“Spin” will hit newsstands on February 28 with a “reimagined” feel, reports Adweek, and with a theme of “Retro Active.”
“Spin” is the alternative music bi-monthly, and is bucking the trend of going all digital as ad pages decline. Rather, the magazine went to bimonthly issues in 2012, and is focusing upon higher production values. The magazine will be on a thicker paper stock with a 9.5” x 12” size, which will allow for more visually arresting photography and design. Creative director Devin Pedzwarter told Adweek that the larger format gives advertisers “A much better canvas for their product. When they get the magazine in the mail, it feels like their ads are in a more premium place."
“Spin” was launched in 1985, by “Penthouse” Bob Guccione, Jr. (Bob Guccione, Sr. published “Penthouse.”) The magazine has passed hands since, to McEvoy Group LLC, and is published under its division “Spin Media.” After a three-year decline in ad pages (from 654 to 413 pages), “Spin” dismissed its editor in chief and its publisher. New publisher Mike Albanese and current creative director Pedzwater concluded that the then-monthly magazine was heavy on news—hardly breaking news, for a monthly—and light on editorial content and photography. The larger format is more typical of the ‘90s, and the thicker paper and emphasis on visuals more typical of once-heralded magazines like Andy Warhol’s “Interview” (now available only digitally).
Each issue will have a theme, and lean on long-form essays and reviews of classic albums. More current content will be available on the Spin.com website.
“Spin” lists some creative demographics: a median age of 31, with a male/female split of 62%/38%; “Adventure seekers” who “often crave excitement,” and “big spenders” who “buy on credit rather than wait.”