International publisher IHM launches DJ Mag in Australia
International dance music magazine DJ Mag has arrived in Australia to tap into the burgeoning electronic dance music scene, with the soft launch of its website building up to its first Australian online magazine release next month.
Editor Victor de la Serna, who established DJ Mag in Spain in 2010, has set up an office in Potts Point where he is working with a team of 10 journalists and sales staff, supported by additional journalists working across the country.
The Australian publication, owned by IHM Global, which publishes DJ Mag in Canada and the Caribbean, will feature international content such as the top 100 list of the best dance music DJs in the world and news and features from the leading artists, but it’s main focus will be on the local music scene.
Victor de la Serna
DJ Mag Australia has been divided into the geographical areas of NSW/ACT, Victoria, WA, South Australia and Queensland/NT, giving them the opportunity to feature local talent operating under the radar.
De la Serna said: “We think Australia has a very healthy dance music scene and breaking it into states gives us room to speak to local artists and local DJs. It’s also getting more hits on our website because the artists have a big local fan base and are very active on social media so when they share stuff they come back to our pages.”
A promotional campaign is being run through social media with support from DJ Mag UK, which has a fan base of 1.3m Facebook fans, and other partners. DJ Mag Australia has built up around 15,000 fans across its six Facebook pages, one for each of the five local areas as well as the overall Australian brand.
The website went live on New Year’s Eve and de la Serna estimates it will have reached around 60,000 unique visitors in the first month, a fan base he said is sure to grow.
The first Australian online magazine will be released in February and be made available for free without subscription, and de la Serna hopes to launch a print publication later in the year.
It’s target audience is aged between 18 and 40, and are people either in university or working, and interested in music, fashion, lifestyle and production, and a number of advertisers have already come on board.
DJ Mag’s Australian competitors include established online music magazine In the Mix published by Sound Alliance, however de la Serna estimates his focus on local content will set them apart.
“There’s quite a lot of expectation for us to come out because there’s always been In the Mix, but for a lot of people DJ Mag is a good thing for the industry because it’s an extra medium for them to use to promote and to talk to,” he said.
The Australian launch comes ahead of the release of DJ Mag in the US, making the title one of the strongest dance music brands in the world, de la Serna said.
Great people and a welcome media brand in that space. It’s fantastic to see international media brands identifying potential in this market. I just wish I was young enough to recover from parties like I used to…
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Great bloke and a good magazine. Hope it does well!
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