DMX has changed its name and logo, along with introducing
five new digital-music channels.
DMX, a unit of Liberty Digital, is now using the moniker
"DMX Music."
"We are reintroducing DMX to the consumer
marketplace," DMX Music senior vice president of marketing and music programming
Christy Noel said. "And we want to reinforce that what we're about is
music."
Also this month, DMX Music added five new channels to its
roster of 100 channels with nonstop music, all available on Headend in the Sky, the
AT&T Broadband & Internet Services digital distributor.
To start, DMX Music introduced "Holidays and
Happenings," which spotlights music mixes celebrating everything from Christmas, to
the new millennium, to St. Patrick's Day, to Cinco de Mayo.
In the past, DMX would temporarily take off an existing
channel to offer Christmas holiday music, angering some subscribers. "Now we've
dedicated a spot [for holidays], so we won't upset any consumers," Noel said.
For millennium coverage on the new holiday channel, DMX
Music will do four "Y2K" countdown shows covering the top 100 songs in the past
100 years for pop, rock, urban and country. The shows, which will each run eight hours,
will air from Dec. 28 through Jan. 31, according to Noel. Those special shows will be
hosted by DJs doing the countdowns.
The remaining four channels that DMX Music added are:
"Retro Dance," offering disco music from the 1970s and 1980s; "Rock 'n
Country," offering country rockers such as Garth Brooks and The Black Crowes;
"Fiesta Tropical," Latin party music; and "Musica de las Americas," a
blend of contemporary Spanish and English sounds.
DMX Music decided to add those channels based on consumer
research with digital-cable and non-digital-cable customers, according to Noel.
"Everybody wanted disco," she said.
Rock 'n Country, aims to attract both country and rock
fans by offering music by groups such as The Eagles along with country. "It's
unique music programming that you don't even hear on the radio," Noel said.
Musica de las Americas is aimed at a bilingual audience,
with about 60 percent of its songs in Spanish and 40 percent in English. For example,
listeners would be likely to hear Ricky Martin in both English and Spanish on that
channel, Noel said.
DMX Music now reaches 3.2 million homes and 65,000
businesses. Cable operators typically offer about 30 of its 100 music channels to their
subscribers.
Cable operators that offer DMX Music are getting new
affiliate-marketing kits to help promote DMX's new channels and logo to their
subscribers.
