Analysis of magazine covers- Bass

Bass Guitar magazine is a monthly publication for bass players and enthusiasts. The title of the magazine clearly indicates this. As it is such a specialised magazine, it is not available in most shops, so readers normally susbcribe to it (you can do this via the website.) Each magazine is priced at £3.95. The magazine is designed by Oyster House Media Ltd. As well as the magazine, the Bass brand also has a website http://www.bassguitarmagazine.com/ and an online community called BassLife where readers can sign up and talk to other enthusiasts, like a mini social networking site exclusively for readers.

The target audience for Bass magazine is very specific. A lot of the articles are very technical and the interviews with music artists (always bass players) is often very focused on their instrument and what equipment they use. Therefore, it is clear that the magazine is designed to appeal to bass enthusiast. A lot of the articles they feature are about men, but that is more a reflection on the fact that they're are more male bass players in the music industry, rather than a conscious decision made by the magazine. The magazine can be seen as being more aimed at men than women, as men are more likely to have a serious hobby. Also, the focus on the technical side of bass playing may bore some women. However, it does include interviews with female bass players and does not exclude women in any way. Bass magazine has interviews with a variety of artist from all different styles and genres of music. This week's cover star is solo bassist Richard Bona (the fact he is holding a bass clearly shows that he is a bass player), but it also includes interviews with more main stream artists such as Muse, whose picture is also on the cover. It is clear from the cover that the articles are quite specialist, as the reader can see that the magazine includes reviews of bass gear and the competition is bass related. Richard Bona is wearing a yellow T-shirt on the cover and the cover continues with the yellow theme, with the header featuring black writing in a yellow strip. The background of the magazine is black and the writing is either red, white or yellow. There is a clear colour scheme running throughout. Th title to articles are always written in block capitals, in order to attract potential reader's attention and then the article is briefly explained underneath in lower case and smaller writing. Although the magazine itself is quite unusual, the layout is very conventional and is simlar to other more mainstream magazines. It does not go for the more homemade scrapbook style that Kerrang! and NME favour. This may be because the magazine is more glossy and therefore a smoother style works better, whereas NME and Kerrang! are almost newspaper like in their printing style and texture.

The magazine assumes that the reader has a certain amount of knowledge in the subject, therefore a lot of the articles would be uninteresting to someone who does not play bass guitar. The magazine brings bass players together and unites them, making them feel like they are part of a club. All of the adverts in the magazine are related to bass playing. They are often for equipment such as amps or indeed actual bass guitars, which are expensive.

All the celebrities featured in the magazine are bass players. This does not mean to say that Bass magazine undermines the other members of the band, just particularly celebrates bass playing. Bass magazine has very little competition. It is probably one of the few of it's kind, as it is for such a specific target audience. It does boast however, that it is the UK's number one bass guitar magazine. The reason for the magazine's popularity can be attributed to the fact that it is so specialised and has little competition. Therefore it is the best magazine to buy if you are a bass player.