Music Net Fuse 'Downloads' a Daily Countdown Show

Fuse has reached an agreement with online music services Blue Mountain and Tower.com to provide song downloads for a new music-countdown series, to debut this week.

Beginning June 28, The Daily Download will enable viewers to download songs from the network's Web site (www.fuse.tv), said network president Marc Juris.

During the show, viewers will see a code and password for use in accessing and legally downloading the nation's most popular songs, via the site. Blue Mountain and Tower.com will exclusively provide all music selections.

In addition, viewers will be offered a wide choice of artist- and music-related content for free download throughout the course of the show, including cell-phone ring tones; voice-mail messages from the artists; exclusive bonus tracks; PC-desktop and mobile-phone graphics; album artwork; animation; and video-game demos.

“This is a much more relevant and contemporary way to look at popular music than the old style of a chart that was created from sales,” Juris said. “This gives you the information, almost in real time, that happens on a very dynamic basis.”

Juris said the major record labels are supporting the show because it will help habituate viewers to legal downloading and understanding the value of artists and their songs. “When [viewers] come to the site to participate in this, everyone is being properly accounted for and recognized,” Juris said.

Fuse is concurrently developing turn-key promotions for operators in an effort to tie in with their broadband services.

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.