Wow. We knew VICE sold out and went corporate, but this is some Conde Nast-y shit. Looks like Vice holds writers to non-competes, barring them from having anything to do with departed VICE founder Gavin McInnes' site, Street Carnage.

McInnes and his two VICE co-founders, Suroosh Alvi and Shane Smith, split due to "creative differences" last year in January; much of the speculation centered around McInnes' dislike of VBS.tv-Vice's video site-and their marketing/sales arm. Shortly after his departure, McInnes started Street Carnage, which features awesome things like their contributors getting punched in the face by ex-girlfriends and also, sincerely excellent insiders' takes on culture issues, like the death of "downtown" artist Dash Snow.

But now, the badasses at VICE have gone corporate, banning a photographer featured on Street Carnage from contributing to them as well. Writes Amy Kellner, VICE's managing editor, to "Vincent," the Street Carnage contributor:

"hiya, yes i got the cd, thank you.
unfortunately, if you do stuff for street carnage, then you can't contribute to vice at the same time.
those are my orders.
best,
amy kellner"

Ouch. VICE is still perfectly likable, often. They—plug—published Alex Pareene's great take on a trip to the museum, and there's plenty of great stuff on VBS.tv. But there's also a specific kind of cultural brand that's clearly—if at war with the only slightly less corporate Street Carnage, who're carrying a Nike ad on their site right now—at ridiculous odds with itself. And you'd think VICE would realize that this is the kind of thing that dilutes it.

Can't all the hipster media outlets just get along? Or at least: not be so much like the mainstream ones?