Double page spread first draft

Cara Young

Stand first: 

She has taken over the internet world and is now slowly taking over the real world, but what makes this heavenly-voiced angel so damn good? 

Cara Young, only 19 years old has dominated the internet by getting over 3 million views on her first music video on YouTube in just 3 days! 

Question and answers: 

Q: So, Cara how does it feel like getting 3 million views on your first music video on YouTube? Especially in just 3 days?

C: I still don't believe it, I honestly thought I'd only get about 50 views from my friends and family [laughs], but getting 3 million in just three days it just doesn't feel real at all. It feels like this is a joke, I honestly can't stop thinking about it.

Q: It did become very popular very quickly! Did you get people contacting you after?

C: Yeah a lot of people kept messaging me on social websites like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube ect. saying they wanted my email and my phone number to get a record deal for me. Only 5 days after the video! It's just crazy, I am very blessed to get noticed so quickly. Some people take years to get noticed! 

Q: You are very blessed indeed! Who were your inspirations to get into music and start your own career? 

C: Well my main inspiration is Lana Del Rey. I wanted my music to be similar to hers, but not entirely like hers. My other inspirations are Arctic Monkeys, Jake Bugg and The Vaccines. I wanted my own music to be a mash up of all of these kinds of music, they're all Indie Rock bands but they all have different sounds to them and I think they all cool really. I'm just trying to be as original as I can.

Q: People have compared you to Lana Del Rey a lot, perhaps a new Lana Del Rey? 

C: [laughs] I have been compared to her, but I don't quite think I'm the new Lana Del Rey. She's too great, better than I will ever be. 

Q: Who would you like to collaborate in the future, we're guessing you'd happily collaborate with Lana Del Rey?

C: Of course I would! I would also like to collaborate with Jake Bugg, I'd love to become his friend or him to enjoy my music, it'd be a great achievement. Collaborating with Arctic Monkeys and The Vaccines would also be brilliant to be honest. 

Q: Have you been planned to play any festivals  or upcoming gigs?

C: Well, a lot of record stores have been calling me asking me to sing a few songs, I have an upcoming gig at The Peel in Kingston, Banquet Records are helping me sell tickets for it, pretty excited for it, it'd be my first gig after becoming so popular! And festivals, I have been asked to attend Glastonbury, which is absolutely crazy as I have always wanted to play Glastonbury ever since I was 14. It's all so surreal, but I'm very happy. 

Q: Looks like you have a very good year ahead of you! So now let's find out a little bit about your personal life. Are you seeing anyone currently? 

C: No I'm single. I think being independent right now is a good thing, I can focus more on starting my career and become known and do well. Right now I'm happy being single, I don't need anyone else to make me happy, I just don't feel the need for it. 

Q: Would you ever like to get into a relationship?

C: Well of course I would, but after I get settled in, and find someone who is really worth it, you know?  Maybe once I get to know Jake Bugg better [laughs] I'm joking! Well I'm not saying I wouldn't but obviously we don't know each other well enough. 

Q: I'm sure once he gets to know you he'd happy see you! So how was your first ever interview? 

C: It was very good! Nerve wrecking but better than I thought. This magazine has inspired me a lot to get into music as well, always got a copy every month!

Q: Ah stop it! Well I hope you do well in your career and we shall interview you in the sooner future, after Glastonbury of course!

C: I'm very excited for this! I really hope I do get to have another interview with you guys. Thank you so much for having me! 

Genre mind-map

Mood Board

For my mood board I have included front covers from NME and Q magazine, I have also included double page spreads and instruments that artists from the Indie Rock genre use. I've taken all of these different covers/double page spreads to get ideas from, they all have a similar colour scheme that not too lowkey but not too highkey as well. I think that these colours represent the Indie Rock genre. The double page spreads help me decide how I want to layout my own double page spreads and the covers also help me decide what colours I will want to use and how I would want to lay out my front cover. I also like the idea of most of the artists looking into the camera as it makes the reader engaged with them, but I mainly like the issue with Jake Bugg as he is turned his head facing the other way, readers may still be intrigued as to what made him look in a completely different direction.

Music magazines placed in a shop

 

I went to Asda to see how they layout their music magazines. Asda has placed different music magazines such as Q, NME, Rock Sound, Record Collection ect. underneath leisure. This could show how music is portrayed as a form of relaxation rather than a hobby as it used to be. Also in terms of the placement, they are the first focal point for the customer which therefore shows they are more popular than the others in the category. In terms of style I believe that they stand out more than the other magazines.

