The Music Network has announced that they will no longer produce a print edition and become a strictly subscription-based online publication, along with the disclaimer that they may return to print in 2030 after “Y2KXXX” reduces human civilisation to rubble.
This week’s print edition will be followed by 2 more hard-copy publications before the presses are shut down for good. Previously an online-only entity, The Music Network will now operate under a subscription model that offers an online charts system and various other features.
It was only last June that Street Press Australia Managing Director Craig Treweek issued a statement that free street press would battle on despite the ever-tightening noose around print media.
Although The Music Network is not one of the print publications listed under Street Press Australia Pty Ltd, it still represents another fallen solider in the unwavering advancement of communication technology.
Last year Australia said goodbye to the print version of Reverb Magazine and Rave Magazine, while in 2011 the popular 3D World stop hitting the pavement as well.
With the closure of The Music Network’s physical magazine and other street press publications like Drum Media gearing themselves towards a digital audience, it seems inevitable that most, if not all, free street press magazines will become online-only in the near future.
