ZinePak
| Industry | Music and Publishing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2011 |
| Founder | Brittany Hodak and Kim Kaupe |
| Products | ZinePaks |
| Website | zinepak |
ZinePak is an American music and publishing company founded in 2011.
Company history
ZinePak was launched in January 2011 by founders Brittany Hodak and Kim Kaupe. The two met while working at Fathom Communications in 2010, with Hodak coming from a background in music and Kaupe coming from a background in publishing—specifically having worked for Conde Nast Publications.[1][2] ZinePak's first and primary distributor was Walmart, which was interested in finding a way to combat slunking music sales due to piracy and online downloads.
According to Geri Stengel of Forbes Magazine, founders "Hodak and Kaupe came up with a business model that compete[d] with the lure of online purchasing and piracy. Passionate music fans want more than just music. They want an experience. When you’re not attending a concert, interacting with memorabilia achieves that. ZinePak packages a CD with a fan magazine and other items that tie to the musician, such as posters, guitar picks, and even branded greeting cards and perfume samples. These engage listeners in a personalized experience with the musician".[3] In 2013 the company was named Entrepreneur Magazine's April Startup of the Month,[1] was named one of the magazine's top thirty startups to watch,[4] and both founders were named to the Advertising Age 40 under 40.[5] In 2013 the company was also nominated for the Wall Street Journal's Startup of the Year.[6][7]
ZinePaks
ZinePak has produced ZinePaks for clients including Maroon 5, George Strait, Taylor Swift, Pitch Perfect 2, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Kenny Chesney, Katy Perry, Miranda Lambert, R5, Guardians of the Galaxy[disambiguation needed], Styx, Brad Paisley, Luke Bryan, KIDZ BOP, the Academy of Country Music, Disney's Frozen, Justin Bieber, Lindsey Stirling, No Doubt, KISS, Dove, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Johnny Cash, Dr. Pepper,[1] Rascal Flatts, American Idol, Phillip Phillips, Scotty McCreery, Selena Gomez,[5] Florida Georgia Line,[8] The Best of Me,[9] American Girl, Toby Keith,[10] and Mary J. Blige.[11] The Beach Boys released a ZinePak upon their 50th anniversary, which according to Billboard, included "a 72-page magazine featuring rare photos and new interviews with Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Bruce Johnston, Al Jardine and David Marks, plus collectible postcards and an 11-track CD." Their ZinePak for the Academy of Country Music Awards debuted as "No. 17 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, No. 4 on Top Compilation Albums and No. 19 on Top Independent Albums".[12] The compilation ZinePak for each Awards show since has also charted.[13] The company has also partnered with brands, movie studios, athletes, and fashion labels. It has also used iBooks and magazines with augmented reality elements in its ZinePaks.[4]
Financials
The company has taken no venture capital and was completely self-funded by the founders.[3] As of early 2013 ZinePak has sold over one million ZinePaks.
Co-founders Brittany Hodak and Kim Kaupe appeared on the April 24, 2015 episode of ABC's Shark Tank and struck a deal with Lori Greiner and Robert Herjavec, receiving $725,000 for a 17.5% stake in ZinePak. [14]
References
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