R

olling Stone is a biweekly magazine that focuses on popular culture. It was founded in San

Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner, who is still the magazine's publisher, and music critic Ralph J.
Gleason. The magazine was first known for its musical coverage and for
political reporting by Hunter S. Thompson. In the 1990s, the magazine shifted
focus to a younger readership interested in youth-oriented television shows,
film actors, and popular music. In recent years, the magazine has resumed its
traditional mix of content. During the 1980s, the magazine began to shift
towards being a general "entertainment" magazine. Music was still a
dominant topic, but there was increasing coverage of celebrities in television,
films and the pop culture of the day. The magazine also initiated its annual
"Hot Issue" during this time.
I carried out a survey to see who my direct target audience is, I did this by
sending out a survey with a variety of questions in order to see which part of
the magazine the audience is drawn to the most.
Age
The rolling stones markets its audience between the ages of
sixteen to twenty five, I feel this is because these people have
more spare time to read magazines and have a general
interest in music, However, I know from my secondary research
that the Rolling Stones have said that their target audience is
the middle of the road rock fans of all ages. This suggests
that they want their target audience to have great music
knowledge, especially in rock music; which is what the
magazine mostly focuses on. With its various media platforms,
the audience is allowed to interact with the magazine like
they never have been in the past. Social networking sites such
as Twitter, MySpace and Facebook have allowed Rolling
Stones costumers to interact with not only the magazine, but
with other music fans, younger people mostly use social media
networking sites and read more articles online than on actual
paper, my graph helps show this as you can see, the rolling stones has a younger audience. Ages
under sixteen got no votes, I found out in my secondary research that they market there magazine
towards the ages of eighteen to twenty four which is nearly the same as my graph, Also, because
the rolling stones uses more formal language and are very honest than other music magazines,
which people over the age of eighteen will find more interesting.

Gender
Looking at my graph, the majority of people thought that
the magazine is aimed more at both male and female, and
male. This is because there are such a variety of different
people both male and female that is into reading music
magazine.
There are no particularly negative aspects of gender
representation within the magazine as each gender is
portrayed in generally the same way. However, I have
noticed that since the beginning of the Rolling Stone
magazine, there has been many more females featured on
the cover; opposed to males. This is very positive, as only a
short time ago men and women would not have been
equal in the music industry. Females that have appeared
on Rolling Stone cover in the last two years include
Rhianna, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Adele, Glee cast, Mad Men cast and many more. By using more
females on the featured issues and the front covers, potentially Rolling Stone will increase their target
audience as more female music fans could purchase it due to female artists having equal power as
male artists, this is why people voted for both genders, this is why the reader feels a connection or
like a certain artists on the front cover, which links in with my other question further down as most
people would pick up the magazine depending whose on the front cover.

Education
As my graphs, the highest level of education my audience
though was a degree level.
This links back to my target audience as the majority of
readers were at the age between sixteen to twenty five,
between these ages you are at a higher level of education
are most likely more intellectual at this stage.
Along with the many and more prominent music features,
there are political and social issues included also in the
magazine. It began its political coverage in the 1970s with its
journalist Hunter S. Thompson. Included Lady Gaga, who
gave a speech against bullying at the Whitehouse earlier this
month. This is a perfect example of how the music industry
can influence the political industry, having this in the
magazine means that backs up my graph as people most
thought that readers of the rolling stones would be at a
degree level, because people at this stage in education are
more intellectual than people at gcse level.

Along the right third we can see a cover line in a plain black font reading Did boss weed
the gangster who changed the pot game? This sub heading would draw the readers in,
as their target audience would become intrigued by it. This is an example of the magazine
speaking to its audience directly. This is said in an informal, friendly way which welcomes
the reader in and therefore it appeals to them. The reader feels as though the magazine is
speaking to them directly, which could in the future lead their potential audience to
purchase the magazine again

How often do you read magazines?

This graph tells me that the majority of people that took it
read magazines monthly, as my target audience is young, it
might link into the fact that they are still in education, which
means they might not have as much money to spend or
would rather spend it on something else. Rolling stones
magazine is not one of the cheapest magazines either,
coming at a price of four nighty nine. The smallest percent
being weekly, this again could link in with who is on the front
cover of the magazine and the social demographics with
alot of the audiences saying c1 and c2, these are manual
jobs that are not the best paid, this could be a factor that my
audience read monthly or buy cheaper magazines.

