Content Analysis Paper

1. Content Analysis Paper Rolling Stone Magazine vs. The Source Magazine CMC 100 BY: Sam Lockhart

2. The Source Magazine • Founded in 1988, The Source magazine focuses on hip hop music, but also covers topics such as urban culture, politics and fashion. • Magazine targets a “primarily 18-44 year old” age demographic. • Appeals to “aspirational readers from urban inner cities” and “readers in the suburbs seeking relevance.” • Owner and co founder David Mays is a middle aged white male.

3. Rolling Stone Magazine • Founded in 1967, Rolling Stone magazine focuses on rock and pop music, but often includes political discussion and popular culture. • The magazine targets the 18 to 44 year old age demographic, appealing to both men and women. • 75% of people who read Rolling Stone are white. • A high percentage of readers are employed and living in metropolitan areas.

4. Thesis Statement Rolling Stone and The Source magazine, both music magazines that include political aspects and opinions, appeal to the same eighteen to forty year old age demographics. However Rolling Stone’s content is primarily rock music and The Source’s content is primarily hip hop music, thus the magazines are geared toward the white audience and black audience respectively. The hierarchal nature of American culture, based on one’s race, is portrayed through the contrast in advertisements between the two magazines. The advertisements in Rolling Stone appeal to white consumers, with products that will help to facilitate independent wealth and success, while advertisements in The Source magazine appeal to the black consumer based on the products ability to portray the illusion of wealth and success and still incorporate racial restrictions. The difference between the two magazines advertisements highlight the inequality in how success is defined between white and black consumers, based on the racial constrains of minorities by modern American society.

5. Rolling Stone Advertisements Advertisements in Rolling Stone appeal to the consumer’s independence, suggesting their ability to make an impact on society through personal innovation. One’s social status as white, gives the consumer the freedom to achieve wealth and success by his or her own means through these products, using racial hierarchy as an advantage.

6. The Source Advertisements Advertisements in The Source appeal to the consumer’s aspirations of achieving wealth and success. However minority status hinders these aspirations, thus rather than promoting the independent individual, the products advertised convey to the consumer that he or she must fit a certain mold cast by society’s stereotypes in order to achieve success.