Why are music magazines so popular?
I agree that music magazines are so popular because of the articles they include with certain musicians (such as interviews or ‘behind the scenes’ gossip). Both NME and Top Of The Pops include articles that will appeal to their target audience. Many articles include specific information that would relate to the target audience such as typical activities artists would take part in. This is presented in the top of the pop’s article with Little Mix where they discuss their party secrets. Attending parties is something the audience can relate with which therefore makes the audience identify with the stars. Both articles also include intertextual references such as ‘How we do party’ and ‘the times they are changing’ which refers back to lyrics of songs from that particular genre of music. Using this type of language makes the reader feel clever as they understand and get the ‘in joke’. The Jack Bugg article included in NME is also very informative towards the reader as it talks about what who he has been supporting on tour and where he has been touring. Whereas the Little Mix’s article proves to be popular in a very different way as it entertains the reader by discussing the girl’s secrets and embarrassing mishaps which gives the reader an exclusive outlook and makes them feel educated. Reading these articles also creates personal relationships with the reader as they can discuss the information they now know with other people.
The images and photos used in music articles also contribute to the magazine’s success as they can tell you lot about the artist and the music genre they present. For example during NME’s article about Jack Bugg, we can clearly see that his is playing a guitar which states that he is a professional musician who is able to play his own instruments. The fact that the guitar is the main aspect of the picture, rather than the clothes he is wearing portrays how his music is more important than his actual image. The fact that Jack is also not looking at the camera because he has his eyes closed concludes how he is completely lost in the music which the audience will respect and appreciate as they want to get to know an artist who specifically cares about their job. You could also suggest that the photo of Jack Bugg used in the article, makes him look a lot like a ‘young Noel Gallagher’ with the similar hair style and the same instruments he uses which is also another intertexual reference. Moreover, the image used in Top Of The Pop’s article about Little Mix is also a good example as to why music magazines are still so popular. Every member of Little Mix is looking directly at the camera during the article which makes it seem personally to the reader. Moreover, the article also gives off a positive outlook as each girl is smiling which makes them come across as friendly and approachable to the audience.
Even though music magazines are clearly successful, I think they are becoming a thing of the past as it is so much easier to access latest information/gossip about particular musicians just by going on the internet. By the time a music magazine has been released, some of the news and features included in it may already be old because people have already found out about them due to social networking sites and other useful websites. Furthermore, some of the information presented in music magazines is often irrelevant as it has nothing to do with the music itself. This is highlighted in the Little Mix article as the interview goes on to talk about the music stars’ lifestyles although their actual music is never mentioned. In the image of Little Mix, their entire outfits are also on show to suggest their look, figure and style is perhaps more important than their music.
