Vibe Awards
Janet Jackson on the cover of Vibe
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| Editor-in-chief | Datwon Thomas |
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| Former editors |
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| Total circulation (2006) |
858,469 |
| Year founded | September 1993 |
| Final issue | 2014 (print) |
| Company | Prometheus Global Media |
| Country | United States |
| Based in | New York City, NY |
| Language | English |
| Website | www |
| ISSN | 1070-4701 |
Vibe is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producer Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down production in Summer 2009, Vibe was purchased by the private equity investment fund InterMedia Partners and is now issued semi-monthly with double covers, with a larger online presence. The magazine's target demographic is predominantly young, urban followers of hip hop culture. In 2014, the magazine moved online-only.
The magazine owed its success to featuring a broader range of interests than its closest competitors The Source and XXL which focus more narrowly on rap music, or the rock and pop-centric Rolling Stone and Spin.
Quincy Jones launched Vibe in 1993, in partnership with Time Inc. Originally, the publication had been called Volume before co-founding editor, Scott Poulson-Bryant gave it the name Vibe. Though hip hop mogul Russell Simmons was rumored to be an initial partner, publisher Len Burnett revealed in a March 2007 interview that Simmons clashed with editor-in-chief Jonathan Van Meter. Miller Publishing bought Vibe in 1996, and shortly afterward bought Spin. Private equity firm, Wicks Group, bought the magazine in 2006.
Jonathan Van Meter's successors were Alan Light, Danyel Smith, Emil Wilbikin, Mimi Valdes, and finally Danyel Smith again. On June 30, 2009, it was announced that Vibe was shutting its doors and ceasing publication immediately, although according to Essence, Quincy Jones has stated he would like to keep it alive online.
After shutting down, private equity investment fund InterMedia Partners bought Vibe magazine. They added Uptown magazine to Vibe's parent company, Vibe Holdings. Ronald Burkle and Magic Johnson later invested in the company. Vibe Holdings merged with BlackBook Media to form Vibe Media in 2012.
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