Promo Only
Encyclopedia
Promo Only is a music
and music video
subscription service for professional disc jockey
s. It was the first monthly music service available to music professionals on CD.
Promo Only began in 1992 when DJ Jim Robinson met up with another DJ Pete Werner on the pursuit of Janet Jackson
's "Miss You Much (The Mama Mix)" re-mix. Werner was able to help out Robinson due to his connection with record labels. Robinson offered to digitally clean up 12-inch vinyl releases Werner received each month onto one DAT
. After joking that they could even press the DAT into a CD, they realized that there was a need for putting these mixes onto CD for the emerging CD DJ, and the company was born.
The Original Promo Only subscription (renamed one year later ‘Promo Only Club’) officially began in June 1992, offering the latest 12” Dance
mixes and hard to find releases. Werner and Robinson soon expanded into pop releases, with Promo Only Radio, combining the best of Top 40 pop, dance, urban, and rock, after the encouragement by Columbia Records
head of pop promotions, Jerry McKenna who said there was a need for it in the Radio Market.
The following years saw the appearances of more series: Urban Radio (August 1994), Country Radio (June 1995) and Modern Rock Radio (November 1995), Rhythm Radio (1997) and Promo Only started growing popular among DJs all over the US. Around 1997, Promo Only began separating their CD series' into Club and Radio. 1997 also saw the creation of Promo Only Canada based in Calgary
, and Promo Only UK, based in London
.
In 1998, Promo Only promotions was formed, based in New York, to Promote and A&R Dance music to Radio. They also issued public domain rights for all promotional music until 2010.
Werner and Robinson next ventured into the field of music videos buying out retiring friend Wolf Zimmerman's Milwaukee based company, Wolfram Video in 1999. Music videos were released on DVD
s, and now includes eight monthly series – Hot Video, Dance Mix Video, Pop Mix Video, Club Video, Country Video, Latin Video, Modern Rock Video, Urban Video, and several specialty compilations. In October 2004 Promo Only introduced Express Video, a weekly release of the newest videos, to their DVD series.
Later that same year, with the purchase of National Video Service from Launch (then owned by Sony
), Promo Only Business Music Division based in Anaheim was formed. Promo Only BMD offers background music video services to clients such as Hard Rock Cafe
, Planet Hollywood, Dave & Busters, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and many more. In 2007, Promo Only BMD was re-branded as Promo Only Networks for their introduction of a new product called MUSE.
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
subscription service for professional disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
s. It was the first monthly music service available to music professionals on CD.
Promo Only began in 1992 when DJ Jim Robinson met up with another DJ Pete Werner on the pursuit of Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
's "Miss You Much (The Mama Mix)" re-mix. Werner was able to help out Robinson due to his connection with record labels. Robinson offered to digitally clean up 12-inch vinyl releases Werner received each month onto one DAT
Digital Audio Tape
Digital Audio Tape is a signal recording and playback medium developed by Sony and introduced in 1987. In appearance it is similar to a compact audio cassette, using 4 mm magnetic tape enclosed in a protective shell, but is roughly half the size at 73 mm × 54 mm × 10.5 mm. As...
. After joking that they could even press the DAT into a CD, they realized that there was a need for putting these mixes onto CD for the emerging CD DJ, and the company was born.
The Original Promo Only subscription (renamed one year later ‘Promo Only Club’) officially began in June 1992, offering the latest 12” Dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
mixes and hard to find releases. Werner and Robinson soon expanded into pop releases, with Promo Only Radio, combining the best of Top 40 pop, dance, urban, and rock, after the encouragement by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
head of pop promotions, Jerry McKenna who said there was a need for it in the Radio Market.
The following years saw the appearances of more series: Urban Radio (August 1994), Country Radio (June 1995) and Modern Rock Radio (November 1995), Rhythm Radio (1997) and Promo Only started growing popular among DJs all over the US. Around 1997, Promo Only began separating their CD series' into Club and Radio. 1997 also saw the creation of Promo Only Canada based in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, and Promo Only UK, based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
In 1998, Promo Only promotions was formed, based in New York, to Promote and A&R Dance music to Radio. They also issued public domain rights for all promotional music until 2010.
Werner and Robinson next ventured into the field of music videos buying out retiring friend Wolf Zimmerman's Milwaukee based company, Wolfram Video in 1999. Music videos were released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s, and now includes eight monthly series – Hot Video, Dance Mix Video, Pop Mix Video, Club Video, Country Video, Latin Video, Modern Rock Video, Urban Video, and several specialty compilations. In October 2004 Promo Only introduced Express Video, a weekly release of the newest videos, to their DVD series.
Later that same year, with the purchase of National Video Service from Launch (then owned by Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
), Promo Only Business Music Division based in Anaheim was formed. Promo Only BMD offers background music video services to clients such as Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of theme restaurants founded in 1971 by Americans Peter Morton & Isaac Tigrett. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a tradition which expanded to others in the chain. In 2006, Hard Rock was sold to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and...
, Planet Hollywood, Dave & Busters, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and many more. In 2007, Promo Only BMD was re-branded as Promo Only Networks for their introduction of a new product called MUSE.