Music Magazine Genres

Country Music:

The country music is aimed at white older male country music fans. The music genre for the magazine as you can tell is Country music. Country music is said to have come from the genres American Folk Music and Western Music and originated in Atlanta, Georgia, USA in the 1920s. 
The masthead of the magazine is very attractive and reminds you a lot of country. The cover has a very large picture of a popular country musician, which attracts the country music fans. Country music isn’t very known to have magazines because it is usually played to a live audience and isn’t often digital.




A popular Country music artist and song:
George Strait - Troubador
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jJf-p6RYvo

The Electronica:

The Electronica magazine is very digital looking, this matches the genre of the magazine. The music genre which is clear from the title is Electronic. Electronic music is music that uses electronic instruments. It came about in the 1940s when electronic instruments were introduced. 
I think the magazine aims at young adults that are interested in clubbing and electronic music that they play at clubs. The bright colours of the magazine make it fun looking and very modern. The magazine also has a lot of things that connect to the target audience written on it, like the slogan underneath the Masthead that says “Electronic Music for the Nu Generation” and “Win a VIP Holiday to Mallorca”. The words, the colour scheme and how modern the magazine looks, all relate to the target audience of younger adults.


A popular Electronic Artist and song:
Calvin Harris (feat. John Newman) - Blame 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJb0VYVtaNc

 The NME:
The NME magazine's music genre is mostly Alternative rock, or Independant Music. Alternative rock came around in the 1980 and had a different sound to the mainstream rock music at the time, therefore giving it the name Alternative Rock or 'Alt Rock'. Independant Music is music from lesser known artists that arent signed by any music labels giving them independancy hence the name 'Independant Music'.
The NME Magazine is aimed more at the hipsters and indie rock teenager music fans. You would expect to see mainly new and less known artists on the front that play different music genres other than pop music. Inside the magazine it is a mixture of gossip and interviews of artists. This may attract an audience of teenagers and young adults of both genders. The cover relates to the audience because it shows a very nice picture of the artist and the colour palette makes the cover very attractive.

A popular Indie/Alt Rock artist and song:
Jake Bugg - Two Fingers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9XwFecNXyU

 The Billboard:

The Billboard is a chart-based magazine that aims at Teenagers and Young Adults. The billboard often features very popular music but not specifically of the pop genre. The magazine is a very nice magazine in the way that it is laid out very well and the colours always compliment each other.  The masthead on the cover of this edition is not very conventional as Adele who is the lady in the main picture is layer over the title, giving it a more 3d look. I think the Billboard is keeping the magazine classic, but giving the classiness a modern twist to still be appealing to its audience.





A popular Chart artist and song:
Taylor Swift - Shake it off
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfWlot6h_JM

 The XXL:

The XXL magazine is a rap and hip-hop magazine. Hip hop is not only a music genre it is made of a mix of things like DJing, Rapping, Breakdancing and Graffiti which all come together as the subculture. Hip Hop came around in the South Bronx area of New York that is a neighbourhood of mainly gangs and lower class Americans.
 I think the magazine is aimed at an African American audience aged 15-25. The music artists on the cover give it a fierce look due to their facial expressions. Their tattoos and jewellery also give them a tough and “gangsta” look. The masthead on this magazine is also hidden behind the picture, this makes them look very important and gives them a sense of power. The words “Amerikaz Most Wanted” suggest that the audience may not be well educated, therefore came from a tough background and crime may have been a big part of their lives.

A popular Hip Hop artist and song:
Iggy Azalea (Feat. Rita Ora) - Black Widow 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrEv3jpxUpI

 The Top of the Pops:

When you see the TotPs magazine you would expect to see a lot of pink, and a picture of famous Boys/Men. The pictures of the celebrities are what attracts the readers to the magazine and the words “Win”, “OMG!” “Exposed!” and “Bargains!” also attract the reader to the magazine. The magazine is aimed at predominantly white preteen girls that are interested in teen celebrities and girly gossip, so the magazine cover is very well made to attract this audience. Pop music started when the charts begun in the late 1950’s. The Beatles in the 1960’s became the role models for Pop music. Pop music is used for young people to grow up with and idolize.





A popular Pop artist and song:
5 Seconds of Summer - Amnesia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCCJCILiX3o

Rock Sound:
The Rock Sound magazine is a magazine aimed towards rock and not indie rock, and is a non-commercial kind of magazine. The Rock genre is made up of lots of sub-genres that include Soft rock, Punk rock, Grunge and many more. Rock originates from the 1950s in America and was originally called 'Rock and Roll'. 
The magazine is aimed towards non-conformist teens that listen to heavy rock or pop punk and is a British magazine, so it involves the British musical artists as well as the more know American artists. The cover contains a picture of a band with fun facial expressions and their faces closer to the camera. Their bodies are smaller as if the photo was taken with a wide-angle lens, and from a higher angle than normal. The different angle and facial expressions they’ve used relates to the audience as it doesn’t conform to the conventional picture that is usually used where the artists is face on, with a normal face.

A popular Rock artist and song:
Fall Out Boy - Centuries
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT1KhQEvJy0


I am choosing to make an Alternative/Indie Rock magazine for my task because I enjoy the genres and my favourite magazines are of this genre, I also think the conventions for this magazine are more appealing to look at and would attract a large audience because Indie/Alt rock are very popular genres at the moment as it is seen as trendy to be have a more indie and alternative style.