Billboard Acquires Amplify

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Billboard announced it has officially acquired live entertainment news site Amplify Media Inc., after gaining full ownership of the site in June.

Amplify founder and reporter Dave Brooks has officially joined Billboard’s full-time staff as a senior correspondent, joined by writer Taylor Mims, and will lead the magazine’s touring and live entertainment coverage.

Terms of the sale were not disclosed.

Amplify will continue to provide its newsletter, The Real, and operate from Long Beach, Calif.

“I started Amplify because I wanted to tell stories about the live music business in a new and exciting way, ” Brooks said in a statement.

“We are extremely excited to acquire Amplify,” said Billboard’s Vice President of Content, Ross Scarano. “Dave Brooks is a true entrepreneur who knows the live entertainment world inside out and we are thrilled to be able to provide Billboard’s readers with more in-depth coverage of the touring industry.”

Amplify Media was created by Dave Brooks and his wife Kristen Bilanko in 2014.

Brooks has held positions at publications including Venues Today and the Los Angeles Times and was a contributor to Pollstar.