The
first ever published copy was in October 1986, setting itself apart
from all the other music magazines with its monthly production and higher
standards of art, photography and printing. In the early years, the magazine
was sub-titled "The modern guide to music and more" and now it is
"Discover Great Music". Originally, it was to be called "Cue" (as
in the sense of queueing a record, ready to play), however, the name of
the brand was changed due to the fact that some people mistaken it for a
snooker magazine. Another reason, they shortened the name to just the single
letter "Q" on its 200th edition, was that it would be more
prominent on newsstands, with the new modern twist.
Content:
In
this particular magazine it has an wide range of review sections (at
least 20 page spread) included in the content, which generally features: new
releases of music, reissues of music, music compilations
lists, film and live concert reviews, as well as radio and television
reviews too. It also uses a star-rating system ranging from one to five
stars, to rate an album so their target market (who is reading the magazine)
knows whether an album they wanted to buy is raving and flying off the shelves
or a disaster in the making (so to speak). I the "Q live section there is
box where their target market have their say on what they think of the
particular artist, making them feel more involved in the magazine and wanting
to buy it if they are able to publish their own say. It also has a
list of approximately eight albums, which it classes as the best new releases
of the last three months. As well as this, it contains lists such as "50
bands you must see before you die" and "100 greatest albums"
etc. In this particular magazine, there is a section on "140 songs
you must download now!" Not only are reviews highly published in this
magazine, but interviews with popular musical artists are included in
too. Another feature that is also featured in this particular magazine, is
the "Q Mail", where their target market write in about any
interesting facts they know and any questions they want to ask the editors of
the magazine. Every other month, Q and its sister magazine, Mojo (also
owned by Bauer) have a special edition. These have been about musical times,
genres, or a very important/influential musician. Usually, promotional
such as cover-mounted CDs or books are given any.
Who
is this typical reader?
The
founders of the magazine, Mark Ellen and David Hepworth found that in general,
music magazines where aimed and targeted at the young generation. Therefore,
they decided to create an older generation magazine, as they felt this age
range of music buyers were being ignored and there was a gap in the market for
this type of publication. By this magazine being aimed at older audience means
the brand can afford this magazine to be a bit more expensive as the majority
of buyers they have target will have jobs, unlike teenagers who may not and
therefore unable to buy it. The main target market for this magazine are
18-30year old; the majority male. By having the target market as the
older generation, the magazine can have more scope, meaning they will be able
to add old "classics" that their audience will remember from their
childhood/teenage years or different decades. compared to teenagers who may not
even heard of before. Overall, this magazine, seems to cater for everyone
needs, even though people could argue that it could be referred to a niche
market, as it is only suitable for music lovers, it seems to be aimed at a mass
market of people world-wide in general.
What
is this magazine's house style?
Throughout
all the Q magazines, they have the same masthead to keep continuity so their
viewers will always know which magazine it is that they are purchasing. In a
way, Q's particular masthead could also be seen as a logo, due to the fact it
is just the letter "Q". With the use f the short, simple and snappy
title, it will instantly make people remember this brand name. The masthead is
always consisted in the same place (the top left) again to keep continuity. At
times, this magazine can overlap by the main images on the cover as you can see
in all these covers. Doing this attracts the viewer as they will be tempted in
by the artists shown in larger on the cover. All the photos used in
this magazine are all model shots, meaning the artist or band have posed
for the particular picture. They usually have certain clothes and
make-up for the shot needed e.g. "what's so bloody good?" links with
the fact Lana Del Ray has fake bloody running down her face. This is generally
due because they want their main image to stand out. Q usually
have a frame that surrounds the images in the centre of the magazine
cover, to make the magazine look professional and help the main image catch the
audiences eye and be the first thing they notice. Also, a splash is included,
again to make the photo stand out as well as the caption that goes with it.
Who
produces and distributes this magazine?
The
publisher for Q magazine is "Bauer Media Group", which is a
large German publishing company based in Hamburg, which
operates in 15 countries worldwide. It distributes another magazine like
"Kerrang" and "Mojo".
How
are social groups represented in Q Magazine?
With
this particular front cover you can tell it is more aimed at males as they is
an attractive picture of Lana Del Rey on the front cover.
The fact she has blood running off her face, would probably freak out
a female audience and may think it was a weird concept on the main
title "so what's so bloody good?" The rest of the sell lines are male
bands/artists again linking back to the idea
of their target market.
Any
extra information you have observed about this magazine?
- At this moment in time Q doesn't have it's own iPod touch/iPad or smart phone application for reading the magazine online, which is interesting as most music magazines do.
- Every issue of Q has a different message on the spine. This practice known as the "spine line" has since become commonplace among British lifestyle magazines, including Q's sister publication, Empire.
- Q released it's own radio during in 2008.
- In 200 Q launched it's on TV channel and now hosts it's own award show.
- The magazine has a close relationship with the Glastonbury Festival, producing both a free daily newspaper on site during the festival and a review magazine available at the end of the festival.
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