DPS Analysis - Summary of findings

I've gathered a list of conventions from analysing these 4 double page spreads, so I will know how be conventional as well as streching them to make my magazine's unique style.

Image

• On one side of spread - I've just noticed that all the DPS I've looked at are all of bands. I do have some in my collection of solo artists, but as I am hoping to feature a girl band, this is a usual feature in my analysis. Normally, the image of all the band members is on one side of the spread, the article on the other, however I think by subtly challenging this convention like the Kaiser Cheifs article I could have that unique sense without ruining my style. This is more a question of the layout, which something I'll consider more when drafting, but maybe the opposite of the Kaiser Cheifs article would be effective in making my magazine edgy.
• More detailed background than cover - On 3 out of the 4 Dps I looked at, the images were outside, and looking at my collection of others, most of them have some kind of set behind them and only a few are plain. I think by having my cover having a non-plain background, I coud revert the usual convention link between the cover and DPS by having my background as plain.
• Simple stylish clothes - Their clothes aren't anything extravagant just because it a photshoot, they keep their normal style to promote a true identity to the readers, so I think this is a convention I'll definitely stick to as it is quite an important feature to the purpose of a DPS image.

Language

• Q&A or article style - Both styles are often used, but I think for different purposes. In the non-stop article style, it connotes that the reader should have a genuine interest in the article and a very deep interest in music, which would explain why it's used in Rock Sound as it's a magazine for the alternative music who's fans are often very involved. The Q&A style allows the interview to be lighter reading as it provides break up points, and therefore I believe this style would be better for a mainstream music magazine, as the reader is more likely to have a varied taste and may just be reading the articles out of a slight interest and as a source of general diversion rather than surveillance. Also it doesn't look to overwhelming which I think my target readers would appreciate.
• Sets the scene - At the beginning of each article, some kind of interview situation is created which mentions the magazine and it sets the tone for the rest of the article I believe. This is definitely something I'll do, but I think I'll just stick to the plain convention unlike Rock Sound's Fall Out Boy interview, which continously kept scene-setting, as I think this is quite risky although it gets the reader involved.
• Music information crossed with social chatter - Although the balance between these 2 vary greatly in each interview, it's something I need to get my head around for when I write my own. I would like to mimic the balance of the Kaiser Chiefs article, but I don't know if really I should be focusing heavily on the music info to give it credibility. At the same time, I don't think this would appeal to much to my target readers, as I think they will be interested in the social side of the artists. This is something I'll really have to understand when I come to write my own.

Font

• Readable, clear article font - For the mass writing of an interview, it's almost necessary and obivous that the font just has to be plain, so this is just agiven that I'll use this convention.
• More detailed fonts for titles - The band's own font I'm assuming is used for the title font, but I'm sure this is also the same for cover, however this isn't always the case, but just lookig to my collection of covers and DPS now, I think it would be acceptable to use the band's font for the DPS, and the magazine's font for the cover to be in-keeping on the cover.

Colours

• Black on white writing - This or the inverted version (WOB) is used on most of the articles I've looked at, except from the Fall Out Boy one which is generally unconventional, as this I think it trys connotes that a music magazine is just as important as a newspaper (even thought it's not) in order to influence the readers to read the article. I think this is a good way of gaining the credibility I'll need so I'll probably stick to this.
• Neutral colours - Although most of the spreads I looked at used very mute colours, I feel this covention really depends on the artist being used. All of the DPS I analysed were generally male artists, so a DPS on a female artist could use different colours, like for instance I have a Dolly Parton spread which uses accents of bright pink and a Goldielocks spread using a lot of yellow, so I think this is the kind of style I'll follow if I'm to use a female band or artist.

