The Brag Media acquires The Music Network, promotes Poppy Reid to Editor in Chief

The Brag Media, which publishes this masthead, is the proud new owner of The Music Network.

Also announced today, The Brag Media has promoted its managing editor, Poppy Reid, to editor in chief.

As part of the deal, TMN’s publisher Jake Challenor joins The Brag Media as executive editor, B2B, responsible for the editorial direction of TIO, TMN, and future trade titles.

Since Challenor purchased TMN in 2017, it has continued to achieve double-digit growth each year and break many of the sector’s biggest stories.

Founded as a paper-based publication 27 years ago by famed artist manager John Woodruff, it has since undergone multiple transformations. It began as a black and white tip sheet for radio programmers in 1994, before maturing into a weekly glossy colour magazine for the industry at large. Then came the inevitable but successful shift to digital in 2013.

Effective March 1, TMN will remain focussed on the business of music, while TIO plans to double down on its coverage of the Australian live sector as it begins to rebuild after more than two tumultuous years of COVID-19.

TMN and TIO email subscribers will receive one daily newsletter in their inbox from tomorrow (Mar. 1st) – Music Biz Observer – which brings together the top stories from both sites and content from across The Brag Media network.

The deal also merges the music industry’s two largest jobs portals under Brag Jobs, offering recruiters even more reach.

Lars Brandle and Vivienne Kelly will continue to contribute across The Brag Media’s trade sites.

Both are familiar to TMN’s readers, with Brandle having previously served as a senior writer and Kelly as content director. Reid also served as its editor during her seven-year tenure at TMN before she joined The Brag Media in 2017.

Reid said the opportunity to reunite with the publication on which she cut her teeth as a music journalist is not only a full-circle moment, but one she had been hoping for since she left it.

“TMN has had a special place in my heart ever since I joined the company as an intern back in 2010,” Reid said.

“It gave me my start, and I’ve loved watching it go from strength to strength under Jake’s leadership. He’s always had a way of honouring the title’s respected history and deep industry ties, while keeping it future-focused with a unique perspective. 

“I couldn’t be more excited to welcome TMN and Jake into The Brag Media fold,” Reid added.

“Jake is an incredible media professional who cares deeply about the music industry and that is reflected in how incredible TMN’s content and growth has been since he took ownership. We are so thrilled to welcome him as a Bragger.”

Challenor (pictured, above) said the deal signals The Brag Media’s commitment to supporting independent business journalism within Australia’s billion-dollar entertainment industry.

“If you can’t beat them, join them,” Challenor said.

“Luke, Joel and Poppy have built a formidable business. I’ve been so impressed by The Brag Media’s meteoric rise, that it made the decision to sell TMN and join the team an easy one for me.

“TMN has been independent since day one, unapologetically telling the stories that matter most to its readers. That same ethos will continue across The Brag Media’s trade titles with two seasoned and fearless journalists that I admire greatly in Lars and Viv.”

Luke Girgis, The Brag Media’s CEO, congratulated Reid on her promotion.

“Poppy was Bragger #1 all the way back in 2017,” Girgis said.

“From day one we worked together building the vision, team and culture of the company. Everything we have achieved at The Brag Media has happened under Poppy’s leadership – she has an incredible ability to take insane and ambitious ideas and turn them into a reality.

“Poppy is a Bragger to her core making this promotion absolutely reflective of all her work every day at The Brag Media.”

The acquisition of TMN follows the recent purchase of gaming and anime network Epic Digital, increasing The Brag Media’s reach to 40 million monthly page views and eight million users, cementing its position as the market-leading youth and pop culture network.

TMN joins The Brag Media’s growing network that includes Rolling Stone Australia, Variety, IndieWire, Billboard, thebrag.com, Tone Deaf, don’t bore us, Funimation, Enthusiast Gaming, Life Without Andy, HypeBeast, and more.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.