20 Years mx3!

A 20 YEAR ADVENTURE

Part I: The Genesis

An interregional project that quickly took off…

In 2005, Isabelle Binggeli, Head of Programming at RSR (now RTS, before the radio and TV convergence) and then president of the Inter-Channel Conference of the Third Programmes (CIC3), allocated a budget to the radio stations to launch a project aimed, already back then, at attracting and bringing together young people.

But what could young people from such a diverse Switzerland possibly have in common?

The answer was obvious: music, Switzerland’s true national language.

Originally conceived as a showcase for the great Swiss artists and tracks broadcast by the SRG SSR, the project soon became, under the visionary influence of Electron Libre, an open user-generated content platform for everyone.

After countless discussions about what to call it, the name had to work in all four national languages and appeal to DRS 3, Couleur3, Rete Tre, Radio Rumantsch and Virus, the platform finally opened its modest registration gateway on August 30, 2006, backed by major promotion across all five stations.

Within the first two days, nearly 1,000 artists had already signed up, despite repeated server outages caused by overwhelming demand.

When the platform officially opened to the public on September 15, more than 3,000 bands proudly displayed their profiles. Playlists were being created, messages exchanged, and success was immediate. The platform fulfilled a clear need: the desire to be seen, to exist, and above all, to be heard.

Orginal text in French

Read the full story on mx3 blog: https://blog.mx3.ch/20-years-mx3-en/