Australia-headquartered music database company, Jaxsta, has appointed Josh Simons as its new CEO, effective immediately, succeeding Beth Appleton who has stepped down from the role.
Appleton spent over a year in the role after being promoted from Chief Marketing Officer in April 2022. She was at the helm of the company when it introduced a new metadata matching tool for rightsholders and when it partnered with US digital music distribution platform DistroKid.
Jaxsta Chair, Linda Jenkinson, said: “The board thanks Beth for her significant contribution to Jaxsta during a period of growth and change. We wish her all the best for her future.”
Reminiscing her time at Jaxsta, Appleton said: “I will relish my time at Jaxsta and the initiatives that I drove. I wish Josh, and the incredible team, all the very best for the future. I’m proud to have been a part of the Jaxsta evolution, and look forward to watching the business continue on its mission.”
The change was announced just days after the ASX-listed company raised AUD $3 million (USD $2 million) via a share placement that has made Australian tech billionaire Richard White a major shareholder in the company.
Simons, the new CEO, joined Jaxsta in February when the company acquired Vampr, a company he founded and led as CEO. Vampr, founded in 2015 and described as “LinkedIn for creatives,” claims to help creatives and artists find people to work with, create new music and monetize their work through its features.
With over 1.3 million users and more than eight million global connections, Vampr has received recognition as one of Fast Company’s 2022 Most Innovative Companies. The platform has also been honored with awards from Apple and Google.
“Revenue, cost efficiency and profitability remain the top priorities for Jaxsta and I look forward to building on the current momentum.”
Josh Simons, Jaxsta
Prior to his role at Vampr, Simons achieved success as an artist with his project, Buchanan, and earned songwriting and production credits alongside renowned artists such as Travis Scott, Kanye West, and Troye Sivan. In 2020, he was recognized at the top of The Music Network’s 30 Under 30 List and holds a Bachelor of Business degree from Swinburne University.
Commenting on his latest appointment, Simons said: “Jaxsta has a clear vision and product roadmap going into FY24, and that’s a credit to the Board, Beth and the team who have done a remarkable job. Revenue, cost efficiency and profitability remain the top priorities for Jaxsta and I look forward to building on the current momentum. We have the foundation for a transformational global music product as we continue to integrate Vampr into the business and scale the VINYL.com platform.”
Speaking with MBW, he added: “In terms of immediate priorities for the business, we are now fully focused on bringing together parts of the Vampr and Jaxsta business units in the short term. Shortly you’ll see our attention shift to building out the Vinyl.com experience with exclusives and other collectibles. Alongside these, the ultimate aim is, of course, getting the company to profitability and showing significant gains in revenue.
“Jaxsta and Vampr were both tackling a similar problem but coming at it from different angles, where neither approach was necessarily better. Now that we are one, we can lean into the best parts of each. Right now that’s what we are working on, and from a product standpoint, it’s very exciting.”
“Further, the board and I congratulate Josh on his appointment as Chief Executive Officer. Josh, who co-founded Vampr, is a visionary, product expert and highly energetic leader who shares our vision and mission for Jaxsta,” said Jenkinson.
“Josh has worked closely with Beth and her team over the past few months and was instrumental in attracting new cornerstone investment into the company.”
Appleton will work with Simons and Jaxsta’s board during the transition.
Music Business Worldwide