DirecTV has greenlit its first original series, a weekly one-hour music show called “CD US.”

Skein, to kick off Jan. 21 exclusively on DirecTV’s channel 101 (and in high def on channel 401), will feature what the company calls a mix of music genres, including pop, indie, rock and urban.

Performers signed up to tape their performances at the Tribune studios in Los Angeles a few days before the broadcast include the Goo Goo Dolls, Sean Paul, Leela James, Pretty Ricky, Ben Harper and David Gray.

The series is based on the British program “CD UK,” produced by Blaze TV, which will also produce the U.S. version under the aegis of Conor McAnally, executive producer and director of programs for Blaze TV.

There’ll be up to seven performances within each hour, supplemented by, as DirecTV puts it, “the latest news on new releases, exclusive interviews, gossip, behind-the-scenes reports and a private peek inside the hothouse world of music idols.”

David Hill, president of entertainment for DirecTV, said he regards “CD US” as an antidote to the “stranglehold” of musicvideos, which, he says, too many cable networks use like wallpaper. McAnally will tape all of the music segments on “CD US” specifically for the show, which will run continuously on channel 101 for 48 hours following its debut.

DirecTV will work with the lifestyle Web site My Space to get feedback from Internet users on which performers to go after. Subscribers to DirecTV’s Total Choice or Seleccion package get “CD US” at no extra monthly fee.