Kerrang magazine analysis

Kerrang! Is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music. It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper. Kerrang was named after the onomatopoeic word that derives from the sound made when playing a power chord on a distorted electric guitar, in the early 2000s it became the best-selling British music magazine.

During the 1980s and early 1990s the magazine placed many thrash and glam metal acts on the cover (like Slayer, Bon Jovi, Metallica, Poison, and Venom) but later discarded them when grunge acts such as Nirvana rose to fame. The magazine was often criticized for repeating this process every time a new musical trend becomes popular.

The majority of the devoted audience are males, the fan base for the rock magazine is split 60/40 with the male fans coming out on top. The main ethnicity of the readers are white British and aged between the age of 16-24 years old.

The total circulation of the magazine during 2013 in the UK was 30,300. Compared to in 2008 where the circulation sales were at an all-time high with sales of 50,128, these figures show us that despite its audience being a demographic entity, the magazine is still very successful.