Q is a very popular
music magazine published monthly in the UK.
The founders
of the magazine Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were intimidated by the music
press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music
buyers who were buying CDs (which was new technology at the time). Q was first
published in October 1986; it set itself apart immediately from other music magazines
due to the monthly publication and higher standards of photography and
printing. In the early years, the magazine was sub-titled "The modern
guide to music and more". Originally it was to be called Cue (as in the
sense of cueing a record, ready to play), but the name was changed so that it
wouldn't be mistaken for a snooker magazine. Another reason, cited in Q's 200th
edition, is that a single-letter title would be more prominent on newsstands.
According to
valid statistics*, the majority of Q’s readers are male, with the percentage
for men being 66.2%. The statistics also show that 83.8% of the readers are
15-44 years of age. This shows Q’s ability to make the magazine appeal to a
wide range of ages and social groups. Q does this by featuring currently
popular artists like Adele and classic artists like Madonna and John Lennon,
they even feature artists that are disbanded or deceased as some issues are
dedicated to
them. For example; to celebrate John Lennon’s 70th birthday
a special cover and issue was dedicated to him. Also, Amy Winehouse had an
issue dedicated to her after her death in 2011.
The typical
front page of Q magazine always has to have the trademark masthead, a big red
box with a bold white Q in it. It is always positioned in the top left of the
magazine. The text is always very simple but viewable as it always seems to be
in a bold font. The main image of the artist always dominates the front page as
the majority of the time no other images are used on the front page. The
headline also dominates the front page a lot more than the features due to its
sheer size in comparison. In terms of colour, the scheme always revolves around
the masthead, meaning all of the text is red, black and white. These are also
very eye-catching and bright colours and this make the front cover stand out
even more.
*(Sources: Q
Wikipedia page, Bauer media magazines website)
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