Vibe Magazine Sold To SpinMedia, Is Print Edition Of Vibe Doomed?

Well, this sucks. Vibe, the hip-hop rag started by Quincy Jones and Time Warner over 20 years ago, has been sold to SpinMedia (formerly BuzzMedia). Most media forecasters view the sale as a sign that the print edition of Vibe's days are numbered.

SpinMedia changed its name from BuzzMedia after acquiring the alternative music magazine SPIN. After several experiments in format and circulation, they sheltered the print edition for good last year and laid off a third of the staff. Subscribers were given Car & Driver subscriptions as consolation.

"It's really exciting to add this to SpinMedia's collection of music properties and bring more digital DNA to the team and see what they can do," SpinMedia CEO Steve Hansen told the New York Times. However, "what they can do" isn't likely to include a physical magazine.

"We are still trying to find a print model that makes economic sense in the digital age,"  Hansen said.

If you follow music or gossip on the Internet, you are likely familiar with at least one SpinMedia site. Their reach is massive with over 40M unique visitors every month across all of their websites. A few big names include: Spin, Stereogum, Idolator, Brooklyn Vegan, Hype Machine, Gorilla Vs. Bear, Alter The Press, Pop Matters, Rcrd Lbl, Under The Gun Review, Celebuzz, The Frisky, The Superficial, WWTDD and Just Jared.

The move reunites Spin and Vibe under one roof, who were previously together under Vibe/Spin ventures, before a number of sales (and a shuttering/comeback of Vibe) in the last decade.

What do you think? Are you a Vibe subscriber? Will you be sad to see the print edition of Vibe go?