Music Magazine - Cover Analysis #3

Music Magazine Analysis #3

Kerrang! is a rock music magazine published in the United Kingdom, first launched in 1981 initially as a one-time supplement in the Sounds newspaper. The magazine's name is onomatopoeic and refers to the sound made when playing a power chord on an electric guitar. The target audience for Kerrang is anybody of the age 14-25 who is interested in the rock/metal genre of music. A secondary audience for Kerrang would be anyone with an interest in rock instruments or a member of a band.

Firstly, presented on the front cover is a famous rock band, “you me at six.” They’re in a mid-shot frame from an eye-level angle, providing the audience with a realistic perspective of the band. They’re also giving the audience a direct mode of address, inviting them in to read or purchase the magazine. Additionally, their expressions are free and energetic, which portrays them as down-to-earth and welcoming; their emotions can also be seen as representing their genre of music. The audience will recognize this and be drawn in to the magazine to increase their knowledge on the band. Also, presenting a celebrity on the front cover will attract a greater audience, possibly even beyond the targeted addressees. What's more, the main image overlaps the majority of the masthead, suggesting the popularity of the magazine; this is also a consistent factor on the majority of Kerrang’s front covers.

Furthermore, the masthead of Kerrang is positioned across the peak of magazine beneath the skyline. It is the biggest font size on the cover and regularly follows it’s house style; apart from the colour change from white to black occasionally. The colours black and white are often correlated with the connotations of formality, wealth, modernity, sophistication and style. All these factors will contribute towards an audience’s judgment on the magazine and will further influence persuade them that it’s a luxury worth purchasing. The masthead has white lines running through the letters, implying that something is broken; this could be representing the instrumental sounds of rock music, creating a rock atmosphere to the magazine which will appeal to an audience with an interest in that genre. Contributing to this factor, “Kerrang” is also onomatopoeic, emphasizing the “rock atmosphere” of the magazine.

Additionally, the strap line at the peak of the cover advertises popular celebrity names. This element engages the audience and persuades them to read the magazine because a lot of people admire or look up to these celebrities. It also insinuates that if idols are incorporated inside, then you’ll be up to date with the latest gossip and celebrities. However, there’s also a skyline at the bottom of the magazine, further emphasizing the large quantity of celebrities involved with the magazine, impressing an audience into purchasing it.

There is only one sell line on Kerrang, advertising a chaotic story on a band member; it’s also the smallest image and font, possibly implying it’s not the finest best the magazine has to offer to the audience. As an alternative, Kerrang has applied 3 other images as an advertisement of free posters. This would visibly grasp a reader’s eye as the images are outlined in red, overlapping each other to fill a greater space. The words “free poster” are a contrasting colour against the black background, highlighting the significance.
This cover doesn’t pursue the conventions of other music magazines since they utilize more than three colours, using five colours instead. This creates additional colour and variety on the cover, as well as it making it seem full of activity.

This cover doesn’t pursue the conventions of other music magazines since they utilize more than three colours, using five colours instead. This creates additional colour and variety on the cover, as well as it making it seem full of activity.