Textual Analysis - Contents analysis

The purpose of a contents page is to let the viewer know excatly whats in the magazine and where in the magazine it is. for this reason, it is usually kept generally formal. There are also usually pictures of the content of the artice, for example a picture of a band.

This contents page is very busy. This represents the style of music as being very busy and 'loud'. Although it is busy, it takes a relativly standard layout. With a title (contents), a column that describes the artice and tells the reader the page numbers and it uses a lot of the space to show pictures of bands and shows that are featured artices in the magazine. This is standard of a contents page for a music magazine, but this contents is made busy (like metal music) by cramming the information into a small amount of space, ( for example there is a border around the text and pictures, that they could have filled so we can see its delibarate). The pictures are also typical of a rock magazine. We can see that the pictures are either of live shows or pictures of the band, making the band seem superior and cool. The way the page is presented is also done deliberatly to attract to the target audience. For example, the pictures on the page look as though they have been stuck down and the left side of the page looks 'used'. This is very typical and fashionable within the music that the magazine shows. Thats why the kerrang logo also looks shattered. It goes with the image of the people reading the magazine (ripped jeans etc.) The top of the page also looks photocopied etc. This is to show this 'used' rock image and perhaps to also show that it has been almost made by hand. This attracts to the audience as lots of the readers are against 'corperate' and major labels, and if they have the magazine proffesionally copied etc. on a big machine this suggests that the magazine itself is corporate. If it looks like its been simply hand photocopied it also suggets that the music within the magazine is quite underground, (for example, if it was a popular genre music the company would have a purpose to have it copied on a big machine as they would be selling a lot) most of the readers like the fact that what there listening to isnt mainstream and popular, even though most of it is in this particular magazine. this page also uses a bright colour scheme of yellows and reds. The yellow text boxes may represent things such as 'warning', as it has black writing within it, it suggests the same kind of thing. This is also popular within the genre of music. We can also see that it is targeted at young people as all of the people in the pictures are young and the words are generally short but striking.

This music magazine, is a pop/indie magazine, as opposed to the former rock magazine. We can see very obvious differences. For example, this one is a lot more formal. The layout is very neat and tidy opposed to the kerrang contents. It also only uses colour to make certain bits of text to stand out to the reader, not to make it look busy. Although there is about the same amount of information within this contents as the kerrang contents, this contents looks a lot more tidy and it looks like everything fits, its not all crammed in like it looks on the kerrang contents. It also keeps to a fairly standard layout with a title (contents) and a column of the articles and the page number and a lot of space devoted to featured articles. Although instead of mentioning lots of featured articles, it features only one. This makes the page seem more neat and tidy and also suggests that the nme genre of music and style is a lot more chilled out than the rock style of cramming everything in and making it busy. Its also all colour coordinated into red for bits that want to stand out, i.e the name and page numbers and keeps the rest of the text black. Although it also uses yellow on the 'subscribe' box, probably to attract the readers attention to the subscription offers because if it was just in black text it would probably be overlooked a lot. However there is a twist in the colours on the left column named 'band index' where the red text is the bulk text and the black is used to make the page numbers stand out. This suggests that the style of the genre is not always formal and is mixed up and different. It also shows that the music that the magazine reports is underground is by the 'radar' title, this suggests that the magazine shows new, unknown artists, which helps people of the style find new music that is underground, which is something that is liked within the indie genre. The reason it is neat and tidy is to also fit with the indie 'topman' image of smart clothes made to look 'cool'.

This contents page is from Q magazine. Q magazine is an alternative/indie/pop magazine and attracts people that like popular music, but maybe something a bit different as well. The layout of this is also very standard with a title, column of articles with page numbers and pictures of featured articles. It also sticks with the 'neat and tidy' look. Using colours only to make certain text stand out, such as the subtitles and the name 'Q'. The main featured article of this magazine is the courteeners interview. It shows a large picture of the band looking cool ( use of glasses and hands in pockets etc. and the use of the camera looking up at them) behind a country side backround. The band look not to bothered and are made to look very cool, which shows the style of the genre of music being about coolness etc. There is also an 'oasis special' which would attract probably a large audience who would buy the magazine just for the oasis. This may also attract an older audience to who usually buy the magazine.