Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Spin Magazine Sold To Buzzmedia, But Not Going All Digital (Yet)
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jul 10, 2012
Modified Jul 10, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jul 10, 2012
Modified Jul 10, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
word came that Spin magazine would be shifting focus to its online presence, and cutting down its annual print issues to 6 (from the regular 12). Now Ben Sisario of the NY Times reports that some more big changes have just arrived at Spin Media—the company was sold to Buzzmedia, which owns websites like Stereogum and Hype Machine, and also runs the websites of celebrities like Kim Kardashian.
Buzzmedia will get Spin’s 27-year-old print magazine as well as its Web site, iPad app and live event business, the two companies are expected to announce on Tuesday. Financial terms were not disclosed. The last time Spin was sold, to the publisher McEvoy Group in 2006, the price was reportedly less than $5 million.
Buzzmedia plans to expand Spin's digital staff, and the company's Tyler Goldman told the Times, "Spin to us is more than a print magazine. It’s a great media company for storytelling around music and music culture. People are using multiple platforms to consume more content and context from the brands they believe in, and we see the ability for Spin to bring more storytelling to digital platforms.” If words like "believe" and "storytelling" weren't sprinkled in there, that would all sound a bit soulless! For now the print magazine will stay alive, though it may have an expiration date.
For rock journalism nostalgists: the first issue of Spin came out in May of 1985. That one featured Madonna on the cover, along with stories about U2, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, RUN-DMC, and the Replacements—many of those names went on to become legends, but at the time they were still starting out ("Where the Streets Have No Name" wasn't even written yet).
Tagged
buzzmedia
end of an era
spin magazine
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
Thanks to Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian, Timothée Chalamet and more, the rideshare program is having a moment.
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Published Oct 8, 2026
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
If you're playing tourist in your own town, this is an in-demand option.
By
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
If you're playing tourist in your own town, this is an in-demand option.
By
James Ramsay
What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.
By
Jayson Greene
Inside a photographer's journey to visit every neighborhood in New York City
By
Sonia Rao
Banned books and Winnie the Pooh: October in NYC libraries
By
Alec Hamilton
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .