LIIAR Interception of the Brief.

How I am going to use LIIAR to research and analyse three music magazines.

L – Language

When looking at language featured in music magazine covers. I will be looking at the way the camera angle is positioned and the distance. For example whether it is a mid shot, medium close up or a close up etc. Another way media language is used in music magazines is layout of the magazine, and whether it has a consistent house style, and if it looks the same throughout the context of the magazine. By using the same font size/colour and backgrounds, it keeps the magazine consistent which gives it a professional look. Music magazine publishers will usually keep the same house style throughout all of its issues that they publish. This is to make the magazine noticeable and easy to spot.

I – Institution

When analysing music magazines, institution is used when looking at the publishing house. The publishing house is the publishing company who made the magazine. For example the “ NME “ magazine is published by a company called Bauer, which is a large German publishing company based in Hamburg. Institution is also used by the role model or celebrity featured on the front cover. The magazine company uses the role model or celebrity to help sell their magazine, and the celebrity uses the magazine company to promote their tour or upcoming gig, this is called synergy. Both sides get something good out of it because they are both helping each other. Most publishing companies will only publish one magazine for one specific genre. They will only publish for example one rock based music magazine. This is because if they was going to publish two or more rock music magazines then they would be eating into their own budget. They want the magazine that they publish to be the best out there of that specific genre.

I – Ideology

The ideology in a music magazine are the messages, values and morals that a particular company has. NME, new musical express, there ideology is to get the newest music to you as quickly as possible. It also sounds like enemy, which suggests it is an enemy of mainstream music. The genre that I am going  to do within my  music magazine rock / heavy metal. Giving an insight look at a wide variety of heavy metal and rock bands that are followed and listened to world wide in a huge capacity by their specific target audience.

A – Audience

All music magazines appeal to different audiences. Depending on their age, gender and what type of music they like. People of a younger age are more likely to be interested in more modern day music which was released within the last 20 years. However people aged fifty and over are more likely to be interested in buying classical music magazines about music and artists that were around back in their younger days. The type of audience purchasing the music magazine will depend on their monthly or weekly income. People in the working class and students will probably pay between £2.00 and £3.50 for a music magazine, however those people in the middle class and the upper middle class will pay a much higher price for a magazine £5.00 and over. This is the reason the price of a not only a music magazine but any magazine must appeal to the type of audience who are going to buy it. Another key aspect when looking at the audience, is that they are only going to buy the magazine which suits their genre, for example someone who enjoys listening to rock music, will buy a rock genre music magazine, were as someone who enjoys listening to pop music will buy a pop genre music magazine.

R – Representation

When looking at representational features in a music magazine, its main message is that the image on the cover of the magazine represents the target audience, it represents what the target audience aspire to be like. It sells the magazine, especially if the person on the cover is well known and has lots of fans. It presents aspects of society back to us. This is once again another use of synergy, The person on the cover is helping the company sell their magazine and the magazine company are helping the particular artist promote their upcoming tours and gigs etc.

I will use LIIAR, the research that I have done above and the conventions within the media text to analyse three music magazines which have the same genre I am going to base my music magazine on, which is going to be heavy metal / rock. I will analyse the front cover, the contents page and a double page spread in the magazines.