Music Magazine Industry

Ben Edgington

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.
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.
On April 25, 2013 it was announced that Vibe Magazine along with Vibe.com and
VibeVixen.com had been sold to Spin Media for an undisclosed sum.
Spin Media was thought likely to shut down Vibe's print magazine by the end of 2013, which
a representative stating: "Were still trying to find a print model that makes economic sense
in the digital age." Instead, they cut the magazine's frequency to quarterly.

Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.

Q was founded in 1986 by Mark Ellen and David Hepworth, who were dismayed by the
music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers
who were buying CDs then still a new technology.
Q was first published by the EMAP media group in October 1986, setting itself apart
from much of the other music press with monthly production and higher standards of
photography and printing.
In the early years, the magazine was sub-titled "The modern guide to music and more".
Originally it was to be called Cue (as in the sense of cueing a record, ready to play), but
the name was changed so that it wouldn't be mistaken for a snooker magazine.
Another reason, cited in Q's 200th edition, is that a single-letter title would be more
prominent on newsstands.
In January 2008 EMAP sold its consumer magazine titles, including Q, to the Bauer
Media Group.