AS Media Studies Coursework: Detailed Research into Forms and Conventions Part 2- NME

The second magazine that I will research into is NME.

Brief Introduction: NME (real name the New Musical Express) is a music magazine, published in the UK and had it’s first issue published in March 1952. It is published weekly and has a circulation of over 40,000. NME was the first British music magazine to include a singles chart and it was famous for being published in a non-glossy tabloid format on standard newsprint. However since 1998 onwards, the paper has been no longer been printed on newsprint and now favours a more modern full, glossy, colour covers. It is sold weekly for £2.30.

Other media:

NME Radio - dedicated to play only rock and indie music
NME Awards - an awards show held every year to celebrate the best new music of the past year. The nominations and eventual winners are voted for by the readers of the magazine.
NME Tours - a tour of the United Kingdom by up-and-coming bands each year.
NME TV
NME.COM - site with podcasts, interviews, blogs, readers comment and exclusive playlists
NME Originals - a series of themed magazines reprinting vintage articles, interviews and reviews from the NME archives. Notable issues so far have featured The Beatles, Radiohead and Nirvanna.

Research:

Audience: Mainly males aged 17-30, with a jicnars scale of B/C1 and a psychographic profile of Hedonists, Radicals and Post Materialists. They are slightly more mature and older than Kerrang! readers, they may have a normal business job yet on weekends and days off they wear dark coloured tops and loose jeans; prefer crowded underground gigs than to sell out Wembley concerts. They party all night and do not mind reading long articles and interviews inside the magazine with their favourite band.

The statistics for readers of NME are:

Male - 73%
Female - 27%
Average Age - 25
ABC1 73%
Target Market Men 17-30

They are entertainment enthusiasts with 80% of NME readers feel that music is an important part of their lives.
49% specially choose to listen to live bands in studio and 52% are interested in taking a musical course/qualification.
Almost half (49%) have been reading NME for at least 3 years with 84% think the magazine gives them what they want, spending an average of 46 minutes reading each issue.
They are good with technology 93% own a computer with 96% have access to the Internet

Title: The masthead is big, bold (in capital letters) and uses sans sherif font. The title NME is short, sharp to the point which allows it to stand out from the other magazines on the shelf as it rolls off the tongue and therefore is easy to remember. This masthead links in with the genre of music as it takes nothing away from the actual music itself and merely gives artists and bands a chance to promote their songs. The name also gives the audience something to identify with and with NME having a decorated history within the rock music scene many fans will buy the magazine to have a small copy of memorabilia whilst others may buy copies to feel part of a group or fan base. The short brand name appeals to their target audience as it connotes a sense of cool and trendiness. Similarly the easiest and most efficient way to promote the magazine is through word of mouth which teenagers do the most effectively out of any major age group. The bold capital letters connote excitement and importance with the reversed out red letters with a white border connotes danger. However it could also connote that beneath the normal run of the mill cover (symbolised by the white border) there is a more dangerous, rebellious and excitement inside. They are bold colours with draw the readers eye and make it easier to see over the fairly dull cover photographs. By using these colours they are appealing to their target audience of 17-30 year old men as the dangerous or rebellious side will draw them to the magazine, as young men will find the danger a thrill and exciting.

Style: The main colours used in NME are black, red and white. They are bold yet slightly dull and bland, however this links back to the genre of the music and of the magazine as these dull colours do nothing for the reader and bring their focus solely on the articles or musicians inside the magazine. For rock/indie music lovers, music is the key and not the way that it is presented. This is also shown by the simple font style and general layout of the magazine e.g. photographs
and coverlines. The photographs are few and far between and are placed evenly (i.e. none overlapping or at odd angles) and the short, simple straplines underneath allow the reader to get the general idea of the articles inside without having to read a lot of information. This will appeal to their target audience as if they have busy work lives or not so much free time they did not want to be reading a lot of information or be overwhelmed when taking a general look at the cover. The background colours of dull greys and blacks allow the bright red and whites to shine through and appear more bright as a result. This therefore draws in the readers eye and connote a sense of danger and excitement to the magazine.

Content: Readers of NME don't have a problem with upsetting the natural order of things and saying or doing something radical. Therefore in this magazine you would expect articles that may be out of the ordinary e.g. speaking flippantly about drug or alcohol abuse. This is shown in the December 2009 issue when Noel from the Mighty Boosh titles his articles 'My penis turned black!' or the main Babyshambles article entitled 'The band that came back from the dead.' Also inside the magazine there may be articles about recent gigs, music news and interviews with musicians ranging from new and upcoming artists to well known recognisable bands such as Razorlight or The Ramones. To help upcoming bands they regularly include long interviews or gig/album reviews about them in the hope of gaining the public awareness. NME also has the reputation for its buyers having pages of NME over their bedrooms walls as a loyalty to the magazine therefore they regularly have pictures or hot new bands that readers can simply tear out and stick to their walls, this not only promotes new bands but also give NME an edge over the competition. NME also include the top 20 rock/indie chart along with hot new, current music that is popular, these include articles from band members such as Johnathan Pierce from The Drums. NME prides itself on it's audience enjoyment and dedicate a double page spread to all the letters that they receive from the public.

