Compare the covers of two music magazines

These are the two magazine covers that I was analysing:

In this essay I am comparing the covers of two music magazines, NME and Total Guitar. Both follow the conventions of the typical music magazine, with both being aimed at an audience who enjoys the rock/alternative genre of music.

The target audience for both magazines are that of people who like rock/alternative music types, but it is not constricted to a certain age bracket- as people from all ages can like the bands advertised on the cover. With the band ‘Muse’ being the cover star of NME, and Billie-Joe Armstrong from ‘Green Day’, you could say; (stereotypically); that both music magazines would attract a younger audience (though that would be subject to certain stereotypes).

Both magazines use bold colours and fonts to attract the attention of a perspective reader, purely because of the persuasive nature of a magazine cover itself. NME and Total Guitar differ in the way colour is used. Total Guitar uses a wide range of colours such as bright pinks and yellows, contrasting on white and grey- whereas NME chooses to use orange, black and white throughout. Although the use of colours isn’t as dramatic in NME’s cover, the main picture used on the front cover stands out- popping out of the page. Also the angle that the photo is taken, and the way that the band members are positioned, make it look as if they are coming out of the page. This can be suggestive of it being more personal to the reader. The picture on Total Guitar also stands out, with the picture taken from a low angle, which makes the cover star appear taller and more dominant.
NME and Total Guitar use superlatives frequently in the cover lines. In NME they use “The world’s most insane band ever unveil their most ridiculous tour ever” and in Total Guitar they use “Europe’s best-selling magazine”. The use of superlatives on the magazine cover makes enhances the persuasive nature of the magazine, with the strong words such as “most” and “best”.

What I have learnt from looking at, comparing and analysing the magazines is that rock/alternative music magazines or almost any music magazine in general follows many conventions. NME and Total Guitar use bright colours to attract the attention of the audience, and the pictures of the cover stars (Muse and Green Day’s Billie-Joe Armstrong) also can have the same effect of a perspective reader. In my own magazine I will use bright colours and eye catching pictures to bring in a certain audience. I believe this is essential, to make my music magazine cover more persuasive.