Research; Album Covers

Album Cover: Clubland 15, Various Artists

- Gender is clearly used upon this album cover to attract the audience’s attention. The woman’s gesture exposes her breasts and arms, which are conveyed as provocative, maybe sending a message that you can become like this when buying the album.

-They use the key stereotype of a woman to persuade the audience into buying the album, and possibly as women are related more towards this genre of music. The woman used is white and she also has long, blonde hair which links with the phrase ‘blondes have more fun’ and also ‘let your hair down’, two elements which would be portrayed throughout the party scene.

- The use of a slim, attract woman with revealing clothing and a sexy facial expression increases the audience’s want towards the album and therefore gaining their attention. The woman is placed within the frame using the rule of thirds, showing that she is an important part of the cover.

- There is use of a medium close up slightly to the left of the frame, positioned in the forefront of the frame. She is also leaning into the frame slightly, conveying she is slightly dominant, but in a sexual way, as some parts of her body are enhanced for the audience’s pleasure. The movement she is being portrayed to be doing is a dancing movement, connoting a carefree approach and the reason behind the CD, creating a positive atmosphere.

- The title of the album ‘CLUBLAND 15’ is positioned directly underneath the woman’s face and just above the woman’s breasts, cleverly as these two aspects of the album cover would gain most attention, therefore dragging the audience’s attention to the title of the album cover and the songs on it.

- The font used in the title upon the CD cover is clear and bold to grab the audience’s attention. The word ‘CLUBLAND’ looks as if they are spot lights, which connotes dancing and partying, which the music is all about, reinforcing the genre of music being sold.

- Also the title is in very large font, which means it is clearly visible towards the audience’s eye. If the audience was watching past just browsing, they would notice this album, therefore allowing it to be very commercial. The use of smaller font, naming popular artists incises the audience’s attention as they can listen to all their favourite music on one album. This also commercialises the album as it persuades the audience to buy the album.

-The background of the album cover seems to portray a nightclub, which links together with the genre of the music and the atmosphere produced by the music. The strobe lighting on the cover also attract the audience as it is a convention of dance music, as well as using the colour pink and purple, which connote that the target audience of this album is girls and woman.

-The may be challenged by the female on the album cover as many men would be interested within the album as woman are portrayed as objects within the media as the media is male dominated and is being used to try and create a larger audience demographic by gaining male attention.

-The image on the album cover represents that the genre of ‘dance’ music is quite seductive portrayed through the image. This is a common theme when looking through dance album covers and suggests it is a key convention within the ‘dance’ genre.