Turntable Posted July 1, 2009 Report Share Posted July 1, 2009 Vibe Magazine To Close Down Immediately By RICHARD PEREZ-PENA Vibe, one of the nation’s leading popular music magazines, is closing immediately, a spokeswoman said Tuesday. Word was broken early this afternoon by the Web site dailyfinance.com and spread to other music and media news sites. The spokeswoman, Tracy Nguyen, said the Vibe staff would be formally notified in a meeting at 2 p.m. She said she did not know how many people would be laid off as a result of the closure. The closure of Vibe leaves just two large-circulation music magazines, XXL and The Source, focusing on hip-hop and R&B. The Source has had its own troubles, going through a bankruptcy and emerging under new ownership last year. A rock-focused magazine, Blender, folded last year. In a memo to staff members announcing the closure, Steve Aaron, chief of the Vibe Media Group, wrote that for months, the company tried in vain to either find new investors or “to restructure the huge debt on our small company.” “The print advertising collapse hit Vibe hard, especially as key ad categories like automotive and fashion, which represented the bulk of our top 10 advertisers, have stopped advertising or gone out of business,” he wrote. The musician Quincy Jones and the company then called Time Warner created Vibe in 1992. The Wicks Group, a private equity firm, bought it in 2006. Vibe reported circulation of 818,000 in the second half of last year, a healthy figure, but like many magazines it suffered from falling advertising. It announced in February that in July, it would cut its rate base — the circulation promised to advertisers — from 800,000 to 600,000. http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/30/vibe-magazine-to-close-down-immediately/?hp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigted Posted July 1, 2009 Report Share Posted July 1, 2009 When it comes to hip hop/R&B music, Vibe Magazine has done a respectable job over the years in covering it, especially since it's been backed by the legendary Quincy Jones, and even though in recent times it just seemed to have dumbed down in their coverage it's still sad to see them go... Now I think it'd be a really dope idea if Allhiphop.com put out their own magazine, I'd be the one of the first to subscribe to that, they cover the hip hop/r&b the best for younger and older heads to relate to.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpinJack AJ Posted July 1, 2009 Report Share Posted July 1, 2009 Ahh, this sucks. I'm a Vibe suscriber. I agree that they dumbed down over the years but that's simply because the general public is more ignorant than ever (am i bold by saying that) and/or have no real standards on what they embrace. Look at the commercial side of music and movies. Most of it is loaded with people that aren't very talented. On top of that, those not-so-talented people are not often the most intellegent or moral people either. Then u have the public, who seem to get less intellegent, less moral, and less picky year after year. Music and movies (especially music) is just embarassing. So u have some respectable (or semi-respectable) media, magazine, television, etc that are covering music and movies and they almost HAVE 2 cover crap music, crap movies, crap talent, etc which lead 2 a crap product. I might just be running at the mouth right now, but if u give me an issue of Vibe from the 90's, i'd be reading every article, actually taking a second 2 read it cover 2 cover, and actually look at the pictures. These days, i'm happy 2 see it when i get it in the mail, but i only flip 2 the places i actually have an insterest in reading which us less than half of it. The music of 2day is crap compared 2 the music back then. The artists are the same way. The music industry is so bad. I was annoyed when i went in2 Borders the other day and they music section is half the size that it waz a year ago. Wal-Mart's music secion is 25% smaller than what is was a year ago. I went 2 my favorite (and only) independent music store 2day only 2 find that they have closed. Half of the internet is killing music. The big labels that are signing and promoting crap artists making crap music are ruining things. And the uneducated population that buys awful and idiotic music like Lil' Wayne are killing music. Sometimes u gotta hit rockbottom, kill all the bad before u can rebuild. I feel that so much of the entertainment industry is that way. I'm sad 2 see Vibe go, i'm sad 2 see very thing that has 2 go due 2 the current state of things. Let's Noah's arc this joint and start rebuilding. (((I apologize for ranting, generalizing, and cramming what should be 15 paragraphs of more detailed and constructive opinions rather than this...but this is what it is cuz i'm having a crappy year and i'm in a mood...ha ha....))) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turntable Posted July 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2009 they could pull a source.. just start over. they are doing quite good again these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy Posted July 2, 2009 Report Share Posted July 2, 2009 (edited) * 2 July 2009 * NME Radio: * NME News Quincy Jones to save Vibe magazine? Legendary producer is upset that the publication he created is to close Quincy Jones has vowed to buy back Vibe magazine, after its closure was announced yesterday (June 30). The legendary producer originally set up the US hip-hop and R&B title in 1993. Though ownership rights were purchased by Wicks Media Group in 2006, the producer say he won't let the magazine cease. "I'm trying to buy my magazine back now," he told Ebonyjet. "They just messed my magazine all up, but I’m gonna get it back. You better believe it, I'm'a take it online because print and all that stuff is over." The man behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' album added that he plans to take the publication online, because it is more profitable than print. "We gotta get into the 21st century you know," Jones said. "Print and all that stuff is over, we gotta remember that. They're over the same way as the record business. We have got to get into this century." http://www.nme.com/news/various-artists/45796 Edited July 2, 2009 by Sandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turntable Posted July 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2009 I hate that print magazines are dying. I'm dont have laptop and my favorite place to read is the bathroom. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpinJack AJ Posted July 2, 2009 Report Share Posted July 2, 2009 Yeah, i hate that "print is dying." I want physical copies of stuff in my hands. I have stacks of old Source, Vibe, Blaze, Word Up!, Right On, Black Beat, and Fresh! magazines that i love going thru' every once in awhile. The pictures, the topics discussed, the music promoted...it all takes me back. Same with CDs...i want the photography and art from the CD insert 2 see the visual repersentation of the music at that time. I wanna read the credits and the Thank U's. Digital music lacks the heart and soul of yesterday's music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turntable Posted July 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2009 I agree 100%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigted Posted July 2, 2009 Report Share Posted July 2, 2009 (edited) I got a big magazine collection in my room too, it sucks that print is dying, now I hope that Quincy Jones steps in and saves Vibe and bring it back to the level that it needs to be Edited July 2, 2009 by bigted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpinJack AJ Posted July 3, 2009 Report Share Posted July 3, 2009 I'm with u on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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