Constructing The Other

I chose to look at the April 2011 issue of the free music magazine 'Loud and Quiet'. It is a magazine that is aimed at a very specific group of people, young people (probably aged between 16-25) who like Indie and Alternative music. These people are generally middle class and see themselves as different to mainstream culture, despite being a part of it, and probably feel they above chart music and like music that is more 'authentic' than manufactured. It is only distributed at exclusive alternative venues.

The magazine format highlights that it's audience wants to differ themselves from popular music magazines. It is like a newspaper, which only renforces their belief that what they are reading about has more credibility, class and of higher worth than the regular glossy music magazine. Making it look like a newspaper makes it superior to a glossy mag. The type face is enough to differentiate it from a 'square' reading a newspaper though, it is modern and new, like the music they're into. Throughout the magazine we are shown adverts from lesser known record labels, such as Wichita and Matador, we are also told to shop at independent record stores rather than chains. We are shown that these are the labels we should be buying from, we need to listen to these bands to belong to this group of people. We are also shown how to look, we are shown photos of the staff and the bands.

It Others mainstream culture by mocking people who belong to it and conventions mainstream publications adhere to. There is an article called 'Style Wars' about goth fashion versus indie fashion, with the main picture being an illustration of goths, who we are against. At the back we see a comic made up of stills from 'Eastenders', an ironic fashion column about Noel Edmund's attire and a fake lonely hearts add 'Gooutwithmyfriend.com' featuring Charlie Sheen.

The magazine has spent it's whole type prescribing what to listen to, what to dress like, what to look like and where to shop to make yourself superior to popular culture and mainstream music yet it is still a part of the mainstream. Wichita is a subsidiary of Virgin Media, it opens with a double page advert for HMV, Gaymers Cider are sponsoring gigs, iTunes is openly advertised as a place to buy music. You can only get this magazine for free because it is essentialy a catalogue of adverts. These people may Other popular culture as much as they like but they are active participants and are just sold the same things, just repackaged.