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Josh Simons (media executive)

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Josh Simons
Josh Simons in 2024
Josh Simons in 2024
Born1990 or 1991 (age 35–36)
Occupations
  • Musician
  • technology founder
  • media executive
Known forFrontman of Buchanan (2009–2019), co-founder of Vampr, CEO of Vinyl Group

Josh Simons (born 1990 or 1991) is an Australian musician, producer, technology founder, and media executive. He is the chief executive officer of the ASX-listed music and digital media company Vinyl Group and the co-founder of the musician networking platform Vampr, having previously served as the frontman of the indie rock band Buchanan.

Early life and education

[edit]

Josh Simons was born in 1990 or 1991.[1]

He is a graduate of Swinburne University of Technology,[2] having studied for his Bachelor of Business online.[3]

Career

[edit]

Film

[edit]

In 2008, Simons co-wrote (with Finn Stewart[4]), produced, and directed an independent feature film, titled The Vapour Boys, which was released in 2009.[5][6]

Music

[edit]
Simons performing at the Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, 2016

Simons began his career in the Australian music industry as a songwriter and performer, forming Buchanan in 2009.[7] As the band's frontman, he performed on its debut studio album, Human Spring, released in May 2013.[8] Buchanan later released a second studio album, Pressure in an Empty Space, in 2016, before concluding the project with the mixtape The Crayon Collection in 2019.[9][10] He later related that he had cleaned toilets and mowed lawns to pay for studio time to make an album.[11] He moved to London to work as a musician, where he initiated the idea of the social network because it was so difficult to break into the industry.[3]

Buchanan supported Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood during the Australian leg of Urban's Ripcord World Tour in 2016.[12][13] That year, Simons also co-wrote Alfie Arcuri's song "Careless Game" with Troye Sivan.[14][15] In 2017, Simons co-wrote "I'm Fine", a track by Cyhi the Prynce featuring Travis Scott, from the album No Dope on Sundays.[16]

Simons performing at Accor Stadium, Sydney, as part of Coldplay's Music of the Spheres World Tour

Simons later worked as a producer and touring musician, co-producing Emmanuel Kelly's song "My Sky" in early 2024[17] and performing as a guitarist in Kelly's band during the Australian leg of Coldplay's Music of the Spheres World Tour later that year.[18]

Business

[edit]

In 2015, Simons co-founded Vampr with Barry Palmer, guitarist for Hunters & Collectors, as a digital platform for musical collaboration.[19][20] Simons said that the difficulty of building professional connections during his music career, while working other jobs to finance recording and touring, motivated him to create Vampr. After a period in London, he returned to Australia to develop the platform with Palmer.[21][14]

Simons served as Vampr's chief executive officer.[22] In February 2023, the music credits platform Jaxsta announced an agreement to acquire Vampr.[23] At the time the agreement was announced, Vampr had approximately 1.3 million users.[24] Following completion of the acquisition, Simons joined Jaxsta's executive team and was appointed chief executive officer in June 2023.[25][26]

Simons in 2026

The company rebranded as Vinyl Group in December 2023.[27] As CEO, Simons led the company's expansion into digital media through acquisitions including The Brag Media (publisher of Rolling Stone Australia / New Zealand), Mediaweek, the digital publishing assets of Val Morgan and Pedestrian Group between 2024 and 2026.[28][29][30][31] As of October 2024 the Vinyl Group is the only music company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.[11] In an interview with NewsWire, he said that his aim was to "connect a thousand of the leading brands in the world with 100 million creators and a billion fans in a mutually reinforcing creator and fan ecosystem", having experienced what it was like to be a struggling musician himself.[11]

In July 2026, Simons wrote about the concept of "adaptive media", which has its roots in "trust, context and cultural authority", and which exceeds the limitations of legacy media and social media.[32]

In July 2026, Simons publicly accused the media trade publication Mumbrella of inaccurate reporting, unsupported speculation, and personal attacks following a series of articles questioning Vinyl Group's strategy, financial position, and his leadership. Mumbrella said it stood by its reporting.[33][34][35] Simons specifically refuted the claim that an article in Concrete Playground had been written by AI. He complained to the Australian Press Council; however, they would not consider the complaint because Mumbrella is not a member.[36]

Other activities

[edit]

Simons appeared on a discussion panel of industry leaders at the 2025 Bigsound festival in Brisbane.[37]

Recognition and awards

[edit]

In 2020, Simons received the Reader's Choice award at The Music Network's "30 Under 30" awards in 2020 for his work with the application.[22][38]

In 2022, Vampr was included by Fast Company on its list of innovative music companies.[39]

In 2024, Simons won the Digital Disruptor category at both the Melbourne and Australian Young Entrepreneur Awards.[40][41][42]

In March 2025, Simons was listed at no. 41 of "Australia's Top 100 Young Entrepreneurs" by Business News Australia.[1] Later that year, he was a finalist for the Technology Innovation Impact Award in the Swinburne University Alumni Impact Awards.[2][43]

Personal life

[edit]

Simons lived in London for some time while he was a musician, returning to Australia after becoming ill.[3]

