Vibe, the ubiquitous magazine for hip-hop and R&B music and culture, is ceasing publication.
Smaller music magazines have come and gone over the years, but Vibe was probably the most prominent music magazine after Rolling Stone. It touched on urban music and culture trends that other magazines ignored, and recently, featured an excellent companion-piece web site.
It's a sad (and scary) day for music journalism and readers, but it's not a complete shock considering how fast music news travels across the web.
Here is what the AP had to say about it:
Vibe magazine to cease publication
By SOLVEJ SCHOU and ANDREW VANACORE Associated Press Writers
NEW YORK -- Vibe, the popular hip-hop and urban culture magazine founded by legendary producer Quincy Jones, is shutting down.
Vibe Media Group Chief Financial Officer Angela Zucconi confirmed the closing and said most of the company's 50 or so employees will be laid off.
The closing comes amid a historic decline in ad revenue across all media that has left many categories of magazines struggling. Among recent casualties have been Portfolio, Conde Nast's high-end business monthly, the style and home decorating magazine Domino, and Blender, another music magazine.
Founded in 1993, Vibe had a paid circulation of roughly 800,000 during the last six months of 2008. The magazine was acquired by The Wicks Group, a New York private equity firm, in 2006.
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