IMIX OUT OF THE MIX

Once upon a time, when Net-music startups frolicked in the apparently bottomless fountains of venture capital and a rainbow-colored future of new-media entertainment waited just around the corner, an online custom-CD business seemed like a no-brainer.

Now Imix, the last of the custom-disc netcos, has gone the way of all flesh...and an increasing number of online music sites.

Imix's demise follows fast on the heels of kindred online burner Musicmaker.com, which departed this mortal coil earlier this month.

Blame a deadly technological combination: Napster and other file-swapping services allowed users access to far more music than custom-disc netcos could license, while CD-burners dropped just enough in price to become a hot consumer item.

Meanwhile, in order to survive, custom CD services had to charge about $20 per disc. Imix aka Custom Revolutions aka Customdisc.com struggled in the market since its launch five years ago, falling way short of revenue projections before attempting to switch its business model to custom DVDs. Unfortunately, the video content available was limited to obscure short subjects.

CEO David Gould is now overseeing the sale of the company and its assets to any interested bottom-feeders, unh, parties.