Simons and his wife Tatiana lived for some years in the United States, returning to Australia in 2021, and moving into a home in the Melbourne subutb of Patterson Lakes. They moved to a new home in the nearby suburb of Carrum in May 2025.[44]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 Ogg, Matt; Dedovic, Amila; Westerlund, Camilla (12 March 2025). "Australia's Top 100 Young Entrepreneurs 41-50". Business News Australia. Retrieved 6 August 2026. 41. Josh Simons (34)
  2. 1 2 "Transcript: Josh Simons (Alumni Impact Awards 2025)" (PDF). Swinburne University of Technology. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 December 2025. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 Simons, Josh (24 July 2018). "Every artist is an entrepreneur: How studying business helps". ArtsHub Australia (Interview). Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  4. ↑ "The Vapour Boys". Colora Group. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  5. ↑ "Portfolio". Josh Simons. Archived from the original on 6 August 2026. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  6. ↑ The Vapour Boys at IMDb
  7. ↑ Nicoli, James (4 February 2011). "Buchanan". Beat. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
  8. ↑ Precel, Nicole (10 May 2013). "Buchanan springs to attention". Herald Sun. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "Track By Track: Get Inside Buchanan's Stunning New Album". Tone Deaf. 29 April 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "Premiere: Buchanan – The Crayon Collection". The Music. 21 January 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 Evans, Duncan (26 October 2024). "Vinyl Group CEO Josh Simons talks plans for music industry". news.com.au. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  12. ↑ Leahey, Andrew (25 July 2016). "See Keith Urban and 'Whiplash' Star Miles Teller Duet on 'My Girl'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "Keith Urban adds two dates to 'ripCORD World Tour Australia 2016' with Carrie Underwood". May the Rock Be With You. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  14. 1 2 Collie, Ashley (24 August 2017). "This rock star built a 'Tinder for musicians' and is bringing it to Asia". Tech in Asia. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "Careless Game". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  16. ↑ "I'm Fine". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  17. ↑ Downs, Sarah (2 April 2024). "Song You Need to Know: Emmanuel Kelly, 'My Sky'". Rolling Stone Australia / New Zealand. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
  18. ↑ Pash, Chris (12 February 2025). "How a songwriter and indie band player suddenly found himself running an ASX-listed media group". AdNews. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  19. ↑ Moran, Jonathon (4 October 2016). "Barry Palmer teams with Buchanan Band's Josh Simons to set up an online app for musicians". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  20. ↑ Dwyer, Michael (20 May 2016). "Vampr app aims to become the musicians' equivalent to Tinder". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  21. ↑ Evans, Duncan (26 October 2024). "Vinyl Group CEO Josh Simons's bid to dominate music industry, reach 1 billion fans". news.com.au. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
  22. 1 2 "TMN 30 Under 30: Vampr founder Josh Simons wins Reader's Choice". The Music Network. 16 April 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  23. ↑ Paine, Andre (22 February 2023). "Jaxsta to acquire music creators' social network Vampr". Music Week. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  24. ↑ Santoreneos, Anastasia (7 September 2023). "Meet Australia's only ASX-listed music business – backed by billionaire rich lister". Forbes Australia. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
  25. ↑ Brandle, Lars (29 June 2023). "Jaxsta Appoints Josh Simons as CEO". Billboard. Retrieved 20 July 2026.
  26. ↑ Dalugdug, Mandy (3 July 2023). "Josh Simons named new CEO at music credits firm Jaxsta as Beth Appleton steps down". Music Business Worldwide. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  27. ↑ Dalugdug, Mandy (5 December 2023). "Music credits company Jaxsta rebrands as Vinyl Group". Music Business Worldwide. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  28. ↑ Bailey, Michael (16 February 2024). "Billionaire reveals secret to making money out of music". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
  29. ↑ Buckingham-Jones, Sam (3 March 2026). "Behind Richard White-backed Vinyl Group's aggressive media expansion". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  30. ↑ McCleery, Adam (12 June 2026). "Vinyl targets agency budgets after run of acquisitions". AdNews. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  31. ↑ Carbone, Joseph (2 March 2026). "Vinyl Group buys Val Morgan Digital for $10.5m, adds Hoyts CEO". The Australian. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  32. ↑ Simons, Josh (22 July 2026). "Adaptive Media: Vinyl Group's Josh Simons on the Next Model". The Music Network. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  33. ↑ Long, Danielle (29 July 2026). "Vinyl Group attacks media journal Mumbrella". The Australian. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  34. ↑ Cassidy, Caitlin (31 July 2026). "Kyle Sandilands takes his pick of on-air partners as shock jock rebounds from Kiis FM – and Jackie O". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  35. ↑ Simons, Josh (28 July 2026). "Vinyl Group CEO Josh Simons responds to Mumbrella". The Music Network. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  36. ↑ Samios, Zoe (30 July 2026). "Vinyl Group CEO Josh Simons hits back at Mumbrella over claims of inaccurate reporting and AI use". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  37. ↑ Brandle, Lars (3 September 2025). "Industry Leaders Discuss Future of Australian Music at BIGSOUND". Rolling Stone Australia / New Zealand. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  38. ↑ "TMN 30 Under 30: Meet your Entrepreneur & Innovator winners". The Music Network. 23 April 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  39. ↑ Ifeanyi, Kc (8 March 2022). "The 10 most innovative music companies of 2022". Fast Company. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  40. ↑ Ogg, Matt (18 October 2024). "Dr May Chan wins Melbourne Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award as Dental Boutique keeps thriving". Business News Australia. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  41. ↑ "Australian Young Entrepreneur Winners 2024". Business News Australia. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  42. ↑ Ogg, Matt (23 November 2024). "2024 Australian Young Entrepreneur of the Year revealed". Business News Australia. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  43. ↑ "Meet Swinburne's 2025 Alumni Impact Awards finalists". Swinburne University of Technology. 13 August 2025. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
  44. ↑ Mawby, Nathan (5 May 2025). "Rolling Stone Australia owner and Vinyl Group CEO Josh Simons and wife Tatiana selling Patterson Lakes home". Realestate.com.au. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
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