'Smart Formats' pioneer Serenade launches new platform, announces global hires following Vinyl Group acquisition

11 September 2025 - Press release

 

• Matt Drayton and Jamie Parmenter announced as Sales and Operations leads.

• Launch of white-label platform empowers artist teams to easily customise and scale physical-digital Smart Formats. 

• The chart-eligible merch provider has worked with 200+ artists, including Burna Boy, Craig David, The K’s, Mariah Carey, and more.

 

Serenade—the chart-eligible Smart Formats partner for the music industry—has today announced the launch of its new white-label platform, and the appointments of Matt Drayton and Jamie Parmenter in global roles, following its acquisition by ASX-listed Vinyl Group in September 2024.

Contributing to recent UK number-one album campaigns with The K’s (Official Albums Chart), Craig David (Official Album Downloads Chart) and Nova Twins (Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart) via its pioneering chart-eligible physical-digital merchandise collectables, Serenade is empowering artists, managers, and their teams further with the development and launch of its white-label platform, featuring self-service uploads, one-tap fan access and streamlined pricing, helping teams with simplifying releases while giving artists a fun alternative way to sell music, drive chart performance, and build fan loyalty. 

Additionally, in this phase of growth under Vinyl Group, Serenade is bolstered by the appointment of Matt Drayton as Sales Lead, and Jamie Parmenter as Operations and Product Lead. They are based in the UK and report to Germán Rodrigo, Head of Product and Growth at Vinyl Group.

Matt is tasked with liaising with artists, management, labels and other partners, and working on art formats and marketing support. His experience, spanning over 13 years, encompasses artist/brand partnerships, digital marketing, e-commerce, distribution, as well as music programming and sound engineering, most recently at RTM Industries and Ostereo. He serves as a Board Member of ERA (the Digital Entertainment and Retail Association).

With parent company Vinyl Group, Jamie works on discovery and product growth, in addition to running the day-to-day and streamlining operations to support Serenade’s growing physical and digital music partnerships with artists, labels and other strategic stakeholders. He brings expertise in bridging physical and digital worlds from roles at SpinBard and Vinyl Chapters.

Recent Serenade Smart Format campaigns demonstrating the range of its collaborations, encompassing physical products and seamless digital unlocks for music purchase and exclusive content, include: mini cassettes and clothing tags linking to album pre-orders at a Mariah Carey fan event in London, a Babymetal Kerrang magazine cover feature with a sticker unlocking their brand new album and tapping in to new fanbases, Burna Boy mini-cassettes and content exclusives at Wireless Festival, a Craig David tour-edition lanyard with exclusive album pre-order access and BTS updates from the circuit, andTom Odell mini CD unlocking two new tracks pre-album release. 

Serenade has worked with hundreds of artists (from emerging to established) and commercial partners (from record labels to magazines), including: Alice Cooper, Blossoms, Bugzy Malone, Ghost, Kairo Keyz, Only The Poets, Twenty One Pilots, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, and Sum 41.

Matt Drayton, Sales Lead at Serenade, says: “Serenade has built a powerhouse roster of artist collaborators, and it’s a privilege to support them on innovative release campaigns via Smart Formats. With the new white-label platform, we’re bringing increased power to partners and creatives with a simple system making collectable digital-physical formats more accessible, customisable, and scalable.”

Jamie Parmenter, Operations and Product Lead at Serenade, adds: “In the digital age, Serenade harnesses love for art and the tangible: the combination of physical and digital music formats is potent. The new Serenade platform empowers everyone, from independent artists releasing their first Smart Format to major teams working on mainstream chart campaigns, with the tools to move quickly, cost-effectively, and create memorable fan experiences.”

Josh Simons, CEO and Executive Director of Vinyl Group, comments: “Serenade is a music-tech treasure in the Vinyl Group portfolio with rapid growth. One year on from its acquisition, with dedicated investment in developing the white-label platform and the appointments of Matt and Jamie, we’re primed to serve more innovative artists and teams around the world with their music proposition for fans.”

Serenade is committed to selecting the most sustainable materials for its physical product range, which also includes wristbands, Smart vinyl, pin badges, keychains, and patches, to bring artist teams’ creative visions to life, incorporating the ability to stream or download music directly from the platform.

The company is chart-accredited in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Parent company Vinyl Group (ASX: VNL) FY25 financial results show revenue increased 190% to $14.4m in a ‘transformational’ year, with Serenade one of its four acquisitions in the period.