Vinyl Group

What Vinyl Group does

Vinyl Group Ltd (ASX: VNL) is a Melbourne-based, publicly listed digital media and advertising company that operates a portfolio of owned and licensed media brands targeting Australian audiences. The company traces its origin to the Songtradr music licensing platform (founded 2014), pivoted through the 2023 acquisition of creator social network Vampr, and now operates two principal segments: Vinyl Media, a digital publishing network aggregating brands including Rolling Stone Australia, Variety Australia, Pedestrian Group (Pedestrian.tv, Refinery 29 Australia), BuzzFeed, Tasty, Popsugar, LADbible, Sportbible, Time Out Australia, Concrete Playground, Mediaweek, and The Music Network; and music technology platforms including Serenade (music licensing), Vampr (creator networking), and the Vinyl platform. After Val Morgan Digital and several 2026 acquisitions, the group reaches approximately 55% of Australians online across entertainment and news categories.

The business model is anchored in digital advertising sales across the owned media portfolio, supplemented by commercial partnerships that enable cross-selling of outdoor and cinema advertising via HOYTS Group. The company pursues an aggressive roll-up strategy, executing five acquisitions between 2023 and 2026 (Vampr, Mediaweek, Concrete Playground, Val Morgan Digital, Pedestrian Group, and Time Out Australia) and funding integration through small equity placements. Val Morgan Digital recorded $10.7M AUD in CY25 revenue with expected $2.5M annualized EBITDA contribution and $2M FY27 synergies. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quote-based for enterprise advertising.

Operationally, Vinyl Group is led by CEO Josh Simons, backed by founder Richard White, and was recently restructured (April 2026) with a ByteDance alumnus as COO and a Warner Music Group alumnus as CFO to professionalize post-acquisition integration. The company has announced an 'Adaptive Media' strategy with planned AI and technology investments, though no productized AI capabilities are yet evidenced. Geographic footprint is exclusively Australian, and the company is loss-making at the group level, reporting a $2.7M loss in Q1 2026 amid integration costs.

Name

Vinyl Group

Legal name

Vinyl Group Ltd

Website

https://vinyl.group

Company type

Public

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Vinyl Group (ASX: VNL) is a Melbourne-based digital media and advertising company operating a portfolio of licensed and owned media brands — including Rolling Stone Australia, Variety Australia, Pedestrian Group, Time Out Australia, and Mediaweek — reaching approximately 55% of Australians online and selling enterprise advertising to brands targeting entertainment, news, and lifestyle audiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Media & Advertising

NAICS

Sound Recording Industries (5122)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Music & Audio Streaming Platforms (BPAMAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Brand Partnerships & Music Placement Services (Non-Exclusive Brand Deals) (MPAIALAM)

Keywords

• Digital media publishing
• Music licensing platform
• Digital advertising network
• Creator networking platform
• Entertainment media brands

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Digital Advertising: Vinyl Group generates revenue through digital advertising sales across its portfolio of media properties, reaching approximately 47% of Australians online in the Entertainment category and 51% in the News category.
2. Publishing Revenue: Revenue from digital publishing operations including Rolling Stone Australia, Variety Australia, Pedestrian.tv, Refinery 29, Time Out Australia, and other media brands in the portfolio. The Val Morgan Digital acquisition is expected to increase Vinyl Media revenue by approximately 73%.
3. Outdoor and Cinema Advertising Partnership: Cross-selling of outdoor and cinema advertising through partnership with HOYTS Group, leveraging Val Morgan Digital's commercial partnerships.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Vinyl Group operates a portfolio of owned and licensed digital media brands across entertainment, news, and lifestyle categories in Australia, including Rolling Stone Australia, Variety Australia, Pedestrian Group, Time Out Australia, Concrete Playground, Mediaweek, and The Music Network. The company also runs standalone music technology platforms — Serenade (music licensing) and Vampr (creator social-professional networking) — and monetizes its audience primarily through digital advertising sales. Following the Val Morgan Digital acquisition, it also operates an integrated digital, outdoor, and cinema advertising network reaching approximately 47–55% of Australians online.

Product overview

Vinyl Group is a multi-platform media and technology company operating a portfolio of digital publishing brands and music technology platforms. The core offering is Vinyl Media, a digital publishing network that aggregates owned media brands including Rolling Stone Australia, Variety Australia, Pedestrian Group (Pedestrian.tv, Refinery 29), Time Out Australia, Concrete Playground, Mediaweek, and The Music Network. Supporting the publishing division are music technology platforms including Serenade (music licensing), Vampr (creator social network), and the Vinyl platform itself. The company pursues an 'Adaptive Media' strategy, expanding through acquisitions like Val Morgan Digital to strengthen digital advertising capabilities and audience reach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rolling Stone Australia: Australian edition of Rolling Stone magazine
• Variety Australia
• Pedestrian.tv
• Refinery 29 Australia
• BuzzFeed Australia
• Tasty
• Popsugar
• LADbible Australia
• Sportbible Australia
• Time Out Australia
• Concrete Playground
• Mediaweek
• The Music Network
• Serenade
• Vampr
• Vinyl.com