Group work analysis of double page spread

In a lesson we got into little groups and analysed three different double page spreads from three different magazines. This group work has helped me analyse in depth other double page spreads but it has also helped me develop my idea for how I would like to layout my own double page spread.

Double page spread analysis

Q magazine put Lana Del Rey on the left hand side of the double page spread. She takes up most of the page to clarify that she is the main subject of this article. She has her eyes closed, suggesting she is not making an effort to engage with the readers. Although, this wouldn't prevent the readers wanting to go in-depth of her interview. Even though the picture of Lana is blown up, her name is in a little font at the top right of the double page spread, this could shows how they make her beauty a main focus of the magazine, a bit like the pop genre they try to glamorise the artist more than just talk about the music. The journalist has made the beginning letter of the article massive which draws out attention from the main article but it also makes it effective as it makes the reader want to know what the "S" stand for. The "S" gets hidden by the article making the article look more important than the S, which could draw in readers attention. The main article's structure is very consistent, making it clear and easy to read the article. The colour scheme of the article is quite dull, but it makes it look very sophisticated. The photograph of Lana has been edited with some very lowkey colours, which relates to the article being quite dull.

In NME magazine they blow up the picture of The Vaccines on one page that it goes onto the next page, making them the main focus of the double page spread. All of the members are looking into the camera which shows they are trying to engage the readers into wanting to read the article. The journalist has made the band name big and bold so that if readers don't know who they are they will be intrigued to find out and listen to their music. The article has space for a quote from the lead singer of the band, this will catch readers attention as to why he has said that. The main interview layout is consistent and neat, which makes the reader want to read the article more as it is easy and not unorganised. They make the first letters of two of the first paragraphs big and blue to draw in readers attention to the main bit. The colour scheme in this article is quite calm, it uses light colours like blue, white and cream. These colours could relate to the kind of genre this band is from.

In the Kerrang! double page spread they've put a big picture of All Time Low on the left hand side of the page and they've also added pictures around the the article to intrigue their fans and other readers to want to find out more about them. They look directly into the camera in the big picture and also in the picture of the lead singer to get the readers engaged in the article and make them want to read the article. They make the band quote "Mostly just blow each other..." size bigger to make readers want to find out more, they've used that quote as it's quite a bizarre quote and basically an innuendo which may make readers find the band funny and want to read on about them. They used another band quote by the lead singer, which again would make readers find the band funny and want to find out more, these quotes make the band seem like their target audience is clearly adolescents and adults. The layout of the main article is clear and layed out consistently. The journalist has highlighted the question that they've asked the band, making it clear that the article is an interview. The pictures have captions which informs the reader what is happening in the photograph, this gives the reader access to know what they are like when they aren't on stage or in the public eye. The colours here are a mixture of high and lowkey as they're black and yellow. The colours relate to the genre of the band.

For my own double page spread I would like to use the idea of the artist looking into the camera, as it would intrigue the readers into wanting to find out more about the band. I would like the article to be an interview with the artists, which shows how you could find out more from this artist who may be new in the industry. I would like to use the colour scheme that would match the genre of my artist in my double page spread as it would look very effective. I'd like to keep my article consistent and layed out straight to get to the point and make it neat and clear.

Content Analysis

The Kerrang!'s content page is very consistent and not irrelevant, making it look more professional. It uses a lowkey colour scheme with dark colours, which focuses on what kind of music would be in this magazine. Underneath the picture it says "Kerrang! This week" which clearly informs you what will be in the magazine, it elaborates on the stories inside the magazine which would have been mentioned on the cover. It gives you the page numbers which you can quickly go see the story. It even has pictures of the double page spread on the content page which would attract audiences to want to buy the magazine. At the bottom right side corner you have an offer on wanting to get an subscription at a low price. On the bottom left hand side corner we have a very brief and short summary of what is in the magazine this weeks by the deputy editor, it also tells you where to go for the full story. For my own magazine content I would like to use lowkey colour scheme, I would also like to use the way they lay out the content, I would also use what the issue number is and what date it was published and I
would use the idea of having pictures of the double    page spread on the content page.

NME's content page is very consistent, it uses quite a dark-lowkey colour scheme but it's not as dark as Kerrang!s content page. The lowkey colour scheme for NME's content page can  relate to the music genre of the magazine. In NME's content page it is very clear that the main thing on this page is the mini article about Kasabian. The big picture of Kasabian performing in the middle of the page is more likely to attract fans of Kasabian, although it is only a brief article about them. On the left hand side of the content page they have made a list of what bands have been mentioned in this issue and next to the bands name are page numbers. On the left hand side is a list of what will be in the magazine. They also mention which piece of content was on the cover, making it easier for the reader to find the story that drawn them to the magazine. At the bottom left corner they include extra content that will be in the magazine. NME have also made "THE UK'S No1 GIG GUIDE STARTS p58" stand out by putting it onto an arrow, showing that this magazine is clearly about music, and as music fans, the readers would like to be informed about gigs or even have tips on how to get ready for a gig. At the bottom of the page NME made a lot os space for readers to consider becoming a subscriber, they try to attract them by making the title big and bold, also saying they will be saving a lot of money.
In my magazine I would like to use the "band index" and list what bands will be in my magazine, I would also like to use the layout of the content page.

Q's content page is very consistent and sophisticated. The colour scheme is very clear and would run throughout the magazine, it's very calm and makes the text clear, making it very professional. Most of the main content is at the bottom of the page, but there are three content paragraphs that are placed in different areas because of the photographs. On the left side of the content page it has some of the main features in the magazine. The Q logo is used consistently for continuity purposes. The title of it is "The Q Review the world's finest music guide" which shows how sophisticated Q magazine are. Underneath the title shows different categories, live, album, which includes the artist who is on the cover Jake Bugg, Reissues and Gadgets. These could be the main content that readers may like to see in the magazine. Compared to Kerrang! and NME, on this page Q doesn't include the subscription advertisement. For my magazine I would like to use the way the content page is layed out, as it looks very sophisticated and consistent.

Different institution analysis

Bauer Media Group
Bauer Media Group operates in 16 different countries. Their headquarters is located in Hamburg, Germany. BMG owns Q magazine, Kerrang! magazine and Mojo magazine.  Bauer doesn't only own music magazines, they also own women's weekly magazines, TV listing magazines and also puzzle magazines. They also own their own radio station which is based in the UK.  BMG also owns TV channels such as 4 Music, Kerrang!, Smash Hits and Magic. Bella was the first magazine that was published in the UK by Bauer in 1987.

NME
New Music Express is a weekly pop/rock music publication. They only own one music magazine and they also named the magazine NME. It was originally a music newspaper then it turned into a magazine in the 80s and 90s. NME used to have a channel on TV which launched on the 22nd of November in 2007 but then was closed down on the 2nd of January 2012, it was replaced with Chart Show TV. NME also have a radio (NME Radio). It first aired on the 24th of June, 2008. It is mainly based on alternative music.

BBC/Immediate Media Company
Immediate Media Company launched the magazine "Top of the Pops" in February 1995 after the BBC TV show Top of the Pops, which then closed down in 2006. Immediate Media Company also owns the monthly magazine "BBC Music Magazine" since 2012. Any magazine the BBC owned was sold to Immediate Media Company for them to publish it. IMG also publishes magazines for pre-teenagers, History, TV and radio magazines. Examples of the magazines they own are Doctor Who Adventures (since 2006), Radio Times (since 2011), History (since 2000) and Top Gear (since 1993).

Music magazine timeline

I have researched Q magazines history and picked covers that have four years between them, ranging from the first ever issue to the first issue they will publish in January 2014. In my analysis I have seen that the Q logo changed, it still has a red background apart from July's issue in 1990. In the first issue in 1986 the logo is in a rectangle, throughout the years they've changed it into a square making more room for the artist on the cover who is the main focus of the magazine. Throughout the years the magazine has become more sophisticated, they developed a lot since their first issue. In their first issue they had everything put into grids  until the September 1998 issue where the cover stories were just put around the artist. After April 2010's issue they've layered the artists ontop of the Q logo. They've kept the artists name at the bottom of their issues from September 1998. Q magazines background is mainly lowkey apart from June 2002 which is highkey. On the 20th issue of the magazine they made lists of top 20s for the greatest albums and tracks in Q's life, also 20 interviews with different artists. Q had 20 different covers to collect for their 20th anniversary. The audience pretty much stayed the same, fans from different genres read this magazine with some pop but also indie.

In my magazine I would like to use the technique of layering the artist over the logo, and also putting the cover stories around the artists. I would like to layer the artists name on them like on the April 2010 issue the way Lady Gaga's first "Ga" is behind her then the second "Ga" is layered onto her.