Generic Conventions of Music Magazine Covers

Moreover, considering that i have to create my own front cover for my music magazine i thought it would be a good idea to look at the generic features that they consist and what my own must have so i can include them.

Mastheads The masthead is usually located at the top of the magazine cover and this gives a clear indication of who made the company and makes it recognizable to the audience. As shown above the red q is shown in this magazine and all overs, it stands out very much from the background as nothing ever overpowers it underneath due to it being a different color. Lastly, most mastheads in fact have a relation to music itself such as 'top of the pops', 'vibe' or even 'classical' - these have music genres or words usually related to music.           Slogans Slogans are very vital for a magazine as they are used to overpower there rivals by showcasing how important the context of the magazine is.Cover lines Cover lines are the main text on magazine and showcase the articles inside the magazine itself. There are many cover lines on the front cover such as shown below, 'PINK FLOYD, on the endless river and the end'. Cover lines are important to link to the featured artists in the magazines, these bands or artists such as Pink Floyd must attract the target audience of who buy the magazine. Another cover line on this magazine cover that is very important is the 'Ed Sheeran' cover line as he is also the main image of the magazine and this will attract the audience as Ed Sheeran is a huge artist who is very popular.

Central image The central image is one of the most important features of a magazine cover. The background image will mainly consist of a well known band or artist following by the same genre of the actual magazine itself, They mainly contain an image photographed either in close up or a medium shot showing mainly direct address where they look at the camera and make the audience feel welcomed and involved - however in the example I've showed this isn't the case. Moreover, if it isn't a single person it will be a group image that is usually shot in a studio again using direct address.

Dateline This is where you would find the date and the price of the magazine. It is mainly a smaller font and located in a corner as the publisher wants it to be the last thing the reader reads as its not as important as other features.

Barcode Makes it extremely easier to check out and its a new bar code each time so each one is unique.

Other cover lines The other cover lines are the large amount of text you see around the page which are mostly unrelated to the main photo itself like the secondary cover line but the main topics in the magazine to gasp the audiences attention and to make them purchase the magazine.