Time Off

Last updated

Time Off
EditorN/A
Categories Arts
FrequencyWeekly
Circulation 76,000
PublisherTime Off Publications
Founded1976
Final issueAugust 2013
CountryAustralia
Based in Brisbane
Language English
Website Archived Official Website

Time Off was a free weekly tabloid-sized music magazine (street press) that was originally distributed in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The magazine began on campus in 1976 at the University of Queensland as an initiative of co-editors Rob Cameron and Bruce Dickson, and was originally printed on A4 glossy stock. While then circulated free on campus, it was simultaneously released for limited edition purchase through South-East Queensland newsagents. Commenting on its status as a pioneering cultural production of its type for Australia, Phillip Adams at the time described it as "a remarkable achievement" (for quality, independent publishing).

In the early 80s, Time Off began distribution off-campus as a now free, newsprint edition. With a strong rock music bias, the magazine also focuses on cinema and the arts, and now has a separate dance music section.

The magazine was edited/published for the bulk of its history by Sean Sennett who bought the magazine while it was in receivership in 1990 and successfully grew the paper over the ensuing period. [1] For nearly twenty years Sennett oversaw the magazine taking it from 16pp to up to 72pp adding a glossy cover and expanding the magazine's print run and content. During this period Sennett interviewed over 1000 artists and gave many local writers the opportunity to have their work published. Sennett also instigated the 'Core Sample' series which saw local bands featured on various compilation CDs. Sennett has now established Time Off Media; the aim of which is to take the 'indie spirit' of Time Off into the digital age with Tom Magazine. Under Sennett's guidance Time Off were the second street paper to go online in Australia [behind Beat Magazine] in the early 1990s.

Earlier editors included Shar Adams, Gavin Sawford and Brent Hampstead who shaped the paper from a 'what's on' guide to a more music themed publication.

In April 2008 Time Off was sold to the Melbourne based publisher Street Press Australia, who published Inpress . Steve Bull became editor. Sean Sennett set up a new online company Time Off Media. [1]

In August 2013 Time Off was merged with two other magazines, Drum Media and Inpress, owned by Street Press and was renamed as The Music. [2]

In August 2021 Time Off Media and Sean Sennett purchased Time Off back from Handshake Media. The title is now back in Brisbane and will resume officially in 2022.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<i>NME</i> British music journalism website and former magazine

New Musical Express (NME) is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a free publication, before becoming an online brand which includes its website and radio stations.

<i>The Courier-Mail</i> Daily tabloid newspaper in Brisbane, Australia

The Courier-Mail is an Australian newspaper published in Brisbane. Owned by News Corp Australia, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, in Brisbane's inner northern suburbs, and it is printed at Murarrie, in Brisbane's eastern suburbs. It is available for purchase throughout Queensland, most regions of Northern New South Wales and parts of the Northern Territory.

<i>The Phoenix</i> (newspaper) Former American alternative weekly periodical

The Phoenix was the name of several alternative weekly periodicals published in the United States of America by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts, including the Portland Phoenix and the now-defunct Boston Phoenix, Providence Phoenix and Worcester Phoenix. These publications emphasized local arts and entertainment coverage as well as lifestyle and political coverage. The Portland Phoenix, although it is still publishing, is now owned by another company, New Portland Publishing.

<i>Chicago Reader</i> Alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago

The Chicago Reader, or Reader, is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded by a group of friends from Carleton College.

<i>Smash Hits</i> Defunct British music magazine

Smash Hits was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand for a spin-off digital television channel, now named Box Hits, and website. A digital radio station was also available but closed on 5 August 2013.

News Corp Australia is an Australian media conglomerate and wholly owned subsidiary of the American News Corp. News Corp Australia employs more than 8,000 staff nationwide and approximately 3,000 journalists however News Corp Australia has closed approximately 100 newspapers and cut approximately 500 jobs in Australia since 2019.

<i>The Sunday Mail</i> (Brisbane) Australian newspaper

The Sunday Mail is a newspaper published on Sunday in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is Brisbane's only Sunday newspaper. The Sunday Mail is published in tabloid format, comprising several sections that can be extracted and read separately. It is available for purchase throughout Queensland, most regions of Northern New South Wales and parts of the Northern Territory.

