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Junkee Media
FormerlySound Alliance
IndustryDigital media
Founded2000; 24 years ago (2000)
HeadquartersSurry Hills, New South Wales, Australia
Key people
Piers Grove, Publisher
ProductsJunkee
Punkee
AWOL
ParentRACAT Group
Websitejunkeemedia.com

Junkee Media, formerly known as Sound Alliance, is a digital media company based in Australia.

History

Junkee Media was founded in 2000 when Matt Callander, Libby Clark and Andre Lackmann launched their dance music website inthemix.[1] The website began as a part-time hobby for the three,[2] who were soon joined by Neil Ackland. Ackland discovered the site online and got in touch with its creators.[3]

Sound Alliance acquired Mess+Noise in October 2008 from failed media group Destra Corporation.[1] Mess+Noise had been operating since 2005 when it began as a bimonthly print publication.[4] In 2006, Tim Duggan co-founded national LGBT site Same Same with Sound Alliance.[5]

Sound Alliance launched Junkee in March 2013, an online title aimed at an audience aged 18 to 29 years.[6] The publisher told its audience that Junkee would be built on principles uncovered in a comprehensive youth survey of a few thousand 18- to 29-year-olds.[7] Sound Alliance used Junkee to trial native advertising, which is now used across all of its publications as of October 2014.[8]

Sound Alliance formally rebranded itself as Junkee Media in July 2015.[9][10] CEO Neil Ackland told media the name change reflected the company's transformation from being a music-only publisher to becoming a youth-focused lifestyle publisher.[11] In September 2015, Junkee Media sold LGBT title Same Same to Evo Media.[12]

In 2016, oOh!media purchased an 85% shareholding in Junkee Media.[13] It acquired the remaining 15% several years later.[14]

In April 2017, FasterLouder was rebranded to Music Junkee,[15] and a new site targeting Generation Z, Punkee, was launched the following month.[16] In November 2018, Junkee Media closed down inthemix after 18 years.[17]

In December 2021, Junkee Media was sold to RACAT Group. oOh!media retained Junkee's branded content and production arm, Junkee Studio.[18]

Publications

Awards

Junkee was named media brand of the year at the 2014 Mumbrella Awards.[22] Qantas and Junkee Media's AWOL was named the content marketing strategy of the year in 2015.[23]

In 2011, Sound Alliance was named to the Digital Media Top 10 Power Index, lauded for disrupting their larger traditional media competitors.[24]

Sound Alliance was named one of Australia's best places to work in both 2010 and 2009 by the publication BRW.[25]

Punkee was named the media brand of the year at the 2018 Mumbrella Awards.[26] Junkee Media was named publishing company of the year - large publishers at the 2018 Publish Awards. [27]

References

  1. ^ a b Sinclair, Lara (22 June 2009). "Sound Alliance beats advertising blues". The Australian. News Corp.
  2. ^ McMillen, Andrew (7 August 2009), A Conversation With Neil Ackland, Sound Alliance Managing Director, archived from the original on 21 February 2014
  3. ^ Shrivell, Denise (31 July 2009). "Digital People - Neil Ackland". Digital Ministry. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012.
  4. ^ Toller, Annie (3 August 2015). "What went wrong at Mess+Noise?". Daily Review. Archived from the original on 8 January 2016.
  5. ^ Miranda Ward (10 July 2015). "Junkee Media names Tim Duggan publisher following rebrand and appoints head of video". Mumbrella. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  6. ^ "Youth publisher launches mobile-first title Junkee.com". Mumbrella. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015.
  7. ^ Duggan, Tim (11 March 2013). "Welcome To Junkee". Junkee. Sound Alliance. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015.
  8. ^ Micallef, Rachael (16 October 2014). "Sound Alliance formalises native advertising team". AdNews. Yaffa Media Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015.
  9. ^ Christensen, Nic (2 July 2015). "Sound Alliance rebrands as Junkee Media, says half its revenue now comes from native". Mumbrella. Archived from the original on 30 July 2015.
  10. ^ Mason, Max (3 July 2015). "Half of Junkee Media's ad revenue coming from branded content". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020.
  11. ^ Homewood, Sarah (2 July 2015). "Sound Alliance rebrands to Junkee Media". AdNews. Yaffa Media Pty Ltd. Archived from the original on 8 January 2016.
  12. ^ Miranda Ward (30 September 2015). "Junkee Media offloads LGBTI community hub SameSame to Evo Media for undisclosed sum". Mumbrella. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  13. ^ Hayes, Alex (24 June 2016). "Ooh Media buys Junkee Media in surprise move". Mumbrella. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016.
  14. ^ Ward, Miranda (7 December 2021). "oOh!Media offloads Junkee Media to RACAT Group". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  15. ^ Miranda Ward (4 April 2017). "Junkee Media rebrands The Vine as Punkee while it retires FasterLouder in favour of Music Junkee". Mumbrella. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  16. ^ Samios, Zoe (31 May 2017). "Junkee Media officially launches Punkee". Mumbrella. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  17. ^ "A Farewell From inthemix: Thanks For All The Memories". Junkee. 1 November 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  18. ^ Ward, Miranda (7 December 2021). "oOh!Media offloads Junkee Media to RACAT Group". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  19. ^ Ward, Miranda (7 December 2021). "oOh!Media offloads Junkee Media to RACAT Group". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  20. ^ Samios, Zoe (5 September 2018). "Building Punkee: Moving beyond The Bachelor recaps". Mumbrella. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  21. ^ "Qantas and Sound Alliance launch youth travel title AWOL" (Press release). Qantas. 12 November 2014. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015.
  22. ^ "The Mumbrella Awards: 2014 winners". Mumbrella. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015.
  23. ^ "The Mumbrella Awards: 2015 winners". Mumbrella. Archived from the original on 8 January 2016.
  24. ^ Priestley, Angela (8 November 2011), "Digital Media, no. 9: Sound Alliance", The Power Index, archived from the original on 6 July 2015
  25. ^ Gardner, Jessica (24 June 2010). "Labour of Love". BRW. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012.
  26. ^ Francis, Damian (28 June 2018). "Mumbrella Awards winners for 2018". Mumbrella. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  27. ^ Francis, Damian (20 September 2018). "Mumbrella Publish 2018 award winners revealed". Mumbrella. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
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