AND ONE MORE THING: With some of...

AND ONE MORE THING: With some of the big players scrambling to get their music-oriented home shopping programs off and running, you might be surprised at who will actually be the first out of the blocks: John Oates.

That’s right, the dark-haired member of Hall & Oates is set to launch his “Maxmusic” program April 15, carried on the Jones Intercable service and the E! Entertainment cable channel. “Maxmusic” will feature music videos and other entertainment bits, but the real purpose, of course, is to sell CDs and tapes, and eventually other music-related items. Three record companies--BMG, Giant and Sony--have already signed up to have their wares hawked on the program.

Oates won’t be an on-air figure, though, save for occasional cameo appearances. His role in this is as an entrepreneur and producer.

“There will be a lot of competition, some doing good jobs and some bad jobs, and the best format will win out,” he says. “I feel good that we’re out of the box first.”