Beat Magazine

What Beat Magazine does

Beat Magazine is a privately held Melbourne-based entertainment media publisher, founded in 1986 and operated by Furst Media under founder Rob Furst. The company publishes a free monthly print magazine distributed to approximately 1,000 Victorian venues — including bars, cafes, restaurants, record stores, galleries, and cultural spaces — alongside a multi-platform digital presence spanning a WordPress-based website, social media channels, email newsletters, and a YouTube channel (beatTV). Its editorial coverage spans music, arts, entertainment, dining (Beat Eats), travel, culture, and video, reaching a combined audience of approximately 1.4 million people monthly across web, social, e-news, and print channels.

The product portfolio includes the core Beat Magazine print publication, the beat.com.au website, a Gig Guide for live music and event discovery, the Beat Eats food and drink editorial section, a Beat Directory of Victorian venues and businesses, video content production, and two monetisable add-ons: Promoted Event Listings and Native Content Campaigns. The technology stack is a standard WordPress CMS with integrated event listing, newsletter distribution, and digital archive capabilities — no proprietary technology, APIs, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed.

Revenue is generated entirely through advertising, comprising display and newsletter banner ads, print advertising, promoted event listings for venues and promoters, and sponsored native content campaigns with brand partners disclosed as "In partnership with [brand]". Major partners include City of Melbourne, Visit Victoria, NGV, Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Levi's, Converse, and Amazon. The business serves two customer types: SMB advertisers (local venues, restaurants, promoters) and enterprise brand/institutional partners (government, tourism, cultural institutions, consumer brands). The audience — Melbourne and Victorian residents interested in live music, arts, dining, and cultural events — accesses content free of charge, with no paywall or subscription model.

Name

Beat Magazine

Legal name

Furst Media

Website

https://beat.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Beat Magazine is a free Melbourne-based print and digital entertainment publication covering music, arts, dining, and culture, serving Victorian audiences through monthly print distribution to 1,000 venues and digital platforms reaching 1.4 million people monthly.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Entertainment and Culture Media

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entertainment & Celebrity Magazines (MPAJAEAK), Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines (MPAJAEAA)

Keywords

• Entertainment media publishing
• Event listing platform
• Local arts journalism
• Print and digital magazines
• Cultural content coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Brunswick

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advertising: Display banner advertising on website and newsletters, range of print advertising options, and promoted event listings for local venues and promoters.
2. Sponsored Content: Tailored native content campaigns created in collaboration with brand partners. Content is disclosed as sponsored when applicable.
3. Print Magazine Distribution: Free monthly print magazine distributed to approximately 1,000 Victorian venues, monetized through print advertising rather than cover price.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Beat Magazine publishes a free monthly print entertainment magazine distributed to approximately 1,000 venues across Melbourne and Victoria, complemented by a multi-platform digital media network (website, email newsletter, social channels) and a Gig Guide event listing platform. The content covers local music, arts, entertainment, dining, travel, and culture, reaching roughly 1.4 million people monthly across web, social, e-news, and print. Revenue is generated through advertising, promoted event listings, and sponsored/native content campaigns sold to venues, promoters, brands, and tourism bodies.

Product overview

Beat Magazine operates as a print and digital entertainment media platform offering free monthly print magazines distributed to approximately 1,000 Victorian venues and a comprehensive online presence. The product portfolio includes the core Beat Magazine print publication, the Beat Magazine Website as the digital platform, a Gig Guide for event discovery, Beat Eats for food and drink editorial, a Business Directory for venue listings, Video Content production, Promoted Event Listings as a paid add-on, and Native Content Campaigns for branded partnerships. The platform reaches over 1.4 million people monthly across web, social, e-news and print channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Beat Magazine Print Publication Free monthly print entertainment magazine covering music, arts, entertainment, food/drink, travel, and culture in Melbourne and Victoria, distributed to approximately 1,000 venues monthly and reaching over 1.4 million people across web, social, e-news, and print platforms.
• Beat Magazine Website Digital editorial platform featuring entertainment news, music/arts/entertainment/culture/beat-eats/travel/video sections, gig guides, business directory, digital back issues, and weekly email newsletter sign-up for Melbourne and Victorian audiences.
• Gig Guide Event Listing Platform Event discovery platform allowing users to search and discover live music and entertainment events across Melbourne and Victoria with filters by venue, genre, category, city, and date, including ticket purchase links.
• Beat Directory Online business directory of Victorian venues, bars, clubs, live music spots, restaurants, cafes, galleries, record stores, and other entertainment-related businesses, accessible to Beat's audience and supporting paid business listings.
• Promoted Event Listings Paid service letting venues, promoters, and businesses list and feature events on Beat's website and Gig Guide for heightened visibility to the publication's Melbourne and Victorian audience.
• Native Content Campaigns / Sponsored Content Bespoke sponsored content campaigns created in collaboration with brand partners, producing tailored editorial, video, and social media content disclosed as 'In partnership with [brand]' across Beat's print and digital channels.

