Spin (magazine)
Spin (often stylized in all caps) is an American music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione, Jr. The magazine stopped running in print in 2012 and currently runs as a webzine,[1] owned by NEXT Management.
 | |
 | |
| Categories | Music |
|---|---|
| Year founded | 1985 |
| Final issue | September/October 2012 (print); 8 years ago |
| Company | Next Management Partners |
| Country | United States |
| Based in | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Language | English |
| Website | spin |
| ISSN | 0886-3032 |
History
Spin was established in 1985.[2] In its early years, the magazine was known for its narrow music coverage with an emphasis on college rock, grunge, indie rock, and the ongoing emergence of hip-hop, while virtually ignoring other genres, such as country, and metal. It pointedly provided a national alternative to Rolling Stone's more establishment-oriented style. Spin prominently placed newer artists such as R.E.M., Prince, Run-D.M.C., Eurythmics, Beastie Boys, and Talking Heads on its covers and did lengthy features on established figures such as Duran Duran, Bob Dylan, Keith Richards, Miles Davis, Aerosmith, Lou Reed, Tom Waits, and John Lee Hooker[3]—Bart Bull's article on Hooker won the magazine its first major award.
On a cultural level, the magazine devoted significant coverage to punk, alternative country, electronica, reggae and world music, experimental rock, jazz of the most adventurous sort, burgeoning underground music scenes, and a variety of fringe styles. Artists such as the Ramones, Patti Smith, Blondie, X, Black Flag, and the former members of the Sex Pistols, The Clash, and the early punk and New Wave movements were heavily featured in Spin's editorial mix. Spin's extensive coverage of hip-hop music and culture, especially that of contributing editor John Leland, was notable at the time.
Editorial contributions by musical and cultural figures included Lydia Lunch, Henry Rollins, David Lee Roth and Dwight Yoakam. The magazine also reported on cities such as Austin, Texas, or Glasgow, Scotland, as cultural incubators in the independent music scene. A 1990 article on the contemporary country blues scene brought R. L. Burnside to national attention for the first time. Coverage of American cartoonists, Japanese manga, monster trucks, the AIDS crisis, outsider artists, Twin Peaks, and other non-mainstream cultural phenomena distinguished the magazine's dynamic early years.
In late 1987, publisher Bob Guccione Jr.'s father, Bob Guccione Sr., abruptly shut the magazine down despite the fact that the two-year-old magazine was widely considered a success, with a newsstand circulation of 150,000. Guccione Jr. was able to rally much of his staff, partner with former MTV president and David H. Horowitz, locate additional new investors and offices and after missing a month's publication, returned with a combined November–December issue. During this time, it was published by Camouflage Associates. In 1997, Guccione sold Spin to Miller Publishing.
In 1994, two journalists working for the magazine were killed by a landmine while reporting on the Bosnian War in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A third, William T. Vollmann, was injured.
Later years
In February 2006, Miller Publishing sold the magazine to a San Francisco-based company called the McEvoy Group LLC, which was also the owner of Chronicle Books.[4] That company formed Spin Media LLC as a holding company. The new owners replaced editor-in-chief (since 2002) Sia Michel with Andy Pemberton, a former editor at Blender. The first issue to be published under his brief command was the July 2006 issue—sent to the printer in May 2006—which featured Beyoncé on the cover. Pemberton and Spin parted ways the next month, in June 2006. The following editor, Doug Brod, was executive editor during Michel's tenure.
For Spin's 20th anniversary, it published a book chronicling the prior two decades in music. The book has essays on grunge, Britpop, and emo, among other genres of music, as well as pieces on musical acts including Marilyn Manson, Tupac Shakur, R.E.M., Nirvana, Weezer, Nine Inch Nails, Limp Bizkit, and the Smashing Pumpkins. In February 2012, Spin relaunched the magazine in a larger, bi-monthly format and expanded its online presence, which covered reviews, extended editorials, interviews, and features on up-and-coming talent.
In 2011, Caryn Ganz became editor. In July 2012, Spin was sold to Buzzmedia, which eventually renamed itself SpinMedia.[5] The September/October 2012 issue of Spin was the magazine's last print edition.[6]
In 2013, Jem Aswad was named editor. Craig Marks became editor in 2014.
