Chicago-based Venus magazine just announced it’s closing print operations and laying off editorial staff.  The magazine focuses on music from a woman’s perspective. The Chicago Reader reported earlier this year that the magazine was bought and hopes were high that a more general interest audience would keep it afloat.

An e-mail was sent today from Editor-in-chief Jill Russell explaining the move, and her impending layoff. She wrote:

“We just learned that Venus will no longer publish in print (also, myself and the other staffers will be done as of this Friday, December 10). Despite our best efforts—and we have done AMAZINGLY well this year on the editorial side, both in print and online—it’s become an issue of finances, as always in media.”

She continued on and explained the fate of the next issue:

“It’s definitely not happy news to have to unravel the spring 2011 issue, which was already well under way, as well as much of the forthcoming web content, but it’s unfortunately what we’re in the process of doing now. ”

Russell says the publisher will continue to operate the web site, venuszine.com.