Expect XXL to start shifting towards becoming a...
...lifestyle magazine.
As J-Smooth put it - "his wife's vision won" (referring to Wilson's wife, Danyel Smith, whose vision for Vibe magazine in the '90s has become the dominant urban mag format).
smart business move if they do make that push to "lifestyle" over hip-hop.
how so? Isnt there already like 8 fuckin lifestyle rags out there?
R.I.P. Magazines man.
ALOT of XXL ad revenue is label based and they aren't spending like they used to. The money is drying up in rap is all.
Sure but that doesn't mean a mag like XXL wouldn't still be viable. Pity - I really doubt the mag is going to survive this transition very well. I'm not suggesting it will fold next month, only that I don't think XXL has a deep enough talent pool to go urban lifestyle. Even Vibe is just barely scraping by and they pioneered the shit.
smart business move if they do make that push to "lifestyle" over hip-hop.
how so? Isnt there already like 8 fuckin lifestyle rags out there?
R.I.P. Magazines man.
ALOT of XXL ad revenue is label based and they aren't spending like they used to. The money is drying up in rap is all.
Sure but that doesn't mean a mag like XXL wouldn't still be viable. Pity - I really doubt the mag is going to survive this transition very well. I'm not suggesting it will fold next month, only that I don't think XXL has a deep enough talent pool to go urban lifestyle. Even Vibe is just barely scraping by and they pioneered the shit.
XXL has a pretty strong online presence though, right? I imagine they'll keep that going. It's not the same as a magazine of course, but it keeps them from falling off the face of the earth.
HarveyCanal"a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
R.I.P. XXL, then
The last mag standing--at least it was the last print source that I turned to for information on current rap
XXL has a pretty strong online presence though, right? I imagine they'll keep that going. It's not the same as a magazine of course, but it keeps them from falling off the face of the earth.
Used to be a lot better when Brandan Frederick ran the site.
Now that eskay runs it, all of their "news" consists of links to things related to Joe Budden, Joel Ortiz, Sean Price and other boring-azz NY type dudes that nobody cares about.
And Noz and Elliott were the onyl bloggers they had worth checking for.
HarveyCanal"a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
R.I.P. XXL, then
The last mag standing--at least it was the last print source that I turned to for information on current rap
Surprised you don't read Ozone.
You can't get it up here.
I appreciate the coverage that they provide to certain artists/phenomena, but you've got to admit the writing is awful.
It's mostly interviews though, so you get a lot of info straight from the artists' mouths.
The last mag standing--at least it was the last print source that I turned to for information on current rap
Surprised you don't read Ozone.
You can't get it up here.
I appreciate the coverage that they provide to certain artists/phenomena, but you've got to admit the writing is awful.
It's mostly interviews though, so you get a lot of info straight from the artists' mouths.
Yes, but conducting and editing an interview is also a skill that nobody at that magazine seems to possess--a lot of them are just painful to read and are completely interchangable.
XXL has a pretty strong online presence though, right? I imagine they'll keep that going. It's not the same as a magazine of course, but it keeps them from falling off the face of the earth.
Apples and oranges. For one thing, XXL's site (let alone the mag) has not been the best at providing up-to-the-minute news/gossip/whatever. This is the one area where the web has proven itself superior to print, for obvious reasons. XXL's site was a nice complement to the mag - they've been one of the few print sources I've seen that made some smart moves regarding blogs - but at the end of the day, what made the magazine work wasn't its news reporting but 1) its artist access, especially after taking over the #1 spot from The Source back in the '90s and 2) relatively well-written features and conducted interviews. If XXL really is shifting over to more of a lifestyle mag, it may not necessarily lose #1 (bigger artists these days are all about lifestyle branding anyways) but I'd expect to see #2 take a hit. As noted, there are bigger and better magazines doing the same thing and hell, Harris just fired the guy whose wife helps run the competition. Vibe may or may not bring Elliot onboard there but they've created a terrific incentive for the YN to find ways to smash on his old employer.
XXL has a pretty strong online presence though, right? I imagine they'll keep that going. It's not the same as a magazine of course, but it keeps them from falling off the face of the earth.
Apples and oranges. For one thing, XXL's site (let alone the mag) has not been the best at providing up-to-the-minute news/gossip/whatever. This is the one area where the web has proven itself superior to print, for obvious reasons. XXL's site was a nice complement to the mag - they've been one of the few print sources I've seen that made some smart moves regarding blogs - but at the end of the day, what made the magazine work wasn't its news reporting but 1) its artist access, especially after taking over the #1 spot from The Source back in the '90s and 2) relatively well-written features and conducted interviews.
I agree--they should have abolished all of those little sections upfront that nobody reads and that seem totally antiquated in the internet era and just focused on features awhile ago. And move away from the capsule review format--nobody needs a reviewer to tell them whether or not to buy an album anymore, so there should be room for lengthier and more provocative work there. I like their year end love/hate format--they should do that every month. Or maybe do A/B point/counterpoint reviews from two different people.
