DMI Strikes Deal With Delta

Whether it’s the stale, recycled air of the watertight cabin, droning buzz of the jet engine, or cramped quarters of coach seating, the key to any successful flight is incessant distraction. Sharing a family-friendly in-flight movie often doesn’t cut it and pre-programmed muzak is usually as flavorless as the chicken parmesan.

Whether it’s the stale, recycled air of the watertight cabin, droning buzz of the jet engine, or cramped quarters of coach seating, the key to any successful flight is incessant distraction. Sharing a family-friendly in-flight movie often doesn’t cut it and pre-programmed muzak is usually as flavorless as the chicken parmesan. Well, it seems Delta Airlines has finally caught on and has struck a deal with to offer its passengers diversified customized music programming on more than 28,000 flights each month.

Formed between Pace Communications-the airline’s entertainment guru and publisher of Sky Magazine-and DMI Music & Media Networks, the partnership will provide 16 in-flight broadcast channels and 14 channels of “Audio on-demand” to feature more than 3,500 songs, exclusive artist interviews, celebrity guest DJ spots and music videos. DMI execs say they plan on sampling a wide variety of genres, mixing top 40 fare with lesser-known artists to expose Delta passengers to a more eclectic taste. To hone in on the customers’ palate, however, DMI plans on catering the music selection to its particular demographic in keeping with their trademark SoundDNA strategy that looks to create, according to the company’s site, “the audio footprint that consumers recognize as the brand’s identity across all product lines, age segmentations and cultures.”