Examples of Independent music magazines

I'm going to produce a front cover of my own Independent music magazine and make it look as professional as possible. In order to do this, I first need to look at current publications who do what I'm trying to do and analyze the codes and conventions within their work.

Here are some pictures of magazines that I will analyze:

Paste focuses primarily on their publication name, their main article inside, interviews and the smaller articles. Sometimes a magazine will compile a 'Best of' list so people will buy the publication to see if their favourite band is inside.

Blender puts more focus on the mainstream, as evidenced by the front cover. Jay-Z, a huge hip-hop star adorns the cover wearing extravagant clothing and jewelry. At the same time, their special is 'The 10o Greatest Indie-Rock Albums Ever', showing an unusual mix between the mainstream and the underground.

Magazine Ideas

I've chosen to make a magazine that covers the Alternative and Independent music. These publications are usually small in size and distribution, but some outliers have managed to draw increasing attention and popularity like Paste and Blender.

http://www.pastemagazine.com/

http://www.blender.com/index.aspx

These publications cover obscure bands from small independent labels. Bands that sign with these labels can keep control of their creativity and subject matter, I believe this makes the music more interesting and engaging than other genres which are often influenced by major music labels.