Music Magazine Deconstruction

NME ‘First for Music News’ is a popular magazine which appeals to the Indie/Rock audience of seemingly teenage or early adult target. One aspect of the magazine that I noticed was the way in which the colour is consistent throughout the magazine with the exception of important information which is limited in colour range to tie in with the rest of the pages. The attraction to this magazine seems to be covered from top to bottom from features such as; the free posters of Kaya Scodelario (Skins) and bands such as Klaxons, MGMT and Muse. ‘Kings of Leon Vs Mark Ronson’ and ‘The 20 people you need to follow on Twitter’ These are attention grabbing techniques such as placing them near the magazine name because its make the publics’ eyes travel around the page. Although the magazine seems to be reaching for a younger audience for example the poster of Kaya Scodelario (Skins) they sustain a mutual age range by including articles such as ‘AT home with U2’ which would appeal to a broader age range because it’s a older band. ‘594 Gigs Listed’ As magazines are always in contest to each other supplying more information is a key point in sustaining and attracting more customers. The layout of the magazine is replicated into each magazine the difference being the articles, interviews, freebies and the extra information always given at the bottom of the page. The contents page first appearance seems organised in its layout as it indicates the differences by colour and positioning for example the band index is located at the left side of the page. The use of subheadings helps to organise the different sections of the magazine which makes it easier for the reader to find what they’re looking for. At the middle of the page shows an article which seems to be second to the front page article. The image seems to be a representation of the style of the magazine such as the glasses and the leather jacket. This indicates that it appeals to a hip and laid back type consumer. Located at the bottom of the page is an advertisement of getting more for less money by subscribing to the NME magazines and details. This is affective as at such times with the economy it’s ideal to pay for less for our entertainment. The colour scheme used in this page is minimal in keeping with the consistency of the magazine. The use of red and yellow compliment each other which grab the viewer’s attention as it’s not overly used on the page. The layout of this article seems basic by having an image on one side and the article at the other although it is affective as the image is large and could be used as a poster. This article is about how Gerard Way is making a new direction from his career into comic and follows the development of how his comic is being adapted into a film. It also mentions the inspiration of how Gerard began his ideas for a comic and his history behind his talent. The images with captions catch the viewer’s eye as they stand out between the black and white writing. As the article continues into the next page the colour scheme is kept the same such as using the red and yellow from the front page which is effective because it ties the pages together.