The Brag Media farewells Sydney’s street press magazine

The Brag Media is readying a farewell to one of Sydney’s most beloved print magazines, The Brag street press.

While thebrag.com website is still a major pillar of The Brag Media’s business, the free Sydney street press will bid adieu on March 4 with its final issue.

At the height of street press’ popularity, The Brag magazine was music’s heart and soul at every Sydney street corner and local pub booth. Music fans would crowd over its inky pages to read aloud the pull-quotes, spot friends in the social pic galleries and stain their index fingers black as they traced the gig guide and planned their weekly pilgrimage of the city’s live venues.

But times have evolved, gig guides are sophisticated and online; breaking news happens on your phone in mere seconds, and people now look to print issues for a premium experience that they can’t have online, something tangible which moves them with longer form deep dive editorial created over months of money-can’t-buy access to artists and celebrity figureheads. 

Artists and industry are now spoilt for choice with The Brag Media’s music titles Tone Deaf, The Industry Observer, Don’t Bore Us and now Rolling Stone – which includes the launch of a premium, long form Rolling Stone print magazine. The Brag Media is evolving with its audience by offering them the premium experience they demand in print, while still delivering all the gig guides, news and op-eds they loved in The Brag Magazine online in a real time, interactive format.

The Brag print-only magazine launched in 2003 after over six years under the title Revolver, servicing just a few drop-off points around Sydney.  

The Brag Magazine was founded by the best kinds of ratbags; the ones who didn’t mind a late deadline as long as beers were served. The ones who, when faced with extinction in the first year, re-branded as Evolver for one issue and planned that week’s mag out of a nearby pub.

The music and arts industry has changed dramatically since then. The Brag website is no longer a music and arts site; it’s become the hub for music fans to explore all their interests outside of music, including food, travel, and culture. 

With Michael Di Iorio at the helm, the final issue will serve as a love letter to those who have gone before, those who have laboured over and fought for its place, and to the Australian artists who without, the magazine would be nothing.

The good news is The Brag’s history is still being made. Last year Seventh Street Media rebranded to The Brag Media, making clear its investment in The Brag as an integral part of the company. More than that, The Brag Media has never been more widely read with 1 million monthly Australian readers.

Rolling Stone Australia launched online February 3 with the first print magazine available in May.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.