Magazine Analysis 2

General 

NME (New Musical Express) is a magazine published weekly in the UK since 7th March 1952 making it the worlds longest weekly running magazine. It is published by a company called IPC. It started as a music newspaper changing into a magazine during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. Each issue costs £2.80 which is more expensive than its competitor Kerrang! This would make people question the value for money especially as readers include young people. The genre is indie/punk rock, which attracts a fairly niche audience as it is not the most popular genre of music. The target audience is 16-19 year olds however the main story for this particular issue is about a band who released their album 10 years ago, meaning that people who remember the release (approximately 10 years of age +) are likely to also buy the magazine; widening the target audience to young adults. From the ABC website I have found the total circulation is 23,924. 

If NME sells 23,924 copies per issue, selling each copy at £2.80, it would make £66,987.20. However there will be a lower income due to the people who are subscribing and getting the magazine cheaper but it will also gain money from advertising.

The Cover

The title is 'NME' which stands for 'New Music Express' from this alone I can see the connotation is that the contents of this magazine will include information on new music. This new information will be the latest gossip as it is an 'express'. 

The title logo is 'NME' written in large bold red capital letters which is very simplistic yet it's still extremely eye catching. The font is sans serif which makes it very straight to the point as there are no extra formal serifs hanging off the letters. 

The main image consists of the four members from the band 'The Libertines'. This photo is staged at a photo shoot and well lit so that their faces stand out on the page making them more visible to possible readers while the magazine is on the shelf. All their directions of gaze are different, showing they all have a different focus point. Only one member (on the far left) is looking directly into the camera. The band members are wearing red military style jackets which matches the colour of the title giving the magazine a house style.  The clothing that they are wearing could reach out towards the ideal reader if it is something that they themselves would wear.  Their body language is calm and relaxed; one member has his hand in his pocket. They are not standing up straight 'paying attention' like they would if they were in the army/military which would match their outfit. 

The main image is the only image on this magazine cover making 'The Libertines' the main focus as it is a 'special Libertines birthday issue'. 

The cover lines have to be the most interesting articles of the magazine so that people are drawn into buying it. Compared to other music magazines on the market, this one is fairly vague as there aren't many cover lines (this is probably due to the fact that it's a special issue) However the content other than Libertines related features are promoted by cover lines are: 

The house style of this magazine focuses on the colour scheme rather than the fonts as there is a wide range of typography. The colour scheme is mainly red and yellow, the red is influenced by the band's outfit in the image. Red and yellow typically are put together but it could also work because these two colours are bright and bold; making the cover stand out. 

There is some direct address on the cover 'what became of your libs CD?'  This means that the magazine is addressing the reader personally which makes them feel like the magazine is talking directly to them, making them feel special.The rest of the language is persuading people to buy the magazine by using words like 'untold' and 'brand new' this will encourage people as they will want to read on. 


NME only has one image whereas Kerrang! had quite a few. 

The size of NME is distinctive, this is because it is bigger than A4 and larger than Kerrang!


NME looks much more ordered compared to the issue of Kerrang! I analysed.This is because there is less information crammed on making it not look chaotic and informal. This implies that the TA consists of people who are formal, however the edginess of the ripped paper effect gives the informal effect. 

Inside

There are 67 pages with 17 of them being adverts. The products advertised consist of men's beauty products, gadgets, mobile phones, shoes, bands, tour dates, alcohol, exclusive prints, subscription offer and another magazine. The features/article topics present are bands, live events (Gig Guide), tour dates, interviews, stories and reviews. There are 11 double page spreads and they are about festivals, bands including interviews, reviews and tour dates.

There are no 'advertorials', the magazine has avoided this by titling most pages with what the feature is i.e. in the top corners of the articles it says what it is, for example 'gig guide'.