Comparing Music Magazine Covers

There are some very clear differences between Top of the Pops and The Source magazines in terms of there colour pallet and media language. Both magazines have featured a wide range of different musicians on the front cover, however this time Top of the Pops has chosen to use a medium close up of singer Jessie J whilst The Source also has a medium close up but of a completely different, Dr Dre. Both magazines follow the conventional magazine front cover layout scheme though their use of relevant music-related over lines. The use of cover lines and relevant images link with the specific genre of the magazine.

It is obvious to see that both mastheads are very different in their colour scheme. It is clear to see Top of the Pops is in a pink and sparkly colour which would attract young girls. It is bright and stands out and would catch most peoples eyes but mainly girls. Where as The Source is in a dark grey colour which suggests its older target audience as it isn't bright not very eye catching. The creators make the colour of the masthead to what they think their target audience would be attracted to.

There are clear differences between the minor images on each magazine cover. For a start Top of the Pops uses minor images of what else could be included inside where as The Source is completely different having no minor images having it more basic and simple but effective. Top of the Pops is full of minor images and looks very full with bright pink and purple colours, there is a lot to look at. The zero use of minor images on The Source make it look more plain and less fully so more older people would prefer it.

The colour pallets are completely different from each other. The Source uses a monochrome colour scheme (black and white) with splashes of black to make certain lines stand out for example 'Dr Dre' is written in bright red which stands out among the black and white background.