SPIN Magazine today laid off a number of staffers. Sources told Billboard today that key editorial staffers such as SPIN Magazine editor-in-chief Steve Kandell, associate editor Melissa Giannini and Spin.com news editor Devon Maloney were laid off, as well as a number of staff members in the photo and production departments.
Poor Newsweek RT @ enoogs: Really want to break the news of MASSIVE layoffs at a certain legendary magazine…
– Steve Kandell (@SteveKandell) July 27, 2012
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations to this bar tab at Nancy Whisky.
– Steve Kandell (@SteveKandell) July 27, 2012
The move comes just weeks after the 27-year-old brand was purchased by BuzzMedia — as first reported by Billboard.biz — on July 9. BuzzMedia — which also owns properties such as Stereogum, Idolator, Brooklyn Vegan, XLR8R, and KimKardashian.com — was expected to evaluate the viability of SPIN’s print magazine, with sources saying that the September/October issue would be the last to see newsstands.
BuzzMedia Acquires Spin: It’s Official
“As music consumption continues to grow, there is an enormous demand for deeper context and engagement with thousands of diverse artists,” said BuzzMedia CEO Tyler Goldman said in a statement at the time, announcing the acquisition. “Spin’s category-leading editorial and photographic content provides the added social context that the audience is seeking by identifying, exploring and documenting the trends and scenes that shape music culture. While content is now being consumed across numerous devices, the key for all platforms is the type of great storytelling that Spin provides.”
Responding to questions about the future of SPIN’s print side, BuzzMedia CEO Tyler Goldman released a statement saying “We believe there is a unique role for print and see it as another outlet for people to access content about their passion topics… In the longer term, we’re still defining how print fits in from a platform perspective.”
A representative from BuzzMedia had not responded to Billboard.biz’s request for comment as of press time.