My graphs show the majority of my audience though that

the eye catchiness of the magazine was okay, with the
second vote being extremely. the majority of the vote
voted okay because they either are not interested in
reading the magazine or the front cover being Bruno Mars
which they may not favour.
the cover of the magazine presents a good image of
males, maybe this why it might not appeal to a female
audience. Bruno Mars is very creative, artistic and original
which is a good stereotypical image. The front cover really
emphasis his image, he does look very dominant on the
front cover. There are no particularly negative aspects of
gender representation within the magazine as each
gender is portrayed in generally the same way.
What features do you find eye catching
As expected, the majority of the people that took my survey
said that they find the artist on the front cover more
appealing than the content inside, this links in with my
question on what level of education my audience are on,
which was degree level, with A level following along just
behind. It links because people at this age I feel are more
drawn to the front cover than the content inside. Rolling
stones magazine uses high quality images, bold fonts and
good layout in order to grab the audiences attention.
This links in with the last question, the majority of the
audience felt again, they would pick up a magazine purely
of its artist on the front of it. However, I, feel that the older
audiences would pick it up for the content inside, for
example on the front cover o the magazine which features
Bruno Mars, on the left of the page it has headings of the page of
what artists are going to be featured inside and one of them being
the rolling stones, linking it back in with the question, that the
magazines sells more because of the front cover, its target
audience being younger people mean they pick it up often for the
image, where as older would pick it up more for the content, thats
why the majority of people voted for artists on the front cover.

Demographic group
The majority of people that took my survey thought the social
demographic group rolling stones is aimed at was group B. Group
B include people with well-paid occupation such as Teachers, you
manage the business but are not managing the whole sector, but
still paid a good amount mainly intermediate managerial,
administrative or professional. People in this sector would normally
read magazines such as rolling stones as its more intellectual and
complex than magazines such as heat and OK.
Advertisements in Rolling Stone are directly related to their target
audience. One advertisement that stood out to me was one for
Starbucks. Compared to other coffee shops, Starbucks is
considered quite dear. This could suggest that Rolling Stones
target audience is working, professional, creative people who
enjoy listening and learning about music.
People voted group E and C2 being the least likely group to read
the magazine, this group consist of people that work in the
construction industry for example, mechanics, plumbers and carpenters. And would read the news
most likely half online and on a newspaper. Group E however consist of unemployed, students, state
pensioners and widows, this category have the least money and are most likely less intellectual than
other groups.

Codes and conventions of the magazine

Layout and design
The overall analysis of the magazine is very well layed out, the writing is placed around the image so
it doesnt distract the viewer from the actual image. The style of the magazine is used across the
magazine covers to create a brand look so that people recognize the magazine more, meaning
that the viewers will automatically know and recognize the cover. The mast head is across the top of
the magazine in the primary optical creating a strong consist throughout the series of the magazines.
Having the layout of the double page spread which talks about Adele, is laid out very
sophisticatedly, having the image of Adele on the right hand side makes it more striking when you
turn over the page, although it could be argued that the layout of the page on the left is relatively
cluttered compared to the full page photo on the right. The title takes up the best part of the page.
The layout of the page is quite typical to the style of articles found in Rolling Stone, especially the
font
Color and font
The colors used on the magazine are mainly white gold and black, which stands out against the
white background. The red and black signifies the genre of the magazine which is rock. The yellow
also contrasts against the main image making the font stand out more. The main cover line is best
rock of twenty thirteen which stands out against the white background, making it more striking to the
viewer. It also attracts the target audience as the magazine is saying it has the best rock bands of
twenty thirteen. The main cover line is placed in the weak follow area. The design principle has been
used as the cover lines in the in the primary optical area. However, the main cover line is in the weak
follow but the yellow and bold writing make it a more of a key focus point
Image
The main image of Mars is placed in the center of the cover, the cigarette in his mouth and the
leopard print shirt signifies the danger which links in with the rock magazine, it helps emphasis the
magazines edge and power. Mars is staring at the camera which helps the reader connect with him
immediately and sends a direct message, which leads the audience to go on a buy it. The front
cover of this edition features singer Bruno Mars, the way he is presented on the cover canvas a
message of him being very natural and cool, the fag hanging out of his mouth and his jewellery
shows his authority and dominance on the cover, which helps draws readers in. The master head is
at the top of the magazine behind Mars head, the writing is bold and red which contrasts against
again the white background. Rolling stones uses this a lot, and are very well known for having the
artist overlap the title., this helps increase sales by putting the artist in the center of the cover, this
helps increase sales by putting one of the most current artists in the front of the magazine, this will

