1. Rachael Young’s Magazine Case Study

2. Magazine For my case study, I have chosen to use the front cover of vibe magazine. Quincy Jones launched Vibe in 1993, in partnership with Time Inc. On June 30, 2009, it was announced that Vibe was ceasing publication immediately. After shutting down, private equity investment fund InterMedia Partners, LP bought Vibe Magazine.

3. Audience Vibe magazine’s target audience is predominantly young, urban followers of hip-hop culture. The celebrities on the magazine covers are usually quite famous as it is a popular magazine. The audience tends to be teenagers-young adults. Most teenagers/young adults are interested in the hip-hop genre as they think it is ‘cool’ and the music is upbeat. Vibe reported circulation of 818,000 in the second half of 2009, a healthy figure, but like many magazines it suffered from falling advertising. It announced in February that in July, it would cut the circulation promised to advertisers — from 800,000 to 600,000.

4. Publisher Quincy Jones launched the magazine in 1993 in partnership with Time Inc. Vibe/Spin Ventures, LLC operates as a media company. The company publishes a magazine; and operates VIBE.com that features news, blogs, galleries, and music. It also operates video-on-demand channel; and mobile VIBE, which features music news, album reviews, polls, trivia, underground buzz, and mobile content. Vibe/Spin Ventures was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in New York City. Quincy Jones is the publisher of the music magazine VIBE. It was purchased by InterMedia Partners. The firm, which was founded in 2005 by notable private equity investor Leo Hindary. After shutting down, private equity investment fund Intermedia Partners, LP, bought Vibe Magazine. Synergy example- skins radio and NME teaming up to do radio broadcast. Technology example- 2 products join together e.g internet on phone. Convergance- website and webzines and online websites. Colliferation in gadgets-something that hasd an effect on music magazines-IPads. (programmes and software).

5. Vibe Vixen Additionally, the magazine published a spin-off publication, Vibe Vixen from 2004 to 2007. It was a magazine geared towards female readers of Vibe Magazine., Vibe Vixen included features on beauty, fashion, and female entertainers. R&B starlet Ciara appeared on the inaugural issue's cover. http://www.vibe.com/

6. Magazine Content This is one of the latest VIBE covers. This is one of the first VIBE covers. Over time, I can see that the magazine has changed in style and content. The layout of the cover is different and is now more engaging to readers and the information is presented better. I think it has changed over time because audiences have changed and new social groups have come about. Therefore, to keep up to date with the audience and young people, magazines have to change so that they still relate to their audiences. Due to advanced technology, magazines can make the layout better and therefore be more attractive to an audience. For example, photoshop etc is very good and editing photographs can really help to engage readers.

7. Biggest Rival XXL magazine is a rival magazine to Vibe because it also focuses on rap Music. It is published by Harris Publications. The other magazine titles published by editors in the magazine include Ego Trip Magazine and The Source. Also, Scratch was a magazine owned by Harris Publications. XXL is a popular magazine and is a rival to other magazines like VIBE. XXL magazine is known as ‘No. 1 selling music magazine ‘.

8. Advertising/Sponsorship VIBE magazine advertises online and in the magazine. It represents over 25 sites and subscribers receive Vibe Magazine monthly. The magazine has approximately 863,000 readers. VIBE magazine also offers promotions which help to sell the magazine in shops and online. To subscribe to VIBE.com for 2 years (12 issues) it’s $14.95. By saving up to 75% off the subscription offer, it is engaging visitors of the website to sign up and therefore becoming more successful because of these promotions.

9. VIBE Magazine Online VIBE.com is a website set-up to engage people worldwide that have access to the internet. By subscribing on the website for $14.95 it is cheaper if read online and is easier to navigate around. The publisher of VIBE.com has probably seen the increase in people reading information and gossip online so decided to set this website up, which is now very successful. The VIBE magazine focuses on the Hip-Hop genre, which influences teenagers-young adults around the world. Most teenagers love hip-hop music and therefore by creating a website which focuses on this specific genre, it is good at engaging them and persuading them to subscribe. The online magazine also promotes other magazines and will therefore be making money from the advertising costs. Here are names of the other magazines online that VIBE.com promotes:

10. Web 2.0 and NMT VIBE magazine’s website is very good and attracts hundreds of people everyday. The layout of the website is also very good and easy to understand. Over time, technology has improved and companies have decided that they could get more readers by advertising and selling their products online. By putting VIBE magazine online for people to read, it helps them make more money and more people visit/read VIBE. Web 2.0 is websites that are about "User-generated" content. Web 2.0 websites allow users to collaborate and share information, opinions, comments, ideas, links, ratings, bookmarks, reviews, pictures, videos, and more. VIBE magazine is a magazine that focuses on the hip-hop culture, fashion, music and celebrities.

