Senior jobs gone at Vinyl Media as company looks for path to profit
Vinyl Media has laid off several senior staff, including its head of publishing, as its parent company, Vinyl Group, looks to become profitable by the end of the calendar year.
In its recent annual report, CEO Josh Simons foreshadowed the move by saying the company would “restructure to maximise revenue and cost synergies”.
A Vinyl Group spokesperson told Mumbrella the redundancies affected “just under 10% of headcount”, which it said was “a small adjustment following acquisitions”.
Mumbrella understands affected staff were informed on Friday, including recently appointed head of publishing, Tahlia Phillips.
Tahlia Phillips
Phillips was promoted to the new head of publishing role in May. She joined Vinyl Media when it acquired Concrete Playground, where she had been in various roles for almost a decade, including commercial director and general manager.
Head of editorial Lars Brandle’s role was also made redundant. Print editor of the Rolling Stone Australia magazine, James Jennings, has wrapped up his contract, Mediaweek reporter Alisha Buaya has resigned, and Mumbrella understands other staff are also shortly departing.
The cost-cutting comes after Vinyl delivered full-year accounts last week which showed EBITDA slipping to a loss of $10m in FY2025. Revenue had increased significantly to $14.4m, mainly through acquisitions. Vinyl has stated in ASX filings that using “AI-driven publishing tools” is a key part of its plan to reach profitability. It has set a self-imposed deadline of December this year for that achievement.
“Vinyl Media recently undertook a structural review as part of company-wide commitment to reach profitability by the end of the calendar year. This review was limited in scope. The media business continues to accelerate, with three-times commercial growth over the past 12 months, a clear path forward, a deep bench of experienced editorial leaders, and growing momentum across our brands,” the spokesperson said in response to queries from Mumbrella.
Asked how the publishing operation will run without a head of publishing, the spokesperson said “a different approach would deliver greater efficiency and focus”.
“After reviewing the head of publishing role, we identified that the structure wasn’t the best way to scale eight mastheads. We’ve moved quickly to realign publishing leadership to better suit our growth strategy. The updated model will be announced shortly, and in the meantime, our teams continue to operate with strong leadership in place,” the spokesperson added.
The future of the print Rolling Stone AU/NZ magazine has also been in doubt in recent months, following speculation the quarterly September issue was not in production.
Now that print editor Jennings is no longer contracted to Vinyl Media, a spokesperson said freelancers would be used as required.
The most recent issue of Rolling Stone AU/NZ to hit stands was the June – August edition
“Neil Griffiths remains editor-in-chief of Rolling Stone AU and will oversee the magazine, supported by a freelance print editor as required,” the spokesperson clarified.
In July, Vinyl Media issued a statement to Mumbrella, refusing to fully confirm or deny the speculation that the print magazine was in trouble.
“As the licensee of the greatest culture magazine in the world, Vinyl Group is deeply committed to the future of Rolling Stone in the AUS/NZ market,” the statement said.
The company subsequently issued a statement to the magazine’s subscribers, saying the magazine’s timeline and cadence were, in fact, shifting.
“We’re evolving the publishing model for Rolling Stone AU/NZ to better reflect our long-term vision. As part of this, we’re moving away from a fixed quarterly cadence to a release schedule that better aligns with major cultural moments,” it said.
“You’ll still receive all four issues included in your current subscription, they’ll just be delivered on a more flexible timeline rather than strictly every three months.”
The significant staff shuffle comes as the ASX-listed company looks for a path to profitability.
A spokesperson told Mumbrella the company was on the right track: “Revenue has grown quarter-on-quarter, and our audience reach has increased more than 100x across our titles and social platforms since taking over as operators. Our team has delivered real growth, and with the changes we’ve made, Vinyl Media is set up for an even bigger 2026.”
It has, however, been a tumultuous time for the company.
Vinyl Group’s previous head of its publishing arm, Jessica Hunter, settled an unfair dismissal case out of court with the company earlier this year.
Former managing director of The Brag Media (now Vinyl Media), Luke Girgis, is also engaged in court proceedings with the company. He alleges he was unfairly terminated after selling The Brag Media to Vinyl Group. Vinyl Group then launched counterclaims of alleged misconduct by Girgis. That case is due back in court this month.
In addition, Vinyl Group made its chief marketing officer position redundant in May, and the Mediaweek editor-in-chief position suffered the same fate in April.
Ken Gaunt, non-executive chairman, said in the group’s recent annual report that it would achieve profitability in the December 2025 quarter by “a continued focus on margin optimisation, disciplined cost control and responsible capital management”. This would involve, he said, “[utilising] our Tech division to develop a suite of AI-driven publishing tools to leverage our Media business”, “continued evaluation of business operations to structurally lower our cost base”, and “[identifying] future investment and growth opportunities”.
Simons, the group’s CEO, meanwhile, said the 2025 financial year had been “transformative” for the company, and that the path to profitability would come “one step at a time”.
CEO of Vinyl Group Josh Simons
“We are executing a model of growth, followed by acquisitions, and finally, consolidation and integration. The objective now, based on where we sit in this cycle, is to demonstrate a disciplined approach to cost control, with a relentless focus on operational efficiency. Restructure to maximise revenue and cost synergies. Structurally lower the cost base. Deliver the proof that our model is profitable and sustainable. Then repeat, more efficiently, at scale. That will be our next phase of growth. With global growth potential,” he said in the annual report.
In the 2025 financial year, CEO Simons took home a total salary package of $460,971, off a base cash salary and fees of $250,000. This was up from 2024’s total of $322,275 from a base of $220,000. Chief operating officer, Joel King, who came across from The Brag Media during the acquisition, had a 2025 financial year package of $388,102 from a base of $312,000.
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If your model as a supposed music company involves letting go of an editorial talent like Lars Brandle, I can’t understand it.
Australia’s independent publishing sector is already in dire straits and doesn’t need this level of short-sighted mismanagement damaging it further. What is the point of buying up good publications just to run them into the ground?
As someone who has been in this industry for a long time, I find the level of negative coverage around Vinyl to be harsh. I’ve never seen so many people across media made redundant, and it hasn’t just been Vinyl, plenty of publishers and media houses have let go of senior talent in order to adapt to the current climate and build for long-term sustainability. Yet, you don’t hear about most of those.
Vinyl Media, formerly Brag Media, started as what many would have considered a tier 4–6 publisher without much weight. Today, it’s one of the largest media companies in the Australian market. Its story of rapid growth and scale is significant and shouldn’t be overlooked.
Clearly, they must be doing something right, after all, Mumbrella can’t seem to stop talking about them
Unfortunately, there was a time and a place for this type of business model and it is not in 2025.
They have done refinements, so has every media house across 2025. I’ve never known so many people to be made redundant this year. I wouldn’t say it’s Vinyl doing anything different.
Fact check: It’s actually one of the smallest media companies in the Australian market. It only receives this much oxygen due to the pure spectacle of mismanagement.
Vinyl Group’s shift to AI-driven journalism is yet another nail in the coffin for Australian music media. Instead of backing real writers, critics, and commentators who actually get the scene, we’re about to get fed more algorithm sludge, content with zero nuance, zero heart. Just lifeless headlines and copy-paste commentary.
The Music Network’s already a glorified advertorial feed, completely void of serious industry takes. For a country with such a rich music culture and an industry facing serious challenges, this move feels less like innovation and more like a step toward erasing the very voices that made the scene worth reading about. Don’t get me started on Rolling Tombstone…