Cosmic Magazine launches sister website The Glitter and Gold

Words by Jan Tasman
Graphic by @theglitterandgold.au

Cosmic Magazine is launching a sister website The Glitter and Gold.

The Success of Cosmic Magazine

“It’s an exciting time,” says The Glitter and Gold’s Creative Director and Cosmic editor Riley Fitzgerald. “With Cosmic, we dove deep into classic bands like The Beatles and Pink Floyd. We also dug into newer acts like Tame Impala.”

Since being established in September 2019 Cosmic has been, as Fitzgerald puts it, a phenomenal success. It has been visited by more than a million music fans across the world. “We have had some very talented visual artists and writers contribute to the site,” Riley reflects. “Even though the focus in recent months has been on developing the new brand we are still averaging around 20,000 viewers a month. It’s a phenomenal number.”

Cosmic currently has more than 14,000 Facebook followers. It also boasts an Instagram following of 1,500. The digital music news publication has even accrued 1,800 “karma” on Reddit.

The Cosmic logo.

What Is The Glitter and Gold?

“The Glitter and Gold will be different,” Riley Fitzgerald continues. “We are moving into a new decade and seeing some very exciting things happening in popular culture. The coronavirus pandemic has really shaken things up. It has broken old trends and accelerated new ones. More than ever people want to know what’s going on in the world. Taking a more wide-ranging look at pop culture The Glitter and Gold will be answering some of those questions.”

Working with a team of young writers and aspiring music journalists Fitzgerald believes The Glitter and Gold will deliver its own unique voice and provide its own authentic view on popular culture. This does not mean coverage of Cosmic favourites like Paul McCartney will be winding down. “There has already been some great interplay between the sites,” Riley contends. “One of The Glitter and Gold’s first articles was a review of Paul McCartney’s McCartney III. There is going to be a lot of overlap between the two.”

Riley Fitzgerald Creative Director of The Glitter and Gold

Cosmic Editor and The Glitter and Gold Creative Director Riley Fitzgerald.

The Glitter and Gold Will Be More Than a Digital Publication

The Glitter and Gold is a hybrid brand. It will push past the traditional news and entertainment website model. “It has been a huge learning curve but we are also developing a vintage clothing and music collectibles store,” Riley explains. “There is also going to be an emphasis on developing reels and visual content for newer platforms like TikTok. We have recently moved into a new office on 146 Wickham Street Fortitude Valley in Brisbane Australia. It will provide a great studio-like environment to create new and exciting content.” The Glitter and Gold is also launching a weekly Podcast.

A Glitter and Gold logo.

When Will It Launch?

The Glitter and Gold is currently in development. It is set to launch in the second quarter of 2021. “An early version of the website is up and running,” Riley shares, “we are still working out a few bugs, setting up the store, playing around with the editorial tone and deciding what coverage it will provide. I am very grateful for all the support Cosmic has received so far and excited to share more of this with you all very soon.”