11. Web 2.0 XXL magazine and VIBE magazine are quite different as their layouts are very different and have their own house style and news about different things. I like the XXL magazine website better than VIBE because the red and white colours attract me to it more whereas the blue and white colour scheme on VIBE magazines website is a bit dull. I think that the XXL magazine will be more popular because more people will visit the website if its layout is better and the website is easy to navigate around. VIBE magazine also offers services/functions like advertisements on the side (car insurance) and video links to make the site more interesting. Also it is quite easy to navigate around the page because of headers like “Top 5 stories”.

12. The future If I was the editor of VIBE magazine, I would make sure my website was attractive to my target audience. Also, I would try make the news more interesting by using short, snappy alliterations on the headings/sub-headings so that it would either shock/surprise the reader and encourage them to read on. My magazine would also focus on individual celebs that have a top status because these celebs (for example eminem) are the celebrities that are seen as ‘inspirational’ to teenagers and young adults. In the next 5 years, I think that VIBE magazine will have improved a lot and will be still very good to read. I think the website might improve as they might change the layout of it too.

13. VIBE Magazine Online The main appeal of VIBE magazine is because it contains gossip about music related to the hip-hop genre, which most teenagers and young adults like. During its existence, the style and content of the magazine has had to change as over time different genres have came about attracting some of its fans to other new genres. XXL magazine online is a rival to both the NME and VIBE magazine. For example, XXL magazine online contains more information about rap. Also it is easier to navigate around the website and it has more multimedia things on it for example music videos available to watch.

14. VIBE Vs XXL Magazine Online Vibe magazine and XXL have been rivals for years as they are both targeted towards the same ‘hip-hop’ genre and their audiences are the same. The audiences that would be persuaded to buy these magazines would be teenagers and young adults that are influenced and like the ‘hip-hop’ genre. When VIBE magazine shut down, XXL’s sales increased as it was one of the best magazines that focused on ‘hip-hop’. Although, when VIBE magazine came back, both magazines decided to set-up magazines online to attract other audiences. This change was probably to keep up with the times as Ipads and other types of software/technology were becoming more familiar and an impressive threat to the media industry.

15. What is a Magazine? A magazine is a piece of media that contains certain information about topics that relate to a specific target audience. Usually in paper form.

17. Internet (Webzines, Blogs, website)

18. Paper format

19. Apple Application/Galaxy Tab

21. How interactive is VIBE magazine? VIBE magazine is produced in paper format and on the internet. VIBE can be found on the following websites: Twitter Facebook USTREAM MySpace YouTube All of the internet formats (Twitter, Facebook etc) seem to be popular and the celebrities are A-listers. The interviews are on popular celebrities showing how they must be quite a good magazine.

22. Skins Radio NME joins with some of the skins cast –weeknights 7-9pm. Skins is viewed by about 3 million people. If NME can get even half of them listening to the radio, they will be making money. Vibe magazine originally shut down in June when its previous owners couldn't find new buyers or a way to get rid of their debt. But, now, the hip-hop/r&bmag has made a comeback. (Online too) The magazine was purchased again by InterMedia Partners. And, to bring the mag back, they've chosen Jermain Hall as its editor in chief of Vibe and for its website. Previously, Hall was editor in chief at King and was also music editor for The Source, a rap music magazine. According to Brett Wright, the co-chief executive of the Vibe Lifestyle Network, Vibe's website would provide info on urban music and entertainment on a “regular, daily, hourly, by-minute basis” while the print mag would focus on more investigative style pieces. The first issue of the new mag is planned to be released in November.

23. History of VIBE Has the audience undergone any significant changes? Why? How? What are they? As technology advances, the magazine has changed. VIBE magazine now has an online website which is better as it can be updated more regularly than a once a week paper issue. It has had to change because technology has changed and also other rivals like XXL have improved. The audience has also attracted more teenagers/young adults because of the content. Has the magazine changed (or adapted) its style or content? The magazine has changed its style and content over time. This is because different genres have been introduced and more styles have been introduced. The Ipad is one of the main reasons why loads of magazines have set up websites online. This is a main technology advance, and now most people try get ideas to compete against the rival. On VIBE website, I have realised that there isn’t many interviews in writing, it is just multimedia and the interviews are uploaded on videos. This is probably because it is easier, and you can watch the celebrities reactions online. The typed interviews are sold in the paper copy of VIBE. This is probably attracts more audiences because some people prefer to read interviews whereas some prefer to watch the videos online.

