Drum Media
Encyclopedia
Street press
Street press is a term used to describe a certain type of publishing, between zines and magazines/newspapers in terms of distribution, content and audience. They are particularly prolific in Australia, although there are also some examples from Europe and North America...
) established in 1990 and based in Sydney, Australia. It is distributed throughout Sydney, Wollongong
Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney...
, Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
and Canberra, and surrounding districts. A separate weekly issue began circulating in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
in September 2006. The magazine is released every Tuesday (every Thursday in Perth). Publishers Craig and Leigh Treweek bought the publication in February 2006 and consolidated it and Melbourne street magazine Inpress
Inpress
Inpress is a free weekly tabloid-sized music magazine that is released in Melbourne, Geelong and Mornington Peninsula areas of Victoria, Australia...
under the Street Press Australia banner. Craig Treweek said at the time that "This is a great opportunity to build a strong music media outlet that is supportive of the local music scene at a grass roots level."
History
The first issue of Drum Media appeared on 6 September 1990 and featured Midnight OilMidnight Oil
Midnight Oil , were an Australian rock band from Sydney originally performing as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie...
on the cover. The magazine had been established after the entire staff of the long-running Sydney street press magazine On The Street staged a mass walk out on 28 August after a dispute with the owner over work conditions and pay. Following a meeting at the Excelsior Hotel in Surry Hills
Surry Hills, New South Wales
Surry Hills is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Surry Hills is located immediately south-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Sydney...
it was decided to start a new magazine with editor Margaret Cott and her sister, advertising manager Jennifer Cott, providing the initial capital. The magazine rented its first office in Orwell Street, Potts Point
Potts Point, New South Wales
Potts Point is a small, densely-populated suburb of inner-city Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Potts Point is located 3 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney....
and the first issue was released ten days later.
Distribution and Circulation
As of September 2007, the readership of Drum Media throughout its distribution area in New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
was audited at 125,000. The magazine is published every Tuesday and distributed primarily throughout music stores, hotels and entertainment venues, cafes and university campuses in Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and Canberra, as well as satellite areas including Wyong
Wyong, New South Wales
Wyong was proclaimed a town in 1888 and is currently a major northern suburb of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, located approximately 89 km NNE of Sydney. It is the administrative centre for the Wyong Shire local government area.- History :...
and Gosford
Gosford, New South Wales
Gosford is a city located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, approximately 76 km north of the Sydney central business district...
and the Blue Mountains. In Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, the readership is estimated at 100,000 with distribution covering Perth, Bunbury
Bunbury, Western Australia
The port city of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after the State Capital Perth and Mandurah. It is situated south of Perth's central business district...
, Margaret River
Margaret River, Western Australia
Margaret River is a town in the South West of Western Australia, located in the valley of the eponymous Margaret River, south of Perth, the state capital. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River....
, Geraldton
Geraldton, Western Australia
Geraldton is a city and port in Western Australia located north of Perth in the Mid West region. Geraldton has an estimated population at June 2010 of 36,958...
and Albany
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
.
Competitors
- On the Street
Established in 1984, On the Street was Sydney's original free music and lifestyle street-press publication. All of Drum Media's original advertising and editorial staff had previously been employed at On the Street. Despite their mass walkout from the publication, On the Street continued to exist in Sydney for many years and both magazines competed fiercely in the market. However, another mass walkout of staff occurred at On the Street in late 1996 and by mid-1997 the publisher had gone out of business.
- 3D World
Established in 1989, 3D World is the alternative music lifestyle magazine to Drum Media with an emphasis on electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
, hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
and R&B. In June 2009, Drum Media parent company Street Press Australia acquired 3D World.
- Beat
Beat was a Melbourne street publication that opened a Sydney office in 1996. While it continues to compete with Inpress in Melbourne, the competition with three other papers in Sydney caused it to close down there after only a short time.
- Music Feeds
Music Feeds was established in Sydney in 2008. This publication ran for seventeen bi-weekly print issues before deciding to shift focus and concentrate entirely on digital distribution.