Products and services

• Vinyl Media Vinyl Group's digital media publishing network that aggregates owned and operated media brands across entertainment, news, and lifestyle categories in Australia, including Rolling Stone Australia, Variety Australia, Pedestrian Group (Pedestrian.tv, Refinery 29 Australia), Time Out Australia, Concrete Playground, Mediaweek, and The Music Network. The network provides combined audience reach of approximately 55% of Australians online and serves as the primary advertising inventory.
• Vampr Social-professional networking platform for musicians and creators, enabling collaboration and professional networking within the music industry. Targeted at individual musicians, producers, and creators seeking industry connections and project collaboration.
• Serenade Music licensing platform enabling creators and brands to license music for commercial use. Targeted at content creators, media producers, and brands needing licensed music for commercial projects.
• Vinyl Music technology platform connecting culture and commerce, serving as the parent company's core music-facing brand platform.
• Val Morgan Digital Digital advertising network acquired from HOYTS Group for $10.5 million, holding partnerships and licences with BuzzFeed, Fandom, LADbible Group, and Vox Media. Recorded $10.7 million in CY25 revenue and provides cross-selling access to outdoor and cinema advertising inventory.
• Rolling Stone Australia Australian edition of the Rolling Stone music and entertainment publication covering music, culture, and lifestyle content. Operates as part of the Vinyl Media advertising network.
• Pedestrian Group Digital media group including Pedestrian.tv (youth entertainment and news) and Refinery 29 Australia (women's lifestyle), focused on youth-oriented entertainment, news, and lifestyle content. Acquired from Nine Digital Pty Ltd and operates as part of the Vinyl Media network.
• Time Out Australia Australian edition of the global Time Out city and lifestyle guide covering events, dining, and culture. Acquired as a five-year franchise agreement with Time Out Group plc.

Quantifiable outcome

• 73% revenue increase expected for Vinyl Media on a pro forma basis from Val Morgan Digital acquisition
• +4 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• HOYTS GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 March 2026Vinyl Group is acquiring Val Morgan Digital from HOYTS Group for $10.5 million ($7 million cash + $3.5 million in shares). The deal includes a commercial partnership for cross-selling outdoor and cinema advertising. HOYTS Group CEO Damian Keogh will join Vinyl Group's board upon completion. HOYTS Group is owned by Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda.
• Time Out Group plccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVinyl Group acquired Time Out Australia from UK-based Time Out Group plc, structured as a five-year franchise agreement with ongoing royalty and annual minimum guarantees. The acquisition was completed on June 24, 2026 following a 14-day cooling-off period, increasing Vinyl Media's combined internet audience reach to approximately 55% of Australians.
• Nine Digital Pty LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVinyl Group acquired Pedestrian Group from Nine Digital Pty Ltd, expanding its digital media portfolio alongside the Time Out Australia acquisition.

Scale indicators10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Nine Entertainment: Major Australian media conglomerate and former owner of Pedestrian Group, which it sold to Vinyl Group. Operates a diversified portfolio of digital publishing, broadcast, and advertising assets directly comparable to Vinyl Media's reach and business model.
• Seven West Media: ASX-listed Australian media company operating broadcast television, digital publishing, and advertising solutions. Directly comparable to Vinyl Group as a domestic media operator competing for the same advertiser and audience pool.
• Songtradr: Music licensing platform that was the predecessor to Vinyl Group (originally founded as Songtradr in 2014). Directly comparable to Vinyl's Serenade platform for B2B music licensing and rights management.
• BandLab Technologies: Singapore-headquartered social music creation platform serving musicians and creators. Directly comparable to Vampr as a social-professional network targeting music creators and providing collaboration tools.
• Southern Cross Media Group: ASX-listed Australian media company operating radio, digital audio, and television assets. Comparable to Vinyl Group as a domestic multi-platform media and advertising operator.
• BMG: Global music publishing and recordings company. Directly comparable to Serenade for music rights administration, licensing, and publishing services, and to the broader Vinyl Music platform thesis.

Broad incumbents

• News Corp Australia: Subsidiary of News Corp operating major Australian newspapers, digital publishing, and advertising. Broader incumbent competitor for the same Australian digital ad budget and audience reach that Vinyl Media targets.
• Are Media: Australia's largest magazine and digital publisher, operating brands across lifestyle, entertainment, and fashion. Comparable to Vinyl Group's lifestyle and entertainment media portfolio including Time Out Australia and Concrete Playground.
• Spotify: Global music and audio streaming platform. Comparable to Vinyl's music platform ambitions (Vinyl.com, Vampr, Serenade) as a scaled digital music and audio business, though operating at vastly larger scale.

Emerging players

• Junkee Media: Australian independent digital media group focused on youth culture, entertainment, and music. Comparable to Vinyl Media's youth-oriented properties such as Pedestrian.tv, LADbible, and BuzzFeed.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vnlasx
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vnl-asx

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A9 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vinyl Group