Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised May 16, 2026

Spinner (website)

Spinner was an online music and entertainment service. An AOL Music property, it was acquired by AOL on June 1, 1999, along with Nullsoft for $400 million. Based in San Francisco, California, the website was the first Internet music service and was the largest by 2001, while offering promotional features from high-profile recording artists. In 2002, AOL combined Spinner with the former's Netscape portal to form Netscape Radio. Spinner broadcast over 100 radio stations, including Radio CMJ.

Last revised
May 16, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
423 w
Citations
14
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Spinner
Company type
Subsidiary
IndustryMedia player
FoundedUnited States
DefunctApril 26, 2013 (2013-04-26)
FateMerged into LiveXLive
HeadquartersUnited States
ParentAOL
Websitespinner.com

Spinner was an online music and entertainment service.1 An AOL Music property, it was acquired by AOL on June 1, 1999, along with Nullsoft for $400 million.234 Based in San Francisco, California, the website was the first Internet music service and was the largest by 2001, while offering promotional features from high-profile recording artists.5 In 2002, AOL combined Spinner with the former's Netscape portal to form Netscape Radio.6 Spinner broadcast over 100 radio stations,7 including Radio CMJ.8

History

In 2008, Spinner was revamped by AOL as a music website aimed at the "music aficionado".9 The website offers exclusive interviews of recording artists,10 streams of albums and live performances, and a free music download daily.11

Shut down

Spinner, along with all AOL music sites, was abruptly shut down in April 2013.1213 The URLs to all former AOL music sites, including Spinner, were re-directed to aolradio.slacker.com starting in August 2013. Several AOL Music blogs, along with Comics Alliance, were sold to Townsquare Media in June 2013.14

References

References

  1. Calhoun 2011, p. 102
  2. Alderman 2002, p. 97
  3. "AOL buys Spinner, Nullsoft for $400 million". CNET. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  4. Farivar, Cyrus (2017-07-03). "Winamp's woes: How the greatest MP3 player undid itself". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  5. Khosrowpour 2006, p. 104
  6. Fries 2005, p. 110 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFFries2005 (help)
  7. Axford 2004, p. 214
  8. "CMJ On Air". CMJ New Music Report. 79 (5): 29. March 15, 2004. Retrieved 2012-09-23.
  9. Brung, Anthony (May 24, 2008). "The Billboard Q&A". Billboard. Vol. 120, no. 21. p. 23. Retrieved 2012-09-23.
  10. "The Spinner Interview Posts". Spinner. Archived from the original on 2012-11-27. Retrieved 2012-09-23.
  11. "Mp3 Of The Day Posts". Spinner. Archived from the original on 2012-09-20. Retrieved 2012-09-23.
  12. "Updated: AOL Music, Spinner Shutting Down". Billboard. April 26, 2013. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  13. Sandoval, Greg (2013-04-26). "Large portion of Aol Music division shuttered". The Verge. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  14. "Townsquare Acquires Various AOL Music Sites, Comics Alliance". Billboard.biz. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
Bibliography

Bibliography

External links