If you are an admirer of JPG, or even if you've never looked at it, here's your last chance to download the back issues and note your favorite photographers, as jpmag.com will shut down on Monday, January 5, another victim of the current funding crisis.
Here is the EIC's email to subscribers, verbatim:
Today is a particularly sad day for all of us at JPG and 8020 Media.
We've spent the last few months trying to make the business behind JPG
sustain itself, and we've reached the end of the line. We all deeply
believe in everything JPG represents, but we just weren't able to raise
the money needed to keep JPG alive in these extraordinary economic
times. We sought out buyers, spoke with numerous potential investors,
and pitched several last-ditch creative efforts, all without success.
As a result,
jpgmag.com will shut down on Monday, January 5, 2009.
The one thing we've been the most proud of: your amazing talent. We feel honored and humbled to have been able to share
jpgmag.com
with such a dynamic, warm, and wonderful community of nearly 200,000
photographers. The photography on the website and in the magazine was
adored by many, leaving no doubt that this community created work of
the highest caliber. The kindness, generosity, and support shared among
members made it a community in the truest sense of the word, and one
that we have loved being a part of for these past two years.
We wish we could have found a way to leave the site running for the
benefit of the amazing folks who have made JPG what it is, and we have
spent sleepless nights trying to figure something out, all to no avail.
Some things you may want to do before the site closes:
- Download the PDFs of back issues, outtakes, and photo challenge selections. We'll always have the memories!
www.jpgmag.com/downloads/archives.html
- Make note of your favorite photographers. You may want to flip
through your favorites list and jot down names and URLs of some of the
people you'd like to stay in touch with. You may even want to cut and
paste your contacts page into a personal record.
- Catch up with your fellow members. Our roots are in this humble
flickr forum and we recommend going back to find fellow members,
discuss the situation, or participate in another great photo community.
www.flickr.com/groups/jpgmag/
- Keep in touch. This has always been much more than just a job to each
of us, and we'll miss you guys! We'll be checking the account
[email protected]
in our free time going forward. We can't promise to reply to every
email (since we'll be busy tuning up our resumes) but we'd love to hear
from you.
- Stay posted. Although the magazine is ceasing publication, we'll be
updating you on what's happening with your subscription early next week.
We're soggy-eyed messes, but it is what it is. At that, JPGers, we bid you goodbye, and good luck in 2009 and the future.
Laura Brunow Miner
Editor in Chief
