JDub Records

As seems to be the norm recently in print media, another well-known and respected music publication has folded.  Vibe closed its doors abruptly today, notifying the staff this morning, and immediately halting work on a Michael Jackson tribute issue.  Unfortunately it appears the current issue on newstands will be the magazine’s last.

As internet music sites spread like weeds, with content updated faster, and often times more in tune with their readers interests, it has been hard for print to compete.  Vibe was a great magazine that covered Hip-Hop and its crossover into the Pop realm intelligently and thoughtfully.  It will be missed.

Vibe is survived in the print Hip-Hop world by The Source and XXL.  Rolling Stone and Spin still handle pop.

People are often surprised to learn that JDub Records is a not-for-profit. Of course, we’re a part of the music industry, which is in hard times with CD sales down, layoffs, and – let’s face it – labels releasing a lot of bad music. You could say it’s similar to the news business.

As an article in Friday’s NY Times pointed out, Mother Jones magazine is also a not-for-profit in an industry that is dominated by for-profit companies. Yet the magazine has managed to stay afloat and even successful while a number of other magazines and newspapers have laid off reporters, reduced content, or even folded. Yes, Mother Jones’ advertising dwindled and some of its big contributions dried up, but it has made minor cutbacks while still offering the content its audience expects.

According to the Times, there’s no secret formula. Mother Jones, like JDub, has continued to produce high quality content and stayed ambitious with the ideal that if there’s a need for what you do, there’s no reason why you should not continue to succeed.