Is SPIN really circling the drain?

SPIN's pimping of the Strokes has been totally embarrassing. I mean, does anyone at that place actually believe, as a sub-head read, that "Room On Fire" was "stunning"?

The only reason I hang onto my subscription is because I keep hoping it will get better. But it's just not.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, if a non-fashion magazine has a fashion spread multiple times a year, the moral compass is long gone.

Except he doesn't like brits?

I fully understand that embracing "lifestyle" brings in the big advertising dollars (fashion), but in this case it has made the magazine much less enjoyable.

I feel old.

I agree with you Jeanne that the staff thing is getting annoying; Sia Michel's Letter From the Editor has been completely cloying from minute one (complete with all the "Look at me, I'm at the cool places with the cool people pictures") and the endless pimping of staff tomes is a chore. Spitz' gossip column is unbearable. But I still like the reviews quite a bit.

That would rule.

SPIN was a godsend for me in high school (1990-1994), living out on a farm in the middle of central Illinois. sure it wasn't all that subversive or underground, but to someone raised on country and Top 40 it was a whole new world. i still pick up an issue from time to time, mostly because it's more affordable than the import prices on the decent British mags. but i'm always wondering why.

While we're on the subject of Tracks, I can't believe how lifeless and personality-free it is.

The UltraGrrl thing is awful. I'd forgotten about that.

Gawker calls Details "The gay magazine for straight men" or something like that. Classic.

what isn't

This guy sounds like an unbelievable tool.

nabisco mr snrub OTM

it's all iconclastic poet michael robbins' fault!

https://twitter.com/alienvsrobbins/status/622570735211520000

― scott seward, Wednesday, July 22, 2015 11:42 AM (29 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

what isn't

― Guayaquil (eephus!), Wednesday, July 22, 2015 11:56 AM (15 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol

I stay with a friend in Stuyvesant Town, 20th & First in Manhattan. It's near the best bagel shop in the world, now closed

truth bomb.

Don't look for it etc etc

it's all iconclastic poet michael robbins' fault!
https://twitter.com/alienvsrobbins/status/622570735211520000

― scott seward, Wednesday, July 22, 2015 11:42 AM (29 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

tbh this framing story is my favorite part

spin has hired good people lately but the periodic (general music media) bloodletting of laying people off then immediately hiring other people is still vampiric and awful

http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7486920/spinmedia-sale-layoffs-spin-report

Also from billboard.com, via Brad Shoup's twitter bitlink: SpinMedia sells several sites to Hive(?), hangs onto Go Fug Yourself etc.: http://ht.ly/Yx1A304swa3

from what I understand SPIN will no longer publish reviews. I haven't approached the new editor to confirm.

i'm filing one today

welcome back!

same

well, that's reassuring

Meanwhile... http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/26/business/media/rolling-stone-brings-in-a-singapore-based-investor.html

“We really were looking for a strategic partner,” Mr. Wenner’s son Gus, who is currently the head of digital for Wenner Media, said in an interview. “This was kind of as strategic as I could possibly find because we have a shared vision and they’re going to be extraordinarily additive as we continue to evolve and transform our business.”

He added: “This is purely a move and a partnership that is aimed at setting ourselves up with a plan and a strategy to be successful.”

extraordinarily additive

http://www.thewrap.com/hollywood-reporter-acquires-spin-vibe-and-stereogum/

lmao oh my god how many times has this thing changed hands in the past 5 years? like 8?

imo billboard's editorial direction has declined in quality drastically since janice min started heading both it and thr. i barely read it anymore. last time i checked there were still a small handful of quality pieces and analyses, but they were far outweighed by the volume of clickbait aimed for maximum social media shares thru twitter stans and such. also the airheaded video '''content''' -- much of which gives the mag's pop charts superficial horse-race coverage like they're a sports game -- has been a disaster.

looking forward to a similar decline for spin and stereogum!

tbh i've never really been able to decide if popstan/sportsfan mirroring is like the stealth truth bomb of our time or just if it's just so tediously obvious to everyone it's not worth mentioning

https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8491158/spin-matt-medved-editor-in-chief

so apparently no one at spin works there anymore and upon the news I just realized I never emailed someone back in my attempt to resolve back invoices (which to be clear is largely my fault and I hate and am ashamed of it). but the new managing editor/apparently the only employee now? has no contact info anywhere and standard email format is bouncing. does anyone know who I need to talk to?

(also just to be clear this is not me attempting to pitch, I am just trying to be paid for past work, I’m really sorry if that’s still scabbing)

I don't think anyone would consider trying to collect backpay scabbing fwiw sorry I don't know who to contact atm.

Sincerely hope you get your money. A magazine I worked for in 1988/89 went bankrupt, just after Christmas but before I'd cashed my most recent paycheque. (ATMs were around, but I wasn't using them yet, so I usually took a couple of extra days to get to the bank.) Pleaded with the publisher via a long-distance call to Quebec--it was something like $700 or $800 for two weeks, money I definitely needed--never got a cent of it; learned very quickly where employees are in the bankruptcy line.

🚨Some personal news 🚨Today is my first day as managing editor at SPIN. Stoked to get started with this legendary publication and yes, I'm taking freelance pitches

— Daniel Kohn (@danielkohn) February 4, 2020

Says he wants pitches, offers no way to contact him.

katherine, you should hit me up privately, i can try and help you out

(not thru my ilx email)

to clarify for anyone who is wondering: roughly half of spin's remaining staff (like 4 of 8 people) were laid off in september, including myself. the parent owner sold spin to a PE firm a month or so ago (at the same time stereogum bought itself out) and as part of that deal, the remaining staff was told they would not be offered full time employment at the new company. spin was officially transferred between companies this week which is why daniel kohn popped up as the "managing editor of spin" today.

my understanding is that the PE firm has no intention to staff spin back up in any real way and will mostly be relying on freelancers

Man

That explains the responses to Kohn’s tweet

I never emailed someone back in my attempt to resolve back invoices

Yeah trying to get paid for work you did before a company went to shit is noble! I hope it works out—I've been in your position before and it's incredibly frustrating.

thanks, headway seems to be happening at least

New editor Kohn hasn’t tweeted in 3 days ( was called a scab in 1 comment)

hang tight

Longtime former Spin writer Charles Aaron has cancer . There’s a Go Fund Me to help him

https://www.gofundme.com/f/tuawbp-charles-aaron-cancer-treatment-fund?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&fs=e&s=cl

🫡 https://www.spin.com/2024/03/spin-u-s-army-team-for-week-long-austin-takeover/

no one wanted their name on that

Lol yeah "Written by Spin Contributor" is sure something. I wonder if they were just hoping a bunch of people would clown them online for this to drive traffic to the site? Basically never see anyone share anything from it minus some local musicians in my town who got very excited someone (also local) got a piece published there. The piece was very bad.

Ah it is a "PARTNER" right at the top with a link to an Army site or something. Looks like it is just a paid promo spot made to look like a piece from Spin.

SPIN still has a couple big names on bylines.