Not feeling the vibe?
I know I’m a few days late on this one, but all for good reason. VIBE Magazine has finally shut its doors. I say finally because I feel like VIBE was on its last leg for a minute now. I mean, yeah I know, they were one of the most prominent mags that focused on urban culture, but I feel like VIBE lost its identity a few years back and could not seem to ever find itself again. Anyway, I guess the answer to my question is “no, they were not feeling the vibe.” Who’s they… well that would be
you the readers, as the number of subscriptions you ordered decreased as well as the copies you purchased on newsstands. I guess you figured it’s easier and faster to get your info from the ‘net. Then, there would be the advertisers who failed to put VIBE on their print campaigns, and lastly… the investors. At some point the investors figured out they were not going to recoup any of their money and more than likely continue to lose even more money. It’s a shame that VIBE grew to be a company no longer owned by its founders or even founding staff members. I think when there are strong bonds and emotional attachments, there’s a commitment to the long haul and the intent of the venture (in this case, the magazine) would be much bigger than dollars and cents. To have founded VIBE or worked in its early years to build it into the powerhouse brand it is, there had to have been a level of dedication and awareness to the larger impact it had on the culture. I certainly remember my first time reading VIBE magazine - I remember exactly where I purchased it from and how I felt the first time I felt those oversized pages in my hands. It was inspiring. Young people who looked and talked like me were publishing a national magazine that reflected the thoughts and ideas I had in my own head. I remember the “test” issue had Treach from Naughty by Nature on the cover. I walked “all the way to town” to pick up the copy from the newsshop and carefully cut out Treach’s silhouette and taped him to my dorm room door.
I met Treach at VIBE’s 15th Anniversary party in NYC and told him how I wrote about that experience in my cover letter when applying to VIBE. He thought it was very, very cool.
As the saying goes, another one bites the dust. Oh… in case you’re wondering why I am not waxing poetic regarding the fall of the giant, well… stop wondering. There are tons of articles and journalists who pontificate on the who, what, where, when and whys… This is my blog and um yeah… you know the dilly. I write about what I want to write about. lol.