Spinlet is a company focused on meeting the needs of music lovers allowing them to buy, listen, share, and manage music all within a user friendly mobile platform. Spinlet is the premier mobile music download platform bringing media distribution to emerging markets in Africa. Spinlet's technology encourages the purchasing and discovery of new music while offering storage of the users' music library on their mobile device.
- Offering distribution and sales of the highest quality digital music to all African countries.
- Satisfying music lovers and customers with a compelling mobile experience.
- Creating a social network that fosters music and seamlessly expands artists and fans networks.
- Democratizing content delivery and sales for artists.
- Gaining controls of revenue often lost to piracy for local artists and bringing joy of music exploration to African people.
- Creating positive, ongoing relationships with artists.
- Promoting music from throughout Africa via the Spinlet network.
Eric Idiahi, CEO
Eric Idiahi joined Spinlet in 2010 from the private-equity firm, he co-founded in 2008, Verod Capital Management Ltd. Verod Capital is an investment firm focused on investing in attractive greenfield opportunities in Africa; who took note of Spinlet in 2010 and gave them their first round of financial backing. Eric serves as a director on the board of several of Verod’s portfolio companies . Prior to Verod Capital, Eric was the co-founder and Managing Partner of FountainHead Media Group. An independent investment and advisory firm focused on the Technology, Media and Telecom (TMT) sectors in Nigeria. Eric has also worked at Financial Derivatives Company Ltd and ChevronTexaco.
Eric has a degree in Economics from the University of Houston in Houston, Texas. Spinlet considers Eric our resident rock star. Since the age of six, he has been writing and performing songs for anyone who would listen. Had his father not encouraged him to take extra math classes over guitar lessons, he may have been the next Lenny Kravitz. Eric is a huge fan of Africa’s legendary performer Fela Kuti.
Sami Leino, COO
Sami Leino co-founded Spinlet with his brother Ville Leino in 2006. Sami is a mobile technology inventor, with holds over 15 years experience in mobile engineering and business modeling. He has patented various mobile systems and methods related to content distribution and locations. Sami has actively participated in creating technology for mobile music, social networking and patent analysis platforms.
At Spinlet he oversees the organization of Spinlet’s offerings, company strategy, IRP portfolio management and business development. Sami is our resident electronics fan who is always ahead of the hype. He’s been using computers, since they first became available on the market in the 80’s buying a VIC20 as the family's home computer. We often find him enjoying electronic music playing via any of his various electronic devices.
Ville Leino, CTO
Ville Leino co-founded Spinlet with Sami Leino in 2006. Ville has been in the mobile application business since the first SMS based games were developed. While Ville’s background is mainly mobile related, he also founded and ran a PC games development company in Finland until it was acquired. Ville holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Helsinki University of Technology.
Ville has had a life-long enthusiasm for software development, which began with learning C and Assembly in High School. At Spinlet, Ville is responsible for Spinlet’s technology strategy, overseeing development, recruitment and interfacing with technology partners. Ville has a passion for consumer facing entertainment products and services; music related specifically.
Melissa Adair, Senior Public Relations Manager
Melissa Adair specializes in Public Relations and Online Marketing in the music industry. Before joining Spinlet in 2010 Melissa founded her own company, Honeybee Publicity, working with clients such as Sony Music Unlimited, Gracenote, ALO and more. Through her work with Elevation Group, Melissa oversaw the publicity and marketing for The Neville Brothers, funky METERS, and The New Mastersounds. Melissa has worked in the music industry for over 10 years, including promotion development at KISS FM and Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars and JJ Cale at Rosebud Agency, and marketing and client relations’ at In Ticketing.
Melissa holds a degree in Business Marketing with a minor in the music industry from San Francisco State College. Combining a business sense with an avid passion for music and the environment. She greatly admires the work of Jack Johnson’s All At Once organization for combining music and change so effectively and has worked to raise funds for various causes, including Hurricane Katrina benefit concerts, designing artist promotions to benefit charities including St. Bernard Project, Salvation Army, Musicares, Junior Diabetes Research Foundation and Gulf Aid. Melissa’s favorite artists right now are ALO, Dr. Dog, The New Mastersounds, The Beatles, Jay Z and Galactic. Her favorite part of working at Spinlet is discovering new music daily.