Inpress was a free weekly tabloid-sized music magazine that was published in Melbourne, and was released in the Geelong and Mornington Peninsula areas of Victoria, Australia. The magazine was published by Street Press Australia on a weekly basis every Wednesday.

The Daily Free Press is the student newspaper of Boston University. It is a digital-first publication with daily online content and a monthly print edition on Thursday during the academic year. The Daily Free Press is staffed by about 200 volunteer editors, writers, reporters and photographers. The editorial positions change on a semester-to-semester basis. The paper is governed by a board of former editors, who make up the Board of Directors of Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc., a Massachusetts non-profit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Popular entertainment in Brisbane</span>

In 1975, Brisbane's first FM radio station began broadcasting from a studio at the University of Queensland Student Union. 4ZZ became a catalyst for the development of original music in the city. Bands such as The Saints, The Go-Betweens, gerrymander and the boundaries, The Riptides and The Laughing Clowns established an ecosystem for alternative music that continues to flourish.

<i>The Music</i> (magazine) Australian music publication

The Music,, is an online Australian music magazine. It previously existed as a street press devoted to long-form music journalism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. In its printed form, it was based in Sydney, NSW and distributed throughout Sydney, Wollongong, Newcastle and Canberra, and surrounding areas. The magazine changed its name to The Music in 2013, following the merge with two other magazines, Brisbane's Time Off and Melbourne's Inpress, owned by Street Press Australia. In 2020 the print edition was paused.

<i>The Morning Bulletin</i> Australian newspaper

The Morning Bulletin is an online newspaper servicing the city of Rockhampton and the surrounding areas of Central Queensland, Australia.

The Telegraph was an evening newspaper published in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was first published on 1 October 1872 and its final edition appeared on 5 February 1988. In its day it was recognised as one of the best news pictorial newspapers in the country. Its Pink Sports edition was a particularly excellent production produced under tight deadlines. It included results and pictures of Brisbane's Saturday afternoon sports including the results of the last horse race of the day.

The NewsMail is an online newspaper based in Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia. It has a wide range of content including domestic and international affairs. The paper has a long, notable history, starting as a family business and more recently becoming part of the regional network of News Corp Australia, the largest Australian newspaper publisher. It shut down its printed edition and became online-only in June 2020.

The Sunshine Coast Daily is an online newspaper specifically serving the Sunshine Coast region of Queensland, Australia. It is owned by News Corp Australia. It was originally founded as a print newspaper, however since 2020 the publication is only available in digital forms.

<i>The Gympie Times</i> Daily newspaper in Queensland, Australia

The Gympie Times is an online newspaper serving Gympie in Queensland, Australia. The newspaper is owned by News Corp Australia and was published from Monday to Saturday but ceased printed publication in June of 2020. The final printed edition was on Saturday 26 June, 2020. It remains an online only news source.

The Queensland Times is an online newspaper serving Ipswich and surrounds in Queensland, Australia. The newspaper is owned by News Corp Australia. The circulation of The Queensland Times is 10,804 Monday to Friday and 14,153 on Saturday.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seven West Media</span> Australian media company

Seven West Media Limited is an ASX-listed media company and is Australia's largest diversified media business, with an extensive presence in broadcast television, print and online publishing.

Rock Australia Magazine or RAM was a fortnightly national Australian music newspaper, which was published from 1975 to 1989. It was designed for people with a serious interest in rock and pop, and was considered the journal of record for the Australian music scene, along the way producing some of the country’s best writers on music and popular culture.

Australia has had a long history of street press media, beginning in the 1980s. Most street press have been centred around music and gig guides, but subjects have also included movies, fashion, and food. Each major city in Australia had at least two music street press at some point, and they were at their most popular during the 1990s. During the height of their popularity most were initially tabloid size, and printed on newsprint with glossy covers. Later titles shrunk to A4 size magazine.

References

  1. 1 2 Eliezer, Christie (22 April 2008). ""TIME OFF" SOLD". The Music. Archived from the original on 22 February 2010. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  2. Sarah Bella (1 August 2013). "Drum Media, Inpress and Time Off to be Rebranded". Music Feeds. Retrieved 23 November 2015.