Vinyl Group
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.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersMelbourne, Australia
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
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.
Vinyl Group firmographics
Firmographics- 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
Vinyl Group industry classification
Industry- 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
Where Vinyl Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Melbourne
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Markets served
Vinyl Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- 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.
- 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%.
- 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
Vinyl Group product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use Vinyl Group
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Vinyl Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Vinyl Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- HOYTS GroupcoreVinyl 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 plccoreVinyl 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 LtdcoreVinyl 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
Vinyl Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
Vinyl Group social profiles
Digital presenceVinyl Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Vinyl Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Vinyl Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
Vinyl Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Vinyl Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A9 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Vinyl Group
What does Vinyl Group do?
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.
Is Vinyl Group a public or private company?
Vinyl Group is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Vinyl Group founded?
Vinyl Group was founded in 2014. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Vinyl Group based?
Vinyl Group is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Vinyl Group make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Digital Advertising is the primary driver. The others are publishing Revenue and outdoor and Cinema Advertising Partnership.
Who are Vinyl Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Nine Entertainment, Seven West Media, Songtradr, BandLab Technologies, Southern Cross Media Group and BMG. Broad incumbents are News Corp Australia, Are Media and Spotify. Junkee Media is listed as an emerging player.
Does Vinyl Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Vinyl Group.
What industry is Vinyl Group in?
Vinyl Group's product category is Digital Media & Advertising. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAJAC, Music & Audio Streaming Platforms, with a secondary code of MPAIALAM, Brand Partnerships & Music Placement Services (Non-Exclusive Brand Deals). Its NAICS code is 5122 and its SIC code is 7310.