New York, NY – August 30, 2004 – Rainbow Media's Mag Rack will continue its trend-setting foray into the world of on-demand music instruction with the September 16th launch of a new program, "School of Music." Inspired by the popular success of its guitar program, "Guitar Xpress," Mag Rack's "School of Music" will provide an extensive selection of on-demand instruction, this time for keyboardists, drummers, vocalists and DJs.
Lessons featured on "School of Music" cover a broad spectrum of musical genres such as blues, Latin rhythms and hip-hop; as well as a range of abilities – everything from challenges faced by beginner musicians to those experienced by more skilled players.
"'Guitar Xpress' is a huge hit for Mag Rack and continues to build a loyal following," adds Jesse Raiford, Mag Rack's Director of Production. "From baby boomers who are taking their instruments out of the mothballs to teens just getting their first taste for music-making, 'School of Music' will provide a unique service to our viewers – free music instruction that can take you from beginner to expert, 24-hours a day."
"Guitar Xpress" is a proven success story for Mag Rack. Since its launch in February 2004, "Guitar Xpress" jumped to the second most popular selection on Mag Rack's roster of 23 different on-demand programs. Feedback from guitar fans now represents more than 30% of Mag Rack's total monthly viewer response. In July, Mag Rack launched the first-ever amateur "Guitar Face Contest" to promote the program and has since received over 700 entries.
Mag Rack has once again teamed up with the industry leader in retail music instruction, Warner Bros. Publications, to create and manage the original content for "School of Music", which will be refreshed monthly. Tommy Anthony, the popular instructor for Mag Rack's "Guitar Xpress" will host "Intro to School of Music." Anthony is a busy session guitarist and back-up singer who has performed and recorded with stars like Gloria Estefan, Celine Dion, Ricky Martin, Steve Winwood and Jon Secada.
Guest instructors include some of today's most talented and respected musicians such as Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Peart of Rush and Carter Beauford of the Dave Matthews Band, to name just a few.
"School of Music" offerings will include:
- Drums – Drum Basics offers instruction for rock, funk, soul, hip-hop, Latin and hand drumming techniques. Viewers can learn by studying techniques from top names in drumming and jazz legends.
- Keyboard – For the keyboard and enthusiast, "School of Music" introduces standard and kids' beginner instructions, along with segments on a variety of different styles such as blues, rock, Latin, and funk.
- Vocal – Vocal instruction includes everything from basic breathing techniques to more detailed instruction on style, phrasing and that oh so important "making the song your own."
- DJ-ing – "School of Music" also offers DJ-ing segments that cover a wide variety of turntable techniques, and how to DJ with a band or with only CDs.
In 2003, the International Music Products Association (NAMM), conducted a statistical review of the music industry. According to the survey, 54% of U.S. households have at least one person (age 5 or older) who currently plays a musical instrument. The collective sales of keyboards (acoustic and electronic), percussion and dj equipment exceeded $1.2 billion in 2003 ($693 million, $475.3 million and $115.6 million respectively). Eighty percent (80%) of respondents to the NAMM survey believe making music makes you smarter.
About Mag Rack
Mag Rack is the first television network designed exclusively for video-on-demand (VOD), launched by Rainbow Media in 2001. Mag Rack engages enthusiasts with a wide selection of programs about subjects that are personally relevant such as "Yoga Retreat," "Motorcycle Freedom" and "Inside Weddings." The service offers customers special interest programming not widely found on other channels with advanced DVD-like ability to fast-forward, rewind or pause the program. Mag Rack's value to cable operators reaches beyond excellent programming to also serve as an expert resource for marketing, branding and affiliate sales. For more information, visit www.magrack.com.
About Warner Bros. Publications
Warner Bros. Publications (WBP) is the largest print music publisher in the world. Headquartered in Miami, Fla., WBP is home to the most respected product lines in music education, as well as a powerhouse pop catalog and top instructional music DVDs and videos. Warner Bros. Publications, a staunch supporter of music education, recently launched the Expressions Music CurriculumTM, the first comprehensive and coordinated National Standards-based music curriculum for kindergarten through grade 12.
About Rainbow Media Holdings LLC:
A leader in sports, news and entertainment programming, Rainbow Media Holdings LLC is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE:CVC). Rainbow Media owns and manages national networks: AMC, Fuse, IFC (The Independent Film Channel) and WE: Women's Entertainment; as well as the on-demand services: Mag Rack, Uncensored On Demand, World Picks On Demand and World Picks Networks. Rainbow Media' s other businesses include its regional programming services – MetroChannels, News 12 Networks and Rainbow Sports Networks – in addition to the Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation and Rainbow Network Communications. Rainbow Media is also a 50 percent partner in Fox Sports Net.