Research and Planning - Music Contents Page Analysis

 

My contents page analysis has been taken from the magazine "Vibe'. We can tell it is from the genre of RnB due to a number of things. Firstly the most obvious aspect being the main long shot photo used of the recognisable celebrity Kanye West, known for his work in the music RnB and Rap industry. We can tell the magazine fits into the genre of RnB from the colour scheme used - the black and white colours used together are often seen to be quite stylish and smooth, this could be one of the ways used to describe how the music itself sounds. 

         The target audience of this magazine seems to me to be the later teenage years such as 16-19. I receive this impression due to the fact this contents page contains cover story-lines I would expect that age group to be interested in, such as fashion, and also I can tell this from the use of Kanye West. This is because his music is normally aimed at this age group and older. Also linking to Kanye West and his music; one of the coverlines is named 'Heartbreak Hotel' which could relate to his album called '808's & Heartbreak.'

         The layout of the magazine is fairly simple. At the top centre of the page is a large V identifying and matching the contents page to the masthead and title 'Vibe' on the front cover. Along the side of the page are the coverlines and page numbers of the magazine in which they are contained. The picture is located right in the middle of the page showing the importance of this person. Also due to his positioning we receive the impression that the magazine centres around him, often the case when celebrities are the main feature of a magazine.

      Various features of this celebrity's persona connatate his wealth and importance. Firstly the costume he is wearing is that of a smart coat, perceived as formal and also businesslike. The smart way he is dressed gives the reader ideology he has a high-up status in the media industry and demands power. The camera shot used to capture this photo is a medium-long shot. This enables the reader to have a close view of the person without getting very near and connatates that whilst taking part in an interview we as readers will be kept at arms length. This distance can connatate that whilst the public are often not allowed near people of high up status due to bodyguards, etc, and this is also the case for Kanye West - again showing his power. His facial expression is somewhat moody and un-friendly - relating to the dark aspect of his music.