Vibe was first published in 1993 as a hip hop and R&B magazine. It was renamed from Volume and published by Quincy Jones. While it shut down its print version in 2009, it continues online focusing on artists, albums, concerts, and fashion trends relevant to its target 18-34 male audience interested in hip hop and R&B music. It addresses readers in a casual urban tone to engage them.

1. VIBE Case Study!

3. Background Details
• Vibe was first published in 1993.
• It was published by Quincy Jones.
• The co-founder editor Scott Bryant renamed
the magazine to VIBE from Volume.
• The genre for VIBE is a Hip Hop and R&B
magazine.
• It involves Hip Hop and R&B artists and bands.

5. February 1994
February 2003. Costing £2.50

6. PAST VIBE MAGAZINE ISSUES.

7. First Volume of VIBE
produced in September
1993.
Main image stands out.
The main sell-line is very
bright and easy to stop.
Not looking at the camera.
Featured Snoop Doggy
Dogg, who is a Hip
Hop/R&B artist.
Black and whit colouring
and burst of bright colours
to lure the customers in.
It consisted of 140 pages.
The cost for this magazine
was £2.50.
Very Little information and
sell-lines.

8. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
• Vibe closed down on the 30th June 2009 but
decided to keep VIBE alive online.
• After shutting down LP brought VIBE
magazine.
• They added Uptown magazine to VIBE;s
parent company , VIBE holdings.
• VIBE Holding merged with BlackBook media to
form VIBE Media in 2012.

9. VIBE Today
•Vibe is issued every two months.
•It cost $4.99 in the US and £2.50 in the UK.
•Consists of about 140 pages each issue.
•Its available in the US & UK.
•The magazine consists of snippets of
information and eye-catching images that
will engage the audience.
•It’s follows the basic layout of a music
magazine and keeps it the same in each
issue.
•VIBE has its own talk show in 1997 but in
the end it got cancelled in summer 1998.
•VIBE magzine Online; VIBE On Demand, and
on-demand network; The impressive online
video channel VLN TV; VIBE film; and
MVibe, a wireless content provider for hand-
held devices, as well as CD and DVD lines
distributed under the same name.
•The Vibe Music Mixer is available for iPhone
and iPad.

10. Inside VIBE magazines
More text than images this
could make the frame quite
dull which doesn’t give the
audience a more visual feel
to the magazine.
Its not written in snippets
its written in paragraphs
this could show that it’s a
more formal magazine.
The image is in the top right
hand corner, this is where
the audience look first and
it show them who the
article is about.

11. Target Audience
• The target audience for VIBE magazine is 18-34
year old men.
• The genre of this magazine is Hip Hop and R&B,
the target audience are fans of R&B and Hiphop.
• Interested in the latest fashion trends and the
newest music.
• Very popular loyal to their friends, say things as it
is, individual unique and outgoing.
• They see VIBE magazine as a way to keep in tact
of what’s happening in the R&B music industry.

13. Content
• The magazine is devoted to R&B, Hip Hop and
Rap artists.
• They present there target audience with the
newest artist, albums reviews, concerts, posters.
• They have many adverts connecting with the
genre of music that the magazine portrays.
• They involve artists such as Brandy, Snoop
Dogg, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Keyshia Cole, Lil
Wayne, Eminem, T.I., R. Kelly, Ciaria, Trey Songz
and Nicki Minaj.

15. Style
• Vibe features a lot of iconography related to R&B and
Hip Hop which the magazine is associated with.
• Features things such as photo’s of live giggs, fashion
trends and unique clothing, snapbacks and baggy
clothing for men, big icon such as big cars, houses, ect.
• Magazine features a lot of capital fonts and written in
sans serif.
• The magazine presents a lot of black, white and red in
each of there magazines sometimes they include
yellow and blue this gives the magazine a more hood
feeling and shows its more of a manly magazine.

16. Black, white and red
theme it gives the
audience a more sexual
vibe.
Written in sans serif.
Close Up of T.I’s face.
The hat shows the
magazines more trendy
look.
The suited and booted
costume gives the
audience a chilled out
vibe.

17. Mode of Address
• Its casual and modern so that the target audience can
relate to the magazine.
• They use a mellow and urban tone when writing the
magazine.
• The language suggests they understand the R&B genre
and enjoy it can have a good connection between the
reader and the magazine.
• They say information straight to the point as men
would be uninterested if it didn’t get to the point
quickly.
• The images give out a sophisticated mode of address to
the audience, like the T.I front cover.

18. Mode of Address
Exclamation marks could represent
excitement for the vote.
Use of language such as ‘Pimp
and Gangster’.
They ask direct questions to the
audience. This could engage them
when purchasing the magazine.
Abbreviation of the word are not,
is not or am not.
The image is a mid shot of Nelly, only
showing his upper half.
They use urban language such as
‘Ball’ meaning getting rich.

19. Mode of Address
Examples of Mode of Address:
• ‘The good ball young’
• ‘Pop star, Pimp or Gangster’
• ‘Get your vote on!’
• ‘What’s the word on Nelly’

20. Ownership
• Vibe magazine is currently owned by InterMedia
Partners which is private equity.
• The firm was founded in1995.
• November 2007 - Intermedia joins Research in
Motion's BlackBerry Alliance Program
• In September 2000 it hosted Microsoft exchange.
• They own other companies such as WAPA-TV a radio
station.
• They make their money through media institution.
• They distribute there magazines online.