The Note magazine celebrates 21 editions of returning a printed live music guide to Adelaide
Lengthy earlier than social media arrived like a Trojan Horse to cripple Western media, road magazines had been a staple for stay music scenes in capital cities.
Like a beating coronary heart directing the move of punters to venues, their weekly gig guides, leisure evaluations, and information fuelled sub-cultures and saved individuals within the know.
Adelaide’s faltered when Rip It Up closed in 2016 — having gone digital-only in 2014, which adopted the closure of dB Journal in 2014.
For a time B-Sides Journal, launched in 2015 by former Rip It Up editor the late Robert “Bertie” Dunstan, tried to fill the hole, however he too went digital-only earlier than turning his consideration to a Fb web page.
Except for a couple of minor listings on varied web sites, public information about gigs was left to phrase of mouth, neighborhood radio, and social media algorithms geared principally in direction of antagonism fairly than providing helpful info.
In late 2022, nevertheless, a brand new road journal was launched to fill the void, The Notice, which is celebrating its milestone twenty first version this month.
Rudderless with out gig information
Director Oliver Raggatt, who had labored at Rip it Up till it ceased its print version, returned from Melbourne to Adelaide in 2020 to rejoin his household enterprise, HWR Media.
Olly Raggatt meets American singer songwriter Beck at Harvest Rock. (Equipped: Olly Raggatt)
“I discovered myself questioning the place to go and who to hearken to as Adelaide’s scene had modified dramatically since I left in 2013,” he mentioned.
“I missed out on so many good gigs, despite the fact that I used to be following artists and venues on social media.
“After consulting trade, venues, punters, and colleagues, everybody mentioned the one factor Adelaide missed was an excellent gig information.”
Mr Raggatt mentioned the stay music trade wanted “a automobile like print media to achieve the individuals who aren’t actively searching for it”.
The magazines are distributed to pubs, cafes, and venues throughout the town the place individuals can choose them up free of charge.
“That is the way you attain a brand new viewers,” Mr Raggatt mentioned.
“They choose up The Notice for Beck or G Flip on the duvet, however then they uncover native artists like The Empty Threats, Aleksiah, or Ricky Albeck and do not miss any gigs.
“Our objective has all the time been to get the individuals who go to 1 gig a 12 months, to go to 1 1 / 4, or from one 1 / 4 to 1 a month.”
A household begin
Working along with his household enterprise and a small staff, together with senior author Zara Richards, Mr Raggatt mentioned they put in “the laborious yards early to make it doable”.
Loading…
“After challenge one launched, I reached out to Bertie, who I knew effectively from Rip It Up days,” Mr Raggatt mentioned.
“He got here on board for an everyday column [and] we had been stoked to have somebody of his information concerned.
“It is simply been a 12 months since he handed. It is vital to maintain his reminiscence alive for his vital companies to the trade.”
Mr Raggatt mentioned venues and artists had been “extremely useful” in contributing to the journal’s gig information, which he admitted was not “a simple job”.
The Notice’s Zara Richards reveals the magazine to Ocean Alley at Harvest Rock 2023. (Equipped: Nash Blight)
“Many venues are owner-operated so sometimes deadlines are missed, which is to be anticipated whenever you put on so many hats,” he mentioned.
The journal final 12 months held a small competition named Notestock for its first birthday, which featured various native and nationwide bands.
It additionally has a presence at music festivals like Harvest Rock, though that competition lately joined so many others throughout the nation which have cancelled their annual occasions by asserting it might be postponed this 12 months.
The Notice is celebrating its twenty first version all through August. (Equipped: Samuel Graves)
“Over the previous 12 months, we have seen a robust shift in visitation to festivals and venues,” Mr Raggatt mentioned.
“The SA music trade is an ecosystem that we purpose to assist when and the place we are able to, however the ecosystem is in peril for varied causes — price of dwelling, rising insurances, altering behaviours, fragmentation of media, increased taxes on alcohol, etcetera etcetera.
“The challenges change on a regular basis on this continually evolving world. The previous 5 years have proven no person has a crystal ball.”
He mentioned celebrating the journal’s twenty first version was “a little bit of enjoyable”.
“The staff put our coronary heart and soul into this, so it’s cool to see,” Mr Raggatt mentioned.
“We’ve a couple of enjoyable issues deliberate to maintain your eye out for, however the pleasure of working in such a small staff permits us to be nimble and alter with the market.”
