Codes and Conventions of a music magazine

In todays lesson, I researched the codes and conventions of a music magazine.

Codes and conventions of a front cover:

They all include a central image, which enforces what is in the magazine, and also entices the audience to read the magazine, especially if there is a recognised face on the front cover who the target audience like and want to read about.

They all have a barcode.

They include feature stories, which are not usually in the magazine, this is to entice the audience to purchase the magazine.

A Masthead is also in all music magazines. It is usually in the colour that is the colour scheme used throughout the magazine. It can also make the brand, i.e. people recognise the magazine through the font style etc used. The Masthead also makes it clear to the audience who the target audience is, for example, if it is a rock music magazine, and they use a rock style font, the audience can recognise this.

Other images are also shown on the front cover, this is to show the audience what other articles are included in the magazine.

The front cover uses a specific colour palette throughout, they usually use around 4 colours. This is so the colour scheme does not take people's attention away too much from what is included in the magazine.

Front covers also include buzz words, such as; exclusive, plus and exposed, to make the reader encouraged to buy the magazine, because buzz words make the reader believe that the story is exclusive to their magazine.

The front cover includes graphic features, which are graphics that are added on after, these are added on to make the front cover more attractive and appealing to the target audience. They also make words and phrases stand out more, e.g. if they include colour blocks over the top bar of text, to make readers more obliged to read it.

The colour scheme of the magazine should suit the genre, for example a rock magazine should stereotypically use a lot of black and red to stand out to the target audience.

They include anchorage text, which is to anchor the meaning of the image, this is to show the reader what a specific image is about. It can also be used to make people want to read more, e.g. if they use a quote from an interview for a picture, it makes the reader intrigued.

A slogan is also used, as a positioning statement. The slogan gives the audience a glimpse of what the magazine is about e.g. "England's best RnB magazine" makes the target audience for this magazine, believe it is the best RnB magazine.

A website is also included, this is to advertise the magazine more, by giving another way for readers to gain insight in to things that are included in the magazine.

Codes and conventions of a contents page:

• All contents pages use picture; this is to show the readers what else is included in the magazine, if it hasn't been previously stated on the front cover.
• Most contents pages have the word 'contents' somewhere on the page to make it stand out, and to show what it is that they're looking at.
• Headings are all included in the contents page, this is to entice the reader to read specific articles and stories, they make them bold in order for them to stand out.
• Usually, an editors note is included. This is for the editor to express their feelings and opinions on the magazine. It also sometimes gives people chances to gain insight in to the production of the magazine. Editors sometimes to do this because they want the readers to feel close to the production of the magazine, and to believe that they can affect what goes in and what doesn't.
• As previously stated in the front cover, the contents page also includes a main image, this is different to the one that is on the front cover, as it is usually focused on a different story, article or interview. This is again, to show the reader what is included in this issue of the magazine.
• Some specific words are in bold, this is to make them eye-catching so the readers are drawn to these words.
• They usually have a top bar of text, talking about either a competition that can we won or other aspects of the magazine. They include this so the reader can either enter the competition, or know what else is in the magazine.
• A description of the story is usually there also, this is to describe what a specific story, interview or article is about. It doesn't give much away, but simply sums it up, enough to make the reader want to read more.
• The contents page is usually divided in two parts and they are; features that aren't usually included in the magazine, and regular contexts. They split them in two so the audience can see what is usually in it, and what is new and a one-off.
• The colour schemes in the contents page match those of the front cover and generally throughout the magazine. This can become almost a trade mark for some magazines.
• Some contents pages include quotes from interviews which encourage the audience to read the interview as it makes them want to know more about the specific interview.
• The contents page is split up in columns, it is usually 3-4 columns, this is to make the page look neater and easier to read for the reader.
• In some magazines they include a picture of the front cover somewhere on the page, it is usually in the corner. This is to show the audience that the layout and colour scheme etc used is throughout the whole magazine.
• Again, graphic features are used to improve the appearance of the contents page, and make certain headings bold and more attractive.