New arrival aims to be biggest music media publisher

• Tone Deaf, The Brag and J Play sold to Seventh Street Media

Seventh Street Media has announced the acquisition of Tone Deaf, The Brag and J Play after reaching separate agreements with all three privately owned music publications.

News of the acquisitions coincides with last night's launch of Seventh Street Media’s new pop music portal Don’t Bore Us. With a social audience of 400,000 engaged followers, Don’t Bore Us is set to be the hottest new destination for the latest pop news, reviews and exclusives.

Seventh Street Media will retain all present staff at the acquired publications and has also appointed Poppy Reid, former editor of The Music Network and Rolling Stone writer, and Nathan Jolly, a senior music journalist who has written for Junkee, New York Post, The Music Network, Channel [V], and many other publications.

Seventh Street Media is promising to announce further acquisitions and launches, as part of its strategy to penetrate the music media space, allowing advertisers to reach more targeted audiences and provide advertising channels that speak to and influence millennials.

CEO of Seventh Street Media, Luke Girgis, said the announcement marked an exciting new era in music media publishing in Australia.

“The Brag, Tone Deaf and J Play all provide huge opportunities for Seventh Street Media to be at the forefront of native advertising and give us the opportunity to invest in and grow all four brands completely independently, while ensuring the companies never compete for the same space or audience.

“With native content quickly becoming the gold standard for advertisers, media publishers who cannot adapt to become content houses and influencers themselves will not be able to cut through and reach millennials effectively.

“Throughout 2017, Seventh Street Media will be announcing further acquisitions and brand launches to become the biggest music media publisher in Australia."

Kris Furst, director, Furst Media (former publisher of The Brag) said: "The Brag’s place as Sydney’s only dedicated music and arts street press is in good stead with the Seventh Street team. Luke’s knowledge of the Australian music industry and his knack for content creation surely signals an exciting future for The Brag.”

Former Tone Deaf CEO Nicholas Jones said: “After six months of work with Seventh Street Media, Darve Smith and I are pleased to hand over the reins of Tone Deaf to an amazing team who I'm confident will continue our mission of promoting great local music."

Seventh Street Media is a new company, incorporated after Seventh Street Ventures partnered with Luke Girgis who is CEO of Seventh Street Media.