Mixmag Parent Company Acquires Kerrang! & The Face Magazines

Mixmag's parent company Wasted Talent will apply its "video-first" strategy to the acquisitions, which emphasizes YouTube and social media content in order to grow viewership.

By Kat Bein

Mixmag ‘s parent company Wasted Talent just purchased iconic UK rock magazine Kerrang! and style magazine The Face, as well as a launched a third magazine called The Beer Necessities, and plans to expand the international reach of all new outlets are underway.

Wasted Talent will apply its “video-first” strategy to the acquisitions, which emphasizes YouTube and social media content in order to grow viewership. Mixmag has expanded its reach in recent years to more than 15 million video views per month, a plan that has bolstered its US expansion since 2015. The UK-based editorial brand now has offices in Brazil, South Korea, China, France, Germany, Russia, Australia, Croatia, Japan, and Thailand. Global expansion is on the menu for Kerrang! and The Face, if all goes according to plan.

“When I think of the media brands that defined music and culture in the UK and globally over the last few decades, few were more relevant than this collection of titles,” says US CEO Rebecca Jolly in a press release. “Over the past two years, we’ve established Mixmag as a truly innovative, fully integrated media platform in the US, and are working with some of the world’s leading consumer brands and partners. We look forward to doing the same with Kerrang! and The Face.”

Kerrang! is touted as the Mixmag of British rock outlets, which is to say a regional leader in the genre. The Face has been dormant since 1994, but Wasted Talent will revive the famous brand with new leadership in London and New York. The Beer Necessities is a collaboration with Anheuser-Busch‘s craft beer division The High End, and will focus on beer culture and lifestyle pieces.

“It’s difficult to establish new media brands in today’s digital marketplace,” says Wasted Talent Chairman Ian Flooks. “Kerrang! is a trusted brand because of the years of passion, knowledge and profound enthusiasm that have gone into producing it week in, week out. Under our ownership, Kerrang! will take its rightful place at the heart of a global digital community of like-minded spirits. The platforms are there and, thanks to our recent experience with Mixmag, we know how to use them.”