Magazine advert analysis

Magazine album covers have many purposes and are mainly used to market the artist themselves and their product, which is usually an upcoming album. Promoting the artists album reaches out to the public and raises awareness around it, as if it is in a popular magazine more people are likely to see it, meaning potentially more customers of the product if they are attracted by the album poster. As well as raise awareness to gain more fans, it also simultaneously reaches out to a wider audience of people who read magazines as well as listen to music. The magazine advert serves as a constant reminder to many about an upcoming album, unlike a television advert which just comes and goes. The album may be advertised elsewhere other than magazines, such as on television or on bus stops or in train stations where many may see it therefore leading to a wider exposure and potentially more fans, having a magazine advert assists mass marketing and the further the advertising goes, the further support the advertising may get from other companies who will be keen to sponsor that will help push the album sales even further. Advertising the album inside the magazines helps link in with any articles inside the magazine about the artist and if a reader was interested by an article they read about Jake Bugg for instance, they may be even further intrigued by him with an advertisement of his upcoming album, which makes the reader even more curious and may make them want to purchase the album, therefore leading to increased sales for the artist.

The magazine advert I have analysed from our chosen artist is of Jake Bugg's album "Shangri La". The advertisment is well presented and clearly laid out, it shows the artist name, album title, release date and also a well known song featured on the album, all of which you would expect to find in a magazine advert as it is critical information. Using a popular song name shows potential buyers of the album that the chosen popular song will feature on it, this is a marketing tool used to attract a wide audience, if people see that a popular song they like is featured on the album, then they will be more interested in the album and the artist if they know he created the song. 

The chosen image is of the artist himself, Jake Bugg leaning back against a wall with his guitar. As the artist is present, it shows he is trying to market himself, as he also shows a direct mode of address towards the camera, giving the advert a personal feel and allowing the audience to connect with him. The image shows a shadow behind the artist on the wall he is leaning on. This could be a hidden connotation and show what the album is about, as shadows are associated with reflecting on the past, which is further evident as we see that Jake Bugg is closer to the camera than the shadow is which could show he is getting away from his past through music. 

The advert is conventional the indie genre in a number of ways. first of being that the artist is a character who appears as ordinary and down to earth that the audience can relate to. Jake Bugg does this not only by his mode of address which is directed at the viewer, but also his hidden connotation of previously having some personal troubles, that many of his fans feel they can relate to as they may have been in his situation once in a time in their lives. Further conventions of the indie genre are shown with Jake Bugg holding his guitar, as indie artists are almost always seen carrying or playing their instrument, with the guitar being the most commonly associated instrument of this genre.

The artist himself is represented as a relatable and down to earth character but also one who is emotionally down and troubled, shown by the shadow reflection and also the costume he is wearing, which is all black, a colour associated with sadness and misery. Using this image allows the audience to connect with him as they may feel they have been through the same struggles and can not only relate with him, but also the songs he sings about these troubles, which may tempt them to buy the advertised album, therefore increasing sales. 

The next magazine advert I have analysed is of the indie band The Stone Roses. The artists are represented in a number of ways. One representation of the artists can be that they are very patriotic and proud of where they come from, as red, white and blue words are seen throughout the advert, which are the colours of the British flag and as are the font colour of the words, which links in with the colours used in the advert too. It also supports a review that they have purposely positioned at the top which says "The greatest British album of all time", to further highlight the theme of Britishness and patriotism.

The advert itself is laid out very well, with the artist name, album name centred, with reviews laid out either side, with the best review from NME centred at the top. This is used to attract an audience, as reputable well known critics have either said very promising things about the album, or rated it 10/10 or 5 stars. If a potential customer sees how well the album is rated, he will be more tempted to buy it, meaning that more money can be made by the artists and their label. The fact that the album is rated so highly also gives the artist a good reputation and the more good reviews the album receives, the better the general opinion of an artist or band will become, all artists are keen to get a good reputation in order to get more recognition and to maximise their success as much as they can. 

The image centered is the album title and band name, but also features a lemon which replaces the "0" in 20. The lemon animation is commonly associated with the stone roses and has been used on previous album covers by them, the colour of this advert is both bright and dark, bright with red, blue and white, but also dark with a black background. Also supported by the lemon, which is brightly coloured, but bitter, could connote that their album is bittersweet, featuring songs that are both up and down and about both happy and sad times. It also shows that the artists have variety and can create different content and not just the same thing over and over, as the colours and choice of image used can connote that they are able to provide different narratives in their songs about both happy and sad times.

In regards to typography, like you would expect from a magazine advert about an album, it includes mentions of songs which will feature on the album, which is vital information for someone who may be interested in buying the album. The band mainly let the strong worded reviews speak for themselves and don't rely on their own words to advertise their album, only describing it as "groundbreaking" and then just giving further information about what the album includes. 

Overall, analysing magazine adverts for albums from my own genre that I will create to advertise my own artists album for has helped me in a number of ways. I can understand what is appealing to not just indie fans in particular, but all music fans in general, they like to know what they are putting their money into and what favourite songs of theirs they will hear, and want to be attracted by it by either interesting art work, shown by the example from The Stone Roses, or the artist on show themselves, which is what Jake Bugg offers to his audience and potential buyers of his album. I have decided in my magazine advert it will include a photo of me with my guitar, the main instrument of the music genre and a main convention as many people associate it with the genre, and also very positive reviews placed on the advert and easily viewable, as I want potential buyers to be attracted by the positive views and think that if professional critics rate me highly, then I must be good and make interesting music. Also other vital information must be included, such as the artists name, their album name and also tracks included, as I don't want to leave my potential customers with un-answered questions and feeling like they have been mislead or confused by my magazine advert.