28th Jun 2021 07:00
The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014. Upon the publication of this announcement via the Regulatory Information Service, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.
For Immediate Release 28 June 2021
Napster Group PLC
('NAPS', the 'Group' or the 'Company')
Full Year Results
Napster Group PLC (AIM: NAPS), Napster Group PLC a leading music company and operator of the MelodyVR and Napster platforms, is pleased to announce its results for the period ended 28 December 2020.
Highlights
· MelodyVR launched "Live from LA" a music series delivered directly to fans homes around the world throughout the pandemic, broadcast from a COVID safe purpose-built studio in Los Angeles and featuring exclusive shows from artists such as John Legend, Cypress Hill and Kesha;
· MelodyVR presented Wireless Connect - a three-day virtual festival featuring more than 70 artists;
· MelodyVR, Live Nation and Ticketmaster commenced their virtual paid for concert series "Live from O2 Academy Brixton" connecting artists and fans for live concerts in "360" degree VR;
· British musical icon Liam Gallagher performed a one-of-a-kind virtual event "Down by the River Thames" streamed by MelodyVR to a global audience and generating our first ticketing revenue;
· MelodyVR completed the acquisition of the Napster business paving the way for a unique music service offering both immersive live performances, music streaming services and much more.
Anthony Matchett, Group CEO commented:
"Whilst these results relate to a period immediately preceding our acquisition of the Napster business, they underline our achievements over the course of the last five years and how were successfully able to differentiate ourselves against other suitors in the purchase of Napster.
I am proud of how our talented team, in the face of the obstacles created by COVID 19, took our MelodyVR business to new levels in 2020 and preserved fan and artist engagement. We nearly doubled our users to 325,000, launched a series of live events from London and LA, broadcast the virtual Wireless Connect festival in partnership with Live Nation and at the end of the year, demonstrated our ability to monetise our content via our first paid ticketed event which sold c.40k tickets for Liam Gallagher's "Down by the River Thames".
Our ambition now, having substantially completed the merger of our business with Napster, is to combine our resources and content, making the forthcoming relaunch Napster the new benchmark in music subscription services. We will provide deeper engagement for fans across music with live access to sold out events, 4K+ video, hi-resolution and immersive audio, interviews, documentaries, and over 105m tracks of recorded audio. This period has provided the strongest foundation for that vision and we look forward to the months ahead and the relaunch of the Napster brand."
For further information please contact:
Napster Group PLC [email protected]
Anthony Matchett, Group CEO
Equitory (IR) [email protected]
Clara Melia/Geoff Callow
Arden Partners plc (Nominated Adviser and Broker) +44 (0)20 7614 5900
Corporate Finance: Ruari McGirr / Antonio Bossi / Akhil Shah
Corporate Broking: Simon Johnson
Chairman's Statement
I am pleased to present our Group results for the period to 28 December 2020. This was a difficult period for everyone, with the COVID 19 pandemic fundamentally changing the way people lived their lives and, before anything else, I would like to thank all our employees for their commitment and hard work during this challenging time. With the reverse acquisition of Napster being completed on 29 December 2020, your Board felt it would be a more appropriate representation of the business for 2020 to prepare these financial statements to an accounting reference date which immediately preceded the completion of the Napster business. In doing so, these results solely reflect the activities of the MelodyVR business and conclude definitively what has been a period of significant progress and development since the Company initially listed in 2015.
Having taken this decision, our first set of results incorporating the enlarged Napster business will be for the interim period ending 30 June 2021. In the absence of any pre-acquisition trading update our interim results will provide a clear picture of activities for the enlarged business and will provide a meaningful performance comparative for future trading periods.
The acquisition of the Napster business marked a significant step in our Company's development. As a Board we are aware of the amount of capital we have had to invest in our technology and people over the last 5 years. This investment allowed us to create a platform in the music industry which gave us the credibility to secure the acquisition of Napster from a competitive field of multi-national suitors also vying to acquire the business. The Board believes that this acquisition will be the catalyst for us to transform the revenue and growth profile of the Company.
Looking forward, we see an extremely exciting future ahead for our business. We expect to launch an updated version of Napster towards the end of Q4 2021 that combines the numerous content types that the legacy Napster and MelodyVR platforms represented into a single offering. Music is much more than sound and our new platform will offer the only streaming membership where fans can get access to an entire repertoire of an artist's work, be it on stage, in the studio or under the radar. We believe the front row belongs to everybody and our new subscription service will provide all area access including the ability to be part of sold out "360" shows live from across the globe, 4K+ video, hi-resolution and immersive audio, interviews, documentaries, and downloadable libraries on any device, uninterrupted by advertising.
Following the launch of the new platform Napster will soon deliver a cross-platform experience that spans traditional listening on mobile devices, through to shared experiences on living room big screens - and beyond. We have the ambition to change an industry and have a solid-foundation to build on based on our heritage. Our primary objective is to drive significant customer and revenue growth and consumer acquisition via innovation whilst challenging engrained industry norms. As larger Digital Service Suppliers (" DSP's") diversify away from music content into areas such as spoken word - Napster will cement its position as the original music-platform for music fans, providing deeper connections with the artists they love, and a new platform to discover new music and talent.
We have a clear plan for monetisation of the new platform. Subscriber growth will be at our core - initially focussing on relationships with both existing and new telco partners as 5G mobile networks roll out across the globe and our partners look to showcase their own technology. MelodyVR already has agreements in place with SingTel, Telefonica and NOS. We expect to reach new agreements with these partners as well as the 6 other telco providers Napster currently partners with. In addition, we are in discussions with several new telco operators about partnerships for the new Napster platform and expect to conclude several agreements during 2021 ahead of the platform's launch. Further announcements in relation to new agreements will be made as and when they are signed.
