LIIAR Analysis: Front Cover

The front page shows the rock band AC/DC and the photo is composed to look like a conventional rock band photo as it's in black and white. The darkness of the image connotes what their music is about; rock is quite loud and outrageous and they're presented as outrageous by the way in which they're going against the conventional way of posing for a photo. The also have long hair and are pulling different faces; you can tell they're a rock band by this photo because it's dark and the way in which they look as if they weren't expecting a photo. If it was a pop band, it'd be a brighter photo and they'd probably be dressed differently and all smiling. The masthead is in capital letters; this could connote the idea that it's loud and is like it shouts out at you, which could represent their music. The colour of it is white, so it stands out against the dark background - this could connote that the band stands out with their music. It's also in very large font, behind the band, as to catch your eye and show what they are about. The cover portrays many conventional features, such as a selling line at the top; this helps sell the magazine as if it includes "4 free gifts" it'll make the audience buy it. It also has the conventional name of the band towards the bottom of the magazine in large font; this makes it stand out so you instantly know who the band is. There are also cover lines at the bottom of the magazine to show what's inside so that it persuades the audience to buy it. The front cover has the typical "house style" running throughout with the colours red, black and white; this makes it look less messy and doesn't confuse you when looking at it. Another selling line is placed at the bottom; "10th birthday special edition" - this would make the audience buy it as usually in special editions, the magazine might include more inside and would be a rare, special issue.

"Classic Rock" is a British magazine, mainly focusing on rock bands from the 1960s to 1990s, however it also includes upcoming artists and reviews they think are suitable for the magazine. It started off as just a one-off special, however it soon became one of the UK's best selling music magazines. It has a higher circulation than 'NME', which shows that music from the past is still hugely popular in the present.

"The magazine attracted a niche audience initially but sales grew as Classic Rock featured artists such as Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Aerosmith on its cover in the first year. It attracted those who saw mainstream music publications such as 'Q'' and 'NME' to be stale, and too focused on discovering the next big thing." 

It is published by Future Publishing and it's the sixth largest media company in the UK. It publishes more than 150 magazines in categories such as; video games, films and photography etc. There is also a US version. Future Publishing has become a large global company, so the fact that they produce this magazine shows that it must be popular in order for them to produce it.

Source: Wikipedia

Rock bands are conventionally presented as having no morals, as most of them are known for drug and alcohol abuse. The front cover portrays the band AC/DC as being the stereotypical rock band. The photo is in black and white, therefore the darkness could symbolise their 'dark' behaviour; going to parties all of the time and the usual "trashing hotel rooms". The way in which they're all pulling different faces shows there were no rules involved in the photo shoot, as it looks like there was no order to it; they're all doing what they want to do. It shows that they are willing to go against conventions and not take themselves too seriously, which makes them appeal to their audience as that's generally what people like. Also, some of the band members look moody, which makes them seem 'cool' and straight-faced. It suggests that the audience could be teenagers who look up to them and you're considered 'cool' if you like rebellious bands.

The magazine suggests that the target audience would be those that try to be like them, which is why people consider rock bands to be a bad influence. These bands are considered 'cool' and people want to be like them so go out of their way to break the rules and go against conventions. The target audience could also be people who stick to the rules and have good morals, but look to these bands for ways to be considered 'cooler' by their fellow peers, especially teenagers. This magazine’s target audience would be mainly men, as rock is conventionally seen to be a male type of music as it’s loud and considered ‘wild’. I think it’d be a mixture of ages; teenagers, as they would look up to this kind of music and might have been influenced and shown by their parents when they were younger. Older people might also buy it, as they might have been a fan of AC/DC’s music back when they were big.

AC/DC are represented as being rebellious, as they are going against conventions in terms of their poses in the photo and their behaviour, as you can barely see some of the band members; this shows that there was no set way they had in mind of taking the photo. You can tell straight away, even if you aren’t aware of the band, that it’s representing rock music as it’s in black and white. If it was pop music, the colour would be much brighter; the featured band/artist would be wearing different clothes and posing differently. AC/DC are a well-known band, therefore with them appearing on the front cover, it would sell more copies.