24. What balance of content does it have? Is it mainly reviews or interviews? Is there any indication this has changed? Why? VIBE has a balance of content as it has both interviews and reviews. Although most of the articles online are reviews, the paper versions tend to be interviews with the celebrities. Online, there are videos of interviews but no written/typed ones. The magazine had seen a dramatic reduction in ad pages and circulation. Earlier this year, employees were put on a four-day workweek and other cuts were made such as scaling back to 10 issues per year. There is speculation that the magazine will transform into an online-only entity. This shows how the company InterMedia Partners who brought the magazine back had to dramatically change the magazine to make sure it didn’t fail again. By transforming the magazine totally, creating other interesting features and setting up the “VIBE magazine” it shows how much it has changed for the better whilst also attracting audiences. Have sales and web traffic increased or decreased over the years? After the introduction of the magazine VIBE, it was popular but then after times changed and different genres were introduced and different technologies for example the Ipad came out, the magazine struggled to keep up with the times and sales decreased. Vibe Magazine used to be a staple in the hip hop community, but ever since Editor-in-Chief Danyel Smith took over, the ship has been slowly sinking. I think we could say that she is single handedly responsible for Vibe Magazine falling apart. Recently, a story was published in Vibe which listed the Top 50 Hip Hop Blogs out today. If you look at their list, it's clear to see that Vibe has NO CLUE what the kids are looking at. Ever since Danyel took over it seems like Vibe is detached with what's going on in the entertainment world. A magazine that started out as something that hip-hop fans could be proud of has quickly turned into a magazine hip hop fans are ashamed of.It's a sad day when Vibe Magazine has approximately 130 pages and 70 of those pages are advertisements. As a loyal reader of Vibe magazine, who has followed it and watched the magazine grow for the past couple of years, I hate to say it, but Vibe is on the way out. This shows how the audience of the magazine is slowly becoming unattracted, as times are changing and other products and technologic changes are effecting magazine sales. VIBE magazine will probably shut down again, this time forever.

25. The Future of business on the web Evolution is a natural change to adapt the current surroundings. Revolution is a change which was unpredictable. Examples of websites that represent evolution are facebook and myspace Examples of websites that represent revolution are Ebay, The Guardian, YouTube Web 1.0 – Web 1.0, or web, refers to the first stage of the World Wide Web linking webpages with hyperlinks. Clothes shops online, Google. Web 2.0 – websites that are about "User-generated" content. Web 2.0 websites allow users to collaborate and share information, opinions, comments, ideas, links, ratings, bookmarks, reviews, pictures, videos, and more. (YouTube and blogger.com,wikipedia) Web 3.0 –Being able to tag content. (Facebook)

26. Popbitch and ILikeMusic.com are examples of websites that are in the same ‘hip-hop’ genre as my case study. Long Tail Theory Amount of films, magazines and music is distributed in retails is limited due to physical space. People don’t go out to buy papers when they can download applications for free.

27. Globalisation Globalisation is: How business and trade came to take place on an global (international) scale. Anything that takes place on a global scale. Anything involving the co-operation of different groups from separate, far-flung areas of the world to achieve the same objective. Often involves the necessary use of instantaneous communication overseas. Negative effects of Globalisation: Businesses are dominated by TNCs (Trans-National Corporations): groups of businesses and 'mega-corporations'. Small companies are taken over by these 'faceless giants'. National governments have less power and it is often thought that politicians make decisions for the good of the country's wealth rather than it's people. Indeed, some conspiracy theorists claim that George Bush's conflicts were created with the intention of advancing his own oil empire. Who do you trust? Some media companies owned by global businesses have been accused of ignoring important issues that cast them in a bad light. The customs, traditions and identities of separate cultures are disrupted and could disappear as everything becomes the same (homogenised). It has also increased anxiety about how nationalities and cultures are represented by putting everyone in the spotlight.

29. Bigger Audience

30. Branding

31. It improves your networking because if you have a global brand you have more resources and better communication

32. If one person controls everything, like Rupert Murdoch, then publications might change.The most popular magazines do really well but the niche markets are not doing so well since blogs are taking money off them. An exception to this is Kerrang because it is a hard-rock scene and the different types of music change but the audience remains the same- it’s the same market. VIBE magazine has been sold around United States, England and parts of Africa. Outsourcing means that different countries join together to make a set of rules, regulations to what VIBE will offer and support so that it appeals to everyone (more buyers).