Vinyl Group to acquire Brag Media for $8M via $11M facility
Released
Released
Announcement PDF
ASX Release
VINYL GROUP SIGNS AGREEMENT TO ACQUIRE ROLLING STONE AU/NZ &
VARIETY AUSTRALIA PUBLISHER THE BRAG MEDIA, RICHARD WHITE TO
INJECT $11M TO FUND TRANSACTION
Melbourne, Australia, December 21, 2023: Vinyl Group (ASX: VNL), Australia’s only ASX-listed music
Company, has entered into a binding Share Sale Agreement to fully acquire Australia’s largest youth
publisher The Brag Media including its premium network of mastheads and events funded by a new
investment by WiseTech Global (ASX: WTC) Founder and CEO Richard White by way of an $11 million
placement and debt facility.
The Brag Media publishes owned outlets TheBrag.com, The Music Network and Tone Deaf, and Penske
Media Corporation (PMC) titles Rolling Stone and Variety in Australia and New Zealand. It also exclusively
represents local digital audiences for over a dozen other titles including HypeBeast, Billboard, The
Hollywood Reporter, Music Feeds, ComingSoon, Rotten Tomatoes, Game Revolution and IndieWire. The
Brag Media network of premium brands reaches about ten million users per month in the region with over
40 million monthly page views, cementing its position as Australia’s largest youth publisher.
Vinyl Group will pay $8 million in cash (Up Front Compensation) to acquire 100% of The Brag Media and its
subsidiaries (Brag Group), with a further $2 million payable in cash or stock at Vinyl Group's discretion
(Deferred Compensation). The Up Front Compensation will be a combination of the value paid for the
shares and the paydown of loans by the shareholders to the Brag Group. The final split of the Up Front
Payment will be based on the Completion Accounts. The Deferred Compensation payment will accrue 6%
annual interest if paid in cash and is contingent on The Brag Group achieving specified revenue and EBIT
targets for the Calendar Year 2024. The Deferred Payment will be based on a sliding scale after achieving
both a minimum revenue of $12.0 million and a minimum EBITDA of $2.0 million up to a maximum of $15.5
million in revenue and EBITDA of $2.8 million. Unaudited Financial Year 2023 results highlight The Brag
Media generated $8.39 million in revenues including $334,824 in net profit. The Brag Media has seen
average revenue growth of 125% over the past two financial years. The indicative combined Vinyl Group
revenue as at 30 June 2023 would have been $9 million.
As part of the deal, The Brag Media CEO Luke Girgis has entered into a full-time employment agreement
with the Company, as Publisher and Managing Director of The Brag Media, which includes a minimum
two-year term and a requirement for full-time dedication to The Brag Media and Vinyl Group businesses
post-sale. Girgis will receive five million options upon sale completion, vesting in two equal tranches. The
first tranche vests upon achieving the calendar year 2024 revenue target of $12.0 million and EBIT target of
$2.8M and a minimum of one year of employment post-sale. The second tranche vests on the second
anniversary of the employee’s employment. These options have a seven-year term and an exercise price to
be determined by mutual agreement prior to issue.
Vinyl Group Ltd | 11 Wilson Street, South Yarra VIC 3141 | ABN 15 106 513 580 | ASX: VNL
Completion of the deal is dependent on certain completion deliverables including obtaining third party
consents from both parties, the entry into agreements with Key Employees/Contractors, the buyer giving
notice to the Seller that Due Diligence has been completed, entry into a one year sub-lease agreement for
the current office space at a rate of $3,500 per month plus outgoings and no material adverse changes
occurring between now and completion. Completion is expected by 31 January 2024.
