Analysis of Clash Magazine

Clash is a widely favoured music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom with a circulation of around 40,000 issues. Featuring many stylistically unique elements and often incorporating fashion elements aswell as musical features into its content, Clash may be described as a 'fashionable music magazine'.

Clash magazine does not adhere to any particular genre of music, and often alternates between featuring rock bands such as The Dead Weather, hip-hop artists such as Jay-Z and Kanye West, pop acts such as Duffy, and electronic acts such as Daft Punk (below). Thus, Clash appeals to an audience with a varied taste in music.

Aesthetically, the magazine's design is simple, modern and features an array of bright colours to capture the potential reader's attention. Several badges, "3 Free Songs!" also intend to gain attention. Inside, the magazine's colour pallete predominantly consists of black and white and illustrations of artists featured give an artistic feel the the magazine.

Clash magazine aims to accurately inform its readers of the quality of up and coming artists, aswell as innovation and style. Features such as 'Ones To Watch' (below) are habitual, and the publication intends to be in depth and independent with its opinions.

Taking into consideration the aforementioned points, the perceived target audience for this publication would perhaps be individuals who are interested in a wide spectrum of musical influences, aswell as style and an aesthetically pleasing layout and structure. The magazine also regularly features sections such as 'Inside Knowledge' (below), signifying that a wide portion of its readers are themselves interested in embarking upon a career in the music industry. This would lead us to conclude that the target audience would be around student age 18-25. Unlike NME, the magazine aims to be gender neutral and features advertisments aimed at both males and females.