Reflection Point : What Have I Learned About Independent Music Magazine Front Covers?

Independent music magazine covers have a variety of similar aspects that they all use to be appealing and keep in line with other music magazines. On the shelf, alongside various other music magazines, the individual magazine must stand out. I've noticed that independent music magazines often use brighter colours on their main images, normally being a musician/band's hair and makeup, clothing or just the text on the page. They usually include a large, close-up or above-shoulder shot of the leading/most important musician of the time or just whoever has the most popularity and appearance within the magazine itself. Alongside this main image, the artist's name in large, bold text, normally off-centre or overlaid on top of the main image. Sometimes a quotation from this artists will appear, or just a section/small area dedicated to naming other musicians who appear within the magazine's specific pages [though this is more commonly seen in the contents pages.] More obvious and typical things seen on the covers are just the barcode, date, year and issue number. Sometimes the issue will include the price but not often have I seen many puffs or advertisements like regular magazines. Also, some magazines, depending on the brand, include a CD or a sample of music that relates to its specific issue.