Clash Magazine Case Study By Joshua Taylor Ragan
Introduction Clash is a popular music, fashion and film magazine that is based in the United Kingdom. It is published 10 times a year by Music Republic Ltd; Since Clash Music Ltd went into liquidation. The brands content can vary from anything from modern bands such as “The Horrors”, “Florence & The Machine” and “Jamie XX” all the way to Hip Hop artists such as “DJ Shadow”, “Kanye West” and “Bestie Boys”. These artists have all had spots in recent issues. The magazine has won many awards, these include The best music magazine award in 2004 and Magazine of the year 2011.
The Magazines content • The magazine includes content from many different genres • Music: “Music is the life blood of everything Clash does, inspiring stunning editorial and video content in print and online and outstanding events across the UK and beyond” (From the Clash Media Kit) . Clash Magazine spans many different genres of music and focuses mainly on what is “in” at the time, it also often features many different alternative genres and styles of music. • Fashion: “The art direction of clash magazine comes from a hybrid of observations from historical and contemporary pop culture.” (From the Clash Media Kit) The Fashion of Clash Magazine is very stylised and controlled. Styled shoots with bands and documentary's of the icons and influences on stage and in clubs as well as dedicated fashion issues of the magazine; Clash explores fashion in the music industry extensively. • Film: “Clash is one of the most vital cultural magazines around ahead of the pack but always accessible and manages to pull of the trick of being playful and serious at the same time.” ( There is a regular 6 page film section inside every addition of Clash, clash says they “prioritize quality over mainstream appeal”. The best aspect of the film section is that it is the perfect blend between music and film that has never been seen before.
Online Clash also includes an online site called ClashMusic.com which is “the online hub for the daily slew of incredible content produced by the Clash digital team, from exclusive videos to instant announcements and reviews ClashMusic.com represents the ultimate destination for the latest music news and the best features on the web.� Clash magazine works along side the online site and seems to be very exclusive for the music listener.
Publisher The magazine is published by Music Republic Ltd after Clash Music Ltd went into liquidation. Music Republic is a huge publishing site that primarily publishes music, in the featured artists on the site http://www.republicofmusic.com/ it features artists such as The Charlatans who have produced a top 10 album “Modern Nature” in January 2015, it also features Movie maker and directors John Carpenter who is famous for directing the Halloween films; he is seen debuting his “Lost Themes” album, it is described as the album “for the movie you’re playing in your head”. They also feature unknown and alternative artists such as “caribou” and “moon duo”. The company describe themselves as “a new and exciting alternative to the existing independent music sales and distribution companies in the UK and Europe.” They have worked on retail campaigns for such artists as Fleet Foxes, Two Door Cinema Club, You Me At Six, Neneh Cherry, Bloc Party, The Black Keys, Tame Impala, Badly Drawn Boy, The Futureheads, Modeselektor, Midlake, Interpol, The Walkmen, Zola Jesus, Fatboy Slim, Freemasons, The Cribs, Lambchop, Mazzy Star, Gold Panda, Caribou, Beach House and many more. They boast a diverse and cutting edge roster of labels such as Modular, Moshi Moshi, City Slang, BMG Rights, BPitch Control, Souterrain Transmissions, !K7, Strut, Skint, M-Nus, Ram Records and 2020 Vision They seem to have a big varying of production in the magazine industry and music and film industry.
The Typical Reader Profile • The typical reader of clash magazine would seem to be male 21-25 year olds in a ABC1 class, although the main readership is male there is nearly a 50/50 split. The readers would be in employment and would have a strong interest in all or either Music, Film and Fashion and would spend time buying books ,cd’s, gadgets and clothes. • “When they choose to spend there high end cash it’s well considered and based on recommendation from the sharpest sources” (Taken from Clash Media kit) • The reader would be interested in both print copies of the magazine as well as online copies, they probably love the convenience of the advantages online viewing can give but also understand that there's nothing that beats a physical copy of something, hence why they buy cd’s and other objects rather than downloading all the time. They would cherish a visit to the cinema but don’t discount online viewing sites such as YouTube as long as the content is worthy of there time and attention • “They are likely to find there favourite jacket or bag in a second hand store as they are in Urban Outfitters they buy The Guardian on the Saturday for the guide and on Sunday they The Times for culture and style.”. (Taken from Clash Media Kit)
Trademarks of the magazine • The artistic and creative style • The alternative and fashionable style • There features on Fashion, Film in the music industry • There passion for the music industry • There appreciation for the old fashionable print copies as well as embracing the new online forms of communication but still managing to keep that old feel • There online site reflecting the magazine rather than being a separate entity
Conclusion In conclusion do we feel that Clash Magazine reflects the values of its audience? My answer is Yes. Its clear to me that the audience is perfectly in tune with what is reflected in the magazine, the artistic feel of the magazine will appeal to the age range of the magazine who are caught in the middle of the new online storage and viewing craze and the old value for material things; The audience knows how to accept change between the old and the new and are willing to accept both; whatever is easier for them. The magazine also reflects this mode of thinking and understands that its audience will be interested in getting free quality content from YouTube and other quality sources, all in all I would call Clash Magazine a huge success who has perfectly managed to move with the times and capture the zeitgeist of today society and has mirrored it to us.