DPS Analysis - Fall Out Boy in Rock Sound

This is a Fall Out Boy interview from the same issue of Rock Sound as the Rolo Tomassi interview, but Fall Out Boy were the cover stars so this is probably the main DPS. Although Rock Sound isn't the kind of magazine I'm aiming to make I still think the DPS is quite relevant, as I haven't really saw one with such and obvious theme as this one and Fall Out Boy are quite mainstream when it comes to pop/rock crossovers. I've learned from research around this, that the tag line or slogan for this article is "Fall Out Boy come back fighting!" so they've obviously styled the article around a comeback like the Oasis one, but this is much more animated in my opinion with the whole boxing theme. It's something I'd be interested in considering for my DPS so I think it's suitable to analyse.

The image is rather unconventional, as rather than enforcing their band image, they're presented as boxers, which I think in a a way draws the reader to the page, thinking "why are FOB dressed as boxers?". I don't know if I could pull off a theme with my genre as it may just come across as cheesy, whereas this shows a bit of fun in the world of rock. The main image can draw the preferred reading of a boxer regaining strength after a hard fight, but I think it can also be interpreted as the aftermath of a really good gig, where the artist is tired out, connoting a really good impression to the target reader who will probably be interested in live music. By wearing typical rocky clothing and looking how he normally does, combined with the fluffy towel and drinking bottle really gives the idea of a music fight, battle of the bands style, which I think will also probably appeal to the target reader.

The smaller images which is also unconventional for the layout of a music DPS, from what I can draw from others I have saw. But I think this works, because it allows the theme to be built on and the band members to be viewed individually. The typical boxing poses encodes that they're not a band to be messed with, and that they will prevail over others, as suggested by Pete's "champion" pose. The boxing gloves are also an indexical sign, very suggestive of fights and toughness, yet the bright colours make it seem quite playful which I think is the right reading for a band like FOB, who aren't afraid to take the mick in videos etc.

Their facial expressions are also interesting because as well as fitting in with the theme, they also fit in with the rock genre, the sultry, hard look of Patrick and the screaming rowdy look of Pete. I think this helps connect to the real image of the band, but I think the fact they've agreed to such a theme in the first place tells the readers a lot about them. It shows they're not serious emo rockers, but more playful and friendly, which is the interpretation I can draw from it. It just seems a lot more positive than the Oasis or Rolo Tomassi spread which seemed quite serious because of the non-smiling images. This is something I should pick up on for my own, as I'll want to present the artists I use as friendly for it to appeal to my target readers, however would having them smiling or being playful ruin my credibility and should I be trying to prove pop is just as meaningful as other genres? That's something I'll have to consider, but at the minute I feel as if it would be untrue to pop to make it so serious and maybe present it as something it's not. It's like the opposite to the struggle some rock bands may experience to show they're nice, friendly people.

The article strikes me as very different to the others I've read, because it is focused largely on the magazine crew's experience as well as Fall Out Boy. On the others, the magazine itself is normally only mentioned as they set the scene at the start, but as well as this the magazine's 2 day journey surrounding Fall Out Boy is also documented. I don't think this is something I'll attempt as it's very unconventional and could be risky veering from the subject of the interview which is probably why the readers are reading, however it does seem to get the reader more involved with the whole experience, again matching the vibe of the images that Fall Out Boy are actual people and not just a band, something which I think the Kaiser Chiefs article also achieves.

Although this is only the beginning of the article, it doesn't appear to be that music focused, as it doesn't name specific songs or albums, but just talks generally about band life and a lot about each members social life. This seems like something I'll want to have an element of, but I think with my genre I've got to talk about the music somewhere to show it's not just a gossip magazine. But maybe it's something I have to understand that a music magazine isn't just about naming titles and explaining the style of music, but it is about band life and the media coverage of music as this still counts as music info. I think this is something I'll find hard, to write in sophisticated way because I'm so used to reading interviews with questions like "So do you all get on OK?" so I will need to learn to veer to slightly more obscure topics like the GQ awards in the Kaiser Chiefs article, and the wedding gossip in this article.

