General
The company that produces the DJ MAG is a Dutch record company called ; Armada music.There is no given target audience according to the publishers website in which affects the reliability of my study on the Magazine.The magazine costs £3.95 or £4.50 outside UK. DJ MAG is published monthly.The circulation is not revealed which also affects my research and the approximate monthly revenue streams from advertising and circulation are not revealed either.
Analysis of Front coverThe consistent font, could be perceived as "boring" but presents a tidiness and organised feel.The blurred background puts a focus on the face of the Artist suggesting an importance. Fonts follow the same colour scheme of the background presenting co-ordination.
The 3-D red and blue colour scheme is successful in presenting originality. Free Exclusive CD which is useful for competition. The topic of information is very specific and would not be understood or appeal to any reader, only the niche market.
The significance of the name of the title; DJ MAG is to address the target audience instantly and provide immediate information about the topic coverage inside.This title connotates music such as drum and bass as well as DJ. The masthead/title logo consists of a bold red and black colour scheme with a record, providing a successful brand-identity. The strapline is used to promote the free CD; Manufactured superstars ft Selina Albright. The main image reaches out to the reader by the recognition of the DJ Annie Mac who is a suited model for the niche market to recognize The medium-long shot and the brightness and contrast of the graphics draws attention towards the image. Her clothing compliments the red and blue 3-D effect on the colour scheme. There is no use of additional images on the front cover, this maybe to focus the attention on to the image of Annie rather than distract the reader else where. The main content promoted by the cover lines;
The free CD, reviews and party guides. The connotations of typefaces, graphics and colour are presenting a modern trend and presenting an individuality. The language devices identified are the usage of language on the Sub-headings presenting an informality.
The cover "talks" to the reader by ;
- Presenting questions that the target audience would be intrigued of the answers.
- Mentioning existing DJs that suit the theme.
- Catchy 3-word puns for cover lines.
- Mentioning topics that are only familiar to the niche market and would alienate others such as; "Why does Dutch Dance dominate?"
There is a wide variety of magazines in competition with DJ MAG due to a large population of magazines supporting DJ based music. A comparison of a rival is NME;
- The variation of fonts and 3 main colours used ; NME uses red, white and black whereas DJ MAG uses blue white and pink.
- The amount of information revealed on the front cover; both magazines expose very little on the cover providing minimal information about the content inside.
- The writing technique such as usage of rhetorical questions.
- The type of advertising; both magazines promote music related things such as Artists, Albums, Concerts etc
- Minimal use of letters for the Title and the placement of the title on the top left hand corner.
- DJ MAG has a medium-long shot , whereas NME has a close-up on its cover.
- NME is produced weekly affecting the amount of circulation in comparison to DJ MAG.
- NME has additional images on the cover in the foreground which contrast well with the background image.
- Both Magazines provide free items to lure the reader in; the October issue of NME gives a free David Bowie poster and DJ MAG gives a 15 track Album.
- The colour scheme of the CD cover is eye-catching and mysterious.
- Being a weekly magazine NME costs £2.20 whereas DJ MAG being a monthly magazine costs £ 3.95
There are 148 pages
There are 37 pages of adverts
The different types of products advertised are;
- Equiptment such as headphones and mixing sets
- Global events
- Upcoming music Albums
- Tour dates of artists who fit the genre
- Interviews with Artists
The "types" of features and articles are; Music - Singles, Albums , Compilations.
Technology- Tech news, discussion on rated and useful equipment
Artists- Interviews with Artists about upcoming releases
Events- Party Events and Global locations
There are 31 spreads throughout the magazine and on average they tend to consist of 3 pages per spread .
Focus on an Artist- The most common spreads including discussion with upcoming Artists and creative use of graphics.
USP- A USP stands for unique selling point. In my personal opinion i feel the unique selling point of DJ MAG is the exclusive CD given meaning competition are not entitled to provide the same item.
As well as the features presented above, the topic content varies within four categories mentioned on the contents; Comin'up- Top 100 DJ's parties, fashion, various articles. On the floor- Upcoming parties and projects, revealing locations. Music- explores different styles of music, promoting Singles and Albums. Tech- promotes the latest technology and its features.
Usage of "advertioals" is cleverly done because all the Artists mentioned either promote their equipment or upcoming album; " I love 1xtra , I listen to radio 1 all the time." Annie Mac's radio show is on radio 1 she therefore has indirectly promoted herself and directly promoted radio 1.
The magazine presents a unified "housestyle" by simple/minimal presentation and appearance of space not only on the cover but throughout.
