Mixmag double page spread

Textual analysis of double page spread from mixmag

This double page spread in on Dizzee Rascal a UK rapper from London, on the left hand page we have an interview with Dizzee Rascal and on the other side it is just one large mid close up that fills the whole of the other side. It has a very interesting layout how it is split 50/50 one side a full photo and the other the interview. I think I like this double page spread because its not ram packed with hundreds of lines worth of writing. It’s just a brief interview with Dizzee Rascal asking questions which the readers would find very appealing finding out general and some personal information about the rapper.

They have used a very basic colour scheme for this double page spread so no attention is drawn away from the photograph and the interview. They have posed Dizzee Rascal very carefully for this photograph making him look very suave wearing a white suit with a smart black tie and purple shirt. Dizzee Rascal is definitely the dominant feature in this double page spread as his photo takes up a whole page.

At the top of the bag there is a small banner which says VIP I think this makes us enjoy this section more as it feels though we have exclusive information into Dizzee Rascals life. There is a stand first at the top of the left page which is in big bold letters to draw our attention to that before we go on to read the interview. I think that they chose to put Dizzee Rascal in pink because that way if you didn’t know who he was from the photograph you then would and so might actually then be more interested as he is a worldwide known rapper.

Just to the right of the picture of Dizzee Rascal is a quote that he says in the interview; “That’s where I’m at now – It’s like, come on, sell your soul!” I think reading this alone entices people to want to dive straight into the interview and read what he’s talking about. There is a picture of Armand at the bottom of the left hand page and its discussing how Armand helped him meet his turning point by making the pop song ‘Dance Wiv Me’ so having a picture Armand is quite relevant and people who haven’t heard his music are more likely to search for him and listen to his tunes.

Contents page from music magazine Q

Analysis of contents page from Q music magazine

This a very well planned and clear contents page the title Contents at the top of the page is in big bold and clear lettering. What I think makes this such a good contents page is how they have actually separated the stories into sections so there is an every month section, features, the songwriters and a Q review section. There is three main pictures on the right hand side of the page, I think by having girls aloud at the top means our attention is instantly drawn towards them and also adds sex appeal to the contents page and will entice you to read into the magazine more. They have used a relatively basic colour scheme but they all work so nicely together contrasting the other sections making each bit stand out more than they would if it was all the same colour. This is definitely not a niche magazine as we have various genres of music included in this magazine. Q claims to be the world’s biggest and best music guide they have 2 of their web addresses listed at the top of the page. I think the three main pictures give us some general idea of what genres of music will be in this magazine. There is very little actual writing on this page, it gets straight to the point and therefore is less likely to bore the reader who is maybe trying to find a certain article.

mixmag contents page

Analysis of contents page from mixmag

Having a big picture and the page number 16 at the bottom of the photo with a little caption that says “Your last minute guide to the best NYE parties – with tickets to be won!” You are instantly drawn to the attraction of this photograph you can see that this is a niche magazine and related to the genres of drum and bass and dance music.

The most popular stories they have in the magazine this month the page numbers are bigger than some of the not so interesting or eye catching stories. Having the title contents in big, bold easy to read writing makes it clear to see what you are looking at. This contents page has quite a smart layout having one main photograph and then all the stories that are to come inside around the photograph. It’s a relatively informative contents page it has a good design that keeps your attention and we are even told at the bottom about the CD that comes free with this magazine. I think having a picture of David Guetta is a good idea as it promotes what is going to be in the magazine and a lot of people who would read this magazine are more than likely to recognize him through the photo alone and even if you didn’t you do now as it tells you who he is under his photo.

Readership Figures

This was an article in the Guardian published on febuary 11 2010 giving the readership figures for magazines such as Kerrang, Q and Mixmag. I found this on the internet and thought it was extremely relevant to my music magazine. Although my music magazine is going to be more niche and aimed more at the dance and drum and bass scene so i may not have as many people likely to buy it but i hope the people who do will be loyal and continue buying my magazine.
Mojo has overtaken its sister title Q to become the biggest-circulation paid-for music magazine, while there were big drops for music titles New Musical Express, Kerrang! and Metal Hammer in the latest circulation figures out today.
Bauer Media's classic rock magazine Mojo had an average monthly circulation of 98,484 in the second half of last year, down 2% year on year but up 0.8% on the previous six months.
It overtook fellow Bauer title Q, which fell 8% year on year and 5.4% on the first half of the year to 94,811.
There was better news for Q's sister title, film magazine Empire, which was up 2.4% year on year to 194,239. It stretched its already substantial lead over Future Publishing's Total Film, which was down 5.8% year on year to 81,029.
IPC Media's Uncut held onto third place among the paid-for rock music titles, despite a 13.3% fall year on year to 75,518. It was ahead of Classic Rock, which was up 1.5% year on year and 1.3% on the first half of 2009 to 71,242.
But there were big year on year drops for the other titles in the rock music sector. Future Publishing's Metal Hammer was down 16.9% year on year and 9.2% on the previous six months to 41,777.
It was just ahead of Bauer's rock title Kerrang!, which tumbled 21.3% year on year and 4.9% on the first half of 2009 to 41,125, while IPC's NME fell 20.6% year on year, and 6% on the previous six months, to 38,486.
Dance title Mixmag, owned by Development Hell, was also down, falling 13.4% year on year to 26,116. Development Hell's sister title, Word, was down 22.5% year on year to 26,555.
Channelfly Enterprises' free music monthly The Fly remained the music sector leader with an average distribution of 107,771, up 7.5% year on year.
The British Film Institute's Sight and Sound was up 0.6% on the previous year to 19,842. Future Plus's free film title, Odeon Magazine, was top of the film sector, with an average distribution of 205,380.