The font, again very readable and the logo of Fall Out Boy, is probably their font, but otherwise it's all just the fonts of the magazine as I'm gathering from the Rolo Tomassi article because it's from the same magazine. Larger, bolder fonts are used for the quotes which is something I'll need to incorporate as it breaks up the article style interview, yet even if I decide to do Q&A I think quotes will still look good.

The colours again fit in with the boxing theme of the photoshoot/interview, but also acts as a signifier to Fall Out Boy's roots as their from America. This may just be a coincidence, though I do think it's fairly obvious. This is actually the only DPS I've collected which doesn't use black on white or white on black, making it unconventional and actually less credible in my eyes but I'm just accepting that it to fits in with theme, possibly indicating I shouldn't use a theme as I was thinking before.

I think this article is the most unconventional I've saw, with it's images, playful theme and different writing style, and although it's something I'd love to do I just think it would ruin any credibility for my pop magazine, so I'll have to see if there's any way to incorporate a theme without ruining classiness. I'm thinking using alternative coloured images, like gray scale or sepia? But I'll have to see how that pans out. I think because this is pretty unconventional it gives me an idea of what I can consider as a convention for when I'm writing my summary and deciding how my magazine will be unique or conforming.

DPS Analysis - Oasis in Clash

This is an Oasis article from the same issue of Clash as the Kaiser Chiefs article, and this gives me an idea of what an interview for a classic band looks like. I would say they're pretty mainstream and are creating a lot of buzz at the minute with their world tour, which is why Clash has chosen to feature them. When choosing bands to feature on my own, if I do use real bands, I will take note of if they're relevant to the time.

I think the image is a generally similar style to the Kaiser Chiefs one, possibly because it is from the same magazine and therefore looking to attract the same target readers. Again the band aren't in a studio, but outside on a street, yet unlike the Kaiser Chiefs, it seems like a more suburban or industrial street not in the centre of the town filled with people, which may be in order to appeal to the slight difference in age range between the fans of Oasis and the fans of the Kaiser Chiefs. The suburban street does seem to be more grown-up, implying that it's something a bit different and that Oasis have been there, done that in regards to a photo shoot on a trendy street. It seems to be a convention that interview photos are taken outside, whereas those on a cover are inside.

The differences in features used in the images, where the Kaiser Chiefs used sunglasses, Oasis have used a lamp post. This may be a more subtle way to suggest celebrity, by giving the abstract concept that they are the ones now in the limelight (like under the lamp post light), however because it's a fairly unmotivated prop, it's easy to attract an aberrant reading of the whole image that it's just a few middle-aged men walking down the street, however it may just be me but aren't Oasis always being presented like this, even in their videos? So maybe it is just in-keeping with their style. Not to mention their facial expressions. Pure moody, grumpiness. Again connotes the right reading to their target readers that this is Oasis, back and more aggressive than ever?

Very typical clothing for a slightly older male than the Kaiser Chiefs, again appealing to those who've liked Oasis for ages. The leather jacket and waterproof style coat also give a very ruff around the edges kinda vibe, which may have a positive reading from both genders, males thinking they're cool, and females thinking they're attractive.

The slice of the extremely long article that is on this beginning double page spread is actually just an extended blurb, which I'm hoping will help me write an intriguing blurb to my own article in order to draw the reader in and convince them to keep reading. Running throughout the article is very barbaric words like "hungry","slay", "rampage", "new blood" and "relentless", which will all convey a tough, don't-mess-with-this attitude in an attempt to kick start excitement over the band's return. I think it works quite well, especially the quip "you''ll need dental surgery by the end of it" to intrigue the reader. Something it does do which I haven't noticed in other articles is that it personifies the band, but this may be to draw attention to what a legendary phenomenon they are, so a technique that may only work on a very established band.

However, it doesn't seem very casual and it is closer to the tone of the Rolo Tomassi article, however this could be just the blurb part as it isn't into the real interview stuff. Also, it seems very serious about music as a whole paragraph of the blurb is dedicated to technical music talk. I don't think this is something I'll want to focus on in my own article, maybe a way to make it more unconventional, but I may drop bits in in the style of the Kaiser Chiefs "scissor-kicking indie pop" quote. Something slightly different is that the scene is set nearer the end of the blurb, but I think this could just be because it's pretty long.

