Readership Profiles

Readership Profiles

Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone magazine sells approximately 1.4 million magazines a year. 61.7% of its adult readership is male, and 50% of sales come from 18-34 year olds.

This magazine is aimed more at men than women, as the colours are serious and the dominant image is of a hip-hop icon (2Pac), which is a predominantly male appealing genre. This also appeals to working class people, more those in black communities, as that is where the genre is most popular. Additionally, the cover-line on drugs may appeal to working and middle class people, as they are more likely to do drugs than upper class people.  The age range for readership is around 16-35, as this is the age at which hip-hop is the most popular. The readership’s social grades are B, C1, and C2, as they are the groups that are appealed to by hip-hop music, but they also have enough disposable income to afford a magazine like Rolling Stone. For modern hip-hop the age range is more likely to be 16-25, but the “Greatest hip-hop songs of all time” will most likely extend further back and appeal to a slightly older audience. This magazine appeals to people who enjoy music, more than people who see it as a hobby, due to the fact that there are other stories unrelated to music, such as “Will Obama Try to Kill Legal Pot?” and “Secrets of ‘The Hobbit’”. It is most likely for people who have a broad range of music and media in general, but also those who do not use the internet a huge amount, as wider media stories are often gathered from the internet. The personality types of Rolling Stone readers would be Mainstreamer and Aspirer, with perhaps some Strugglers or Resigned, due to the main article’s subject matter.

Metal Hammer

Metal Hammer is a metal music magazine with a yearly circulation of 20,961.

This magazine definitely appeals to men more than women, as the models are up close and in stereotypically “tough” poses (especially the model in the background rather than the foreground). They also both embody the “manly” image, which is long beards and chiselled, weathered faces. The Social Grade of the readership is middle class (ABC1), include upper and lower, but mainly the lower half, as the genre of music appeals mainly to that demographic. This is backed up by the cover line, which is about the classic metal band Slayer. People who were fans of Slayer when they were at their most successful are now most likely middle class, so are the prime demographic for the magazine. Additionally, two of the secondary cover lines are about classic bands, specifically “Motorhead Studio Exclusive” and the line “Corey Goes Classic”, which shows that a large amount of the content is aimed at an older audience. The main age range for readership would be 18-45, as the magazine appeals to an older range of people outside of the traditional magazine readership age range. The cover lines on the cover also all refer to music and music news, so unlike Rolling Stone magazine, Metal Hammer is aimed specifically at metal fans, instead of just people who are interested in music, which reflects the specialised the genre is. The personality types of Metal Hammer readers are most likely Explorers and Reformers, as Explorers enjoy new frontiers and are the first to try new things, while Reformers enjoy freedom from restriction, which is often embodied in metal music. Some readers may also be Aspirers, as some parts of metal are focused on image and appearance, which appeals to Aspirers.

NME Magazine

New Musical Express is a music magazine created in 1949, and went free in 2015. Pre price drop it had a circulation of around 15,000, and has a post price drop circulation of 300,000.

The magazine is aimed at both men and women, judging from the models used on the cover. Palma Violets are a modern Indie Rock band, which is a genre appealing to both men and women, specifically those between 16-25. The secondary cover articles also cater to both men and women’s taste, with bands like Foo Fighters and Florence + The Machine. This magazine’s Social Grades are ABC1, as these are the Grades who are interested in the music covered in the articles, and have the time and money to go to the concerts advertised on the cover. However with the price drop, classes C2, D, and E may also read the magazine, even if nothing directly appeals to them, meaning some ads may be targeted toward them. The magazine covers a wide variety of musical genres, unlike Metal Hammer, but unlike Rolling Stone, their articles are still mainly about music. With their change to a free magazine, NME has moved towards more pop-culture orientated articles, obviously in an attempt to attract more readers. The age range for readership is similar to that of indie music, so 16-25, as they are most interested in the new music covered in the magazine. Older people may also be appealed to, mainly because of the lack of a price tag rather than the content being covered is meant to appeal to them. The personality types of the readers would be Aspirer and Mainstreamer, as Mainstreamers like following trends, which are covered by NME, and Aspirers are inclined towards image and appearance, which is again covered by NME magazine.