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. 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". In 2013 the company was named Entrepreneur Magazine's April Startup of the Month, was named one of the magazine's top thirty startups to watch, and both founders were named to the Advertising Age 40 under 40. In 2013 the company was also nominated for the Wall Street Journal's Startup of the Year.