Existing names, mastheads and audience profiles
Q MAGAZINE Q is a popular and alternative music magazine published monthly in the UK. It’s publishing company is Bauer Consumer Media. It was founded by Mark Ellen and David Hepworth as they felt that there wasn’t a magazine for the older generation. Q was first published in 1986 and was very different from other music magazines due to being high quality in its photography and printing and also had an older target audience. The magazine was originally going to be called “Cue” but was later on changed to “Q” as it could possibly be confused with being a snooker magazine, additionally a single letter title looked more prominent on the newsstands. The magazine includes a wide range of reviews, interviews and compiling lists. Often promotional gifts such as CDs and books are given for free; furthermore, Q has a long history of association with charity organisations and in 2008 launched a radio station which is only available on digital TV, with their own music channel knows as Q TV. Q holds awards every year. It’s circulation figures are 103,017 and the cover price is of £3,90. When looking at the name of the magazine we can instantly associate Q with being professional. The masthead is bold but very simplistic at the same time. The font of the masthead is very simple but effective thanks to the flick found in “Q”. The colours used in the logo are white and red which contrast against each other; the red is very eye-catching which means that it will receive the right amount of attention from the readers. The name shows maturity as well as simplicity which suggests that there is an older target audience. The letter “Q” also reminds of a vinyl player creating connotations of music; added to it “Q” also sound like the queuing up of songs which still remain in topic of music in general, this therefore connotes to the reader that “Q” is a music magazine without even having a read it The target audience for Q magazine is made up of an older generation which includes people in their 30’s and 40s who look for a different mode of address, with more sophisticated looks and content which just want to know more about the music. Although is stated that the magazine wants to appeal to all the older generation it seems that “Q” doesn’t appeal to many women of that age due to the way the magazine represents its artists and the colour scheme which it includes. According to statistics the majority of Q’s readers are male, which have a percentage of 66.2%. The statistics also show that 83.8% of the readers are between 15-44 years. This shows Q’s ability to make the magazine appeal to a wide range of ages and social groups. Q obtains this by featuring current popular and modern artists such as Adele and classic artists like John Lennon. 97% of reader’s rate Q as a quality magazine. The fact that the target audience is slightly older means that the magazine can afford to be more expensive in compare to if it was aimed to a younger audience as the majority of these people have paid jobs. The magazine aims to mainstreamers/conformists, aspirers and succeeders.
MOJO MAGAZINE Mojo a music institution debuted in the form of a magazine on the news-stands of Britain in 1993. It has revelled in the stories of music’s all-time greats and recommended new music of quality and integrity which are the classics of now and tomorrow. The initial idea from the words of founding editor Paul Du Noyer was something that had the sensibilities and design values of Vogue. The title was chosen as an homage to Delta blues mythology and as a reminder of the magic at the core of music. Mojo has been online since 2001. Mojo is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap and since 2008 by Bauer and it’s published monthly in the UK. The publishers were looking for a title that would create interest in classic rock music. The first issue which was published had Bob Dylan and John Lennon as its first cover stars. Mojo has its own radio station which can only be found online and TV. Each issue costs £4.80 and features an average of 130-140 pages per issue. Mojo aims to target those that are fans of all genres of music and their target audience has a range age of 23. The Bauer Mojo media pack states that it is 'A carefully crafted musical archive covering the very best of music across genres. From classic and modern rock, folk, soul, country to reggae, electronic and experimental. Mojo had a circulation of 73,345 but a readership of close to 200,000. Mojo magazine target audience is made up of obsessed music fans. The mean age for readers is 37-year-old men. The magazine features genres from modern rock, folk, soul, country and reggae. Mojo delivers a 66% ABCI audience. Readers of Mojo are rather more influences than followers. We can see from looking at the front cover what music genre the magazine is and what target audience the magazine might appeal too. Also the front cover is in blue and grey which appeals to men more than women. Also on the front cover they aren’t anything that could appeal to women like images or colours. The masthead “Mojo” is slightly obscured displaying a sense of recognition. It is big and bold at the top of the page. This emphasizes the charm that the magazine has as the word is eye catching so readers will notice it. The font is more informal and in capitals which again adds to the significance of the title and what it means, as well as it relating to the reader. As it is white, it appeals to both males and females and a wide audience in general as white is a very neutral colour.
BILLBOARD MAGAZINE Billboard is the world's most influential music media brand. Billboard is built on charts and unrivalled reporting on the latest news, issues and trends across all genres of music. Billboard is owned by Prometheus Global Media which includes music, entertainment and advertising & marketing. It publishes news, videos, opinions, reviews, events and styles. It is mainly known for its music charts which includes Billboard Hot 100 and 200, which tracks the most popular songs and albums in different genres. Billboard was founded in 1894 by William Donaldson and James Hennegen’soriginally as a trade publication for bill posters. Billboard is devoted to the music industry and all its genres. It’s one of the oldest trade magazines in the world and it maintains several internationally recognized music charts. Billboard is published weekly at a price of £5.50, the high price is due to being imported from the US and quality features. Billboard has a total readership of 48K, the magazine is read with keen focus every week by the business leaders and powerful individuals who drive the music business. The target audience for Billboard magazine varies from young teens to young adults (16-26). This is because the magazine provides its readers with the latest updates from the charts, including different types of genres appealing to a wide audience. The rate card shows that the majority of readers are college graduates as the magazine is American. The masthead is focused in the top centre of the front cover. The house style of the masthead is consistent through all issues of Billboard, the style is rather bland and simple. The colour used is white which emphasizes that it’s new and fresh, however it also uses extra colours such as blue and green in the gaps of the lowercase letters, the colours are refreshing, therefore this will reinforce the freshness and uniqueness; lastly this allows the magazine to be easily recognized without any confusion.