Poolsuite, formerly Poolside.FM, is an Internet radio service primarily playing dance-pop music using a retro style user interface. The team behind Poolsuite has also launched Vacation, a line of sunscreen, and Manor DAO, a decentralized autonomous organization funded through sales of non-fungible tokens (NFT).
Internet radio
editPoolsuite began as Poolside.FM in 2014, when founder Marty Bell launched an upbeat 1980s music Tumblr site, streaming music from SoundCloud.[1] Bell was, at the time, living with his parents in the Scottish Highlands, and sought an escape from the rainy Scottish climate.[2] In collaboration with Grant MacLennan,[3] Bell in 2019 relaunched Poolside as a standalone web site, using a Classic Mac OS-styled desktop environment to play 1980s music and video loops of 1980s and 1990s television and movie clips.[4] The company released an iOS mobile app in 2020, styled like a Nokia 3310 mobile phone.[5]
The Internet radio service received generally good reviews. "The two-man team behind Poolside.FM has done a fantastic job at ensuring that the songs match the videos, creating an overall experience that drips teenage dreams and summer heat," wrote a reviewer for The Verge, with the caveat that the scantily-clad women make the site potentially not safe for work.[6] "This free and playful music app born from a passion project with friends will fix your frame of mind on frivolity and irreverence, especially when paired with its nostalgically campy social media channels and website," wrote a reviewer for Charleston Grit, endorsing the service as particularly enticing during the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]
Sunscreen
editIn April 2021, Bell announced "Vacation by Poolside FM", a "leisure-enhancing sunscreen", in collaboration with entrepreneurs Lach Hall and Dakota Green. The group raised funding using a 42-page pitch "novella," with 1980s-themed imagery, and attracted angel investors including Kat Cole, Trevor McFedries, and Maisie Williams, and venture capitalists such as Brand Foundry Ventures and BFG Partners.[2]
Vacation positioned its sunscreen as a premium product line with advertising inspired by vintage Club Med ads that emphasized leisure rather than medical benefits. The company sells additional products under the Vacation brand, including a $60 eau de toilette that was frequently out of stock, and a perpetually "sold out" hovercraft.[1] The product's scent was created in collaboration with perfumers Carlos Huber and Rodrigo Flores-Roux.[8]
Event space
editIn 2022, Poolsuite announced Manor DAO, a decentralized autonomous organization that intended to buy a villa and use it to host events. The project cited Il Pelicano in Italy and Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles as aesthetic inspirations.[9] Bell announced that Manor DAO would be funded by limited edition non-fungible tokens (NFT). NFT holders would have influence over the manor's location and decoration, and would be allowed to stay at its guest house.[10]
References
edit- ^ a b Spruch-Feiner, Sara (August 15, 2022). "The weird, wacky world of Vacation Inc., where branding goes to creative new heights". Glossy. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ a b Regensdorf, Laura (April 15, 2021). "Meet the New "Leisure-Enhancing" Sunscreen Brand Partying Like It's 1986". Vanity Fair. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ Alonso, Bogar (February 12, 2014). "You Can Now Create Your Own '80s Music Videos On Demand". Vice. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ Etherington, Darrell (July 26, 2019). "Poolside.fm is the most fun you will have on the internet today". TechCrunch. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ Perez, Sarah (September 10, 2020). "Retro-inspired music player Poolside.fm brings its summery fun to iPhone". TechCrunch. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ Khaw, Cassandra (May 20, 2014). "You bring the spandex, Poolside.FM brings the party". The Verge. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ Gibson, Robin (September 16, 2020). "Poolside FM is the distraction we need right now". Charleston Grit. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ Hou, Kathleen (July 1, 2021). "Make Sunscreen Fun Again". The Cut. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ Zwieglinska, Zofia (25 July 2022). "The metaverse is inspiring experiential retail". Glossy. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ Buller, Abi; Rhodes, Emily (May 12, 2022). "Poolsuite is crowdfunding a luxury manor". LS:N Global. Retrieved June 10, 2023.