Conventions of a music magazine.

Almost all magazine wether it be a lifestyle magazine or a gaming magazine will follow practically the same conventions and 'rules' in order to appeal to an audience. The images on the cover and within the pages of the magazine must fit the content and also the target audience. The name of the magazine also must do this. the colour scheme is also important as it creates a house style that will appeal to a target audience.

Magazines will use a 'mode of address' which is the way a magazine creates a relationship with its audience. The most common is 'direct address'- this is created when the person on the cover will look straight out of the magazine inviting the reader in. 'Indirect address' is when the person looks away. This is not seen as a convention but it has been used before. The mode of address can also refer to the writing in the magazine and how it addresses the reader, usually in a friendly and informal way.
Magazines more often than not will include stars or celebs on covers to increase sales and therefore profit. Stars/famous musicians are conventionally used on the cover of music magazine covers to sell the magazine. The front cover of a magazine is its main advertisement as it has to represent the magazine as a whole. It should be bright, interesting and eye-catching to entice the reader into buying the magazine. The colour scheme should not only reflect its target audience but should also represent the genre of the magazine. Also a variety of fonts are used in order to make it visually interesting and eye-catching.

The contents page should be bright and colorful encouraging the reader to read on. Again direct address is used in all the images. The name of the magazine should be at the top of the page. There is a list of contents, usually under sections e.g gig guides, reviews etc

For the feature article headlines and subheading to explain the story and catch audiences interest. Images of the artist should dominate, 1 large image with multiple smaller ones. Text grabs are used to break up the article, they are usually controversial, rude or funny.