Music Magazine Research

Chelsea Nicholls

Q Magazine

Q Magazine
Q Magazine was first published in 1986. It was originally called Cue but it was changed so it didnt get mistaken for a snooker magazine. It focuses on indie/rock and roll music but includes more popular music like hip hop and RnB. Q has featured the worlds biggest artists from U2 to Adele, Oasis to Rihanna, Radiohead to Lady Gaga and more on its landmark covers. Q is the UKs number one activelypurchased music magazine. 97% of readers rate Q as a quality magazine. Editor: Andrew Harrison Category: Music Magazine Frequency: Monthly Publisher: Bauer Media Group Total Circulation: 80,418 First Issue: October 1986 Country: United Kingdom Language: English Website: http://www.qthemusic.com/

Mission Statement
Q is the magazine that brings music alive. It draws together the biggest stars, the most exciting phenomena, the new artists that matter and a healthy dose of irreverence to create an unmissable widescreen picture of whats really happening in rock and roll right now. Every issue features agenda-setting star interviews, the months biggest moments in music, and fascinating investigations into the wider world of rock and roll. Each month Qs comprehensive reviews section gives the last word on all the most important new releases and reissues and feeds Qs readers hunger for new music to enjoy. Qs reviews section is the ultimate critical overview of music. And magazines unrivalled access brings its readers up close and personal with the stars who set the agenda. Q is the ultimate rock and roll read. Andrew Harrison - Editor, Q Magazine
http://magazines.bauermediaadvertising.com/magazines/detail/Q

Q Readers
Males are the main readers of Q magazine with only 32.8% of the readers being female. This is not the same as my magazine because I would like it to be aimed at both males and females. 73% of Q readers are in the ABC1 profile, which shows that the magazine targets more affluent people. This is the same as my magazine because I would like my readers to be in the ABC1 profile. People aged 15-24 are the main age group. This is the same as my magazine because I would like to include celebrities that younger people will recognise and enjoy.

http://magazines.bauermediaadvertising.com/magazines/detail/Q

Bauer Media Group

Bauer Media Group are the publishers of Q magazine. They are a multinational media company who are based in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded in 1875 by Ludolph Bauer who started a printing house for business cards. It now publishes approximately 400 popular magazines, 100 digital media outlets and radio and TV stations in many different countries. Other magazines that they publish are: - Bella - Take a Break - Empire - Kerrang! - MOJO

http://www.bauermedia.com/

Bauer Media Group

I would use this Bauer Media Group as the publisher of my magazine because they are very experienced and well known. Many of their magazines are very popular in the UK, which suggests that my magazine could become popular. They also publish other big music magazines such as Kerrang! and MOJO. This would associate them popular music magazines with my one, thus attracting more people to my magazine. http://www.bauermedia.com/

Front Covers

I like these front covers from Q magazine because they are quite simple but very eye catching. All of the backgrounds are white which makes the people stand out more against it and attracts attention towards them. There arent many sell lines on the article which makes it easier for the reader to skim through the front page and see if any of the articles interest them.

Contents Page

These contents pages use the same colour scheme as the front covers. I like this because it links the magazine together and makes it look more professional. However I think the middle contents page has too many images and therefore it looks a bit too crowded. I will aim to have the maximum of four images on the contents page to ensure that there isnt too much going on.

Articles

These articles are very detailed and they give the reader a lot of information about the artist that they are talking about. I like how the main image takes up one A4 side of the article and the text is clearly on one side of the page. However I think more than one image could give the reader a better idea of what they are reading.

Q Interviews

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R940Q9QKGRs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd88T5-LgbY

In these interviews they are talking about their albums/tours that were going on at the time. I will ask similar questions in my magazine article because it is relevant to most famous bands/artists and it is information that fans would like to know. This will attract the audience and make it an interesting magazine article.

Music Genre Research: Indie Rock

Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock. It originated in the UK and USA in the 1980s. It was originally used to describe bands who belonged to a low-budget record label and the do-it-yourself attitude of the artists. The term indie rock was also used to describe the underground bands that were more interested in creating music than being famous. There are many sub genres including; indie pop, post-punk revival and garage punk.

History of Indie Rock

The indie rock scene in the USA was started by college rock that dominated college radio playlists in the mid 1980s. Bands like R.E.M in the USA and The Smiths in the UK were key bands. In the 1990s, indie rock bands broke into the mainstream. Bands such as Nirvana, Green Day, Blur and Oasis became popular and were all grouped under the alternative umbrella. The decline in record sales and the growth of digital technology means that now in the 2000s, the indie rock scene is bigger than ever, with many otherwise unknown bands being mainstream and popular.

Typical Instruments
Acoustic Guitar Electric Guitar Keyboard Bass Drums

Indie Rock Artists

R.E.M The Smiths Nirvana Kasabian Kaiser Chiefs The Killers The Script The Black Keys Mumford & Sons Bombay Bicycle Club Yeah Yeah Yeahs The White Stripes Bon Iver The Vaccines The Strokes Morrissey MGMT

Indie Rock Fashion

Men who are interested in the indie rock scene usually dress in shirts, blazers and skinny jeans. This creates a smart casual look. Women who are interested in the indie rock scene usually wear oversized clothing like jumpers, shirts and tshirts. This creates an effortless look. They also wear things like high-waisted shorts and leggings with boots.