COMPARING MUSIC MAGAZINE WEBSITES

NME

NME has a sleek, modern, indie feel to its magazine. the background consists of a popular brands t-shirt which is commonly worn by indie males. Therefore this shows how the website itself is appealing for this audience. Also the images in the background reflect the vintage idea of the past via old, slightly worn out photos. This also exemplifies the indie genre. 

They have a playlist situated just above the navigation bar. This adds both a dynamic and entertaining aspect to the website, and makes it more interactive.

 There are video links situated below the navigation bar, which adds even more interaction as there is also more visual aspects to the website.

 The navigation bar itself ranges from news and videos to comments and reviews. There is also a link to an online shopping site - on NME. This allows the reader to purchase band tops which gives both more publicity to NME and the bands itself.

The banner and also hyperlink situated to the middle right also publicise the popular t-shirt brand. This adds more promotion to the brand. Also, the hyperlink also features a competition to win £50,000. This will also appeal to the consumer as it is a prize - which is possible to win if a t-shirt is bought. This adds profit to the brand, and gives the audience a chance to involve themselves through NME.

Another point lies in the masthead itself. It has links to a variety of types of media. From online to mobile, this adds a whole new dimension which allows NME to be very flexible and versatile with its' content.

KERRANG!

Already I am able to distinguish that KERRANG! is a lot more grungy and rock genre based than the Indie NME. This is due to the pitch black background and splattered design. This would appeal to their target audience as black is a preferred colour by males, especially those who are interested in the rock genre. The minimal detail adds a more aesthetically appealing nature to the background which could also be considered as appealing.

They also have access to their own radio, however instead of being initially directly on the page, like NME, they decide to add a link which will direct the consumer to the user. This gives the reader a choice and also allows them to explore the page more. They also have K!TV, which adds a different type of media to interact with.

The navigation bar also ranges with content, and also the way that the font type is all in lower case adds an edge of informal language for the audience, and shows that the magazine is not restricted and isn't afraid to step out of the typical boundaries. To the right of the navigation bar there was a search bar and also a subscribe box i.e. "noiseletter" (newsletter). The play on words add fun to the magazine.

Below the navigation bar there is a list of different hyperlinks. One in particular that caught me eye was this (READERS' POLL 2010). This grabbed my attention as this is involving the reader, thus enabling a stable relationship between both the publication and reader, as it makes the reader feel involved.

        

 

There is also a link to KERRANG!s' clothing store, similar to NME, however KERRANG! also have links to popular social networking sites. This broadens the interactivity the magazine shares as it allows more availability to consumers across the internet.

 There are also hyperlinks and banners all spread across the website promoting a bands' new album. This appeals to their target audience as that music is the type they like and therefore grabs their attention to buy the CD.

The masthead is simply the same as it is for the publication, and doesn't have any extra links to different types of media. However, this makes it simple to recognise and exemplifies the rock genre well.

SO HOW HAS THIS HELPED ME?
This has helped me think about my own publication, and possible ways it can progress onto such media such as the internet. By integrating all these possible aspects into my own publication, i believe this will maximise my chances of engaging a broader audience. 
 I could also get profit by allowing institutions to sponsor my website and then promote their product//brand/band online. However, I feel that by adding too much content to such things as a website would draw away possible profit to my magazine as people would find a way to get news at a cheaper (free) expense.