Research

As the main task of my coursework is to create part of a new music magazine, I’ve decided to research kerrang, a music magazine devoted to rock music.

Introduction.

Kerrang is a UK based music magazine and is published by Bauer Consumer Media .founded by Geoff Barton and Editor James McMahon. has become the world’s biggest selling weekly rock magazine. Kerrang magazine was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in The Sounds newspaper. Launched as a monthly magazine, Kerrang began to appear on a fortnightly basis later, and in 1987 it went weekly. The original owner was United Newspapers who then sold it to EMAP in 1991. Kerrang prides them selves as the UK's premier multi-platform music destination ‘bringing the best in rock online, on the radio, on TV and in print’

The content of kerrang .

A regular issue of kerrang is 70 pages long and focuses on rock music and always has famous rock bands on the cover. The main image on the magazine features a different band every week. Due to the large circulation of the magazine, readers are given the opportunity to interact by writing letters and reviews that may be published in the magazine. Magazine always has new interviews with an artist or new articles about different artist. Kerrang includes full page advertisements for music companies such as HMV and Play.com as well as promoting other retailers

The publishing institution of kerrang

Kerrang is published by Bauer Media Group, which is a large German publishing company which operates in 15 countries worldwide. Europe’s largest privately owned publishing Group. The Group is a worldwide media empire offering over 300 magazines in 15 countries, as well as online, TV and radio stations.. The company was founded in 1875. Worldwide circulation of Bauer Media Group's magazine titles amounts to 38 million magazines a week. Bauer media group also publishes other successful magazines i.e. Bella, take a break, q magazine, closer and heat.

The typical reader profile

The magazine is aimed at a young audience, through the use of graphics, fonts, layouts and presentation. Kerrang is aimed at the youth and their lifestyles. It has a contemporary and up-to-date look. The magazine even accommodates the young readership by using advertisements that relate to their interests. Kerrang Aims itself more at a male audience and appeals to them by using content such as hard rock and metal iconic male bands on the front cover.

layout trademarks  of kerrang

The main colours are white, black, red and grey. These enable the magazine to be eye-catching and it allows certain cover lines to stand out. These basic colours are continued throughout the 70 pages creating a dark and moody ambiance. Kerrang has a house style and this makes the magazine instantly recognized by regular audience. The main layout trademark of kerrang is that it fits the genre of perfectly by using big black and white images and red fonts to add contrast. The variety of images makes it appeal to a wider audience.

Values of Kerrang’s audience

The magazine appeals to a specific niche audience because it concerns topics and themes that are relevant to people who listen to and are interested by rock music and its background. Kerrang identifies its audience as ‘individually minded, independent of thought and musically experienced, an audience defined by attitude, passion and loyalty’