The purchase will be funded with a substantial new $11 million placement and debt facility from Vinyl
Group investor Richard White, created to fuel future growth of the Company. The investment will be made
from his RealWise Group Holdings P/L, following on from his initial investment in June 2023. The
placement will be for $3.956 million at a price of $0.04482 per share, a discount of 10% to the 5 day
VWAP, for a total of 88,263,307 shares. The remaining $7.044 million will be in the form of a five year
unsecured convertible note with a conversion price of $0.045 per share, a discount of 10% to the 5 day
VWAP at the time of entering this facility. The conversion can be requested by the Noteholder or the
Company. The note will carry interest of Bank Bill Swap Bid Rate (BBSY) + 6%, cash settled quarterly. If
the full conversion of the remaining Convertible Note be agreed by a vote of the shareholders at a general
meeting of the Company within 60 days of this Convertible Note being settled, then the Noteholder shall
waive any interest accrued. The total number of shares under the facility are 245,426,149 or 28.91% of
issued capital post issuance. The Board will be seeking shareholder approval for the conversion of the
convertible note at a General Meeting of Shareholders to be completed prior to 31 March 2024.
The Brag Media’s offering includes multiple online platforms, native editorial and music and entertainment
content and events. In the past 12 months, the publisher has produced campaigns for brands including
Adidas, Jim Beam, Tourism NT and more. It also produces The Variety Australia CMO Dinner, The Rolling
Stone Australia Awards in Sydney and the Rolling Stone Aotearoa Awards in Auckland each year.
Vinyl Group is the heartbeat of an equitable music world, providing tech solutions that connect and give
credit to the creator economy. The Brag Media joins Vinyl Group’s existing portfolio of properties that
includes music credits business Jaxsta, the leading music industry social-professional network and talent
marketplace Vampr, and online record store Vinyl.com.
Vinyl Group CEO, Josh 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 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.”
Girgis said: “The next phase in the evolution of The Brag Media will take place under the umbrella of
Australia’s only ASX-listed music business, and I couldn’t be happier about it. Right from the earliest
discussions we had, it was clear that the Board, Josh and the team shared our vision for the future of the
business, and I’m thrilled that they’ve made this commitment with us.”
Richard White said: “I have watched closely as Josh has built Vinyl Group's revenue and made substantial
business gains since taking my initial investment. I’ve also noted that Luke and his dedicated team at The
Brag Media have rapidly grown Brag into one of Australia’s most influential media and creative businesses.
There’s no doubt that iconic brands like Rolling Stone and Variety make sense and add value to VNL.
Vinyl Group Ltd | 11 Wilson Street, South Yarra VIC 3141 | ABN 15 106 513 580 | ASX: VNL
Combined under the leadership of Josh and Vinyl Group, the consolidated business and team will have a
lot more growth levers and options.”
For further information please contact jake@soundstory.com.au
Authorisation and Additional Information:
Vinyl Group Investor Relations:
This announcement was authorised by the Board
E: jake@soundstory.com.au
of Vinyl Group Ltd
P: +61 0419 023 046
-Ends-
ABOUT VINYL GROUP
Vinyl Group is the heartbeat of an equitable music world, providing tech solutions that connect and give
credit to the creator economy. The Company’s diverse portfolio has touchpoints across all corners of the
global music ecosystem, empowering everyone from creators to consumers. Vinyl.com offers a
world-class ecommerce experience including over 50K titles for fans to support their favourite artists.
Vampr is the leading dedicated social-professional networking platform and talent marketplace, allowing
1.3M creators to discover collaborators and monetise their work in over 180 countries. Jaxsta is the
world’s largest and only database of official music credits with over 378M verified credits to streamline
revenue opportunities for businesses in the music industry.
ABOUT THE BRAG MEDIA:
The Brag Media’s mission is to be the most ubiquitous presence in Australian culture; with its people, its
artists and its brands. The Brag Media represents some of the most iconic titles in the world including
Rolling Stone, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Tone Deaf, The Music Network, Enthusiast
Gaming, Life Without Andy, HypeBeast and more. The Brag Media’s premium publishing business reaches
over 30% of the Australian population each month, while its events business produces the Rolling Stone
Awards and offers commercial partners end-to-end event ideation, production and marketing.
Vinyl Group Ltd | 11 Wilson Street, South Yarra VIC 3141 | ABN 15 106 513 580 | ASX: VNL
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