Team behind The AU Review launch digital mag and pandemic podcast

The team behind The AU Review and The Australian Live Music Awards has launched a new online newsletter called Launch Magazine, and a pandemic podcast called Jetlag.

It’s the latest initiative since the site quietly re-launched in January, merging its travel, food, music, lifestyle, arts, gaming, film and TV content.

Launch provides a daily update of the site’s content, features and record reviews.

Founding editor and publisher Larry Heath explained the newsletter’s title reflected the site’s direction since it arrived about 12 years ago.

“We’ve been lucky enough to help launch the careers of a number of writers and photographers, as well as support artists at the beginning of their careers,” Heath said.

“Now as we bring more travel content into the mix, all with the same mantra as when the site started – to support fresh voices. Launch perfectly encompasses the identity of our site.”

The first issue includes Gold Coast duo Tully John and Liza-Jane on the cover’, the new album by Sports Team, cocktail recipes from Monaco and an all-Aussie playlist.

The travel podcast Jetlag, returning after two years, looks at different stories of how the pandemic grounded the travel industry.

The Los Angeles Times reports that $9 billion is likely to be wiped from the sector this year due to a lack of normal ticket sales caused by COVID-19 and a crippling economy.

In Australia, $340 million was lost from the sector in the space of a little more than a month.

Found on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts, the first episode is co-hosted by Heath and Andrew Smith and can be heard here.