Q covers...

On this particular front cover, Lily Allen is on it, posing with black panthers. she is wearing shorts, tights and high heel shoes - nothing else. she is stood with her back to the camera yet her head is turned towards the camera, the shot is a full length body shot. She has her hand on her hip which is very elegant and her other hand is by her mouth, looking very sexual and eye-catching. This is an example of less is more. 

On this cover, Matt Belamy - the lead singer from muse - is shot in a full body length shot face on. He is not looking strait into the camera but away into the distance somewhere with a fierce expression on his face. He is holding a guitar and with it he appears to have smashed the masthead of Q magazine, which we know has been edited to look this way. He is wearing black shoes and trousers\jeans with a black and read blazer; all of which fits in well with the overall colour scheme to the front cover or red and black. This is something for me to consider when designing the front cover of my own magazine. 

On this last cover of Q the band Kings of Leon are all gracing the cover in a very bold and different way. They are all in the air and the full body shot of them all has caught them mid-jump and it appears as if they have broken through glass, a metaphor for the coverline 'Kings of Leon Break Through', this is an idea I will consider using for my front cover. pieces of shattered glass have been caught in mid air creating a dramatic and impressive scene. The men are wearing muted colours of black and grey which fit in with the colour scheme of red and black, black and white.

FONTS

some ideas for fonts I may use for the masthead are:

- My music magazine, this font is called Rockwell, it is clear and easy to read yet attractive at the same time.

- My music magazine, this font is called felix titling, it is bold and in capital letters which is effect and stands out.

- My music magazine, this font is called Georgia in italics, it is simple and it looks attractive and could fit in with the genre of the magazine. 

Naming my magazine

The name for my music magazine is a crucial element to the overall outcome of the magazine.

It will be one of the first things potential buyers will see and could possible determine whether they decide to purchase the magazine or not.
I have some initial ideas for my magazine, such as:

-Beat

-Album
-Essential
-Tempo

-Euphonic

-Unplugged
-m (short for music)
All of these names are one word\letter, I feel that this is the most appropriate as it will be more effective and appealing to the target audience. They are all associated with music in one way or another, which I think is necessary considering this is a magazine about music.
I cannot decide which name I would like to use yet, as these are all very early ideas which would need working on.

Q magazine and Bauer Media

Magazines currently published in genres similar to what I have chosen to focus on for example is ‘Q’ magazine, which is published by Bauer media, with a circulation of 89,450 a week between January and June 2010. Q can also be found via the radio, a television music channel and a broad and diverse website. In a typical Issue of Q magazine you would expect to find many reviews of artists and albums, also heavily and less featured interviews. It also educates it’s readers on new releases, reissues and compilations, which inform the reader and make them feel like they are getting something out of buying/reading this magazine.

Facts about Q magazine

- Q is published monthy

- costing £3.90 per issue

- has an average of 160 pages per issue

- they were originally going to be called 'cue' as in cueing a record etc, but was changed to Q so it wouldn't be confused with a snooker magazine.

- Q is aimed at 'mature music lovers', people who know about music and are interested in reviews and interviews. 

         Bauer media are a huge organisation and own over eighty renowned media brands such as Heat, GRAZIA and Closer. Also Kiss100, Kerrang! And 4music. The company is based in the UK and focus mainly on magazines and radio. Bauer produce many music channels such as The Hits and The Box, and music magazines such as Pop, Empire and Mojo. 

Genre of music...

My magazine will focus on a range of popular music paying specific attention to genres such as pop, rock, A-capella and alternative. These genres tend to overlap and have the similar or the same artists and target audiences; rather than focussing on one particular genre of music I feel it would be more effective to include music from the same time and mood. The magazine will cover music that is in the top 40 music chart, such a pop and R’n’B; which has a general appeal to teenagers and includes rhythm and harmonies. But also containing different and alternative music, which may interest those who like mainstream genres of music, to inform and advise them of more diverse yet exciting bands and artists who belong to independent record labels and don’t fit into mainstream genres. 

Starting My Music Magazine

For my AS Media coursework I have been asked to create a new music magazine, I will create the front page, contents page and double page spread. All of my images will be original and taken by myself.

To start off the production of my music magazine, I have begun to research background information and thought about writing a proposal for my magazine. There are many ideas and concepts which I need to consider and decide such as the name of the magazine, the cost and target audience.