Analysis of Mainstream Music Magazines

The Rolling Stone magazine is the 'number one pop culture reference point for over 12 million young adults'. In addition to its high status in music, Rolling Stone’s also features in entertainment, movies, television, technology, and national affairs. Rolling Stone covers everything that’s important, trend-setting, and newsworthy to young adults.

Blunder magazine is of similar nature and it sees itself as 'the ultimate guide to music and more'. Also it is known for its sometimes steamy pictorials of female artists. It is a very in depth music review magazine featuring reviews of an artists full body of work, songs, albums and both best and worst playlists.

These magazines represent a range of different music genres to cater for most types of music lovers. They feature general news about the music industry and include all genres and a range of different artists and bands. This is represented by the range of content displayed on the page. For example Rolling Stone represent Slipknot to Christina Aguilera to Eminem, likewise to Blunder who represent Leona Lewis to 'Grunge madness' such as Nirvana. Also general news young readers would be interested in such as Blunder's '165 songs you need to know' and Rolling Stone representing the 'Olympic style'.

Each magazine follows the conventional style of using three dominant colours which are followed through by dressing the people that take place as the main image to match the covers colour scheme. The covers main pictorials are well known music artists, Christina Aguilera (rolling stone) and Leona Lewis (Blunder) this immediately attracts the audience as they will be more likely to want to read the magazine if they feel they know and like the featured artist. The pictorials on each magazine over-lap the masthead, this shows how well known the magazines are.

Christina Aguilera is the main image focus of Rolling Stone magazine. In the earlier days of her career Christina was seen as a young, fresh sex symbol and this is portrayed in the way she is licking her lips in a seductively cheeky way. She is portrayed as stereotypical 'beach babe' with blond hair, blue eyes and a cheeky smile this emphasises the stereotype and ideology of 'blonde's have more fun' . This is also shown in the way she has her top rolled up and her skirt undone to reveal her bikini bottoms, the bikini bottoms reflect on the 'beach scene' location of the blue sea and sky background to create verisimilitude. Also she is holding a Walkman in her hand, this is brought to our attention as the earphone wires fall across her body and our eyes are drawn to wear the wires are leading, this re-enforces that it is a music magazine.

Leona Lewis is a well known new and up-coming artist who is considered as classy, stylish and inspirational, this is reflected in the classy and sophisticated outfit she is wearing and she is posed stylishly seductive rather than trashy. She also fits in to the stereotype of 'the brunette' who is seen to be more down to earth and sexy in a sophisticated way. The colours that she is wearing are matched to the black and white textual colour scheme of the cover. Moreover the way she is posed leaning down to the right with her arm bent and raised to her mouth suggests she is singing with her arm acting as a microphone, also used to re-enforce that it is a music magazine.

Overall these magazine covers give an insight into what is expected of a magazine of this music genre and all the features come together to emphasise and reinforce the dance/club music culture.