Vinyl Group (ASX: VNL), Australia’s only ASX-listed music company, has announced an exciting rebrand of its growing media division as Vinyl Media, which will house both its owned and licensed publications.
Vinyl Media embarks with a new mission to turn brands into cultural icons. It will function as a premium publishing and culture house for advertisers to engage with audiences across a diverse range of profiles. Vinyl Group’s recently appointed chief operating officer, Joel King, will serve as interim general manager of Vinyl Media.
Following the completion of its acquisition of The Brag Media – including Rolling Stone Australia and Variety Australia – in early 2024, Vinyl Group embarked on an ambitious strategy to build out one of Australia’s most exciting independent suite of publications.
Vinyl Group has since acquired leading Australian media and marketing publication Mediaweek, and is set to complete its acquisition of Concrete Playground, a leading digital city guide that curates engaging events, experiences and trends in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Auckland, and Wellington.
The company also recently executed a licensing and representation deal to bring women-focused lifestyle media brand Refinery29 back to Australia. This partnership marks Vinyl Group’s long-awaited entry into the women’s lifestyle category, and a return of Refinery29 to the ANZ market with a revived local edition under the stewardship of Vinyl Group and includes representation of ANZ inventory across Refinery29’s international sites. A local editor and editorial team will be established to ensure the creation of premium original content that reflects the unique perspectives of local audiences while maintaining Refinery29’s voice and editorial standards.
Rolling Stone Australia will also continue to be published and licensed by Vinyl Media locally after the company renewed a multiple year licensing deal with Penske Media Corporation (PMC). Vinyl Media also publishes PMC’s Variety Australia, and manages advertising placements for 14 additional PMC titles including Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, IndieWire and more.
The new-look Vinyl Media will house The Brag Media’s award-winning partnerships and creative team, as well as the recently acquired Funkified events team, giving advertisers exclusive access to culture passion points, connected audiences, real life experiences, and some of Australia’s most iconic brands both within and beyond publishing. Vinyl Media’s other local publications include The Music Network and Tone Deaf, and it represents additional iconic brands including Rotten Tomatoes, Bluesfest Byron Bay, Letterboxd, Crunchyroll, and more, leveraging audiences across culture, music, gaming, and much more.
Vinyl Group CEO, Josh Simons, commented: “The launch of Vinyl Media is a testament to the incredible growth of Vinyl Group over the past year and our ambition to shape the future of culture and media in Australia. By bringing a growing stable of the most influential brands across music, entertainment, media, and lifestyle, we’re building a powerhouse for storytelling and audience engagement.
Batoul Peters, head of commercial operations for Vinyl Media, added: “With the expertise behind our ecosystem, we embed brands into the fabric of culture through tailored and strategic brand solutions. Vinyl Media now offers unparalleled access to engaged audiences across music, entertainment, lifestyle, and more — connecting brands with the moments, communities, and conversations that matter.”