Rhiannon Aylward
Media Studies
Magazine Analysis - Q
General
Front Cover
The magazine is called Q in reference to cueing a record or being ready to play. The magazine was originally called Cue however it was changed to Q in order to not be mistaken for a snooker magazine. As Q does not have a specific genre, this meaning can work for all music types.
Although the title only consists of one letter I would say the font is serif. This type of font is useful for this magazine as there are parts that each out to all genres. The flowing of the Q links nicely to classical or folk music whereas the boldness links to the toughness of rock music. The title does not go across the length of the magazine but instead goes in a corner. This brand identity is usually a red square box with Q written in white. Part of the title is obstructed from view by and advertorial text however it is still very clear what magazine it is.
The main image is of Aphex Twin smiling behind a mask of himself. Both himself and the mask are smiling which reflects the almost happy genre of electronic music. Aphex Twin and the mask are both looking directly at the reader which almost draws the reader in. Aphex Twin’s hair is shoulder length and messy. His beard is also quite rough and unkept. He is wearing a black t-shirt. This links to the electronic genre as it is very simplistic. This image being simplistic also reaches out to readers of Q as it doesn’t necessarily have to be any particular genre as it covers many genres in its issues.
The only other images on the front page are of three different covers under the title “Comebacks of the year”. One of the covers is the cover of the magazine with Aphex Twin. Another cover is of Kate Bush and the final cover is of the band U2. This lures the readers in as they want to know the stories behind the three big comebacks of the year.
The main story is an exclusive interview with Aphex Twin about his return after 13 years. There is also a celebration story about Kate Bush then and now. The front page also advertises an inside story behind the U2 album, That. There is also a story on Alt-J who has been named by Q as art-rocks new hero. At the top of the front cover there is a cover line which promotes free music for 60 days. This acts as a lure for readers.
The colour theme for this front page is red, white, black and grey. All these colours complement each other well. All of the font is very broad which makes it stand out. The general font on the cover is Sans-serif. The font is also all in capitals. This makes it stand out and easy and clear for the readers.
This front cover talks to the readers by writing in generally short and brief sentences. By using important artist comebacks the reader’s attention is being grabbed.
The music company that produces Q magazine is Bauer Media Group, however it was originally produced by EMAP Media Group. EMAP sold Q to Bauer in January 2008.
Q's original target audience were older generations of music listeners who still bought CD's and were thought to be ignored. However this has changed and the target audience is now believed to be younger than the majourity of other music magazines. This may be because Q does not stick to any particular genre of music and therefore caters to many younger tastes. Q also features new and upcoming artists which interest the younger generations more.
Q is published monthly with a cost of £3.99. Its total circulation from January to June 2014 was 48, 353.