The font is again very readable and clear-cut, a definite obvious convention of the text written in the article. Also the title is big, bold and brutal which ties in very well with the theme of the article. This connection was similar for the 2 previous articles, so there may be a convention emerging there. The clean cut style of it all also matches their image and the street there on, which helps create an attractive layout for ease of reading, appealing and drawing in the reader.

The colours are pretty much black, white, grey and a bit of tan/gold. All very neutral classy colours, appealing to the slightly older fan, and works with the simplistic no-fuss layout. Although the 3 articles I've now looked at are all neutral colour schemed, I'm still not convinced it's something I want to conform to, as I'm sure a popular music audience would be more open to a variation of brighter colours.

Overall, I do think this spread is simplistically effective, as people will probably be reading the article more for the band than the intricate layout, so there's nothing to distract from the greatness that is the band themselves, or so this magazine is trying to connote, and may I say quite successfully. I think has enforced some of the conventions I've drew from the other spreads as well, like the newspaper style article layout, black on white, which is also used very credibly in this spread too.

DPS Analysis - Rolo Tomassi in Rock Sound

From a first glance at this article, I assumed the genre was funky indie-pop, but how wrong I was. My reading of this DPS was extremely wrong which suggests bad coding to me. In fact they are a screamo band. Who'd have thought?

It's not at all the genre I want to do, but the style of the whole spread looks fairly similar to that of the Kaiser Chiefs, so I'll analyse it to pick up on general conventions of a music magazine article.

Similarly to the Kaiser Chiefs interview, only 2 of the band members carry out the interview. Yet the image which features, seems to fail in my opinion, to create an image for this band. I think almost everything about it contradicts the genre of music they're in, which pretty unconventional. Their facial expressions look quite sultry, so this signifies to the audience they're mysterious, which depending on the reader, may encourage them to read the article. This is probably a technique they are using to appeal to their specific target, as maybe their sultry faced more than often.

Something that really strikes me about the image, as not only does it not match their genre, but the members don't really seem to match each other. Eva looks preppy and girly, and indication of the style of indie pop, and James looks like rock crossed with county. Although I read it to be misleading, it may have been Rock Sound's attempt to appeal to a wider audience, however I feel it attracts aberrant readings like mine.

Now in the Kaiser Chiefs image, they all wore sunglasses to help enforce their celebrity status, but what confuses me here is to why James is holding a cat (which almost blends into Joe behind him). I'm not really sure why the cat features, possibly to add a soft touch to their genre of screamo, but even more strangely James is looking pretty scared by it it. This really gives out a negative, weird vibe and makes me feel uncomfortable because of the lack of recognised codes and conventions in the image.

My final point of the image is their location. The rocks they're sitting on are similar to the steps the Jonas Brothers are standing on in their cover; a signifier with many signifieds. A denotation may be that they're just sitting on rocks at a beach, in order to appeal to their target reader, to whom this may be a favourite pastime. Another interpretation could be a hint at their genre, about the only thing in the image which matches the purpose. However, at the bottom in very small writing it quotes "Rolo Tomassi - on the rocks!", which conveys to me that they're career is going through a rocky patch, which obviously isn't true because the article is about how they're doing so well. This phrase could also be connecting to the drinks meaning, like a scotch on the rocks, suggesting to me that the target reader could possibly be a fan of alcohol, and the lifestyle which surrounds alcohol and screamo gigs.

The whole interview is purely about their music and band, instantly suggesting to me that the target reader is much more in it for the music info, and takes music quite seriously. This would match the form of the article which although it is an interview like the Clash spread, it is just a flow of writing not separated by questions and answers. Therefore I believe for this style of article, the reader needs to have a genuine interest and thirst for the information, more of a surveillance need, than for leisure and diversion. I would conclude that the target reader sees music as a way of life, music probably takes up a lot of their time. This isn't the style or tone I wish to use in my own article, as I think my target reader and genre are more suited to light reading with chatter and some information.

