TM Studios, Inc. is a radio jingle and promotional music service company based in Dallas, Texas (USA). It is currently the oldest radio jingle company still in business, with roots tracing back to 1955 when Tom Merriman (the original "TM" in TM Studios) founded Commercial Recording Corporation (which closed in 1968). Tom Merriman left CRC in 1967 and founded TM Productions (later known as TM Communications, Inc. - a publicly traded company) with Jim Long. By this time, Century 21 Productions (later known as Century 21 Programming, Inc.), another Dallas jingle company, was founded.
Both jingle companies remained in business until 1990, when TM Communications, Inc. and Century 21 Programming, Inc. merged to become TM Century, Inc.[5]
Along the way, TM Productions acquired the ID jingle, syndication reels and production libraries of Media General Broadcast Services. Media General was the purchaser of the former William B. Tanner Company[6] (also formerly known as "Pepper & Tanner" and before that, "Pepper Sound Studios"). Even though all of the reference reels for the syndicated ID Jingles and customized production libraries and commercials were dumpstered in Memphis before the shutdown of MG's operations there, the master backing tracks and sound libraries were boxed up and shipped to Dallas, where TM Studios has placed these reels in the custody of the Media Preservation Foundation,[7] although the copyrights are retained by their previous owners. Afterward, the production libraries were cherry-picked and newly incorporated into various TM Studios libraries which are still sold to this day.
Other entities and audio assets incorporated into TM and Century 21 over the years included the audio works of Eastman Radio (founded by Robert Eastman), Ed Yelin, Ken Sunderland Productions, Sterling Sound and several other companies. Again, these assets were cherry-picked (or in some cases, just pulled out of the marketplace) and the master reels shelved.
Studio Dragonfly, a division of TM Studios, offers radio station jingles at low prices. Several of the jingles offered by Studio Dragonfly were previously produced by TM Productions, Century 21 and many others. TM Studios also has another division that exclusively handles commercial jingles known as JingleBank. In order to facilitate ID jingle enthusiasts the ability to purchase "personal cuts" TM Studios initiated a program called iJingles in 2006.
Over the years jingle composers such as Bruce Upchurch, Bruce Wermuth, Greg Clancy and Barry Young have composed jingle packages for TM Studios and its predecessors. Tom Merriman who composed several jingle packages for the company, most recently KLUV's Greatest Hits in 2005, died on November 11, 2009.[8]
Of all the radio stations using jingles from TM Studios and its predecessors, WPLJ in New York City has ordered more jingle packages to date: seven so far since 1991. JonesTM, a wholly owned division of Jones Media Group, acquired the company in September 2006 by buying out the then-current shareholders. JonesTM was acquired itself on June 20, 2008 by Triton Radio Networks and thereafter renamed TM Studios, Inc.
TM Studios produces a line of promotional music products targeted for radio stations, internet stations and professional DJs.[9] Two lines are currently produced: HitDisc and PrimeCuts. HitDisc is aimed at radio stations. PrimeCuts mostly services the event entertainment market.[10]
In Indonesia, TM Studios produces many jingles from Radio Stations such as :
etc.
- CPP Radionet (JPI, Candisewu, Damashinta, SAS FM, Polaris, RCT FM, etc)
- EBS FM Surabaya
- Gajahmada Group
- KISS FM Medan
- Unisi Radio
- Many radio stations in Bandung
