Music Magazine Front Cover Analaysis 1

Vibe is a music and entertainment magazine founded by producer Quincy Jones. After shutting down production in Summer 2009, Vibe was purchased by InterMedia Partners and is now issued quarterly. The magazine’s title ‘Vibe’ can be interpreted as  an colloquial connataion, conveying a musical element, as well as depicting youth culture,because of this youth element the target audience for Vibe Music Magazine is 16 – 24 year olds, male and female.

In regards to the copy, most of the text is in blocks with an arial font. The colours yellow and white that are used in the copy not only make the text stand out but provide a strong contrast amongst the black background which makes the text stand out thus drawing the audience in. The font and the colour of the text both are complemntary to eachother as it gives the magazine a classy but ‘hip’ look which reinforces the target audience.

The main image in the centre of Vibe magazine is a meduim close up of ther rapper Drake.A direct mode of address is used which allows the audience to relate to Drake. He also  has a neutral facial expression which convey’s seriousness. He wears a black baseball hat which is signifcant as the target audience can relate to it as youth nowadays wear baseball hats . He also wear’s a black tshirt with the word ‘UNSTOPPABLE’ written on it in capital letters. ‘UNSTOPPABLE’ is written in a block arial font In white which again contrasts with the black tshirt making  the  magazine eye catching and appealing. 

The front cover of Vibe connotes many typical conventions that are expected in music magazines. The mast head and sell lines are written in two basic colours; white and yellow to attract the audience’s attention and to inform them on the content of the magazine. Furthermore the white and yellow colours could be used to appeal the target audience.

Short catchy phrases and alliterations like ‘Drakes hip hop’s new religion and Serena strikes back’ hook and grab the audience’s attention and give an insight as to what is in the magazine. Hand in hand the conventions that are used grab and draw audiences thus expanding individual’s music knowledge as well as keeping them updated with information from the music genres the magazine specialises in which expands their musical knowledge. Other typical features like barcodes and dates are seen in music magazines which just inform the audience about how recent the issue is and the price of the music magazine.

The word 'new' on the corner of the 'V' on the title Vibe is significant as when a person first looks at a magazine their eyes often look towards the top left corner. The word 'new' tells the audience how recent the magazine is and draws them into the magazine. Furthermore in regards to the growing online age, Vibe has a website  link shown above the barcode. This informs the audience that there is more information online and that Vibe has other ways in which they can distribute inorder to keep up with modern technology.