However, it does start similarly to the Kaiser Chiefs interview, where they are setting the scene after a drop cap to start, however lacks the humour of Clash and conversational style.

I'm not sure but I think the main font used for the title, caption, blurb and quote are all versions of Rolo Tomassi's signature font. This imparts a theme like on the Kaiser Chiefs interview, as the font is serifed but very blunt, giving a clean cut, techno edge, which actually does match to their new experimental style of music. Again similarly to Clash, the mass article text is plain and readable, but rather small.

Something that is very similar to Clash is the colour scheme, mostly neutrals but accents of colour. This again may reflect the target reader's taste, assuming they have similar fashion sense to the band themselves. What I think may be a convention, is to stick with black writing on a white block for the main article which I think I may follow, or revert to WOB (like the quote in this article), as I have seen some articles in music magazines do.

I don't think this double page spread is effective as the Clash one, however that may just be because I'm not the target reader for this magazine, and I am more suited to Clash. This shows how techniques used to address and attract the target audience really can vary responses from readers.

DPS Analysis - Kaiser Chiefs in Clash

This is a Kaiser Chiefs article from an issue of Clash, which fits very well into the rock movement, and therefore isn't the style I want to do, however it will give me a good idea of conventions of double page spreads of a general popular magazine. Although the Kaiser Chiefs are quite mainstream, so maybe they are the kind of artist I could feature as a fusion genre. But as I'm aiming for grown-up pop, I may have to use the factors of the double page spread which make it aimed at the older audience and apply these to the pop style of my DSP.

Starting with the image, I noticed it features all of the band members, however only 2 are carrying out the interview. This is something I've noticed often with magazine interviews, however it's not something I consider as a convention, as normally it's just because it's cheaper to have just a few band members. Unlike covers, all the band members are smiling, as now the readers are in the magazine, they need to be influenced to read the article, so the smiling conveys a happy sign to the readers, promoting the article as a source of diversion.

Also, I think the purpose of an image on a double page spread is to give the artist some identity, and then encode this for the reader to interpret themselves, which in turn leads to them forming an opinion of the band. Something that stands out to me about the image of the Kaiser Chiefs is that the majority of them are wearing sunglasses, although it may denote that it was just a sunny day so they needed them, it is also a recognised code which can position the reader into thinking it's cool to like them. This preferred reading should hopefully be recognised by most readers, as sunglasses have a fair amount of agreement to what they mean, as they are used a lot in popular culture, such as on the MSN emoticon for "cool". They are also a symbolic sign of celebrity status, as well as an opportunity to name a brand the audience might like, therefore making a connection between star and reader.

I also like how the image isn't in a studio, but out on an average street, as it looks more spontaneous and laid back, something which may appeal to part of the target audience, as it may resemble their own traits of a carefree lifestyle. This suggests for me that it is aimed at a younger audience, possibly around uni student age, as this kind of scene would be most familiar to them. Also it's been blurred slightly to again enhance that celebrity element, suggesting these people are much more important than the average life that goes on around them.

Their clothes are fairly fitting to the genre, and look even more like identity the target audience may adopt than the Jonas Brothers cover of the Amy Winehouse cover. Basically all of them are wearing a shirt of blazer, really imparting a sense of a fashion craze on the photo, which will be important for Clash as they are partly a fashion magazine.

The article itself also gives off a fairly spontaneous vibe. It begins almost like a story, which I believe sets the tone for the rest of the article. It is very light-hearted, casual and humorous, using elements of the latest gossip from the GQ awards and the band's feud with Noel Gallagher, combined with casual language which may intrigue the audience, like "peculiar cerise-hued bruise", "flicks decidedly" and "scissor kicking indie pop". I think this article gets the balance right between general chatter and music info, as there's the playful joke about the Feeling and "nice guys in indie" reputation, but there's also the scrapped US tour and new album talk, and therefore presents to the audience a well-rounded representation of the band.