And never run another piece on any of the following:
Sheek Louch, Red Cafe, Papoose, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and all the other tri-state rappers that nobody cares about
Remy Ma, Jackie-O, Eve and all other female rappers that nobody cares about
Bow-Wow: rap fans don't buy his music, so why does he get a feature every time he drops?
HarveyCanal"a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
R.I.P. XXL, then
The last mag standing--at least it was the last print source that I turned to for information on current rap
Surprised you don't read Ozone.
You can't get it up here.
I appreciate the coverage that they provide to certain artists/phenomena, but you've got to admit the writing is awful.
It's mostly interviews though, so you get a lot of info straight from the artists' mouths.
Yes, but conducting and editing an interview is also a skill that nobody at that magazine seems to possess--a lot of them are just painful to read and are completely interchangable.
Seems like you're being too harsh.
For me, I'd rather have Ozone as it is over any of its over-corporate, let's-send-in-our-tourist-writing-technician-for-a-weekend-retreat competitors.
40ozking
308 Posts
Comments
...lifestyle magazine.
As J-Smooth put it - "his wife's vision won" (referring to Wilson's wife, Danyel Smith, whose vision for Vibe magazine in the '90s has become the dominant urban mag format).
Oh, Christ.
how so? Isnt there already like 8 fuckin lifestyle rags out there?
R.I.P. Magazines man.
ALOT of XXL ad revenue is label based and they aren't spending like they used to. The money is drying up in rap is all.
I didn't know that.
I'll buy whatever new mag he's at.
XXL has started really sucking the last year or so. that could just be the music though.
Sure but that doesn't mean a mag like XXL wouldn't still be viable. Pity - I really doubt the mag is going to survive this transition very well. I'm not suggesting it will fold next month, only that I don't think XXL has a deep enough talent pool to go urban lifestyle. Even Vibe is just barely scraping by and they pioneered the shit.
vibe is dead. Did you see the tabloid issue?
As i said... R.I.P. magazines.
score another one for teh internets.
The last mag standing--at least it was the last print source that I turned to for information on current rap
Surprised you don't read Ozone.
You can't get it up here.
I appreciate the coverage that they provide to certain artists/phenomena, but you've got to admit the writing is awful.
Used to be a lot better when Brandan Frederick ran the site.
Now that eskay runs it, all of their "news" consists of links to things related to Joe Budden, Joel Ortiz, Sean Price and other boring-azz NY type dudes that nobody cares about.
And Noz and Elliott were the onyl bloggers they had worth checking for.
It's mostly interviews though, so you get a lot of info straight from the artists' mouths.
Yes, but conducting and editing an interview is also a skill that nobody at that magazine seems to possess--a lot of them are just painful to read and are completely interchangable.
Apples and oranges. For one thing, XXL's site (let alone the mag) has not been the best at providing up-to-the-minute news/gossip/whatever. This is the one area where the web has proven itself superior to print, for obvious reasons. XXL's site was a nice complement to the mag - they've been one of the few print sources I've seen that made some smart moves regarding blogs - but at the end of the day, what made the magazine work wasn't its news reporting but 1) its artist access, especially after taking over the #1 spot from The Source back in the '90s and 2) relatively well-written features and conducted interviews. If XXL really is shifting over to more of a lifestyle mag, it may not necessarily lose #1 (bigger artists these days are all about lifestyle branding anyways) but I'd expect to see #2 take a hit. As noted, there are bigger and better magazines doing the same thing and hell, Harris just fired the guy whose wife helps run the competition. Vibe may or may not bring Elliot onboard there but they've created a terrific incentive for the YN to find ways to smash on his old employer.
I agree--they should have abolished all of those little sections upfront that nobody reads and that seem totally antiquated in the internet era and just focused on features awhile ago. And move away from the capsule review format--nobody needs a reviewer to tell them whether or not to buy an album anymore, so there should be room for lengthier and more provocative work there. I like their year end love/hate format--they should do that every month. Or maybe do A/B point/counterpoint reviews from two different people.
And never run another piece on any of the following:
Sheek Louch, Red Cafe, Papoose, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and all the other tri-state rappers that nobody cares about
Remy Ma, Jackie-O, Eve and all other female rappers that nobody cares about
Bow-Wow: rap fans don't buy his music, so why does he get a feature every time he drops?
Seems like you're being too harsh.
For me, I'd rather have Ozone as it is over any of its over-corporate, let's-send-in-our-tourist-writing-technician-for-a-weekend-retreat competitors.
Well, if it isn't Shawwna's houseboy.
I'm all for writing about women--but please find some that are doing interesting things to write about.
Easy interviews to get?