ANNOTATIONS OF Q MAGAZINE COVER

 

Title

The title of this magazine is Q, Q doesn't seem like a music magazine name because it doesn't give much away, but Q is a music magazine which has a target audience for indie-rock/indie-pop music, which is perfect for my research because I am planning on basing my magazine on an indie-pop genre. The Q is in a capital, serif font, its very basic but its a recognisable logo and does stand out against opposing magazines on shop shelves. The magazine is quite unisex, nothing in particular on the magazine is girly or very masculine which creates a wider target audience who would be interested in buying the magazine. 

Masthead
The masthead is 'Free music inside' enticing the audience to be intrigued and buy the magazine as it is featuring 'free music'.
Theme
The colour scheme for Q is usually red, white and black, and on this edition it s staying with the usual colour scheme. The theme of Q magazine is very basic but because Q is such a well known magazine it's got a reputation where it is easily recognisable, on this edition they have Florence and the Machine on the cover, her red, fiery hair ties-in well with the red theme and as Florence is a well known artist and has a big fan base, this could make the magazine more attractive for people to buy. 
Cover Lines
In this edition there are a few cover lines but other editions have featured more. One cover line states 'the 100 greatest front men' this would be more of an attraction for women because front men in bands are usually seen as good looking and desirable. But they also add underneath another coverline saying 'starring the best new front women' which will attract men as well as front women are usually seen as good looking as well. In this edition Q challenges the usual magazine conventions of placing coverlines on the left third and placed them on the right, Q has named a number of bands and artists which are highlighted in red to make them stand out against the black and white background. By doing this Q are widening their target audience because, they are naming bands a reader might be interested so, if the reader doesn't like Florence and the Machine but likes a few of the bands or artists named on the right third, then there is a chance the reader will still purchase the magazine.
Main Image
The main image features Florence and the Machine which shows that the magazine targets an indie-pop target audience. It shows that Q want to be associated with growing bands and artists which show a promising future in the indie-pop market.
Plug/Pluff
Magazine always include a plug/puff without fail, the plug/puff always stands out against the page and doesn't always match the magazine theme to make is seem interesting to the reader. In this edition of Q the plug/puff is '41 pages of reviews' followed by a few indie-pop artists and bands. This plug/puff is featured in a big white circle and the 41 pages of reviews is in red text or is highlighted by red which makes it an eye catching feature on the page. The plug/puff includes reviews of MGMT, The XX and Owl City which may attract more readers to buy the magazine because they might like them artists.

Buzz words

On this edition the word 'Exclusive' has only been used once but, it creates the idea that only this magazine has this exclusive information or feature, suggesting the content can not be featured in any other magazine.

USP

Q's unique selling point is an exclusive interview with Florence and the Machine with free tracks made by her, this is unique because the artist is giving away free tracks for the magazine to give out as the magazines are purchased.

Layout

The layout is very structured and uses lines to keep a nice composition to make it easier to look at, the magazine doesn't give away too much information just on the cover, creating a desire to buy the magazine and read the additional information inside the magazine.

Price

The price for Q magazine is £3.90, this seems a little high for a magazine however, it reviews most of the more popular music around, with a good mix of new bands and big bands from the past as well, creating a wide target audience. Also, because the price is quite high, it shows that the magazine is good quality.