DMX (music)

This article is about the music service. For the musician, see DMX (rapper).
DMX, Inc
Type Private
Country United States
Founded 1971
Slogan Creating Atmospheres Delivering Experiences.
Broadcast area
 Austin, TX
Key people
 John Cullen, CEO and Paul Stone, President
Picture format
 No video. Audio with title text only as SonicTap on DirecTV.
industry
 Music
Products
 Music, Video, Messaging, Scent, Interactive Media & Promotions, and A/V Systems for commercial environments
Official website
 www.dmx.com

DMX, a Mood Media company,[1] is a "multi-sensory" branding agency based in Austin, Texas.[2][3] DMX also provides music for cable and satellite television networks worldwide, including DirecTV and DStv in Africa.

History

DMX began as AEI Music Network Inc. in 1971, as a music service to license and program original artist music. AEI’s primary focus was custom music programs for domestic and international customers. In the 1980s, the company began providing services to international airlines, as well as residential and cable television systems. AEI was among the first to offer music by satellite.

In 2001, AEI merged with Liberty Digital Inc. of Los Angeles, in a deal that gave Liberty 56 percent and AEI 44 percent of the merged company, known as DMX/AEI Music. AEI had large national customers into international markets, (while DMX had dealt with smaller businesses). DMX also served residential cable television subscribers, working on streaming over the Internet.[4][5][6]

The company’s on-site digital system known as "ProFusion" was launched in 2000 with the purpose of delivering and playing back high-quality digital music to places around the world. In 2005, DMX was purchased by Capstar Partners who then officially changed the name to DMX, Inc. It was in this year that the "ProFusion M5", its first digital platform that controls both video and music content, was launched. Most recently, the company began offering scent marketing as another service for customers.

Loral Skynet announced on June 21, 2001 that DMX/AEI would switch from their Telstar 4 to Telstar 8 in 2002.[7]

As of 2009, DMX had originally applied to merge with Fort Mill, South Carolina competitor Muzak Holdings LLC, with the resultant combined entity sold to a third-party buyer. Reportedly, Mood Media of Canada had been heavily courted since the beginning, but the combination of the United States Department of Justice's second request for information on the merger,[8] and the bankruptcy filing by Muzak disrupted that original merger.[9] Instead, on Thursday, March 24, 2011, Mood Media themselves announced that they would be buying Muzak in a $345 Million deal,[10] and then a year later, Mood Media also announced their acquisition of the original DMX company which had courted them three years earlier on March 19, 2012 in a deal valued at $86.1 million .[11]

SonicTap

Since February 9, 2010, DMX has provided over 84 commercial-free audio-only music channels to DirecTV customers, branded as SonicTap.[12][13]

Competitors

References

  1. ↑ "DMX Acquired by Mood Media Corporation" (PDF). Mood Media.
  2. ↑ "Global Brand Consultants / Corporate Branding Firm". Retrieved 2010-09-08.
  3. ↑ "Multisensory Branding / Unforgettable Brand Experiences / Building Brand Loyalty". Retrieved 2010-09-08.
  4. ↑ Meisner, Jeff (2000-09-25). "AEI Combining with Liberty Digital Unit". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved 2010-01-14.
  5. ↑ Meisner, Jeff (2001-05-16). "AEI Merger with DMX Approved". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved 2010-01-14.
  6. ↑ "AEI Seeks Growth in Music Business Overseas". Puget Sound Business Journal. 2001-02-13. Retrieved 2010-01-14.
  7. ↑ "DMX/AEI Music to Migrate Delivery of Their Digital Music Service to Loral Skeynet's Telstar 8 Satellite". loral.com. 2001-06-21. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
  8. ↑ DMX Muzak issued a second request, Orbitcast.com
  9. ↑ Adam Bell, "Music Won't Stop During Muzak's Reorganization," The Charlotte Observer, February 11, 2009.
  10. ↑ Toronto’s Mood Media buys Muzak National Post, March 25, 2011
  11. ↑ Mood Media Corporation Announces Acquisition of DMX Mood Media press release, March 19, 2012
  12. ↑ "Why have the Music Channels changed?". DirecTV.com. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  13. ↑ "SonicTap About Us". SonicTap. Retrieved 27 February 2010.
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