Music Magazine text

 NICK CLARK REVEALS HOW HE ESCAPED A LIFE OF CRIME TO FULFIL HIS DREAM

As i sat in the Hilton hotel suite waiting on his arrival i wondered how a seemingly normal 17 year old from East London could achieve so much in so little. With 2 brit awards,1 grammy and a Barclaycard Mercury Prize .But Nick Clark is far from average,Infact he is the most succesful British artist under 18 EVER !

His music has been described as 'Revolutionary' and 'World changing' but i was here to see the real him and hear his story .He arrived fashionably late and wandered into the room with an Arie of entitlement before slumping into the armchair opposite me without so much as a 'hi'.He was dressed head to toe in designer clothing,His huge sunglasses remained glued to his face throughout our two hour exchange despite it being one of the greyest, rainiest days on record.

My first question was Rather a cliched one, "who inspired you to make music" i asked.Nicks repliy was typically flippant yet insightful "Myself,I'm a genius". This is when i realised just how difficult this was going to be.My second questioned forced a more heartfelt response from the young man as i queried "What inspires your music" to which he responded "my Friends and family,the struggle of those around me.I wanted to capture the camaraderie amongst those in the most deprived areas,that really interests me" As a child who grew up on some of Londons meanest streets it is sometimes hard for people to connect with Nicks take on society.I the asked "do you think the fame has changed you?" he leaned back,took a deep breath and responded by saying "No,i am still the same person, my freinds and family know that.The media are the only ones that doubt me" Nick ill feelings towards the press reared its ugly head again, an issue steaming from some of the critique of journalists who questioned Clarks 'dubious' past. Without the nedd of any prompting Nick continued "Music was my escape from a life of poverty, and i dont want that".

I decided to to try and appeal to Nicks 'wilder' side and ask about his antics following his first Brit award win that earned him the title of 'party animal'.'are these rumours about a 24 hour party right ?' i quizzed. 'haha, yeah thats true' he reacted.'and what about the reported £25,000 spend on alcohole alone !?' 'well we got abit tipsy' he admited witha smirk painted acrodd his face .'Tell us about your managers car' is requested, know full well what the awnser would be. 'Well i borrowed it one night to go meet up with some mates, to cut a long story short i crashed the car into a wall and had to buy my manager another car'. This did'nt bode well for the pairs relationship resulting in Nick sacking his manager of 3 years the next day.This altercation did not go unoticed by the tabloids howeve, who blamed the colision on 'a booze fuelled rampage' This enraged Nick who threatened to sue the newspaper that broke the story Claiming that 'The story is a load of ....'

Nicks reputation as a 'party animal' juxtaposes his music which is a combination of complex melodys and memorable choruses matched with thought provoking lyrics to create truly mesmarising songs that captivate all, both young and old as well as the world most succesful recored label Universal Records based in Nashville, Tennesse who have recently offered Nick a $3 million recording contract.When i casually brought it up in a gap in conversation he was visably excited for the first time in the interview. For a split second his image took a back seat and it allowed his passion for music to manifest itself properly. "Its an amazing oppourtunity" he explained "it's all ive ever wanted and i'd be a fool to turn it down, some of my idols have played there like Oasis and The Beatles"

For someone that was discovered online this was clearly a massive step to take.We are soon to know if Nicks style of music is popular in America as he realeases his second album on Monday 26th November. Entitled 'Glory' this album sets out to track his rise in fame. It includes some of the massive hit singles of recent months as well as some exclusive material from the studio. It marks a evolution in Clarks music from an angry teenager to a signed professional singing from the heart.

Contents page analysis part 3

 

This magazine fully conforms to the conventions of a rock magazine.The masthead is bold and eyecatching.The number 100 helps to add grandue to the featured artical.The photo is taken from front on so that the reader feels connected to the featured artist who's tattoos and apperal reinforce the connotations of rock.The fact that the artist is wearing sunglasses and a hat suggest that he is attempting to hide his identity.This makes the reader question why. The sell lines are written in a standard, clean font.One red buttons is used to catch the readers attention in order to display offers such as 'free 15 track cd' this is done to make readers feel as if they are getting a bargain.The page also limits itself to only a few coulors.the use of the smaller pictures in black and white reinforces the'classic rock' subgenre.

