Chum Gives Canada 'much' More Tv Music Options

The June 30 launch of two cable/satellite channels by Toronto-based broadcaster CHUM Television underlined the company's dominance of Canada's music TV market.

CHUM's new offerings are Razer, a youth lifestyle channel, and PunchMuch, which plays mostly music videos. They take slots formerly occupied by MTV and MTV2.

The two channels left Canadian cable after the termination of a licensing agreement between MTV International and TV broadcaster Craig Media, which CHUM acquired in December 2004.

Razer features music, film, animation and game-related programming. PunchMuch is an automated, all-request music video service, with its playlist displayed onscreen.

CHUM Television VP of music and youth specialty channels David Kines is enamored of PunchMuch. "You can see vote counts [for requests] changing while you watch."

CHUM-owned MuchMusic networks are "trying to have that interaction more and more in [their] programming," says Adrian Strong, president of Toronto-based independent promotions company DMD Entertainment. "PunchMuch gives you the opportunity to text-message and request a song—that gives us a barometer of a record from fans instantly."

The leading channels in the Canadian TV music market are CHUM-owned top 40 outlet MuchMusic and its AC-based counterpart, MuchMoreMusic, known as M3. Both are available on basic cable/satellite packages nationally.

CHUM separately offers subscribers hard rock/heavy metal channel MuchLoud, urban-based MuchVibe and oldies-based MuchMoreRetro. All are based in Toronto.

Such pop-leaning acts as Avril Lavigne, Coldplay and the Black Eyed Peas are in regular rotation on MuchMusic and M3, both acknowledged by the record industry as powerful sales tools in English-speaking Canada.

CHUM also dominates the primarily French-speaking Quebec market with Montreal-based, top 40-styled MusiquePlus and its AC counterpart, MusiMax. Both are co-owned by parent company CHUM Ltd. and broadcaster Radio Mutuel.

MuchMusic and MusiquePlus are not programmed identically. "They are servicing different audiences," Strong says.

One difference is that MusiquePlus and MusiMax are obligated under terms of their licenses to broadcast 35% French-language music. Pierre Borduas, music director for both stations, says the Quebec audience is more receptive to videos by acts absent from mainstream radio.

"It's a big plus for me when I see radio isn't playing what I think is a great track," he says. "Then I [can] plaster the video all over the place until it gets a reaction."

Most in the Canadian music industry are comfortable with the dominance of MuchMusic and the other CHUM-owned channels. "We've had more video airplay in the past 18 months than we ever had," Koch Entertainment Canada director of media relations Eric Alper says.

Play on CHUM's MuchLoud or MuchVibe is increasingly viewed as part of a comprehensive marketing mix. "There are now more choices and more opportunities to experiment with videos," CHUM's Kines says.

Labels and video promoters say they often hold back on pitching urban and hard rock videos to MuchMusic and M3 until there is appreciable mainstream support.

"A video may not get MuchMusic, but it will work for MuchLoud or MuchVibe," Strong says. "[And] if you have MuchLoud, you know those subscribers are real rock fans. Video is still one of the top ways to break an artist."

Despite the seeming abundance of video channel choices in Canada, Vancouver-based Nettwerk Productions president Ric Arboit contends that producing videoclips is not always feasible for domestic acts.

"Unless the demographic is 12-18 on an artist, I don't have a video outlet," he says. "I ask acts, "Why do you want to spend $40,000 [Canadian] on a video?' [But] if we deliver a radio hit, we will do a video."

" 'Do you make a video?' is always the question for any new domestic act," EMI Music Canada VP of national promotion and media relations Derrick Ross says. "If you do make a great video with a domestic act, you really need to have Much support to have a full marketing package. But you've got to have the goods. A half-assed video isn't going to get heavy rotation anymore." ••••