In December 2016, Eldridge Industries acquired SpinMedia via the Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group for an undisclosed amount.[7]
In 2016, Puja Patel became editor. In 2018, Matt Medved became editor. In 2020, the publication was sold to the private equity group NEXT Management Partners.
Spin Alternative Record Guide
In 1995, Spin produced its first book, entitled Spin Alternative Record Guide.[8] It compiled writings by 64 music critics on recording artists and bands relevant to the alternative music movement, with each artist's entry featuring their discography and albums reviewed and rated a score between one and ten.[9] According to Pitchfork Media's Matthew Perpetua, the book featured "the best and brightest writers of the 80s and 90s, many of whom started off in zines but have since become major figures in music criticism," including Rob Sheffield, Byron Coley, Ann Powers, Simon Reynolds, and Alex Ross. Although the book was not a sales success, "it inspired a disproportionate number of young readers to pursue music criticism."[10] After the book was published, its entry on 1960s folk artist John Fahey, written by Byron Coley, helped renew interest in Fahey's music, leading to interest from record labels and the alternative music scene.[11]
Contributors
Contributors to Spin have included:
- Brad Auerbach
- Barry Michael Cooper
- Dave Eggers
- Chuck Klosterman
- Byron Coley
- Kim France
- Tad Friend
- Elizabeth Gilbert
- Andy Greenwald
- James Greer
- William T. Vollmann
- Will Hermes
- Dave Itzkoff
- John Leland
- Bart Bull
- Greil Marcus
- Matt Groening
- Gabriel Garcia Marquez
- Glenn O'Brien
- Norman Mailer
- R. Meltzer
- Marilyn Manson
- William S. Burroughs
- Anton Corbijn
- Snorri Bros
- Bob Gruen
- Jonathan Ames
- Strawberry Saroyan
- Paul Beahan (founder of Manimal Vinyl)
- Michael O'Donoghue
- Bönz Malone
- Hari Kondabolu
- Dan Ackerman
- Marc Spitz
- David Kushner
- Bob Larson
- Brandon McCulloch
Year-end lists
SPIN began compiling year-end lists in 1990.
Single of the Year
.svg.png.webp){kind=small}
Album of the Year
Note: The 2000 album of the year was awarded to "your hard drive", acknowledging the impact that filesharing had on the music listening experience in 2000.[12] Kid A was listed as number 2, the highest ranking given to an actual album.
References
Footnotes
- Chris Welch (December 10, 2012). "Publishers bring 195 new magazines to print in 2012 despite ongoing digital push". The Verge. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
- Christopher Zara (December 22, 2012). "In Memoriam: Magazines We Lost In 2012". International Business Times. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- Bull, Bart (April 2006). "Messin' with the Hook". Spin. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- George Raine (March 1, 2006). "S.F. group buys 20-year-old rock music magazine Spin". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 17, 2007.
- "Spin Magazine Is Sold to Buzzmedia, With Plans to Expand Online Reach By Ben Sisario July 10, 2012 7:43 am".
- "The Daily Swarm". Retrieved May 7, 2016.
- "Billboard Buys Spin and Vibe in a Quest to 'Own the Topic of Music Online'". Adweek. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
- Johnston 2007.
- Anon. 2012, p. 313; Mazmanian 1995, p. 70
- Perpetua 2011.
- Ratliff 1997.
- Spin, January 2001.
- spencerkaufman (September 4, 2011). "10 Things You Didn't Know About 'Toxicity'". Loudwire. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
Bibliography
- Anon. (2012). "Bibliography". In Ray, Michael (ed.). Alternative, Country, Hip-Hop, Rap, and More: Music from the 1980s to Today. Britannica Educational Publishing. ISBN 978-1615309108.
- Mazmanian, Adam (1995). "Library Journal". In White, William (ed.). Buyer's Guide. Bowker.
- Johnston, Maura (2007). "Never Mind The Anglophilia, Here's The Queens Brothers". Idolator. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
- Perpetua, Matthew (2011). "The SPIN Alternative Record Guide". Pitchfork Media. in "Staff Lists: Words and Music: Our 60 Favorite Music Books". Retrieved July 29, 2015.
- Ratliff, Ben (1997). "A 60's Original With a New Life on the Fringe". The New York Times (January 19). Retrieved July 29, 2015.
External links
- Official website
- Spin, for full view on Google Books