Magazine Prices and place of sale
I will be analyzing different magazine prices and how the front page and conventions (e.g. masthead, colour scheme,images) reflect the price of the magazine. I will be looking at three different price ranges of magazines. Firstly low end magazines prices between £0-£1.00. Secondly mid range magazines, prices ranging between £1.01-£3.00. And finally high end magazines prices between £3.01+.
Low end magazines
The three magazines pictured above- Best, Reveal and Whats on TV are all in the Low end catergory of magazine prices, ranging between £0-£1.00. The front pages of these magzines are all very busy with bright clashing colours and bold fonts. These colour schemes and fonts are typically used in low end magazines to attract the reader. The price of Low end magazines are usually their main selling points, with the price shown clearly in a large pug which stands out to the reader. The images also reflect the price of the magazine, the images usually used on the front page of Low end gossip genre magazines like Best and Reveal are not sophisticated looking proffesional pictures which have been taken at a photo shoot, they are usually pictures that appear to be have taken by a papparazzi. However, the main image on the Whats on TV magazine front page is not in a papparazzi shot style, it appears to be in a photoshoot style, however not a high end photoshoot like you would see on the front page of High end magazines e.g. Vogue . The images reflect the price of the magazine therfore the images look cheap which relates to the price. The quality of paper that is used is very low quality with thin and rough feeling paper, which reflects the price.These types of Low end magazines are normally distributed to most corner shops, petrol stations and supermarkets, so people do not have far to travel to get a everyday magazine. These magazines have a wide audience, who are earning a lower income than other people who would buy a magazine like Elle or Vogue. The main people who would buy this magazine are women, typically mothers or young teenage girls ranging from ages 14-35.
Mid range magazines
The images pictured above show examples of medium priced magazines including magazines such as MixMag, OK and NME which is sold at around £2.50. The overall layout of these magazines is not as clashing or busy compared to what we have seen in the cheaper magazines front pages. This has been done deliberatley to give a more relaxed and sophisticated look to the magazine, showing that they are better than your typical 99p gossip magazine. There is more of a stricter colour scheme used throughout the front pages showing a brand identity and a more classy look to the magazine front page. The main images all appear to be taken at a proffesional photo shoot rather than a snap shot seen in the Low end magazines. The less busy layout allowed the reader to focus more on the cover lines, and stories featured in the magazine which could connote that the magazine is more interesting and more intellectual using reliable sources of information with a lot of detail into each stories.These medium priced magazines are also sold in most retail stores similar to cheap magazines, including supermarkets, news agents, service stations etc. However there has been some medium priced magazines which are now distributing their magazine digitally , due to the fact that the company has more money to do this. An example is the magazine NME who are now sending digital copies of their magazine to music fans via email to attract more customers, and to make it easier for their audiences to read the latest magazine as getting to the shops could be a hassle for busy young people. The target audience for mid range magazines is varied depending on the genre of the magazine, usually people with better paid jobs than the audience of Low end magazines as the magazines are higher priced. Usually young people aging between 18-30.
High end magazines
Above are three different magazines (Vogue, Q and ELLE) which are in the High end group of magazine prices. Magazines such as Vogue are sold for around £4.50 monthly. The conventions used on the front pages of these maagzines clearly state the idea that these magazines are High end and sophisticated. The colour scheme is often plain and simplistic with only the use of pastel or one bright colour, unlike the bright clashing colour schemes seen in the Low end price range of magazines. The masthead is often large and sometimes partly covered by the main image as the magazine is so well known and has a loyal audience that it does not matter to the audience if the masthead of the magazine is covered. Unlike the snapshot style main image shown on the Low end magazines, the main image on High end magazines is very proffesional looking. The majority of High end magazines being in the fashion genre the main image takes up the entire front page and is an elegant sophisticated image taken at a photoshoot with expensive makeup/ clothing shown. The main image is usually of a famous star such as Lana del Rey, Jay Z and Cheryl Cole as featured above. These High end magazines can afford to pay these huge stars to be on the front pages of their magazines unlike Low end magazines which feature minor celebrities. The magazines feature lots of advertisements to add to the content and show the wealth of the magazine. The paper of these types of magazines is also of better quality with a glossy feel throughout. These higher priced magazines are usually distributed every month due to the high amount of content in them. By having these magazines distributed every month, it also allows for different socio economic groups to purchase them, it allows a month wait before purchasing again. These magazines can also be found in the same shops as the previous magazines or can also be found online. The target audience of High end magazines varies due to the genre, however the general target audience would have to be farely wealthy to afford such an expensive price for a magazine.
Conclusion
In conclusion from my comparrisons between Low,Mid and High End magazines it is clear that as the price of the magazine increases, so does the sophistication of the magazine. The layout becomes simpler and the colour scheme becomes more classy connoting a more luxiourious magazine for the reader. The quality of paper also changes as the price of the magazine increases as I have discussed. Low end magazines generally use cheaper quality paper in their magazines compared to Higher priced magazines which use glossy paper throughout. The type of celebrities/stars also changes as the price of magazine increases, Low priced magazines often feature low scale celebrities which are in the tabloids for a bad reason however, higher priced magazines often feature global stars which are promoting the magazine and their own carrer by appealing to their target audience.
