|
S.F. group buys 20-year-old rock music magazine Spin
Nion McEvoy leads company created for the acquisition
George Raine, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 1, 2006
The McEvoy Group of San Francisco, owner of Chronicle Books, said Tuesday that it acquired Spin, the rock music magazine founded more than 20 years ago by Bob Guccione Jr.
McEvoy Group chairman and CEO Nion McEvoy becomes CEO of a new company created for the acquisition, Spin Media LLC. McEvoy said the purchase price was less than $5 million.
Tom Hartle, co-manager of Hartle Media LLC, was named Spin's president. Hartle is the publisher of San Francisco's 7 x 7 magazine and California Home Design. Hartle Media has been a longtime sales representative for Spin.
McEvoy also named Malcolm Campbell as Spin's publisher and Andy Pemberton as Spin's editor in chief. Campbell was Spin's publisher six years ago and previously was editor of the British magazine Q. In 2000, they were recruited by Dennis Publications to start Blender, another music magazine.
"Spin has been an authoritative voice for contemporary rock music for over 20 years,'' McEvoy said. "I have every confidence that Tom, Malcolm and Andy will secure and expand Spin's role as the pre-eminent music magazine in America.''
McEvoy said Spin is "a trusted brand in the magazine world,'' but he wants to "bring it up to date and extend its possibilities into other media.'' McEvoy is an amateur drummer, a board member of San Francisco Jazz Festival and an avid music fan. He has a long history of publishing books about music. Chronicle Books published and sold more than 1 million copies of "The Beatles Anthology.'' McEvoy, Chronicle writer Joel Selvin and photographer Jim Marshall produced "Monterey Pop'' in 1992.
In 2004, McEvoy acquired Seattle book packager BeckerandMayer LLC, creators of "Lennon Legend'' and "The Bob Dylan Scrapbook.''
Spin was founded in 1985. Prior to its acquisition by McEvoy, it was owned by Vibe/Spin Ventures LLC, an entity owned by Robert Miller, Quincy Jones, David Salzman and private equity firm Freeman Spogli.
The McEvoy Group was formed in 2000 when McEvoy, one of the heirs of San Francisco Chronicle founder M.H. de Young, bought Chronicle Books. Chronicle Books and The Chronicle are no longer owned by the same company.
Spin will continue to be published in New York.
©2006 San Francisco Chronicle
|
