Audience Profile of Hammer Magazine

For this task we have to write an audience profile for any music magazine that we looked at during our media lessons. I chose to look at the Rock music magazine; Hammer.

I think the particular age of the readers who read this magazine is 16+. This is because there are certain images and articles that under 16 year old's wouldn't really want to read and wouldn't find very pleasent. The articles and images may be old for them. It's like a 13 year old reading it; it's not for them. It's for the readers over 16 who like the lifestyle and maybe live it themselves. The particular gender of this magazine would mostly be male because the music is all about rock and roll, sex and drugs. This is what the music and lifestyle of the rock bands are based around. Just look at the magazine; there is a band with machine guns and explosions all around them. So stereotypically you would associate this type of bahaviour and music with men because they like anything violent, blood and gore and the idea of a rock and roll lifestyle. The most likely occupation of the readers that read; 'Hammer' is probably students at sixth form or college who like rock and roll. Or maybe the people who work at special rock places in towns for example like; The Sqaure in Harlow. There are like over 20 year olds who like rock and roll and who have that type of style, they would definetly read this magazine. Also teachers who teach students how to play the guitar and things like that, who adopt a particular style and like for rock and roll so they teach it through things like Rock School at The Sqaure. Also the type of people who like working backstage at gigs that low key rock bands play at, they just like to be around anything rock and roll. The interests of these people would most probably be going to rock concerts, playing the guitar or drums, being in a band, getting tatoos, piercings and anything rebelious really. The social class of people who read this magazine would be middle class. This is because the magazine isn't particulary expensive and you don't need much money. So the people who read this magazine aren't going to be upper class snobs, they will just be middle class musiicians or wherever they work who love rock music and the lifestyle.

So that is the audience for; 'Hammer' but how does the magazine target it's audience? Well, we know that audience are mostly men and most males like violence, explosions, fighting, guns and anything rebelious. So the magazine promotes this on the front page by making it as viloent as possibel. They put two men from a band looking very hard and muscly surrounded by explosions and using big machine guns. The colours are mostly browns, yellows and oranges so to show the explosions and fires. The magazine is telling the readers that you have to be hard and extreme to read this magazine. So it is almost saying you are girly if you don't read this magazine. The readers will think they need to buy this magazine in order to keep they're; 'manly' status. This method is very effective because it makes men think that they have to buy this magazine in order for them to keep they're status and to let everyone know they are extreme enough to read this magazine. Also with the magazine there are free gifts; a dog tag necklace, posters and a CD, because it is mostly middle class people who read this magazine they will love freebees because they know they don't have to pay through the nose for it, which they can't afford. Also the dog tag necklace represents the rock and roll atmosphere that readers love so much so they will want to buy this magazine. Also the posters are the bands that the readers listen to so if they see that the posters are in the magazine they will want to buy it. The magazine is appealing to the readers interests through the posters. Also the CD contains new bands for 2010, readers love finding and hearing new rock and roll bands so that's why they have put the CD in here. They love all of the freebees because this is stuff they wouldn't be able to buy normally, they couldn't waste they're money because they need it for more important things. But in this magazine you get; a dog tag, a CD and psoters for just £4.25 so readers can afford to buy it because they love a good bargain! On the magazine there are different bands mentioned on the front cover with little extracts from the articles under them, they have done this because the readers know these bands because some of them are rock and roll legends. So the writers of the magazine add these in because they know the readers will want to read the magazine if they're favourite rock bands are in it. But how will they know if they are in it? So this is why the magazine has the band names on the front cover so the readers can seen them and want to read the magazine. This is an effective method of targeting the audience because they have gone straight to they're interests; they're favourite bands and maybe the bands they want to aspire to and look up to.