| 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 text only 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 is a "multi-sensory" branding agency based in Austin, Texas.[1][2] DMX also provides music for cable and satellite television networks worldwide, including DirecTV.
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DMX began in 1971, as a music service to license and program original artist music. DMX’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. DMX was among the first to offer music by satellite.
In 2001, DMX (when they were a division of Liberty Digital Inc. of Los Angeles), merged with AEI Music of Seattle, Washington, 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.[3][4][5]
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, Capstar Partners acquired DMX and 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.[6]
DMX applied to merge with Fort Mill, South Carolina competitor Muzak Holdings LLC, with the resultant combined entity sold to a third-party buyer. The United States Department of Justice has issued a second request for information on the merger.[7] The bankruptcy filing by Muzak delayed the merger.[8] As of April 6, 2009, the deal is off.[9] On Thursday, March 24th, Canadian company Mood Media has announced they will be buying Muzak in a deal worth $345 Million.[10]
For a list of DMX's Sonic Tap-branded music channels available on DirecTV, see List of DirecTV channels (United States)#Channels 801-884
Since February 9, 2010, DMX has provided over 80 commercial-free audio-only music channels to DirecTV customers, branded as Sonic Tap. [11][12]