Contents page analysis part 2

 

This contents pages differs greatly from the first that we looked at. Its pure,white, seemingly organised layout subverts the conventions of a rock magazine which are usually messy and free flowing.Unlike the NME contents page this one uses text and imagery in equal measure to make the stories clear to the reader.The page is split into two sub sections 'regulars' and 'reviews' this make articles easier for the reader to find.It also suggests that 'Q' magazine more 'upmarket' as it contains no completions or advertising on this page unlike over magazines of the genre.There is also no mode of address.

Contents page analysis

Like the NME magazine cover this contents page is simple 
 and easy to follow. The colours used are limited and this works well in creating a distinctive style.Unlike most contents pages this one only uses one main image.The headings are bold with brief descriptions underneathwith the page number beside it in a different colour to make it easy to find. The contents page is split into sections like most magazines for example news,radar,reviews,live! and features. At the bottom of the page there is a promotional offer in a different coulor to the rest of the page above to draw the readers eye.

 NME

This magazine is different to any that i have seen before.Firstly there is no main image of a band or artist which especially for a music magazine is very unorthodox.Secondly there are no visible sell lines. The magazine cover does conform to the usual magazine however as it limits its use of colour to three main colours (yellow,black and white) which contrast in an attempt to draw the readers eye to the cover. From a distance it would be hard to tell that this was a magazine cover, this was perhaps done intentionally to intrigue the reader. The large,bold font also acheives this well.

From this cover it would be hard to tell which genre the magazine features.Even the language on the cover is vague. Words such as definitive,final,greatest and accurate are used to display confidence which may be considered a male trait.There is very little to be said about the layout style apart from being clear to read.No photography was used as their is no image for the feature artical.

Magazine case study

 NME

The new musical express AKA NME is a weekly pop/rock magazine based in the U.K.. The magazine was founded in 1952 with the first issue being released on march 7th. The NME started life as a musical newspaper and gradually evolved into a magazine during the 1980's.IN the 1970's the NME became the best selling British music newspaper.

During the 1960s the paper championed the new British groups emerging at the time.The emergence of Bands such as The Beatles and The rolling stones aided sales figures greatly. During this period the NME leaned towards the pop genre more than it did the rock genre.

By the 1970's NME had lost ground to Melody Maker, as its coverage of music had failed to keep up with the development of rock music, particularly during the early years of psychedelia and progressive rock. In 1972 the paper found itself on the verge of closure by its owners IPC after sales figures plummeted to just 60,000. Editors were told to rethink their journalism or face 'dieing on the grape vine'

NME were groundbreaking in introducing polls, awards and concerts which also helped reestablishing their name amongst music magazines and fans.NME regularly released their 'album of the year' and 'cool lists' with winners being voted by readers as well as hosting gigs such as an NME stage at Glastonbury.

By the 1980's the NME started becoming more politically motivated, endorsing socialism during the thatcher era. On the week of the 1987 election the NME featured Labour leader Neil Kinnock on its front cover as well as having an interview inside the magazine.By the mid 80's sales began to drop again ,Sales were apparently lower when photos of hip hop artists appeared on the front cover and this led to the paper suffering as the lack of direction became even more apparent to readers.

The 1990's were a golden age for the NME, in the thick of the Madchester scene, covering the new British indie bands (such as Oasis and The stone roses).From the issue of 21 March 1998, the paper is no longer printed on newsprint, and more recently it has shifted to tabloid size with full, glossy, colour covers. In 2001 the NME reasserted its position as an influence in new music and helped to introduce bands including The Strokes, The Vines, and The White Stripes.