Music Magazine Front Cover Research

In order to see what are considered conventions for the front cover of a music magazine, I decided to analyse some (including an issue of NME, which will be what I use as an example to base my own work from with magazines that aren't the same genre for comparison to see if other codes and conventions are present in those that aren't in NME).

It is noteworthy that 2 of the 3 magazine covers have feature photos that cover the masthead. Generally the masthead is bold at the top of the page and very little of the page is blank space. A majority is filled with the strap line (a short phrase used to describe or promote the magazine, which in fact, is not present on these covers), cover lines (brief sentences across the cover that give information on articles inside the magazine), banners or pugs (shapes, usually at the sides of the magazine that attract attention to something, usually a free gift or competition in the magazine.