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Beat Magazine
Beat Magazine's November 2023 Cover
EditorLucas Radbourne
CategoriesArts
FrequencyMonthly
PublisherFurst Media
First issue30 July 1986
CountryAustralia
Based inMelbourne
LanguageEnglish
Websitebeat.com.au

Beat Magazine is a free monthly tabloid-sized music, arts and culture magazine (street press), website and social media network published and distributed in Melbourne, Australia. It's Melbourne's longest running street press, and one of the earliest street press magazines after TAGG.

Beat paused its print edition between March 2020-May 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and prolonged Victorian lockdowns, but has since resumed publishing.

History

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The magazine was founded as a weekly street press by Rob Furst and was printed by his company Furst Media. Between 1994 and 1998 a Sydney edition was printed, known as Beat : Sydney Listings Bible.[1] The magazines and their online component were published each Wednesday, with the printed magazines distributed to nearly 1,000 locations in 1997.[2] By 2020 the Melbourne edition was distributed to over 3,200 locations.[3] They're currently printed and distributed towards the end of each month, covering a range of events happening in the proceeding month.

The magazine has shifted between calling itself Beat and Beat Magazine periodically throughout its history.[4][5][6][3] Beat's main competitor was Inpress, a Melbourne-based street press which was co-created by Rowena Sladdin in 1988 after she had left Beat.[7]

In May 2012, 35,000 of the magazine copies were printed and distributed with a cartoon drawing of a naked man on its cover. The text "Sayonara, Bitches! It's been real" were written above the man's genitalia and many feared this would be Beat's final issue. Beat explained on their website that the cover was meant to feature English band Kaiser Chiefs, but the cover had been swapped out by their typesetter on his last day of work as a prank.[8][9]

Beat announced in 2019 they would begin publishing fortnightly, starting with issue #1673. Both the magazine and Beat's website were also redesigned at this time.[10][11] The subject of the magazine also expanded beyond music, and now included video games, film, and television.[12]

The print issue of Beat was temporarily suspended after issue #1695, published on 11 March 2020, due to the inability to distribute street press magazines during the COVID-19 pandemic and Victorian lockdowns.[13] The magazine shifted its focus temporarily to its website, social media accounts and email newsletters, which it continues to send out regularly to subscribers. In May 2022, its editor Lucas Radbourne announced that the print issue had returned, and was available freely again as a monthly magazine.[14]

Online

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In addition to its monthly print magazine, which focuses entirely on cultural events happening in Melbourne and across Victoria each month, Beat's website contains a long-running online Gig Guide allowing venues and event promoters across Melbourne to upload events for free. Originally starting as a gig guide in print before the internet, the online gig guide is arguably the best-known aspect of Beat's online coverage. [15]

Beat's website also contains one of the most comprehensive online directories of Melbourne live music venues and nightclubs, with a secondary focus on bars, pubs, cafes, record stores and other related venues.

All of the magazine's print editions since its 1600th issue are also freely available to read on its website while issues dating back to January, 2012 - issue 1,303 - are available to read for free via the publication's Issuu page.[16]

Notable former covers

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While Beat has primarily featured Australian artists and has often spotlighted small-profile, alternative acts, the magazine has featured a range of high-profile international artists on its cover. These are some of the notable cover stars since 2012.[17]

  • January 17, 2012 - Soundgarden
  • February 28, 2012 - Marilyn Manson
  • January 16, 2013 - The Killers
  • February 12, 2013 - Rodriguez
  • February 27, 2013 - Slayer
  • March 20, 2013 - Jimmy Cliff
  • December 10, 2013 - Nile Rodgers
  • December 17, 2013 - Snoop Dogg
  • June 10, 2014 - Lily Allen
  • June 24, 2014 - Jack White
  • August 19, 2014 - Nick Cave
  • November 19, 2014 and September 20, 2017 - Foo Fighters
  • February 17, 2015 - Slipknot
  • April 15, 2015 - Gang of Youths
  • May 3, 2016 - Iron Maiden
  • July 12, 2017 - HAIM
  • October 25, 2017 - Yothu Yindi
  • July 4, 2018 - Yungblud
  • December 26, 2018 - Action Bronson
  • January 16, 2019 - Bring Me The Horizon
  • October 2, 2019 - KISS
  • January 15, 2020 - Fatboy Slim
  • July 5, 2023 - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

References

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  1. ^ "Beat : Sydney listings bible". Collection - State Library of NSW. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  2. ^ "Beat Magazine". 20 April 1997. Archived from the original on 20 April 1997. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Advertise". Beat Magazine. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Beat (Melbourne, Vic. : 1986)". search.slv.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Beat magazine (Melbourne, Vic.)". search.slv.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Beat (Melbourne, Vic. : 2000)". search.slv.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  7. ^ Watt, Andrew (12 June 2019). "Rowena Sladdin: sassy, funny, determined, indefatigable and tough". The Age. Archived from the original on 12 June 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  8. ^ Cooper, Mex (3 May 2012). "No, it's not a cock-up, it's Luke leaving". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 4 November 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  9. ^ "Beat magazine caught with pants down: 'Sayonara, Bitches'". Crikey. 2 May 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  10. ^ "How 33 years of ambition frames Beat Magazine's next step". Beat Magazine. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Beat Magazine undergoes facelift, revamps gig guide". The Music Network. 26 August 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  12. ^ Blackiston, Hannah (28 August 2019). "Beat Magazine unveils gig guide and website with brand new look". Mumbrella. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  13. ^ "Beat Issue 1695 by Furst Media - Issuu". Issuu. Archived from the original on 15 March 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  14. ^ Radbourne, Lucas (May 2022). "1696". Beat Magazine. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  15. ^ Only Melbourne, Beat Magazine Profile, https://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/beat-melbourne-gig-guide
  16. ^ "Beat Magazine by furstmedia Stack". Issuu. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  17. ^ Issuu, Beat Magazine, Furst Media Stacks, https://issuu.com/furstmedia/stacks/1a81e191ee0742bf829c02051b0ea620
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