Mode of address: In general the magazine does not address the reader directly. There is no use of you, I or we nor of any punctuation marks such as question marks that similarly address or engage the reader personally. By doing this the reader does not get to involved in the magazine personally and also concentrates on the music rather than having to think about their own opinions etc. The magazine uses standard English, no shortened or text speak, and this targets their target audience of more mature males aged between 19-30. The words are short and sharp as this gets straight to the point and saves the reader from having to take in a lot of information at one time and gives the reader the gist of the magazine articles.

Photographs: The main photograph is of the band Babyshambles. They are stood in what looks like an old abandoned basement and the band are also wearing dark, grimy clothes. The photograph is a mid-long shot and shows the band from just below the waist upwards. The dark setting, grimy almost dirty looking clothes and unkempt appearance fit in well with the genre of the magazine as this beaks away from the social norms and values on a clean and tidy appearance given to the audience by mainstream music magazines like FADER and Mixmag. This could also connote rebellion, therefore giving the audience a sense of coolness and fun to the band and therefore the magazine. Many NME readers strive to be different from the mainstream and therefore this unkempt look fits in perfectly, giving the band a bigger fan base throughout the rock/indie seen.The group are all stood close together and have their arms around each other, this suggests openness and friendship yet also a sense of familiarity and vulnerability with the audience. The band members are all looking straight ahead, directly at the audience, fixing them is an 'icy stare'. This could be a method to engage the audience and try to make the magazine more personal and draws them into buy the magazine showing openness, yet it could also connote distrust and an almost confrontational look. This look could also suggest the importance of the article and the strapline. The background is plain which allows the audience to concentrate fully on the music and the articles within rather than fancy scenery and props, fitting in with the music genre. The other two smaller photographs connote a similar sense of openness as they stare directly at the audience and have similar clothes and plain backgrounds to fit in with the rock/indie scene.

Contents: The contents page in NME is plain with a simple 'What's Inside' column on the left hand side of the page. The article names are in red and the page numbers in black which stand out from the plain white background. Along the bottom of the page there is a large advert detailing the subscription offers for readers telling them how much they can save if they buy in bulk rather than issue by issue. This banner is black with white and gold writing. It also includes a small photograph of other issue from NME. The majority of the page is taken up by the image of Florence Welch meeting Jarvis Cocker. This format is similar to tabloid newspapers as on the first page they also have a small article about recent events. This links in with their target audience as the more mature men will see the magazine as a form of newspaper, like in the 70's and 80's, and therefore relate much more easily than the other mainstream gossip music magazines. However to appeal to a more younger audience they use informal language such as Xmas and Snapshot to connote a more fun and young feel to the magazine. The general simplicity of the magazine links well to the genre of rock/indie music as the simple design and layout, no even titles or sub headings, no bright bright colours and overlapping pictures or text, allows the reader to fully concentrate on the music and the articles. This to indie lovers is what's the most important. The bold colours show that NME know what they are aiming for and what to do to get it. The red, black and white connote a form of good vs. evil and excitement and danger. This will appeal to the target audience as they will find this danger and rebellion exciting and fun. The gold however is only included in the banner for subscription and could connote money and wealth. As indie music focus on the the music and not the money they rarely use gold in their articles. This therefore could draw the readers eye toward the banner and persuade them to buy into a subscription thus maximising profit and giving NME a number of confirmed sales for each issue.

Double Page Spread: The double page spread is focused on new indie band The Chapman Family. The left page is centred on the band itself, who are shot sat at a crowded table in a house party. The shot is a long shot and everyone but the band members are wearing white headbands around their eyes. This could connote the naivety of others when they look at indie bands and also show the false conscious of what the mainstream music magazine have given people about the genre. The colour could also symbolise their purity away from outside media influences. The house itself is plain with no pictures and hardly any fixtures or furniture. This draws the readers attention to the band itself and not on the background. This is also shown by the dark colours surrounding them. This is so the audience concentrate on the band and their music only rather than be distracted by bright colours or loads happening in the photo. They way that the band is sat alone at the table could connote loneliness, vulnerability and them being outsiders. This also could symbolise the way that Indie music is stereotyped and placed outside the mainstream industry. They are wearing typical indie clothes compared to the others in the house who are wearing simple jeans and shirts. This also helps to show the reader the dramatic differences between the two cultures and genres of music.

The right hand side of the page is dedicated to the article itself and uses informal language, such as 'New Noise', to try and appeal to a larger and younger audience. The article is detailed and methodical, set out similar to a newspaper article with the small font, key parts of the article highlighted and placed in the middle of the text and the use of some bright colours such as purple and pink to try and draw the readers attention. This appeals once more to their target audience of more mature males as they will easily realte to the tabloid format and simple yet effective layout.