. The masthead
uses a picture of a heart instead of the word ‘love’ making the name original
fromother magazines. The name of courseencapsulates that is a pop genre
magazine and would again appeal to the younger generation but becausethe
masthead could be described as quite childish I don’tbelieve the older
teenagers would take much interest in the magazine. The useof a speech
bubble around the name is importantas it shows thatinvolves gossip not just
music within the magazine. It could be a very chatty, informal magazine. The
full stop on the end of the name makes the statement very definite meaning
their love for pop is an opinion that will not change. Everyoneshould love pop.
The background of the masthead and the colour of the heart changes
dependant on the topic of that issueof the magazine.

3. Below I have the names I am going to choose from for my
magazine: