HOLLYWOOD, CA/NEW YORK, NY, April 14, 2008 — Buzznet (http://www.buzznet.com), the web’s leading social media company today announced that it has acquired Idolator (http://www.idolator.com) from Gawker Media. Launched by Gawker Media in 2006 as a blog written by music fans for music fans, Idolator is now the web’s second most popular music blog, providing insightful commentary on all aspects of music, including highly regarded music reviews and recommendations.
Through the acquisition of Idolator, Buzznet will be adding one of the most respected and innovative voices to its music community, continuing its mission to not only have the web’s largest music community, but also the most robust. Idolator will continue to maintain its own editorial direction under the guide of founding editor Maura Johnston. The deal will enable Idolator to deliver expanded offerings that will bring its readers even more of the daily music news, content and offerings they love.
“Our core focus remains on building the Buzznet music community through the unique commentary and programming of our millions of users and Idolator undeniably adds a compelling voice to the mix,” said Scott Boyd, Buzznet’s General Manager. “Maura and the Gawker team have done a terrific job establishing the blog as a focal point for news and original coverage of popular music and garnering a devoted following. This deal also perfectly complements our recent acquisition of Stereogum, the web’s most popular music blog, and will provide Idolator with more resources, enabling Maura to continue building upon the blog’s great success.”
Nick Denton, founder and publisher of Gawker Media said, “Audiences for music news are dispersed among a myriad of different sites and blogs. Under Maura, Idolator became the number two music blog, but the title will be best served by being part of a larger music offering, both for resources and to achieve greater reach for advertisers. Buzznet, which has also recently acquired the top music blog, Stereogum, is the web’s biggest music community; it’s the natural acquirer, and will be able to make more of Idolator than we could.”
About Buzznet, Inc.
Buzznet, Inc. is the web’s largest pop culture community. By utilizing its proprietary social media platform, the Buzznet team brings together professional news content, respected voices in the industry, and user-generated input to create the most up-to-the-minute, deep and dynamic content on the web, allowing passionate members the ability to consume, create, and connect. A leading social media company focused on building the most active and engaged online community around pop culture topics, Buzznet Inc. manages a growing family of complementary Internet properties. Its web sites include Celebuzz, The Superficial, Buzznet Stereogum and Absolute Punk, among others.