Vinyl Group Launch New Publishing House

Australian music company Vinyl Group has launched its own publishing house, Vinyl Media.

Set to host its owned and licensed publications, such as Rolling Stone Australia, Variety Australia, Mediaweek, Refinery29, The Music Network, Tone Deaf, and its soon-to-be acquired Concrete Playground, Vinyl Media will have a new look and function as a premium publishing and culture house.

Vinyl Group’s Chief Operating Officer, Joel King, will serve as the interim General Manager of the newly launched Vinyl Media.

Vinyl Group CEO Josh Simons said of launching a publishing house: “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, the 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.”

Vinyl Group recently locked in a “licensing and representation deal” to bring Refinery29 back to Australia. It will soon launch a “revived” local edition of the publication and establish a local editor and editorial team.

In late 2023, Vinyl Group acquired The Brag Media for $10 million. The company has also recently acquired end-to-end events and brand activations business Funkified and digital collectible specialist Serenade.

Upon the company’s acquisition of The Brag Media, Simons said, “Vinyl Group’s suite of products work together to empower participants of the music ecosystem and reach all corners of the creator economy, and we can’t wait to start working with the iconic mastheads that Luke [Girgis] and The Brag Media have successfully developed in Australia.

“We’ve identified several impactful synergies between the two businesses that will deliver immediate cost efficiencies and revenue, including streamlining Vampr’s in-app ads business and leveraging The Brag Media’s impressive audience reach to bolster Jaxsta, Vinyl.com and Vampr in the market.”