The depth and breadth of our forthcoming content offering, which the Board believes to be unparalleled within the music industry, will be available via a single app download of Napster. Our established presence in 33 territories will provide an initial platform and foundation for the launch of our new service. In addition, we will seek to target emerging markets, which we believe to date have a lower level of penetration by the other streaming services, delivering value and access to unique content from our extensive content library of over 105m tracks and broadcast content. This targeted approach to new identified key markets will allow us to secure a more dominant market position and deliver a better return on our marketing investments.
Much progress has been made since the completion of the Napster acquisition. Our planning during the months leading up to the acquisition has enabled us to conclude many of the integration initiatives during the first quarter of 2021. As we have sought to eliminate duplicated functions and consolidate operations particularly within the areas of finance, marketing and licencing across our primary locations, to date we have been able to secure annualised OPEX savings of c.£4,8m, which in turn has allowed us to channel greater resource into the continued technical development of our new platform.
Given the global resonance of the Napster brand and its legacy as the original disruptor in the music industry, we have embraced its heritage and ethos for change. We have now completed the rebranding of our corporate identity in anticipation of the launch of our new service towards the end of 2021.
To fund these ambitions, we have secured a term loan from Davis Capital and a convertible loan facility from Swiss Investment firm Nice & Green. Davis Capital is represented by Lansing Davis, our largest shareholder who we expect to join the Board in the near future. Our relationship with Nice & Green has provided us with access to £8m of funding and contributes towards the c$40m of aggregate funding we have secured to fund our operations over the near term as we work towards the launch of our new Napster platform. As a company, we are pleased to be partnered with Nice & Green who we view as both a responsible lender and who have retained the vast majority of their shareholding and have embraced both our ambition and vision for our business, providing us with the ability to secure regular funding from the public markets. As a long term quasi-institutional supporter of our business, this access to capital, which is often on terms more favourable than a traditional equity placings, provides for cost effective equity issue without significant shareholder dilution.
Significant events in 2020
2020 was one of the most challenging years on record for live music as the COVID 19 pandemic resulted in many countries implementing lockdowns. We were able to adapt our offering to provide music fans with a number of events that continued to build awareness of MelodyVR, created new revenue opportunities and drove an increase in subscriber numbers:
· In May 2020, MelodyVR launched "Live from LA" a music series delivered directly to fans homes around the world throughout the pandemic, broadcast from a COVID safe purpose-built studio in Los Angeles and featuring exclusive shows from artists such as John Legend, Cypress Hill and Kesha;
· July saw Wireless Festival and MelodyVR come together to present Wireless Connect - a three-day virtual festival featuring more than 70 artists;
· In September 2020, MelodyVR, Live Nation and Ticketmaster commenced their virtual paid for concert series "Live from O2 Academy Brixton" connecting artists and fans for live concerts in "360" degree VR;
· In December 2020, British musical icon Liam Gallagher performed a one-of-a-kind virtual event "Down by the River Thames" streamed to a global audience and generating our first ticketing revenue;
· On 29th December 2020 MelodyVR completed the acquisition of the Napster business paving the way for a unique music service offering both immersive live performances, music streaming services and much more.
Review of business and 2020 financial results
As set out above these results reflect the activities of the Group for the period up to and immediately preceding the acquisition of the Napster business. As such, these results reflect the continuing initiatives to extend awareness of the MelodyVR platform and consequent engagement with its content. This was made more challenging given the global COVID pandemic. During the period, our business generated more than 187k new installs of our app and we close the period with, in excess of 325k users in addition to successfully positioning the Company as the leading suitor in the Napster acquisition tender process.
The restrictions imposed by the pandemic and the consequent cancellation of all audience attended events during the course of 2020 provided us with the ability to host a series of events that ensured artists could continue to engage with their fans. Our Live in LA series was host to artists including John Legend, Cypress Hill, Katelyn Tarver, Zella Day, Jo Jo, Nelly and Kesha and accelerated both awareness and acceptance of live streamed content on the MelodyVR platform.
In July 2020, we hosted Wireless Connect in partnership with Festival Republic, a division of Live Nation which saw more than 70 artists perform at the Alexandra Palace to a virtual audience over three days. This event not only showcased our ability as leaders in our field to capture, create and broadcast live immersive content but also captured the imagination of more than 132,000 fans who experienced this immersive festival over three days. Our period closed with a further series of live virtual events held at London's Brixton Academy and staged in partnership with both Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
Given the exposure of our live series earlier in the period and the success of Wireless Connect, our series in London sought for the first time to monetise our content via the sale of live digital tickets through Ticketmaster. The series concluded with a performance by Liam Gallagher of Oasis fame on the Thames, an event for which we sold close to 40,000 tickets at an average ticket price of £12. With attendance restrictions set to continue for the foreseeable future, our ability to monetise our live performances with meaningful paid ticket sales, not only illustrates increasing engagement with immersive events but also a growing digital engagement between artist and fan, and one which will clearly differentiate our new platform offering post-launch.
Financial Results
The Group reported revenues for the period totalling £987.7k (2019 : £195.0k) resulting primarily from platform content sales and subscription income from our partnership with O2. The gross loss of £4.6m (2019 : £1.6m) has been calculated after the deduction of content creation costs and amounts due to rights holders. Cost of sales of £5.6m (2019 : £1.8m) includes production costs associated with our "Live in LA" on demand series and Wireless Connect Festival staged in partnership with Live Nation, as well as commissions and revenue share arrangements due to app stores, record labels, publishers, song writers and event / venue partners. Given the nature of these "free to air" events, we have not sought to capitalise any costs associated with the creation of this content.
After administrative expenses of £21.5m (2019 : £14.2m) the Group reported an operating loss for the period of £26.0m (2019 : £15.9m). Administrative expenses increased by £7.3m over that reported for the period to 31 December 2019. An 11% rise in staff numbers over the previous period together with an increase in corporate premises costs despite favourable rental arrangements during the months of lock down accounted for £4.3m of this increase. In December 2020, the Group announced that in anticipation of its acquisition of the Napster business it would commence a review of its resource requirements in anticipation of integrating the two businesses. Provisions totalling £1.2m are also included within administrative expenses which include the costs of reorganisation, impairment of the Group's viewer inventory and intangible content assets and for the non-recovery of certain receivables form entities significantly impacted by the pandemic.
After non-recurring and non-cash items, net financing charges and taxation including Research and Development Tax credits totalling £4.4m associated with the development and creation of new capture and broadcast knowledge, the Group reported a loss of £22.4m (2019 : £15.0m) resulting in a loss per share of 1.3p (2019 : 1.1p).
As 28 December 2020 the Group had cash reserves of £2.6m (2020: £6.8m). On 29 December 2020, as part of the acquisition funding raised to complete the purchase of the Napster business, the Group raised by way of an equity issue a further $10.1m and entered in to a $25m term loan arrangement with Davis Capital. These funding arrangements when combined with our facility with Nice & Green as referred to above and further equity placing completed during February 2021 will provide the group with access to c.$40m of funding during the course of 2021.
Outlook
We believe that 2021 is a year where we will lay the foundations for future growth. Our ambition this year is to develop and launch our vision for a next generation music platform preserving the best elements of the existing MelodyVR and Napster technologies and supplementing them with new content, extending beyond the boundaries of traditional music platforms. Our belief is that the new platform will be attractive to music fans and artists, offering fans more content at a single price point and fairly compensating artists whilst offering them greater control of their content.
During the course of 2021 we expect to invest some $27m (including internal resourcing) in the development of our differentiated cloud-based platform which is intended to launch during Q4 2021 across mobile, web and TV.
We have started marketing the new platform within the music industry and as we enter the second half of 2021, we will launch a co-ordinated marketing and PR campaign to build awareness of the new platform and drive subscriber growth. This campaign will see:
- the launch of the new Napster brand identity
- previews of the new platform design, look and feel
- third party marketing agreements and partnerships
- a media campaign to promote the new platform
I would like to thank all our employees for their commitment and hard work during this challenging time - during which the cancellation of live mass attended events and performances has created many unforeseen challenges for the music industry. In addition, we would also like to take this opportunity to extend our gratitude to our shareholders, customers and business partners for their support, effort and insights over the course of this last period - our continued progress would not have been attained without the efforts of the management team and the unwavering commitment of our staff. As we increase the level of commercial activity, we will look to keep our shareholders updated through a combination of regular interviews on prominent retail investor platforms and, when appropriate, stock exchange announcements.
Having completed the Napster acquisition, we are excited at the prospects for the forthcoming growth of our business and our ability to become the new benchmark in music subscription services serving artists and fans alike. At our core will be subscriber and revenue growth and the ambition of serving fans and artists alike; delivering long-term value for all of our stakeholders. We look forward to updating you over the coming weeks and months and sharing our progress during the lead up to our new platform launch later this year.
Simon Cole
Chairman
PRIMARY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income for the period ended 28 December 2020
|
| 2020 | 2019 |
|
| £ | £ |
Continuing operations: Revenue Cost of sales
GROSS LOSS
|
|
987,726 (5,562,891) ------------------ (4,575,165) ------------------ |
194,971 (1,832,042) ------------------ (1,637,071) ------------------ |
Administrative expenses |
| (21,451,129) | (14,227,561) |
|
| ------------------ | ------------------ |
OPERATING LOSS |
| (26,026,294) | (15,864,632) |
|
|
|
|
Operating loss before non-cash items
Depreciation Amortisation Share based payments
OPERATING LOSS |
| (23,618,286)
(1,276,340) (996,046) (135,622) ------------------ (26,026,294)
| (13,794,485)
(624,862) (1,001,809) (443,476) ------------------ (15,864,632)
|
Finance income |
|
29,597 |
106,891 |
Finance costs Foreign exchange gain/(loss) |
| (67,990) (749,808) | (14,229) (381,101) |
|
| ------------------ | ------------------ |
LOSS FOR THE PERIOD BEFORE TAXATION |
| (26,814,495) | (16,153,071) |
|
|
|
|
Taxation |
| 4,377,298 | 1,184,287 |
|
| ------------------ | ------------------ |
LOSS FOR THE PERIOD |
| (22,437,197) | (14,968,784) |
|
| ========= | ========= |
Attributable to: Owners of the parent company Non - controlling interest |
|
(22,437,197) - |
(14,968,784) - |
|
| ------------------ | ------------------ |
LOSS PER SHARE - from continuing operations - basic and diluted
|
| (1.3)p ========= | (1.1)p ========= |
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME | 2020 | 2019 | |
FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 28 DECEMBER 2020 |
| £ | £ |
|
|
|
|
LOSS FOR THE PERIOD
|
| (22,437,197) | (14,968,784) |
OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME: Exchange differences on translating foreign operations |
|
230,091 |
109,900 |
|
| ------------------ | ------------------ |
TOTAL COMPREHENSIVE EXPENSE FOR THE PERIOD | (22,207,106) | (14,858,884) | |
|
| ========= | ========= |
Consolidated Statement of Financial Position as at 28 December 2020
|
| 2020 | 2019 |
|
| £ | £ |
ASSETS |
|
|
|
NON-CURRENT ASSETS |
|
|
|
Property, plant and equipment Right-of-use assets Financial assets Goodwill |
| 1,019,662 1,498,740 243,809 603,476 | 813,728 515,706 235,446 603,476 |
Other intangible assets |
| 811,737 | 2,043,574 |
|
| ----------------------- | ----------------------- |
TOTAL NON-CURRENT ASSETS |
| 4,177,424 | 4,211,930 |
|
| ----------------------- | ----------------------- |
|
|
|
|
CURRENT ASSETS |
|
|
|
Inventories |
| - | 371,877 |
Trade and other receivables |
| 16,359,041 | 3,382,819 |
Cash and cash equivalents |
| 2,622,526 | 6,795,341 |
|
| ----------------------- | ----------------------- |
TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS |
| 18,981,567 | 10,550,037 |
|
| ----------------------- | ----------------------- |
TOTAL ASSETS |
| 23,158,991 | 14,761,967 |
|
| =========== | =========== |
|
|
|
|
CURRENT LIABILITIES |
|
|
|
Trade and other payables |
| (5,156,790) | (1,143,311) |
Borrowings |
| (4,317,451) | - |
Lease liabilities |
| (644,018) | (156,964) |
|
| ----------------------- | ----------------------- |
|
| (10,118,259) | (1,300,275) |
NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES |
|
|
|
Lease liabilities |
| (970,660) | (323,443) |
|
|
|
|
|
| ----------------------- | ----------------------- |
NET ASSETS |
| 12,070,072 | 13,138,249 |
|
| =========== | =========== |
|
|
|
|
EQUITY |
|
|
|
Share capital |
| 21,226,709 | 14,944,850 |
Share premium reserve |
| 55,252,677 | 40,531,229 |
Retained Earnings |
| (57,679,787) | (35,242,590) |
Share option reserve |
| 2,553,363 | 2,417,741 |
Merger relief reserve |
| 486,611 | 486,611 |
Non-controlling interests Currency Translation Reserve |
| (44,990) 278,032 | (44,990) 47,941 |
Reverse takeover reserve |
| (10,002,543) | (10,002,543) |
|
| ----------------------- | ----------------------- |
TOTAL EQUITY |
| 12,070,072 | 13,138,249 |
|
| =========== | =========== |
Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity For the period ended 28 December 2020
| Share capital | Share premium | Merger Relief Reserve | Share Option Reserve | Retained Losses | Reverse Takeover Reserve | Non-Controlling Interest | Currency Translation Reserve | Total Equity |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance at 1 January 2019 | 13,690,204 | 36,258,164 | 486,611 | 1,974,265 | (20,273,806) | (10,002,543) | (44,990) | (61,959) | 22,025,946 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Share issue | 1,111,111 | 3,477,603 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4,588,714 |
Grant of share options/warrants | 143,535 | 795,462 | - | 443,476 | - | - | - | - | 1,382,473 |
Loss for the period | - | - | - | - | (14,968,784) | - | - | - | (14,968,784) |
Other comprehensive income: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Currency transaction reserve | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 109,900 | 109,900 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance at 31 December 2019 | 14,944,850 | 40,531,229 | 486,611 | 2,417,741 | (35,242,590) | (10,002,543) | (44,990) | 47,941 | 13,138,249 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Share issue | 6,104,354 | 14,690,473 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 20,794,827 |
Grant of share options/warrants | 177,505 | 30,975 | - | 135,622 | - | - | - | - | 344,102 |
Loss for the period | - | - | - | - | (22,437,197) | - | - | - | (22,437,197) |
Other comprehensive income: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Currency transaction reserve | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 230,091 | 230,091 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance at 28 December 2020 | 21,226,709 | 55,252,677 | 486,611 | 2,553,363 | (57,679,787) | (10,002,543) | (44,990) | 278,032 | 12,070,072 |
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows For the period ended 28 December 2020
| 2020 | 2019 |
| £ | £ |
Operating activities |
|
|
Loss from continuing operations before tax | (26,814,495) | (16,153,071) |
|
|
|
Adjustments for: |
|
|
R&D taxation credits Depreciation of tangible assets Depreciation of right-of-use assets Amortisation of intangible assets | 1,747,190 889,549 386,791 996,046 | - 610,128 14,734 1,001,809 |
Loss on disposal of intangible and tangible assets | 356,905 | 169,596 |
Share based payment expense | 135,622 | 443,476 |
Increase in inventories | 371,877 | (371,877) |
Increase in trade and other receivables | (10,346,114) | (596,636) |
(Decrease)/increase in trade and other payables | 4,013,479 | (790,126) |
| --------------------- | --------------------- |
|
|
|
NET CASH OUTFLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES | (28,263,150) | (15,671,967) |
| --------------------- | --------------------- |
Investing activities |
|
|
Purchase of property, plant and equipment | (1,216,595) | (489,864) |
Investment in intangible assets | - | (1,722,908) |
Purchase of financial assets | - | (235,446) |
| --------------------- | --------------------- |
NET CASH OUTFLOW FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES | (1,216,595) | (2,448,218) |
|
|
|
Financing activities |
|
|
Proceeds from issue of ordinary share capital | 20,794,827 | 4,588,714 |
Proceeds from the exercise of warrants | 208,480 | 938,997 |
Proceeds from borrowings | 4,317,451 | - |
| --------------------- | --------------------- |
NET CASH GENERATED FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES | 25,320,758 | 5,527,711 |
| --------------------- | --------------------- |
|
|
|
(Decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents Effect of changes in foreign exchange rates | (4,158,987) (13,828) | (12,592,474) 59,867 |
Cash and cash equivalents brought forward | 6,795,341 | 19,327,948 |
| --------------------- | --------------------- |
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS CARRIED FORWARD | 2,622,526 | 6,795,341 |
ABRIDGED NOTES TO THE PRIMARY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 28 DECEMBER 2020
| =========== | =========== |
The Financial Statements of the Group for the period ended 28 December 2020 and for the year ended 31 December 2019 have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) as adopted by the European Union.
The financial information set out above does not constitute the Company's statutory accounts for the period ended 28 December 2020 or the year ended 31 December 2019 as defined by sec on 435 of the Companies Act 2006 but is derived from those accounts. Statutory accounts for 2019 have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies, and those for 2020 will be delivered in due course.
Basis of Consolidation
Where the Group has the power, either directly or indirectly, to govern the financial and operating policies of another entity or business so as to obtain benefits from its activities, it is classified as a subsidiary. The consolidated financial statements present the results of the company and its subsidiaries ("the Group") as if they formed a single entity. Intercompany transactions and balances between Group companies are therefore eliminated in full.
Business Combinations
The Consolidated Financial Statements comprise the period to 28 December 2020. Subsidiaries are entities controlled by the Group. The Group controls an entity when it is exposed to, or has rights to, variable returns from its involvement with the entity and has the ability to affect those returns through its power over the entity. The financial statements of subsidiaries are included in the consolidated financial statements from the date on which control commences until the date on which control ceases. Consolidated within these financial statements are results from subsidiaries: MelodyVR Ltd (100% ownership), MelodyVR Inc (100% ownership), MelodyVR Holdings Ltd (100% ownership) and Immersive Construction Ltd (51% ownership).
Going Concern
The Financial Statements have been prepared on the going concern basis. In adopting a going concern basis for the preparation of the financial statements, the Directors have made appropriate enquiries and have considered the Group's business activities, cash flows and liquidity position, in addition to the principal risks and uncertainties set out in the strategic report.
The Directors have prepared cash flow forecasts through to June 2022, covering the 12-month period beyond the signing date of these financial statements, which took into account sensitivity analysis with regard to some of the material variables and assumptions made in the preparation of those forecasts, including the continuing potential impact of COVID 19 to ensure that cashflow is positively managed and the impact to the Group's operations is mitigated.
The Directors expect that, until the launch of its new music platform later this year, the Group will continue to experience a reduction in revenues generated from its music streaming service and will continue to be loss-making. Whilst the Group has adequate resources to fund operations up to and beyond end of 2021, the management of working capital is critical during this period.
Our material variables and assumptions include the uptake of our new service which we plan to launch in Q4 2021 and a reliance on significant contracts. The Board is conscious of the need to manage its cash resources carefully if its operations are to be funded for 12 months from the date of this report and any delay in the launch of the new service or in the award of new contracts could have a materially adverse effect on our headroom.
Mitigations available to the business include general reductions in expenditure alongside management of working capital terms with suppliers, as well as the ability for the business to secure additional funding if required. The Board has also reviewed the plans made by management for securing additional financing should this become necessary.
Based on the Group's forecasts, and subject to the above, the Directors are satisfied that Group as a whole has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, the financial statements have been prepared on the going concern basis.
Statement of compliance
a) New standards, interpretations and amendments effective from 1 January 2020
During the period ended 28 December 2020, the Group were not required to adopt any new IFRS, IAS or amendments issued by the IASB, and interpretations by the IFRS Interpretations Committee, which would have had a material impact on the Group's financial statements.
b) New standards, interpretations and amendments not yet effective
The Group currently adopts all relevant accounting standards that have been endorsed by the EU. There are various standards that are expected to be endorsed in 2021. The Group believes these standards will have no material impact on the financial statements.
Revenue
Revenue is recognised to the extent that it is probable that the economic benefits will flow to the Group and the revenue can be reliably measured. Revenue is measured at the fair value of the consideration received in the ordinary course of the Group's activities, excluding discounts, rebates, value added tax and other sales taxes.
(a) Content sales
Content revenue is recognised in the period the content is purchased from the MelodyVR platform either directly or via third party resellers. Revenue from content sales is recognised gross of costs paid to third party licence and rights holders in line with contracts, with the corresponding cost recognised as cost of sales.
(b) Content licence revenue
Revenue from licence contracts for the use of artist/label content is recognised over the period to which the contract relates.
(c) Interest income
Interest income is recognised using the effective interest method.
Capitalisation of development and content creation costs
The Group recognises both internal development costs as well as VR content creation costs as intangible assets only when the following criteria are met: the technical feasibility of completing the intangible asset exists, there is an intent to complete and an ability to use or sell the intangible asset, the intangible asset will generate probable future economic benefits, there are adequate resources available to complete the development and to use or sell the intangible asset, and there is the ability to reliably measure the expenditure attributable to the intangible asset during its development.
Intangible assets with finite lives are amortised on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives and are assessed for impairment whenever there is an indication that the intangible asset may be impaired. The amortisation period and the amortisation method for an intangible asset are reviewed at least annually. Changes in the expected useful life or the expected pattern of consumption of future economic benefits embodied in the asset is accounted for by changing the amortisation period or method, as appropriate, and are treated as changes in accounting estimates. The amortisation of intangible assets is recognised in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income/costs in the expense category consistent with the function of the intangible assets.
Amortisation rates applicable to development costs is 33% straight line.
Amortisation rates applicable to content assets released during the period is as follows:
· Year 1: 80%
· Year 2: 15%
· Year 3: 5%
Content assets in production are not amortised as these assets are still in development and not in the condition necessary to be capable of operating in the manner intended by management. At the point the asset is in operational condition it is reclassified to Content Assets - released and is amortised in line with the above amortisation policy.
1. LOSS FROM OPERATIONS
This has been arrived at after charging: |
| Group | ||
|
|
| 2020 | 2019 |
|
|
| £ | £ |
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment |
|
| 889,549 | 610,128 |
Depreciation of right-of-use assets |
|
| 386,791 | 14,734 |
Amortisation on internally generated intangible assets |
|
| 996,046 | 1,001,809 |
Loss on disposal of intangible assets |
|
| 235,791 | 169,596 |
Loss on disposal of tangible assets |
|
| 121,114 | - |
|
|
| === ====== | === ====== |
2. AUDITOR'S REMUNERATION
|
| Group | ||
|
|
| 2020 | 2019 |
During the period the Group obtained the following service from the Group's auditors: |
| £ | £ | |
|
|
| ||
Fees payable to the Group's auditors for the audit of the Group's annual accounts |
|
| 26,000 | 26,000 |
Fees payable to the Group's auditors for other services: |
|
|
|
|
Tax services |
|
| 4,000 | 4,000 |
Other services |
|
| 30,000 | - |
|
|
| ------------------- | ------------------- |
|
|
| 60,000 | 30,000 |
|
|
| ========= | ========= |
3. DIRECTORS' AND EMPLOYEE REMUNERATION
|
|
| Group |
|
| ||
|
|
|
| 2020 | 2019 | ||
The amount paid to directors and employees, is as follows: |
| £ | £ | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
| ||
Wages and salaries Social security costs Pension costs |
|
|
| 8,650,828 902,648 146,891 | 5,157,779 631,586 114,874 | ||
Share based payment costs |
|
|
| 135,622 | 443,476 | ||
|
|
|
| ------------------- | ------------------- | ||
|
|
|
| 9,835,989 | 6,347,715 | ||
|
|
|
| ========= | ========= | ||
The average number of employees for the period was as follows:
| 2020 |
| 2019 |
|
| |||
|
| Group | Company | Group | Company | |||
|
| No. | No. | No. | No. | |||
|
|
|
|
|
| |||
Directors |
| 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |||
Senior Management |
| - | - | - | - | |||
Staff |
| 82 | - | 73 | - | |||
|
| ------------------- | ------------------- | ------------------- | ------------------- | |||
|
| 87 | 5 | 78 | 5 | |||
|
| ========= | ========= | ========= | ========= | |||
| Details for directors' remuneration is as follows: |
|
|
|
|
| |||||
|
| Salary | Total 2020 | Total 2019 |
| ||||||
| Director | £ | £ | £ |
| ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||
| Anthony Matchett | 396,000 | 1,282,191 | 372,545 |
| ||||||
| Steven Hancock | 316,000 | 625,403 | 270,910 |
| ||||||
| Sebastian Theron (resigned: 15 January 2019) | - | - | 10,154 |
| ||||||
| Simon Cole | 150,000 | 311,881 | 96,667 |
| ||||||
| Ian Hanson (resigned: 1 April 2020) | - | 33,333 | 40,000 |
| ||||||
| Andy Botha | 50,000 | 45,833 | 40,000 |
| ||||||
| Grant Dollens (appointed: 14 April 2020) | - | - | - |
| ||||||
|
|
| ------------------- | ------------------- |
| ||||||
|
|
| 2,298,641 | 830,276 |
| ||||||
|
|
| ========= | ========= |
| ||||||
The remuneration committee approved the salary increases and bonuses for executive directors during the period. Non-executive fees were also increased in line with market rates.
4. EARNINGS PER SHARE
Basic earnings per share is calculated by dividing the loss attributable to shareholders by the weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue during the period. IAS 33 requires presentation of diluted EPS when a company could be called upon to issue shares that would decrease earnings per share, or increase the loss per share. For a loss-making company with outstanding share options and warrants, net loss per share would be decreased by the exercise of options. Therefore, the anti-dilutive potential ordinary shares are disregarded in the calculation of diluted EPS. Reconciliation of the profit and weighted average number of shares used in the calculation are set out below:
| 2020 | 2019 |
| £ | £ |
Loss attributable to equity holders of the Company: |
| |
Continuing and total operations | (22,437,197) | (14,968,784) |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------- |
| No. of shares | No. of shares |
|
|
|
Weighted average number of ordinary shares for basic earnings | 1,770,398,225 | 1,368,304,682 |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------- |
|
|
|
| Pence per | Pence per |
| Share | Share |
Loss per share |
|
|
Basic and diluted per share |
|
|
Continuing and total operations | (1.3p) | (1.1p) |
| =========== | =========== |
5. INTANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS
Group |
| Development | Content assets | Content assets |
|
| Goodwill | costs | - in production | - released | Total |
Cost | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ |
At 1 January 2019 | 603,476 | 667,819 | 646,344 | 506,981 | 2,424,620 |
Additions | - | 1,282,545 | 101,999 | 338,364 | 1,722,908 |
Disposals | - | (69,871) | (126,766) | - | (196,637) |
Transfers | - | - | (306,701) | 306,701 | - |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- |
At 31 December 2019 | 603,476 | 1,880,493 | 314,876 | 1,152,046 | 3,950,891 |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- |
At 1 January 2020 | 603,476 | 1,880,493 | 314,876 | 1,152,046 | 3,950,891 |
Additions | - | - | - | - | - |
Disposals | - | - | (235,791) | - | (235,791) |
Transfers | - | - | (79,085) | 79,085 | - |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- |
At 28 December 2020 | 603,476 | 1,880,493 | - | 1,231,131 | 3,715,100 |
| =========== | =========== | =========== | =========== | =========== |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accumulated Depreciation |
|
|
|
| |
At 1 January 2019 | - | 149,279 | - | 179,794 | 329,073 |
Charge for the period | - | 413,294 | - | 588,515 | 1,001,809 |
Eliminated on disposal | - | (27,041) | - | - | (27,041) |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- |
At 31 December 2019 | - | 535,532 | - | 768,309 | 1,303,841 |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- |
At 1 January 2020 | - | 535,532 | - | 768,309 | 1,303,841 |
Charge for the period | - | 626,795 | - | 369,251 | 996,046 |
Eliminated on disposal | - | - | - | - | - |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- |
At 28 December 2020 | - | 1,162,327 | - | 1,137,560 | 2,299,887 |
| =========== | =========== | =========== | =========== | =========== |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net Book Value |
|
|
|
|
|
At 28 December 2020 | 603,476 | 718,166 | - | 93,571 | 1,415,213 |
| =========== | =========== | =========== | =========== | =========== |
At 31 December 2019 | 603,476 | 1,344,961 | 314,876 | 383,737 | 2,647,050 |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- |
At 1 January 2019 | 603,476 | 518,540 | 646,344 | 327,187 | 2,095,547 |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------- |
Goodwill has been calculated as the fair value of the Napster Group PLC ordinary shares pre reverse takeover less the net asset value of the Company at the time of take over. During the period the recognition criteria for intangibles assets as per IAS38 were satisfied for assets internally generated by the Company's subsidiary entity, MelodyVR Ltd and have therefore been capitalised.
The parent entity does not have any items of intangible fixed assets.
6. ISSUED SHARE CAPITAL
| 2020 | 2019 | ||
| Number of | Nominal | Number of | Nominal |
| Shares | Value | Shares | Value |
Issued and fully paid | No. | £ | No. | £ |
Ordinary shares of 1p each | 2,061,845,991 | 20,618,460 | 1,433,660,237 | 14,336,601 |
Deferred shares of 0.24p each | 150,520,616 | 361,249 | 150,520,616 | 361,249 |
Deferred shares of 0.95p each | 26,000,000 | 247,000 | 26,000,000 | 247,000 |
| --------------------------- | --------------------------- | --------------------------- | --------------------------- |
| 2,238,366,607 | 21,226,709 | 1,610,180,853 | 14,944,850 |
| ============= | ============= | ============= | ============= |
Movement | Number of | Nominal | Share |
| Shares | Value | premium |
Issued and fully paid during the period | No. | £ | £ |
Issue of new ordinary shares at 1.0p each Issue of new ordinary shares at 1.1p each Issue of new ordinary shares at 1.2p each | 2,419,592 9,245,270 4,615,090 | 24,196 92,453 46,151 | - 9,245 9,230 |
Issue of new ordinary shares at 1.85p each | 1,470,588 | 14,706 | 12,500 |
Issue of new ordinary shares at 3.5p each Issue of new ordinary shares at 3.75p each Share issue costs | 335,024,248 275,410,966 - | 3,350,243 2,754,110 - | 8,375,606 7,573,802 (1,258,935) |
| --------------------------- | --------------------------- | --------------------------- |
| 628,185,754 | 6,281,859 | 14,721,448 |
| ============= | ============= | ============= |
The deferred shares do not confer upon the holders right to any dividends or the right to attend or vote at general meetings of the Company.
7. SHARE OPTIONS AND WARRANTS
The Group operates share-based payment arrangements to remunerate directors and key employees in the form of options and warrants. Equity-settled share-based payments are measured at fair value (excluding the effect of non-market based vesting conditions) at the date of grant. The fair value determined at the grant date of the equity-settled share-based payments is expensed on a straight-line basis over the vesting period, based on the Company's estimate of shares that will eventually vest and adjusted for the effect of non-market based vesting conditions.
The fair value at grant date is independently determined using the Black Scholes Model that takes into account the exercise price, the term of the option, the share price at grant date and expected price volatility of the underlying share, the expected dividend yield, the risk free interest rate for the term of the option and the correlations and volatilities of the peer group companies.
In determining the expected price volatility, the directors have taken account of expectations regarding the current and future circumstances in the virtual reality market, both from the perspective of investment into content creation and hardware manufacture, and from the perspective of consumer trends, to assess the expected uptake of virtual reality as a mainstream outlet for music and other media and entertainment genres.
DIRECTOR OPTIONS AND WARRANTS
The following table sets out the details of options and warrants held by directors at 28 December 2020:
Director | Warrants and options in parent at 1 January 2020 | Exercised during the period | Warrants and options at 28 December 2020 | Exercise price | Expiry date |
Simon Cole | 4,615,090 | (4,615,090) | - | 1.1p | 16.05.2026 |
Anthony Matchett | 11,537,725 | - | 11,537,725 | 1.1p | 16.05.2026 |
Steven Hancock | 11,537,725 | - | 11,537,725 | 1.1p | 16.05.2026 |
Ian Hanson | 4,615,090 | - | 4,615,090 | 8.125p | 17.07.2027 |
Andy Botha | 4,615,090 | - | 4,615,090 | 5.7p | 20.12.2028 |
| --------------------------- | --------------------------- | --------------------------- |
|
|
| 36,920,720 | (4,615,090) | 32,305,630 |
|
|
| ============= | ============= | ============= |
|
|
No options or warrants issued to directors have lapsed or been forfeited during the period. This calculation takes into account warrants and options awarded to directors in the performance of their duties.
EQUITY SETTLED SHARE OPTION SCHEME
The Group operates an approved enterprise management incentive scheme under which employees have been granted options to purchase shares in Napster Group PLC.
The following table sets out the details of share options held at 28 December 2020:
| 2020 | 2019 | ||
| Average exercise price per share option | Number of options | Average exercise price per share option | Number of options |
As at 1 January | 10.4p | 90,961,255 | 5.7p | 44,486,521 |
Granted during the period | - | - | 13.9p | 57,970,410 |
Exercised during the period | 1.2p | (2,419,592) | 14.6p | (5,475,949) |
Forfeited during the period | - | - | 5.3p | (6,019,727) |
|
| --------------------------- |
| --------------------------- |
As at 28 December | 10.7p | 88,541,663 | 10.4p | 90,961,255 |
|
| ============= |
| ============= |
Vested and exercisable at 28 December | 10.9p | 82,887,285 | 10.9p | 77,894,348 |
|
| ============= |
| ============= |
Share options outstanding at the end of the period have the following expiry date and exercise prices:
Grant Date | Expiry date | Weighted average exercise price | Share options28 December 2020 | Share options31 December 2019 | |
13 October 2016 | 13 October 2026 | 1.1p | 9,218,980 | 11,613,522 | |
02 February 2017 | 02 February 2027 | 0.8p | 3,750,000 | 3,750,000 | |
17 July 2017 | 17 July 2027 | 8.1p | 11,647,550 | 11,647,550 | |
12 March 2018 | 12 March 2028 | 9.0p | 6,336,674 | 6,361,724 | |
20 December 2018 | 20 December 2028 | 5.7p | 4,615,090 | 4,615,090 | |
31 December 2019 | 31 December 2021 | 15.3p | 44,973,369 | 44,973,369 | |
16 October 2019 | 16 October 2024 | 5.3p | 8,000,000 | 8,000,000 | |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| --------------------------- | --------------------------- | |
Total |
|
| 88,541,663 | 90,961,255 | |
|
|
| ============= | ============= | |
|
|
|
|
| |
Weighted average remaining contractual life of options outstanding at end of period |
| 3.52 years | 4.15 years |
Of the share options outstanding at 28 December 2020, 9,230,180 (2019: 9,230,180) are held by directors of the Company.
WARRANTS
The Group issues warrants to directors, key advisors, commercial partners and others in consideration of the benefit accruing to the Group. The following table sets out the details of warrants held at 28 December 2020:
| 2020 | 2019 | ||
| Average exercise price per warrant | Number of warrants | Average exercise price per warrant | Number of warrants |
As at 1 January | 7.3p | 197,714,780 | 7.0p | 206,985,521 |
Granted during the period | - | - | - | - |
Exercised during the period | 1.2p | (15,330,948) | 1.9p | (8,877,585) |
Forfeited during the period | - | - | 1.9p | (393,156) |
|
| --------------------------- |
| --------------------------- |
As at 28 December | 7.8p | 182,383,832 | 7.3p | 197,714,780 |
|
| ============= |
| ============= |
Vested and exercisable at 28 December | 7.8p | 182,383,832 | 7.3p | 197,714,780 |
|
| ============= |
| ============= |
Warrants outstanding at the end of the period have the following expiry date and exercise prices:
Grant Date | Expiry date | Exercise price | Share options28 December 2020 | Share options31 December 2019 | |
31 July 2015 | 31 July 2020 | 1.2p | - | 9,230,180 | |
30 June 2016 | 30 June 2026 | 1.1p | 46,664,054 | 51,294,234 | |
16 October 2016 | 16 October 2019 | 1.85p | - | 1,470,588 | |
22 December 2016 | 22 December 2021 | 4.3p | 43,239,926 | 43,239,926 | |
17 July 2017 | 17 July 2022 | 14.2p | 43,239,926 | 43,239,926 | |
20 March 2017 | 20 March 2022 | 12.4p | 43,239,926 | 43,239,926 | |
29 October 2018 | 29 October 2023 | 5.5p | 6,000,000 | 6,000,000 | |
|
|
| --------------------------- | --------------------------- | |
Total |
|
| 182,383,832 | 197,714,780 | |
|
|
| ============= | ============= | |
Weighted average remaining contractual life of warrants outstanding at end of period |
| 2.39 years | 3.30 years |
Of the warrants outstanding at 28 December 2020, 23,075,450 (2019: 27,690,540) are held by directors of the Company.
MEASUREMENT OF FAIR VALUES
The model inputs for options granted during the period ended 28 December 2020 included:
| Share options scheme | Warrants | ||
| 2020 | 2019 | 2020 | 2019 |
Fair value at grant date (weighted-average) | n/a | 0.2p | n/a | n/a |
Share price at grant date (weighted-average) | n/a | 5.07p | n/a | n/a |
Exercise price (weighted-average) | n/a | 13.91p | n/a | n/a |
Expected volatility | n/a | 40% | n/a | n/a |
Expected life (weighted average) | n/a | 2.4 years | n/a | n/a |
Risk-free interest rate | n/a | 0.50% | n/a | n/a |
Total expenses arising from share-based payment transactions recognised in profit or loss during the period were as follows:
| 2020 | 2019 |
| £ | £ |
Options and warrants issued to directors | 42,585 | 73,133 |
Options issued under employee share scheme | 93,037 | 226,343 |
Options issued to commercial and other partners | - | 144,000 |
Warrants issued to commercial and other partners | - | - |
| --------------------------- | --------------------------- |
Total | 135,622 | 443,476 |
| ============= | ============= |
Share option reserve | 2,553,363 | 2,417,741 |
| ============= | ============= |
8. POST PERIOD END EVENTS
On 29 December 2020, the Company acquired Rhapsody International, Inc be means of a reverse triangular merger for a consideration comprising $15m in cash together with 241,403,508 ordinary shares of 1.0 pence each. On the same day, the Company raised gross proceeds of $10m 201,349,772 ordinary shares at a price of 3.75 pence per share.
On 3 February 2021, the Company resolved by Special Resolution to change its name to Napster Group PLC.
On 8 February 2021, the Company raised gross proceeds of £1.6m via the placing of 48,458,130 ordinary shares at a price of 3.3 pence per share.
On 8 April 2021, £1.27m of convertible loan notes were converted in to 63,310,069 ordinary shares at a conversion price of 2.006 pence per share.
On 10 June 2021, £2.3m of convertible loan notes were converted in to 130,164,120 ordinary shares at a conversion price of 1.767 pence per share.
Other than the above, the Directors were not aware of any other material events since the reporting date.
9. POSTING OF ANNUAL REPORT
The annual report for the period ended 31 December 2020, which includes notes to the financial statements, will be available today from the Company's website at www.napster.group and also posted to shareholders today.
Related Shares:
NAPS.L