I think the question and answer form that most of the article is in signifies some sort of relationship between the magazine and celebrity, and allows for chatter and inputs from the interviewer, which I personally think is much more effective than just large blocks of writing. I think the Q&A style of the article/interview is more aimed at the younger generation, and makes for light reading, whereas larger articles with no breaks that I briefly looked at in class seem to be for someone with much more of a genuine interest and larger attention span, so possibly a slightly older audience. I hope to use to the Q&A style as I find it much more flexible, however I think it poses a risk when combined with pop as it could seem too childish and not right for my target reader.

The font of the whole interview is just very plain and readable, generally what is expected of the mass writing part. However, bold is used to emphasise the input from the magazine. The title font I'm assuming is that of the Kaiser Chiefs but after some light research I haven't found the same font being used anywhere, but as I know fonts of the band are generally used in a feature, I'll just accept that it is. The font itself is very bold and has large serifs, giving it a fairly ornamental, classic look like the Rolling Stone logo, yet it is updated by not being filled, and just an outline. It's as if it's trying to make the Kaiser Chief brand recogniseable and memorable, and therefore uses the same font but smaller for the quote, as well as in italics for the blurb to try and imprint the brand.

The colours are fairly dark, and mostly black and white with accents of colour from the image, which I think does convey a rockier vibe to the reader, but also because the article itself is black on white, it may be read as quite serious by the reader as an obvious conotation would be that it looks like a newspaper. This may the the magazine trying to gain some credibility from the target reader so it becomes a respected music publication. I think the white block used to put the writing on gives it the whole spread a thrown together feel, like a scrapbook, which would be a reading I think a fairly young audience would accept, therefore appealing to their target readers.

I really like this DPS, although it's rockier than I picture my own, but I think the white block for the article part is a good way to make it seem more credible, and I've learnt a lot about how to write it. I think Clash in general leeks slightly into the pop genre with it's style, so I think the language in this is defnitely a kind I'll want to mimic.

Target readers

After analysing covers, I've came up with a basic outline of my target reader;

• 15 - late 20s - This would allow me to use a pop act as my coverstar, but they would have to be fairly sophisticated to cover all of this age range, so it would be grown-up pop.
• Both genders - I don't think I want it to be gender specific, however I think more females than males are interested in mainstream music, but this is just an observation that I've made from people around me so I could be wrong.
• Interested in mainstream - Obviously, as this is my genre, but they could also just have an interest in a big variation of music.

When I'm deciding on my features for my contents and my writing style for my double page spread, my target readers may become more specific.

Cover Analysis - Summary of findings

From my in depth analysis of these 4 covers, I've came up with a list of conventions for each area of the magazine, which I shall consider either using or challenging when making and planning my own cover.

Image

• Can be from pretty much any shot distance - The 4 covers I looked at had full length, mid and close up shots which all conveyed different effects. For instance, Madonna and Duffy were close-up portraying intimacy, and easing the reader into a comfortable situation, yet both created a barrier (Madonna's fist, Duffy's mic) just to outline their rule as celebrities. The Jonas Brothers were from a full shot which created a picturesque, perfect view of them.
• Element of celebrity - The magazines don't want to make the celebrities seem like normal people on the cover, although there might be features like this on the inside, but they enforce their celebrity status with flashy clothes, props like a microphone or just a general up-market style like on the Billboard cover. However this is often challenged like on the Rolling Stone cover, when just Amy Winehouse is used by herself, or if Madonna's clothes were used in order to relate to the audience.
• No smiling - On all of the covers I've looked at, none of the celebrities are smiling, and this is again mostly the case when I look through other covers I've collected. This may be to have more of an impact, but personally I think a happy person would attract me to the cover more than a sultry person. But this may have childish connotations or seem too cheesy which is why smiling isn't used. I do have some where the stars are smiling like on the Independence Day issue of Billboard, a Billboard issue with Miley Cyrus and a Rolling Stone issue with Zac Efron. Coincidence of the Disney stars? I think not.
• Image matches largest cover line - This is pretty obvious, that they're going to use an image to promote the biggest cover line, rather than a small one. But also the image will match what the cover line is saying. A prime example is the "Step Up" cover line for the Jonas Brothers, where they're featured on stairs. For Amy Winehouse she looked innocent and guilty on the cover while the headline said "The Diva & Her Demons", suggesting she's trying to turn over a new leaf.
• Backgrounds are mostly plain - Plain backgrounds are used on most of my covers, as to not detract attention away from celebrity images or exciting cover lines. This isn't something I'd realised so I may develop or challenge this convention when making my magazine.
• Sexual - To attract readers, some element of sexuality may be used like cleavage or abs.

