Magazine Leads Hip-Hop Into Mainstream

When the Source became the best-selling music magazine at newsstands earlier this year, marking the first time a hip-hop publication enjoyed that status, the publishing world took note.

The Source quickly inspired a wave of imitators, though some have struggled finding their voices.

Several have put their magazines up for sale, while others are restructuring their business strategies with the hope of catching the Source, which was launched in 1988 and has even surpassed the grandfather of all music magazines, Rolling Stone, in its newsstand sales.

“It’s gone way beyond what anybody could of thought about or how we could have perceived ourselves a couple of years ago,” said David Mays, publisher of the Source, whose monthly circulation is 410,000. “We’ve gotten to a point where we’re pretty sufficient, but we’re also looking on a bigger level at opportunities for moving forward.”

With the increased penetration of hip-hop culture--80 million hip-hop records were sold in 1998--to Lauryn Hill winning five Grammys and being on the cover of Time magazine this year, it appears as if hip-hop magazines should continue to thrive.

“Right now, it’s a great time,” Mays said. “The music has been accepted. We’re obviously riding that wave right now. We’ve been pushing, pushing and pushing for that breakthrough to happen, and it’s finally taken place.”

Urban culture magazine Vibe, hip-hop magazine Blaze and rock standard Spin--all part of Miller Publishing Group--are for sale. Executives at Vibe/Spin Ventures expect the titles to be under new ownership by the end of the year. Although Vibe enjoyed double-digit ad page and circulation jumps in 1998, executives there said they wanted to sell the 600,000-circulation title and the other magazines while the three are popular.

Similarly, Larry Flynt Publications’ Rap Pages is for sale. Unlike Vibe, Blaze and Spin, which are all still being published, Rap Pages was shut down in October. Jim Kohls, president of Larry Flynt Publications, said the company has received three bids for the publication and expects it to be sold by the middle of this month.

Kohls cited the company’s decision to finance the launch of Code, Flynt’s African American men’s fashion magazine, as well as a need for better editorial direction, as the reasons for closing the magazine.

Harris Publication’s XXL is also undergoing changes. Elliott Wilson, a former editor at the Source, is the editor of XXL, which will increase from six to 10 editions a year starting in April.

Despite this turbulence, many industry insiders say the change is normal for a growing field.

“I think what’s happening now with these magazines is part of a normal business cycle,” said Keith Clinkscales, former president of Vibe/Spin Ventures. He left the company this year to launch his own media company. “The music is going strong and the things supporting the music are growing. This is all a sign of growth.”

Indeed, hip-hop magazines are awash with ads, and the ads are coming from places other than record companies. Flip through the Source and you’re likely to see ads hawking Ralph Lauren clothing and various stereo music items. Peruse XXL and you’ll see glossy Tommy Hilfiger models, and a glance at Vibe will reveals full-page ads for Ford and other automobile companies.

These hip-hop publications have quickly become a key outlet for advertising companies hoping to cash in on hip-hop’s newfound commercial acceptance.

The strong advertising support, as well as the solid success of the Source, is why the hip-hop magazine business is so potentially lucrative and worth the financial risk.

And the consensus is that there’s plenty of room for growth for several rap publications.

“There’s real room in the market for a No. 2 magazine in the hip-hop field,” Kohls said. “The Source is going to be very difficult to overtake. They’ve got the niche locked in.”

The Source, which started out as a two-page newsletter, has used limited yet effective marketing strategies in its ascent. One of the magazine’s earliest and most effective promotional tools was placing hip-hop radio DJs on the complementary subscription list. Because the Source was the primary outlet for hip-hop criticism at the time, it was regularly discussed on the air.

Another breakthrough marketing tactic was the magazine’s use of a promotional van, which featured the name of the magazine on either side and had a stereo loud enough to be heard for several city blocks. Workers in the van traveled across the country handing out promotional items from both the Source and various record companies. Mountain Dew has been among the van’s corporate sponsors.

The Source now has its own compilation albums and nationally televised award show.

Other magazines are beefing up their promotional efforts. Vibe and Blaze will be sponsoring more events. Blaze sponsored this summer’s Hard Knock Life Tour, which featured star rappers Jay-Z, DMX, Redman and Method Man. Vibe and Blaze are also planning expansion into other media, from home media to live events and an increased Web presence.

XXL will move to promote more parties, work with a small radio network and increase its street promotions by developing its own street team. The magazine also hopes its Internet component will attract potential consumers.

The market appears to have room to expand. Even Rap Pages, the smallest and least prominent publication of the group, was growing. Kohls said the magazine’s advertising revenue was growing between 25% and 30% each year. He conceded that Rap Pages’ newsstand sales weren’t what the company thought they should be.

Those advertising and sales figures were consistent with those of XXL, which may emerge as the genre’s second-place publication.