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KUTX and public media stations announce plans for new music discovery video platform

PHILADELPHIA –May 15, 2014 — The Corporation for Public Broadcasting today announced a $750,000 grant for a historic collaboration between five public media stations to build a new, national, online music video showcase featuring exclusive live performances of new and emerging bands.

Code named the "Music X Project," this service plans to launch by the end of 2014.  The five founding stations are KCRW in Los Angeles, KTBG in Kansas City, KUTX in Austin, WFUV in New York City, and WXPN in Philadelphia. 

Public radio stations are often the first stop for new artists and pioneering performers. They provide both a powerful platform and a deep relationship with a music-loving audience. Joining forces and sharing music video content in one place will be a better service to both the audience and the artists.

“As the arts and cultural voice of their communities, public media stations have always been discovery channels for emerging talent," said Kansas City Public Television and KTBG CEO Kliff Kuehl, who is the fiscal agent of the CPB grant and a founding partner station of the Music X Project. "By showcasing our local artists on Music X, we can create a continual and curated source of never-before-seen music performances for national audiences.”

What is the Music X Project?
Music X is a consortium of public media organizations from across the country that film emerging and established artists playing live sets of music in studio and on location.  

How will Music X work?
The live performance music videos - featuring local, national and international artists - will be aggregated on a national website and mobile app. The member stations will also have their own locally branded and curated video channel, which can be shared with audiences over web, mobile and social media platforms, with some content broadcast on local public television stations.

Members upload their in-studio performance videos into the Music X archive and then download from this exclusive database to populate their station’s video channel.  The national website will be a curated site showcasing the best videos from around the country.  The Wyncote and MacArthur Foundations have generously funded the content management system powering the video platform, Channel X.

“The number of stations participating will grow over time," said Erik Langner, managing director of Public Media Company, the organization that is leading the strategic collaboration of Music X.  "Together, partner stations will be submitting new videos on a weekly basis, helping music lovers and other stations discover local artists while attracting new and younger audiences to public media programming.”

Mike Henry, CEO of Paragon Media Strategies, is senior creative advisor and leading efforts to design the Music X audience experience.  The name of the new music discovery service, along with station partnership details, will be announced when the site officially launches later this year. To find out more about the Music X Project and sign up for project updates, please visit www.themusicxproject.com.

About KCRW
Los Angeles-based public radio station KCRW is one of the most respected and progressive radio stations in the world, featuring an eclectic mix of music, news, talk and arts programming. With deejays that are counted among the industry’s trendsetters and tastemakers, the station is an internationally-renowned source for breaking music and high-quality live band performances, all of which are available in the archives at www.KCRW.com.

About KTBG
Kansas City Public Television is a nonprofit, community-owned public media company that operates a television station (KCPT) and triple-A format radio station (KTBG The Bridge) for the greater Kansas City area.  They provide programming, services and music – on air and off – that encourage curiosity and discovery and seek to serve the greater region to become a more engaged and informed community.  For more information about KCPT’s programs and services, please go to KCPT.org.  For more information about KTBG The Bridge’s programs and services, please go to www.909thebridge.org.

About KUTX 98.9, The Austin Music Experience
Launched on Jan. 2, 2013, KUTX 98.9, The Austin Music Experience, is the non-commercial, member-supported music service of KUT Public Radio and The University of Texas at Austin. KUTX features fresh, cutting-edge music, alongside iconic songs and established artists who continue to inspire. Programming includes live, one-of-a-kind performances in Studio 1A; the Austin Music Minute, the KUTX Song of the Day, and the Austin Music Map featuring some of the unlikely places where music is being made in Austin. More at www.kutx.org, @KUTX on Twitter and Instagram, and on Flickr.

About WFUV
About WFUV: New York’s source for music discovery, WFUV is a noncommercial, member-supported public media service of Fordham University. A national leader in introducing new music, WFUV’s wide-ranging, Triple-A programming includes the work of icons and emerging artists. Its archives of FUV Live performances and interviews, including audio and video, are available at www.wfuv.org.   

About WXPN
WXPN, the nationally-recognized leader in Triple A radio and the premier guide for discovering new and significant artists in rock, blues, roots and folk, is the noncommercial, member supported radio service of the University of Pennsylvania.  www.xpn.org

About CPB
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,400 locally-owned and -operated public television and radio stations nationwide, and is the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television and related online services.

About PUBLIC MEDIA COMPANY
Public Media Company is a national nonprofit that organizes strategic partnerships and delivers solutions that increase public media's impact in their communities. Over the past 12 years, Public Media Company has worked with more than 275 public media organizations in 46 states.

About MIKE HENRY AND PARAGON MEDIA STRATEGIES
Mike Henry is CEO of media consulting firm Paragon and a 2012 Peabody Award winner.  Henry has over 30 years experience working in and for public radio stations.  His public radio consulting has included the creation of the “NPR News” brand and most Indie Rock and Triple A stations, including WFUV/New York, WXPN/Philadelphia, KKXT/Dallas, KUTX/Austin, RadioMilwaukee and KCMP/Minneapolis.  Paragon provides consulting and research to broadcast and digital media. 

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Contacts:
Erik Langner, Public Media Company, 415.235.6923
or
Mike Henry, Paragon Media Strategies, phone: 303.937.4468