Denotation
The magazine cover consists of a sepia style image of an wrist looking directly into the camera whilst being slightly angled away from the camera. It is a close up head shot of the artist who is posing as if she is biting her necklace. Her hand is also visible on the front cover and you can visibly see her long red nails to add to her image. The background you can slightly tell is a light coloured colour but the main image of her hair and face fills up the main space on the front cover.

The masthead is featured on top of the picture of the artist, whereas the artists name is on the bottom in a contrasting text to the masthead. This text may have been used to reflect the artist who on this magazine is Beyonce.The font in which the artists name is written is a classic font which is quite girly but also has bold characteristics. One of these would be that it is written in capital letters which make the artist seem like she is importnace and a big deal; it helps her to exert authority and command. It creates a sense of power within the industry and the old style of font combined with the picture behind gives a feel that the artist is both a modern artist but also a timeless one. This contrasts with the masthead, the masthead is in a very modern font and also has burts of colour within in helping to connect with a younger audience. In the USA Billboard own the record charts company so because they tell people who is the current number 1 they want to create a newer and fresher feel to the magazine by creating the masthead in such a way.

The Cover photograph is of Beyonce.  She is posed in a very suggestive kind of way by the way she is biting a necklace she is holding and her finger which has a bright red nail polish on. You cannot see her clothing so the image entirely focuses on her face and facial expressions. This appeals to both male and female readers who would want to buy the magazine, it does not show a sexualised image for men but a tasteful headshot of the artist that could appeal to both genders.  The type fo headshot that it used may be reflective of some of the artists album covers that she has recently have which have the same styling and effect as to what is here on the front cover. The backcombed hair and the necklace helped to add to the fierce image that the artist is trying to portray.

The main coverline that relates to her photograph says:

'Live at Roseland ; Elements of 4'

This refers to a concert in Roseland that she held as part of a series of live performandces that she did called '4 Intimate Nights with Beyonce' ; it is also the name of the DVD that she released after she did these performances in the Roseland Ballroom in New York City in 2011. This is explained in the other writing that is on the front cover it is all about Beyonce and her performances in Roseland and her DVD that accopmanies it. This shows that having Beyonce on the fornt is a huge deal because of how big of an artist she is in the industry and the power that she holds within it.