Music Magazine Advertisement

What Are Music Magazines?

Music magazines advertise music culture and artists. They typically include music news, photoshoots, interviews, tour / concert dates, album reviews, new releases and new artists. Each music magazine target a different demographic. Below I have added 4 Music Magazine front covers of different artists/genres. These front covers show how each artist is portrayed though image and advertisement for their target audience.

Each music magazine has a focus on certain genres of music therefore, focusing on certain artists within the music industry. For example, Q would not advertise artists like One Direction due to their target audience being young/teenage consumers. One Direction instead are shown on music magazines aimed for this target audience such as 'We Love Pop'. On the other hand, now Harry Styles has changed his image as an artist with his new solo career, he now could be advertised on magazines such as Q due to his image being focused on more of an older audience and not just teenagers. 

Along with advertising artists on front covers they include new artist release advertisements or new albums which artists are releasing. These advertisements include a various amount of conventions and codes to give consumers the correct information the artist wants to show.

When looking at some advertisements within music magazines these were the common codes and conventions that were shown:

• Artist Name
• Album Title
• Record Label
• Image of Artist
• Image of Album Front Cover
• Artist Contact Information
• Date of Album Release
• Availability for Album (CD, Download etc)
• Other Artist Names that are featured within the Album
• Music Genre
• Tour/Concert Information
• Website Advertisement for Album Purchase
• QR Link
• Artist Social Media Information
• Producer Information
• Album Review Quotes

MMA Initial Research : Codes and Conventions of Existing Products

The artist name is placed at the top of the advert with a clear white font, which is easy for audiences to read and notice. The font is the same as the information used below which sticks to the theme of the advert. The font is also very similar to the font of the album title which is shown clearly within the advert; a large image of the album front cover is shown. The album front cover displays an image of the artist and the title '+' in the right inner corner at the bottom of the cover. Using white as the font colour was a good idea due to the album cover including only white and orange; sticking to the colour scheme. The only image used of the artist is the album cover image. This helps with advertisement of the artist but also helping advertise the album more clearly by showing the audience what the album looks like so they know what to look for in store. The only information this advert has included is the artist website and a fact about the album being No.1 in the UK. This information draws in audience members which is why they are included so much in music adverts. Due to the album being number 1 and popular within the UK, this then brings more attention to the album along with listeners. Due to the album being so popular within the UK already, not much information is needed due to it being easy to search for within stores or online. 

The artists name is placed in the centre of the advert to give a clear indication of who the advert is about. Slightly underneath the artists name is the album title in a smaller white font. The font style of the artists name helps it stand out and is very clear along with the gold metallic colour. The image of the artist fills most of the page leaving a gap at the bottoming for information on her album. This image is of the artist and not the album giving an indication of what the artist looks like. Below the image is information on what that artist's album is named, what it includes (the artists No.1 top hit song) and a website to give more information on the artist. At the bottom of the advert, logos are also included which could be links to her producers or companies who have helped produce the advert/album. All text have a theme of gold and white font which also matches the artist's jewellery and makeup within the image. The background of the advert is also black which matches the artists image. Information that is not shown within this advert is what the album cover looks like therefore, not giving the audience an image to look for when purchasing the album. On the other hand, the colour theme of the advert matches the album which gives the audience a hint of what colours to look for. The image used in the advert is also what is used for the album cover. 

MMA Practice: Using Photoshop

As an introduction to creating our own music magazine advertisement I spent some time learning and understanding how to create a MMA on photoshop. Below is an image of my notes I took on how to use photoshop, specifically for an MMA.

I found photoshop very easy to use and get along with. When editing my practice MMA I took screenshots of my process which I have explained below. I have also included a copy of the final look of my practice MMA. 

First I blacked out the background of the image leaving just the portrait.

I then changed the Luminosity of the image to darken the bright light that was reflected onto his face.

I also experimented with changing the colour of the image; changing the RGB settings. This allowed me to give the image more of a cinematic look.

Lastly, I added text and shapes to the image to add information about the advertisement.

MMA Planning: Initial Ideas

Here is a photo of my 4 initial ideas for my MMA. I have quickly sketched 4 designs on how my advertisement could look and different ways of portraying the artist through image and design. 

Design 1 will be a side-view long shot image of the artist leaning against a wall. His head will face the camera so the viewer can see his facial profile (help them recognise the artist when looking for the album/seeing images etc. The artist name, album title, album release date and the title of his new single will be included in the advertisement. This information will be displayed next to his figure going down the image as shown in my sketch.

Design 2 will be a portrait mid-shot photo of the artist again leaning against a wall. The artist name, album title, album release date and the title of his new single will be included in the advertisement.  This information will be displayed from top to bottom of the advertisement as shown in my sketched diagram. This design will also have a coloured border matching the colour scheme of the image.

Design 3 will be a long shot of the artist leaning against his car which will be seen within the music video. This gives the music video more recognition/advertisement along with the artist and album. The artist name, album title, album release date and the title of his new single will be included in the advertisement.  This information will be displayed from top to bottom of the advertisement as shown in my sketched diagram. 

