Quincy Jones isn’t willing to let Vibe die just yet. Word has it that he may buy back the magazine he started

“I’m trying to buy my magazine back now,” Jones told EbonyJet.com on Tuesday, according to an article posted on the Web site.

Obviously, QJ isn’t too happy about Vibe’s recent direction:

“They just messed my magazine all up, but I’m gonna get it back,” he said, EbonyJet.com reported.

Quincy Jones may try to buy back Vibe magazine [CNN]
Producer Quincy Jones Plans To Buy Back Vibe Magazine [Reuters]

What you have before you is the final issue of Vibe magazine. It’s true, Vibe is closing shop. I was going to say that I called it months ago but, really, who didn’t see this one coming?

Says the New York Times:

Vibe, one of the nation’s leading popular music magazines, is closing immediately, a spokeswoman said Tuesday. Word leaked to music and media news Web sites early this afternoon, and the spokeswoman, Tracy Nguyen, said the Vibe staff would be formally notified in a meeting at 2 p.m. She said she did not know how many people would be laid off as a result of the closure.

Vibe’s closure leaves just one large-circulation magazine, The Source, focusing on hip-hop and R&B. The Source has had its own troubles, going through a bankruptcy and emerging under new ownership last year. A rock-focused magazine, Blender, folded last year.

It’s worth noting that Vibe’s demise says more about the collapse of print advertising than it does the decline of hip-hop or even the music business. Sadly, this one hits close to heart not only because I actually read it. Plus, I have some friends there who now have to go find new jobs in this sh*tty economy.

[Cover via: Rap Radar]