The Brag Media has announced the acquisition of Australia’s longest-running music industry trade title, The Music Network and has promoted its managing editor, Poppy Reid, to editor in chief.
As part of the acquisition, The Music Network‘s publisher and editor, Jake Challenor, will join The Brag Media as executive editor, B2B, reporting to Reid. He will be responsible for the editorial direction of The Industry Observer, The Music Network, and future trade titles.
Effective March 1, The Music Network will remain focussed on the business of music, while The Industry Observer will double down on its coverage of the Australian live sector. The deal also merges the music industry’s two largest jobs portals, offering recruiters even more reach.
Talking about the acquisition, Poppy Reid said, “The Music Network has had a special place in my heart ever since I joined the company as an intern back in 2010,
“It gave me my start, and I’ve loved watching it go from strength to strength under Jake’s leadership. He’s always had a way of honouring the title’s respected history and deep industry ties, while keeping it future-focused with a unique perspective.”
Senior journalists, Lars Brandle and Vivienne Kelly will work across The Brag Media’s trade division, reporting to Challenor. Both are familiar to The Music Network’s readers, with Brandle having previously served as a senior writer and Kelly as content director.
Challenor said the deal signals The Brag Media’s commitment to supporting independent business journalism within Australia’s billion-dollar entertainment industry.
“Luke, Joel and Poppy have built a formidable business. I’ve been so impressed by The Brag Media’s meteoric rise, that it made the decision to sell The Music Network and join the team an easy one for me,
“The Music Network has been independent since day one, unapologetically telling the stories that matter most to its readers. That same ethos will continue across The Brag Media’s trade titles with two seasoned and fearless journalists that I admire greatly in Lars and Viv.”
The acquisition of The Music Network follows the recent purchase of gaming and anime network Epic Digital, increasing The Brag Media’s reach to 40 million monthly page views and eight million users, cementing its position as the market-leading youth and pop culture network.
The Music Network joins The Brag Media’s growing network that includes Rolling Stone Australia, Variety, IndieWire, Billboard, thebrag.com, Tone Deaf, The Industry Observer, don’t bore us, Funimation, Enthusiast Gaming, HypeBeast, and more.