For this task, I analysed an article from a professional music magazine and consider how it is written. In particular, I considered the target audience and evaluated how the written word fulfils the needs, uses and pleasure of this particular media text.

The needs, uses and pleasures for the target audience includes:

• Up to date information (gigs, trends, available media…)

• Fashion ideas / new looks

• Gaining an insight into stars’ lives and personalities

• A reflection of their own values, attitudes and beliefs

 

 The article that I will be analysing is ‘Billboard (June 20th), HudMo’s Genreless Genius, written by Meaghan Garvey‘. By analyzing an article it is expanding my understanding of articles found in music magazines and how they draw in the target audience. The article structure consists of a four paragraph, album review. From reading the article there is a lack of presence from the journalist as his voice is only portrayed rarely through some of his own opinions. For example, ‘Mohawke transcends any pigeonholing once and for all, offering a polished vision of his genre-agnostic world’, this is one of the writers few complex opinions in the text as he goes in detail showing his own views on the album. The opinions from the journalist gives a very direct tone to the flow of the article, and focuses on the history and background of the album. Even though there are no personal pronouns being used as evidence the article is written from the 1st persons perspectives because the article revolves around the album.

The first part of the article describes the history of the album by talking about the artists past albums. At the end of the article the opinion from the journalist is summarized when he writes ” It’s a welcome deviation, and a clean slate, for a guy who doesn’t like to stay in one place too long.” This statement is very humorous for the writer as he’s trying to keep the audience interested in the article. The writer uses a lot of complex adjectives into the article to describe the music album such as, “murky psychedelics”, “grandiosity shines brightest.” these adjectives keep the reader interested in the article because they are unusual words and not boring for the audience to keep reading. 

To conclude the journalist portrays through the article that the album is successful, strong and unique. The writers purpose was to let the audience see what was included in the album and whether it is worth the money for them to buy themselves.  Through the writing, he gives his own opinions and focuses on the artist’s past to give the reader background to the album.