SPIN Brings Backs Original Founder, Bob Guccione, Jr., as New Ownership Looks to Revitalize the Music Publication
Veteran music magazine is independent again and goes back to its roots
LOS ANGELES: Next Management Partners, a digital media investment firm with a focus on ad tech and digital media, is bringing back publishing veteran Bob Guccione, Jr. to SPIN, the music publication he founded in 1985, to tap into his talent as a cultural disruptor.
Acting as a creative advisor to SPIN in a hands-on capacity, Guccione is returning 23 years after having sold the magazine in 1997 for $43.5 million. A music industry innovator with a genius brand vision, Guccione will be working closely with SPIN’s editorial and executive teams. Guccione’s return signals Next Management Partners’ first major move since acquiring SPIN’s business, property, and assets from Billboard in January.
“We are incredibly excited to do something that no previous owners of SPIN have ever done: Bring back legendary SPIN founder Bob Guccione, Jr.,” said Jimmy Hutcheson, CEO of Next Management Partners. “Bob is one of the brightest minds in the creative and publishing arena and is responsible for building SPIN into a force to be reckoned with in pop culture. The SPIN brand and IP library are second-to-none thanks to Bob and his creative brain trust. SPIN will be expanding into many new initiatives including licensing, and furthering content development with Bob’s help and leadership.”
“I’m tremendously excited and flattered to have been asked to help,” Guccione said. “I believe in Jimmy’s vision for the business and Daniel’s vision for the editorial rejuvenation. SPIN needs to be part of setting the conversation, not just following it, and now it will again,” says Guccione, who is already working with Kohn on expanding SPIN’s pan-cultural coverage.
SPIN is having an incredible first quarter with a growth in online traffic. In 2020, SPIN’s online audience grew upwards of 60%. Its new Instagram Live series, called “Lullaby Sessions,” features artists such as John Doe, Andrew McMahon, Alec Benjamin, and Shawn Colvin.
SPIN has several major rollouts slated for summer months. It will continue to do cutting edge monthly digital covers, original videos, and the kind of news-making, in-depth reports and interviews with artists and people shaping our world that the magazine was known for under Guccione’s leadership.
SPIN recently signed a deal with REVOLT, the multiplatform Hip Hop content brand owned by entrepreneur and artist Sean “Diddy” Combs, to handle sponsorships and specialized content integrations.