then hopefully appeal to people. With the double page spread of Adele, she os placed on the left
hand side of the page, making it more striking for the reader as they turn over the page. The size of
the photo adds to the punchy atmosphere of the article; big hair, big title, big makeup, big
personality. It is not constrained to just one page though, some of the photo is still apparent on the
bottom right of the left page, where the text wraps around to avoid color clashes. Adele is one of
the most well-known female artists, so the audience and fans of Adele and the magazine will
automatically be drawn to her immediately which will then lead them on to read the article. Even
Though Adeles eyes are not directly facing the camera, her head is, this will help pull readers in and
persuade them to then read the article. The main image used on the page is of Adele, which is who
the text is about. The photo is a close-up shot which makes the reader feel closer and more like a
personal friend to Adele. This is linked to the fact that the article is in the first person so the reader
feels like it is her talking to them up close, her mouth is also slightly open to give a more welcome
and attractive look.
Lighting
The lighting is places on Bruno mars as it helps show the audience who the articles about. The
lighting also lights up the singers leopard print shirt. This suggests the genre of the magazine as
leopards are dangerous. Connecting with the genre of magazine being rock. The lighting helps light
his face up, but there is still a tone to the image, the right side of his face is slightly shadowed, this
adds more depth to the image, which makes it look more realistic
Words
The front cover of the rolling stones uses simple but word that stand out, for example pops golden
child and the gangster who changed the pot game, these words are simple, but stand out to the
target audience which are younger people, this would appeal to them. In the Adele article,
The Rolling stone has used a droop capital for the beginning of the article, it helps the article more
sophisticated and helps enhance the page spread. The font used in this is very elegant and classy,
along with the image of Adele. I is emphasized on this page and is personal pronoun, which makes
the article more personal. The writing is Adele talking herself, not someone talking about her, which
engages and intrigues the reader more. The drop cap also draws attention to the beginning of the
article so people will notice it and read it
Captions
Captions are used in the rolling stones to communicate to the reader what the article
is about for example of the cover which features Bruno Mars. The main cover line is
best rock of twenty thirteen which stands out against the white background, making
it more striking to the viewer. It also attracts the target audience as the magazine is
saying it has the best rock bands of twenty thirteen. The main cover line is placed in
the weak follow area. The design principle has been used as the cover lines in the in the primary
optical area. However, the main cover line is in the weak follow but the yellow and bold writing
make it a more of a key focus point
Anchorage
In the front cover of the rolling stones, anchorage is used to relate the words to the image to the
target audience, for example the bold text Bruno Mars shows the audience who the magazines
about and relates to the image. By having a colored background on the anchorage text allows it to
really standout and highlight that Bruno Mars is featured in the magazine.
Narratives
The narrative of the front cover of the magazine is informal and fun, as its target audience is younger
this is probably why the words such as pot game and boss weed are used. Its informal and use
the slang word pot. They use these words to make the magazine stand out as other music
magazines have more formal headline. The rolling stones breaks the boundaries by using these
words as it has a good clean representation to its audiences.
The double page spread of Adele is formal but yet truthful, as Adele is very much herself in it, so the
audience dont feel like the articles fake, its real. The first sentence in bold saying I wanna do
something mean emphasis her bubbly personality and her truthfulness that the magazine present
well, making it a better read for the audience. I is emphasized on this page and is personal
pronoun, which makes the article more personal. The writing is Adele talking herself, not someone
talking about her, which engages and intrigues the reader more. The drop cap also draws
attention to the beginning of the article so people will notice it and read it.