Colour

• Ties in with image/masthead - On the Clash and Rolling Stone issue, they matched the colours of the text with that of the image, like the colours of Amy Winehouse's bra and tattoos and the colour of Duffy's hair and background. On Billboard, the colours of the text matched those filled in parts of the masthead. This is the case with most of the others in my collection, and I think it is to generally just make it more presentable and ties all the features together and give it an overall style. However this isn't a case for some magazines, but I think it's a convention I would like to stick to.
• White is often used - On every cover I have gathered, white is always used as either the main text colour, the background, or a main part of the image. I will definitely use this convention as it seems to be used on everything, and because my genre will be fairly different I want to stick to other s features which are widely used. The general common colours along with white, are black, grey, red and pink. The ones where red is used a lot look good, but I do like the ones that break out from using it as they seem to look fresher.
• Bright and Neutral - Brights are generally used to attract a younger audience, while more neutral sophisticated colours are used for slightly older people. I could apply this to the ones I analysed, and I would agree that Billboard and Clash are the ones more for a younger audience which are the ones that use the brighter colours.

Font

• Plain fonts are used - On both Q and Billboard, plain readable fonts are used for everything, but this is developed by Clash who use plain fonts for all the smaller cover lines, but for the masthead, a chunky graphically altered font is used to try and imprint an identity as it's a fairly new magazine (2004). This idea worked for Rolling Stone, which has been around for a long time and now has a very recognisable house-style, due to it's uses of detailed fonts.

Language

• No genre mentioned in slogan - I initially wondered if music magazine's announced anywhere on their cover what genre they were in, but apparently not. I think they do this because it would tie the magazine to 1 area of music and therefore in the reader's mind, limiting what can go in it. However, from the cover on the whole a genre can be interpreted, but not on all of them can it be instantly denoted, therefore readings will be different for different people, as the reception theory states. This is turn would probably lead to a greater variation of readers, and therefore more content to cover.
• Straightforward language, with occasional pun - The language basically just tells it how it is and meaning is normally just found with denotation, but occasionally puns and play on words are used like "Step Up" which are slightly more open to interpretations. However too many of these would make the magazine look as if they are aiming at a much younger audience.
• Artist's names for cover lines - As this is the most important part of a music magazine, the artists, the cover lines are generally just there names with smaller descriptions surrounding them. Clash is a prime example of this, but Billboard incorporates names into phrases which develops this convention slightly.

Layout

• Artist overlaps masthead - I noticed on nearly all my covers, the artist overlaps the masthead of the magazine, in order to signify that the artist is more important, and the magazine has a good enough reputation so that it doesn't need to broadcast itself in order to attract readers.
• One side writing - Both the British magazines I've looked at seem to have broke out this convention, where the cover lines use the left side and the image is on the right, as on Q, there are cover lines on both sides, although Madonna is still on the right, and on Clash Duffy is more in the middle and there are cover lines on both sides. However, on both Billboard and Rolling Stone the conventional layout is stuck to.