Design 4 will be a black background with an image of the digipack/album cover. This would be good to promote the album more by giving the audience an idea of what to look for when wanting to purchase the album. The artist name, album title, album release date and the title of his new single will be included in the advertisement.  This information will be displayed from top to bottom of the advertisement as shown in my sketched diagram.

MMA Planning: Font Choice

I have created a small document with different font choices from photoshop, showing the name of the CD Digipack. This helped me see which fonts suited the artist best as this is important for my designs. After asking my audience which fonts would go well with my design I ended up with 7 choices. I have decided I am going to use the 'Orator Std' font as this is a clear font that stands out and I feel exaggerates the text well. Personally, I feel the font also suits the style of the artist's music and style; quite modern and has a clean cut to it. Furthermore, this font will also work for the CD Digipack as it is clear and easy to read.

MMA Planning: Audience Feedback On Initial Ideas

After designing my initial ideas for my MMA, I showed my target audience my ideas and got them to feedback what they like best and what would attract them most. After discussing my ideas with them idea 2 was the most popular. They liked how the artist was the main target for the page by having a large portrait image. They also liked the detail of what information would be included in the advertisement.

'The Magazine advertisement I found the most compelling was number 2. It used up most of the A4 space and left no looming black spots that would make it look unprofessional. The fact the it also has the CD cover on it as well is genius therefore their audience can find the hardcopy version of the album and buy it with ease. The placement of the name at the top is also well done as it will be the first thing the audience see's.'

'I like design 2 best, it flows with the theme of the artist and your chosen song to which you want to use. I like the fact you have included information on the release date and the featured single which is your chosen song. However, what you can add to improve your idea is also including both of the actors that star in the music video.'

MMA Planning: Chosen Idea

This is my final sketch design for my Music Advertisement. I am happy with how I want to layout the artist information and placement of the title and artist name. After I have done my photoshoot, I may decide to change the image design of the artist as I want the advertisement to be simple yet eye-catching to my audience. I will be using the same fonts as I will use for my Digipack to keep the continuity between them.

MMA Planning: Photoshoot

After photographing Brandon and Olivia for both my MMA and CDD in my final photoshoot with them I have decided on using these final images for the Music Advertisement. I feel these images are professional and eye-catching to an audience and suit the layout I have planned for my Music Advertisement. 

MMA Process: Photoshop Process

I decided to start by choosing my favourite image I took of Brandon and using that as a starting point. I started by changing the brightness, saturation/hue and colour of his skin tone as I wasn't happy with the current colour. I also got rid of any blemishes in the image. Once I was happy with the lighting and skin tones in the image I then went on to change the background of the image to white, therefore giving myself a blank canvas to work with. However, I didn't like the contrast with the white and the colours I had chose, so then I changed the image to black and white which I liked and thought gave the image a much more dramatic appearance. 

I then went on to looking at the image of Brandon and Olivia together as I feel this image shows a very powerful connection between the two. I again changed the colour skin tones and blemishes in the image and then went on to changing the background to black. I chose black again to give me a blank canvas to work with.

Once I was happy with both of the images, I went on to merging them together. I liked how I had Brandon pursuing the artist in the image on his own as masculine and serious, but then the image of him with Olivia contrasts and shows him as relaxed and happy. I thought having these on top of each other would show that contrast to the audience but also advertise the music video for his new album. Furthermore, it shows that his album is about a relationship.

I was very happy with how these images had worked together therefore, I went on to using both images for my Music Advertisement. After putting the images in the correct place I then went on to adding text to my MMA. I decided to have all the text in white as it contrasted well with the image and background. I included the artist name and title along with the release date, digipack front cover, the title of the new single and the artists social media pages. I felt this was enough information to fill the advertisement but it didn't overcrowd. I downloaded the logos from Google, using the transparent effect so they had no background. I got all my social media and information from my research I had done on Tom Grennan from my earlier post on my blog.

MMA Version 1:

Overall, I am very happy with how my first MMA has turned out and I feel it looks very professional and clean.

MMA Version 1: Feedback

After showing my MMA to my audience I asked them what they liked about it and what could be improved. They understood straight away who it was advertising and the genre of the artist. They also liked the font style and the layout of the information. When asked about improvements they said they liked the idea of having both the artist and the girl laid on top of the main image of the artist however, the problem with this is that the artists face merges with the two faces on top, giving his face a deformed effect. They preferred the image of the artist looking straight towards the camera more than the 'couple' image as it is a very powerful image and catches the eye. After hearing this feedback, I have decided I will remove the image of both the artist and the girl and just have the one image of the artist. Also, due to me changing my CD Digipack too, this will also change on the Music Advertisement.

MMA Process: Changing the image layout

Due to the feedback on my images for my MMA I decided to use just one image instead of over lapping both of them. I decided on just using the image of Brandon as the main focus of this advertisement is on the artist. I also changed this image into black and white with a red background to keep the focus on my theme from my CDD. 

Final Outcome