This morning Blender staff learned in a meeting that the publication was the latest to be shuttered as a result of the economic crisis, with magazine sales, subscriptions and ad pages down.

“Since 2001, Blender has provided unmatched music coverage and entertainment news in its unique voice to a profoundly dedicated audience of music enthusiasts,” Alpha Media Group CEO Stephen Duggan said in a company memo, according to Advertising Age.

“We are particularly grateful to the sales team and to the tremendously talented editorial staff for their hard work and commitment to Blender.”

Duggan’s memo to staff blamed the global financial crisis.

Alpha Media Group is now left with just men’s magazine Maxim in its portfolio of titles.

According to company reports with the Audit Bureau of Circulations, paid subscriptions at Blender fell 8% to 768,000 last year, while newsstand sales declined 18% to 44,233. The only positive was distribution of the publication to places like waiting rooms, which grew from 13,000 copies in the second half of 2007 to 100,000 the following year.

Blender’s ad pages didn’t do any better as sales fell 31% in 2008 and another 57% from January through April, according to the Publishers Information Bureau and Media Industry Newsletter.

Things aren’t looking so hot at Maxim either, where ad pages fell 11% in 2008 and 37% from January through April. Then again, there’s not many publications that can brag as monthlies as a whole had ad sales fall 12% last year and another 22% through April, according to Advertising Age.

Blender’s closure eliminated about 30 jobs. Alpha now has 134 employees on staff.

Read the Advertising Age article here.