What Deadly Vibe Group does

Deadly Vibe Group operates as Vibe Australia Pty Ltd, a private Australian proprietary limited company founded in 1997 (firmographic listing 1994) to produce media and community programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australia. Its flagship product was Deadly Vibe Magazine, a print publication distributed at approximately 47,000 copies per month that showcased Indigenous achievements across sport, music, health, education, community and the arts; the magazine reached its 200th edition and ran for nearly 20 years before production ceased in mid-2014.

The company's product portfolio extended beyond the magazine into an interconnected ecosystem of sub-brands: The Deadlys awards program, Deadly Sounds radio, Deadly Vibe Wire news service, Vibe 3on3 basketball tournaments, Move It Mob Style health and fitness programming, Vibe Worker employment resources, and GJC consulting. Distribution channels combined national print circulation with a website (deadlyvibe.com.au), an email newsletter (Deadly Vibe Wire), a Twitter/X presence of approximately 2,577 followers, and community events.

The business model was anchored on government grant funding through the Australian Department of Health and Ageing under "the Vibe Project," rather than disclosed commercial pricing or advertising revenue. In June 2014 the organization was notified that Vibe Project funds would be redirected to Australian Government front-line services effective 1 July 2014, placing the company in an unresolved transition arrangement, coinciding with the death of founder and Managing Director Gavin Jones. As of the source data, the legal entity remains in operating status with the website live but the core magazine product discontinued and no successor revenue model disclosed; headcount stands at approximately 11 employees.

Name

Deadly Vibe Group

Legal name

Vibe Australia Pty Ltd

Website

https://deadlyvibe.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vibe Australia Pty Ltd (Deadly Vibe Group) is a private Australian media and community organization that produced Deadly Vibe Magazine and complementary programs serving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The flagship magazine ceased in 2014 after government funding was withdrawn.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indigenous Media and Community Programming

akta.pro primary industry

Health, Fitness & Wellness Magazines (MPAJAEAD)

Keywords

• Indigenous media publishing
• Aboriginal community content
• Cultural health programs
• Indigenous radio programming
• Community awareness awards

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Deadly Vibe Group (Vibe Australia Pty Ltd) is an Indigenous Australian media and community organization that produced Deadly Vibe Magazine from 1997 to 2014, distributing approximately 47,000 copies per month showcasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievements in sport, music, health, education, community and the arts. The portfolio also includes The Deadlys awards program, Deadly Sounds radio, Vibe 3on3 basketball tournaments, Move It Mob Style health initiative, Deadly Vibe Wire news service, Vibe Worker employment resources, and GJC consulting. Operations were funded through the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.

Product overview

Deadly Vibe Group (operating as Vibe Australia) is a media and community organization serving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australia. The company operated as a platform of interconnected products centered on celebrating Indigenous culture, health, education, sport, music, and community achievements. The core product was Deadly Vibe Magazine (produced from 1997 to 2014), supplemented by complementary programs including The Deadlys awards, Deadly Sounds music programming, Vibe 3on3 sports initiatives, Move It Mob Style health programs, Deadly Vibe Wire news service, Vibe Worker employment resources, and GJC consulting services. The portfolio was designed to engage Indigenous communities through media, sport, music, and health initiatives, though magazine production ceased in June 2014 following changes in Australian Government funding arrangements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Deadly Vibe Magazine: Magazine showcasing achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in sport, music, health, education, community and arts.
• The Deadlys
• Move It Mob Style
• Vibe 3on3
• Deadly Sounds
• Deadly Vibe Wire

Products and services

• Deadly Vibe Magazine Print magazine distributed at approximately 47,000 copies per month showcasing achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in sport, music, health, education, community, and the arts; produced for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers across Australia. Production ceased in June 2014 following changes to Australian Government funding for the Vibe Project.
• The Deadlys (Deadly Awards) Annual awards program recognizing achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across categories covered by the Deadly Vibe Group platform.
• Move It Mob Style Health and fitness initiative under Vibe Australia aimed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to encourage physical activity and wellbeing.
• Vibe 3on3 Basketball and sports program engaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth through community 3-on-3 basketball tournaments and related sporting events.
• Deadly Sounds Radio program and initiative focused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music, featuring artist interviews and Indigenous music content.
• Deadly Vibe Wire News wire service delivering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander news and stories, available via the deadlyvibe.com.au website and email newsletter subscription.
• Vibe Worker Workforce and employment-related resource under the Vibe Group supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment outcomes.
• GJC (Gavin Jones Consulting) Consulting initiative under the Vibe Group named after founder Gavin Jones, providing Indigenous-focused advisory services.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• NITV (National Indigenous Television): Australia's dedicated Indigenous free-to-air television channel, operating under SBS. Directly comparable to Deadly Vibe as a mainstream-distributed media platform producing content for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander audiences across news, sport, music, arts and community.
• Koori Mail: Indigenous Australian newspaper covering community news, sport, culture and achievements for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers. Highly analogous to Deadly Vibe Magazine in audience, editorial mix and community-service positioning.
• National Indigenous Times: National newspaper covering Indigenous Australian news, sport, culture and community affairs. Comparable to Deadly Vibe Magazine as a national Indigenous publication with similar editorial categories.
• CAAMA (Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association): Aboriginal-owned media organization producing radio, television and online content for Indigenous Australian audiences. Closely comparable to Deadly Vibe in mission, multi-format delivery (including a 'CAAMA Music' label akin to Deadly Sounds) and community-ownership structure.
• IndigenousX: Indigenous Australian media platform that curates Indigenous voices across news, opinion and storytelling. Comparable to Deadly Vibe Wire and the broader Deadly Vibe platform as a digital-first Indigenous media outlet serving the same audience.

Emerging players

• Blak Business: Indigenous Australian media and business platform covering Indigenous entrepreneurship, community and culture. Emerging player with partial overlap to Deadly Vibe's editorial categories (community, business, culture), particularly in digital formats.

Broad incumbents

• SBS: Australia's multicultural and multilingual public broadcaster, parent of NITV. Operates as a broad incumbent that includes Indigenous content alongside other multicultural programming, with resources and reach orders of magnitude beyond Deadly Vibe.
• ABC Indigenous: Dedicated Indigenous programming division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Broad incumbent in the same content space, covering Indigenous news, culture and community at significantly greater scale and with public-broadcaster funding.

Others

• First Nations Media Australia: Peak national body representing Indigenous media organizations across radio, television, print and digital. Ecosystem participant that overlaps with Deadly Vibe's community and policy relationships, including the original government funding pathways.
• Magabala Books: Australia's leading Indigenous publisher, producing books by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors. Adjacent rather than directly competitive — comparable in mission (Indigenous storytelling) and audience but operating in book publishing rather than magazine / multi-platform media.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Deadly_Vibe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gjc.vibe-australia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Deadly Vibe Group