Case Study: Q

Background and Ownership
Q was first published in 1986 and at this time subtitled, "The modern guide to music and more." It was originally to be called Cue, in the sense of cueing a record; ready to play, but the name was modified to prevent it from being mistaken for a snooker magazine. The name Q is also more prominent on newsstands as a single-letter title and therefore more appealing to the demographic.
The contemporary Q draws reference from the world of sport, comedy, film and politics but centers itself around music. However, whilst music is an important passion, Q readers don't define themselves by the music they listen to. They are labelled as "open minded experience seekers" and the magazine therefore works to represent this audience. It may be due to this, less extreme approach that Q has captivated its audience and become the UK's biggest selling music monthly magazine, delivering the world's biggest artists every month.
Q is owned by Bauer Media, which recently took over Emap publications, and who also own other music brands such as Kerrang! and Mojo. However these are more specifically targeted at specific niche audiences, whereas Q appeals to a wider demographic. More recently, Q has become available across other platforms such as TV, Radio and online as well as holding the annual Q Awards.

Style/layout/mode of address
Q consists of approximately 180 A4 pages and presents a glossy, full colour cover which indicates the cost of £3.90. This is more than most music magazines, however, Q is a larger monthly publication whereas many music publications are weekly, and therefore carry less content. Q is designed to offer a comprehensive account of music rather than the simple news and profiles available in weekly music publications.
The cover is centered around a main image of Kings of Leon surrounded by splinters of glass. This is cohesive to the main article headline 'Kings of Lean Breakthrough' as they appear to be breaking through the glass. Aside from this, the cover simply features the classic Q masthead and a few other article references which highlight band names such as The Killers. This layout makes the cover visually stimulating and allows the reader to focus on simple, bite-sized chunks of text centered around the powerful, eye-catching image.

Content and approach to music
Q's approach is primarily focussed on interviews and reviews but also includes features such as 'The Hot List' which details the top 10 music related essentials of the month, 'The Best & Worst of 2008', 'The Best Tracks of 2008' and '50 Best Albums of the Year'. It approaches music as a means of inspiration and enthrallment which can excite and entertain us, but not define who we are.

Editorial content: 'Opinion-leaders' and reader interaction
Q tends to avoid purposefully dictating the taste of the target audience. Instead, it lays out the views of the magazine and offers audiences the opportunity to agree. However, certain artists dominate editorial copy. This is shown through editorial 'hierarchies' which are evident in various features throughout the magazine such as 'The Best & Worst of 2008'.
Near the end of the magazine, reader interaction opportunites occur in features such as 'The Quiz'. This is a regular feature whereby the previous issue's answer's are pubhlished are published alongside the current issue's quiz. A feature like this encourages the reader to identify with the magazine. This is also relevant in the 'Mail' section which gives the audience a means to contribute through expressing their 'thoughts from the month'. This inspires a feeling of ownership for the reader and empathy for other readers who may share their thoughts.

Promoting the industry and other products
The publication is able to assist in the promotion of certain artists and their music by drawing attention to them within the editorial content. This is especially relevant in the review genre as magazines are often able to create a 'must-have buzz' through 'rave reviews'. This can affect an artist's popularity and status therefore indirectly contributing to the sales of their music. Q can be 'rewarded' by companies and retailers for this. For example, in this issue, a 'rave review' of The Killers' live tour may be linked to the full page, glossy advertisement for their new album on the back cover of the magazine. Similarly, the illusive 5 star rating awarded to Miles Davis' 5oth anniversary album may encourage him to associate with the magazine in the future, or otherwise his record company to advertise in the publication.
In addition to the relationship between content and advertising, are the other brands and retailers who are keen to assosiate their products with Q's demographic. Technical products take up a large percentage of the magazine's advertising space with brand names such as Samsung, HP, Sony and Nokia. In particular Nokia have closely targeted Q's audience with a music-related advert detailing features such as 'unlimited downloads. The magazine also features adverts for Jameson Irsish Whiskey as well as Jack Daniels and also a Budweiser advert, but in contrast contains advertisements for Oral-B and Shockwaves. The publication also features numerous watch advertisements, of which all of them are male-orientated. These different types of products portray the publication's versatility. Major advertisers in the magazine such as X Box, who have taken out 3 double page spreads, are especially eager to relate their product to the age and lifestyle of the Q reader. Other relevant brands such as Play.com, HMV and Zaavi have also taken full page advertising spaces. These relate to the editorial content in that they allow the audience to obtain their music and inform them in terms of their interests.