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Melbourne International Jazz FestivalcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBeat Magazine is a proud media partner of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, providing editorial coverage and promotional support for the annual festival event featuring local and international jazz artists.
• City of MelbournemajorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand partnership for customized editorial, video and social media content collaboration with the City of Melbourne.
• Visit VictoriamajorGTM or Marketing PartnerTourism and destination marketing partnership creating editorial and social media content promoting Victorian tourism and events.
• Levi'sminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand partnership creating customized editorial and social media content in collaboration with Levi's.
• ConverseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand partnership creating customized editorial and social media content in collaboration with Converse.
• AmazonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand partnership creating customized editorial and social media content in collaboration with Amazon.
• NGV (National Gallery of Victoria)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerCultural institution partnership creating editorial and social media content promoting NGV exhibitions and events.
• Young HenrysminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCraft brewery brand partnership creating customized editorial and social media content in collaboration with Young Henrys.
• Mountain GoatminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCraft brewery brand partnership creating customized editorial and social media content in collaboration with Mountain Goat.
• The Vic BarminorGTM or Marketing PartnerContent partnership covering The Vic Bar's Mushroom Jazz fortnightly event series featuring local Melbourne jazz musicians.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Happy Mag: Australian music, arts, and culture publication covering festivals, touring artists, and cultural features. Comparable to Beat's entertainment/arts editorial scope with a national, digitally-led audience.
• ToneDeaf: Australian digital music publication covering local and touring artists, gig listings, and reviews. Overlaps with Beat's music editorial and event coverage but operates purely online without a print distribution footprint.
• Music Feeds: Australian independent music news and reviews outlet with gig listings. Comparable to Beat's music-vertical editorial offering and appeals to the same Melbourne live-music audience segment.

Others

• Eventbrite: Global self-service event ticketing and discovery platform. Not a direct editorial peer, but competes for event-promotion budgets and overlaps with Beat's Gig Guide as a destination for event discovery in Melbourne.

Direct peers

• Concrete Playground: Australia-focused digital city guide covering events, dining, arts, and culture across Melbourne, Sydney, and other cities. Competes directly with Beat's Gig Guide and Directory for event-discovery eyeballs and venue advertising spend.
• Time Out Melbourne: Global entertainment and listings brand with a dedicated Melbourne edition covering music, arts, dining, and events. Directly competes with Beat for Melbourne entertainment audiences and venue/promoter advertising dollars in the same local market.
• The Brag: Australian music and entertainment media brand covering gigs, festivals, film, and culture with national reach. Overlaps directly with Beat's music/entertainment editorial and event discovery focus, serving the same Australian live-music audience.

Regional players

• The Urban List: Australia and New Zealand city guide covering events, dining, travel, and lifestyle with strong Melbourne coverage. Comparable event-discovery and lifestyle editorial offering, though with a broader Australian/NZ geographic footprint.

Broad incumbents

• The Music Network: Australia's long-running music industry trade publication covering radio, streaming, live, and artist business. Adjacent peer covering music industry coverage that competes for music-vertical advertising in Australia.
• ArtsHub: Australia's leading dedicated arts industry platform covering visual arts, performing arts, and cultural policy. Overlaps with Beat's arts and culture vertical and shares institutional advertisers such as NGV and government cultural agencies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/beatmagazine
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/beatTV
• Xx.com/BeatMagazine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Beat Magazine