I agree that music magazines do, in general, tend to appeal more to a male readership (a good example of this being the well-known Q magazine), however, I also recognize that there are music magazines which heavily target girls- a prime example is Top of the Pops. There are also magazines such as Kerrang!, which split the audience.
Q magazine claims to be read by a 75% male readership. Aspects of the magazine which clearly appeal to men include the fact that most of the cover stars are male, presented as brooding, incredulous, or even aggressive, all traits that are commonly associated with the male gender. Rare female cover stars, on the other hand, are often sexualised in order to appeal more to men.
There are also many more male artists mentioned in the magazine. On the front covers alone, approximately 90% of the artists mentioned are usually male, implying that men hold a greater importance.
Even the colour scheme is more appealing to men, seeing as it consists of red, and varying monochromatic shades. Red signifies blood, violence, and aggression, while the latter colours connote gloominess and disdain, all of which are related more to men than to women.
On the other hand, Top of the Pops magazine claims to be read by an 85% female readership, Aspects of the magazine which clearly appeal to girls include the colour scheme, which contrasts with one of Q magazine greatly. Consisting of light colours such as pink, purple, and white, it gives the magazine a playful, innocent look that appeals to the target audience of girls up to twelve years old.
The cover stars on the magazine are virtually equal parts male and female. However, rather than objectified, the women are given ‘big sister’ status- they look like idols, glamorous and trustworthy. Male cover stars, on the other hand, are presented as objects of attraction, and are usually tween idols. Cover stars are usually also referred to by their first names or various nicknames, creating an insular feel that only young girls will be able to relate to.
Kerrang! appears to be mix of the two genders in terms of readership, with 57% readers being male. Evidence that this appeals to both genders includes the scruffy, distressed masthead that gives the magazine an edgy look, thus appealing more to men. However, Kerrang! also advertises the fact that it contains posters, which tend to appeal more to the archetypal female audience (decorating, et cetera). Furthermore, the poster artists are often either fully-clothes women, or men (presented as attractive, much like in Top of the Pops), which appeal more to females.
However, it is still evident that Kerrang! is aimed more towards males: the covers stars often look menacing and aggressive, covered in tattoos, blood, or smoking, swearing, et cetera. All of this creates a rebellious image, which resonates more with men.
Top of the Pops:
- Colour scheme consists
mainly of light colours (e.g. pink, purple, white) that are associated with girls and connote playfulness and innocence.
- Equal amounts of male and female cover stars: males are presented as attractive, idols, women presented as ‘big sister’ types- friendly, glamorous, approachable
- Masthead is written in soft, curvy bubble writing, which makes it look fun and appealing to young girls.
- Appearance-oriented features that focus on clothes, make-up, et cetera.
- ‘Inspiring’ stories aimed at school girls (focussed on bullying, et cetera) from idolised stars, using insular, colloquial language.
Kerrang!:
- Masthead looks rough and distressed, scruffy, which gives the magazine a rebellious, edgy look. Colour scheme is dark.
- Cover stars usually male, but females are not objectified; more so presented as rebellious (see Hayley Williams cover- swearing gesture).
- Cover stars: covered in blood (see Bring Me the Horizon cover), smoking (see Ville Valo cover), swearing (see Hayley Williams cover), tattooed (see Gallows cover). Often look angry, rarely approachable or smiling. All make it look edgy, aggressive, in-your-face.
- Issues include free posters, which makes it appeal to females (decorating, et cetera).
Q magazine:
- Mainly male cover stars- often appear incredulous, threatening (see Kasabian cover), aggressive (see Dave Grohl cover). Rare female cover stars are sexualised (see Lady Gaga and Lily Allen covers) in order to appeal to male audience.
- Colour scheme consists of red, as well as monochrome shades. Red connotes violence, blood, rage, while monochrome shades are gloomy, all been associated with males.
- Cover stars wear dark clothing, which gives them a rebellious look.
- More male cover artists than female, using aggressive in-your-face language: “this will kill me!” (see Dave Grohl cover), “it’s over!” (see Kasabian cover).
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