Vibe (magazine)

Vibe is a 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. As of June 30, 2012, Vibe has a circulation of 300,943, of which 202,439 was paid, and 98,504 was non-paid.

Publication history

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, The Wicks Group, bought the magazine in 2006.