Vinyl Media’s chief operating officer Joel King has left his role to pursue his own projects, including alternative music website Blunt Magazine.
King has worked at Vinyl and the company it acquired, The Brag Media, for nearly five years, primarily in chief operating officer and chief revenue officer roles.
He told B&T that he decided to step down in late September to pursue personal passion projects, including Blunt Magazine.
“Working with Vinyl has been one of the most rewarding chapters of my career. The culture there has been incredibly positive, especially after years in high-pressure environments, and I’m grateful to the team for giving me the flexibility to pursue my own business ventures while remaining involved at a senior level. I believe Vinyl has a very strong future ahead,” he said.
“I’m now focusing on several of my own projects, including Blunt Magazine and I’m excited to continue building on the momentum our small team has already created.
King told B&T highlights of his time at the company include leading the acquisitions of Mediaweek and Concrete Playground and relaunching that division as Vinyl Media earlier this year.
B&T understands that King’s exit is not linked to a series of high profile departures at the company including former Brag Media CEO Luke Girgis, co-founder and editor in chief Poppy Reid, former head of Brag media Jessica Hunter and Mediaweek founder and editor at large James Manning.
Last Thursday, Vinyl Group confirmed King had stepped down and that he would retain a part-time role at the business.
In a statement shared with B&T, Vinyl said: “Joel transitioned out of the full-time COO role in September to pursue several personal business projects, including his work on Blunt Magazine. He continues to work part-time with Vinyl on high-level business priorities, and Blunt Magazine has signed a strategic partnership with Vinyl.
“A large part of Joel’s COO responsibilities related to media, and with Batoul Peters now appointed as Chief Business Officer of Vinyl Media—and with Joel still involved on key strategic matters—we are not looking to immediately replace the COO role.”
Vinyl Group reported a net loss of $15.8 million and EBITDA of -10.1 million in its 2025 fiscal year. The company grew revenue from $5 million to $14.4 million during the period.