Linguistic
Music magazines use short, snappy and punchy lines to attract readers, the words such as the
biggest price fixing scandal ever engages the audience immediately as they want to know what it
means. Rolling stones use this to attract the audience in order to get more sales. They dont use long
sentences on the front cover as the reader would lose interest, as their target audience is young
people, and would lose attention quickly if it was a longer sentence as its not short and snappy,
rolling stones do this to engage there target audience. They dont use full sentences for the cover
because people would lose interest as it forces them to spend more time actually reading what it
inside the magazine rather than just scanning over it to get an idea. The rolling stones use short
snappy words another example, Bruno Mars is written in a big and bold writing with pops golden
child underneath in black, after reading the Bruno mars title, the reader is directly want to scan over
the cover pops golden child this relates to my target audience because they listen to pop music
and the words golden child insinuate he is the best artist in pop.
Visual
Conventions of music magazines I have found that the target audience prefer the celebrity on the
front cover two the writing. The target audience for this magazine is sixteen to twenty five. The front
cover uses short snappy phrases to get the viewer engaged, with its large fonts and wacky colors,
this also keeps the reader attached, as the layout has to stand out in order for my target reader to
actually buy the magazine. Rolling stones places there title behind the celebritys head but the
boldness of the text and the color red still stands out, it also helps to emphasize the celebrity on the
front cover in order for them to standout.
Conventions of the double page spread Adele article help the interview to stand out immediately as
you turn the page there is a huge picture of her which takes up the whole right page. The bold use
of the sun heading at the top is immediately striking to the viewer.
The font matches the words, it is almost regal and formal, emphasizing the 'triumphant' nature of her
career. The subtitles below it that give some more in depth ideas about the article are in a similar,
formal style font, only in italics to differentiate from the actual heading. The rest of the article is
written with a strict, basic style font much like times new roman, to match the serif aspect of the main
article title. The large 'I' at the start of the article brings attention to the article itself, giving it an
interesting look to differentiate from what is, quite simply, a lot of writing. The writing wraps around
the side of the picture to avoid conflicting with the picture and keep the text
Symbolic
The symbolic conventions tell you what is happening beneath the surface. Codes are used in the
front cover of Bruno mars. For example the image of mars coveys a stereotypical image of a pop
star to its target audience that the target audience will like., it portrays a reckless and you only live
once image of Mars, almost like hes breaking the rules, as my target audience is sixteen to twenty,
they can relate to this rebellious image. With the double page spread of Adele, we see her take up
the whole of the second page, her eyes are drifted away from the audience, as her music is
powerful but yet sad, shes almost turning away in emotion would the audience can relate to.

Modes of address
Rolling Stone addresses the audience in its magazine using colloquial language on the front cover
through the use of slang from pot and gangster. These are the sort of words that my target
audience would use being a younger generation. These are the words that younger people use
which appeals to my target audience more which highlighting how informal the article is. The
magazine doesnt particularly address the audience directly because there are no uses of phrases
like you or youre, it gives bold sun heading such as pot game and gangster to appeal to its
audience. This informal slang is conventional of a music/gossip magazine with a similar audience
and is engages the audience because it sounds friendlier. Having Bruno Mars smoking shows his
dominance and emphasis what hes wearing and the whole image of the magazine showing how
they are portraying rock, this appeal to the audience as they can relate to Mars edginess on the
front cover.

Personally, compared to other music magazines, Rolling Stone stands out as the more sophisticated
and serious one. Its style is simple yet effective and appears to be very professional, having expert
opinions on the music-industry. Their target audience wants powerful music facts and familiarity. The
overall impact and result of Rolling Stone is that it is a dedicated music magazine, who wants to
have a dedicated, serious music fan base. Compared to a magazine like NME for example, I think
Rolling Stone is specialized and certified. If you look at a cover of NME, then at Rolling Stone we can
see a distinct difference between the covers. NME has a completely different target audience, as
well as a different mission statement. The two magazines also focus on different types of music (NME
on up and coming music as well as Top 40 music, whereas Rolling Stone focuses on iconic,
influential music). I think the magazine sought its target audience as, the rebellious but yet influential
artists that appear on the front really connects with the reader.