Music-Week-1980-12-2
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SINGLES CHART: P.9: ALBUMS CHART: P.20 DECEMBER 27.1980 OQ RECORDS TAPE ■ RETAILING ■ VIDEO • BROADCASTING • STUD! PUBLISHING ST 21 Europe's Leading Music Business Paper-A Morgan-Grampian Publication 'The record market has bottomed out to a hard core of regular, dedicated record buyers who, if they want Something, will pay for it" The burning issue of '81 — prices THE YEAR is ending with a based on the BMRB survey, for Howes stressed that RCA does not that WEA product is selling for, and flurry of activity centred on dealers who ask for it. expect retailers to absorb the price is intended only as a guide to retail Dealer resistance to RCA's hike of rise. He urged that they pass it on to price". prices and it is clear that the singles to 77p is growing with HMV their customers without being too The company is also modifying its pricing policies of Shops joining Birmingham retailer fearful of the consequences, and he two-tier price system which has manufacturers and retailers will WJ Taylor {MW Opinion, forecasts that other companies will offered a dealer price of £3.04 for be one of the burning issues of December 22) in making sure that follow: "I can't see that many new releases and £2.44 for 1981. customers know that RCA singles manufacturers can carry on selling catalogue. New releases will no These were some of last week's have passed the £1 barrier. singles at 70p." longer automatically become price points: Like a vast number of dealers, But at least, one of RCA's catalogue items after three months, • Leading dealer chain HMV Shops HMV has held the price of chart competitors disagrees. ClJS senior but rather "at WEA's discretion". has refused to absorb RCA's recent singles down to 99p despite recent director Tony Woolcott refuted And as a means of breaking new 10 per cent increase of its singles price rises, but of the latest RCA speculation that his company was acts, WEA will use the lower £2.44 price and is having stickers printed rise, the chain's marketing manager anticipating a singles' price increase: price as a way of promoting certain pointing out to customers that RCA Ian Gray commented: "At a cost of "We believe that the 99p retail price new releases. "We believe the UK singles are alone in costing £1.20. 77p we cannot sell at 99p." is a real barrier and breaking it is not market is more price conscious than • RCA is also set to implement a Virgin Retail MD Steve Mandy now, or in the foreseeable future, a ever before," says sales manager further 10 per cent price increase agrees: "We think other record good idea." Mike Heap. across all album and tape product companies are watching carefully to WEA's new catalogue also shows from January 5. see what trade reaction is to the • WEA ABANDONS recom- a significant drop for mid-price • WEA has come into line with RCA move, so we must protest. We JOHN HOWES: mended prices on December 29 and albums — down from £1.45 and other majors in dropping will probably do something along new price lists will carry a £2.25 to £1.82. The only rise is for recommended prices but will advise HMV's lines in the new year." "Record companies "catalogue price" which will be "an 12" singles which go from 97p to dealers of "catalogue prices" based Boots' music manager Mike approximation of the average price £1.22. on the British Market Research Cleave argues that it is not have got rid of the fat, Bureau's survey of selling prices and "inevitable" that record prices must salesmen's feedback. go up as some manufacturers sliced through the meat It's a chfe itable Christmas • At the same time, WEA is to believe. "We will be implementing a and are now just left attempt to boost sales of albums by new pricing policy soon. We are just THE TREND towards donating a sum of money to charity in lieu of new acts by offering selected new not going to subsidise the record with the bones." sending Christmas card: is catching on in the music business, and this releases at a special low dealer price trade," he said. year the Nordoff Bobbins Music Therapy charity will benefit by of £2.44. But RCA's joint deputy managing something, will pay for it. several thousand pounds (see details on page 19). • The Eurodisc Arista/Ariola director John Howes is unrepentant: "We are living in inflationary • CBS Records has decided to donate money to hospitals near its companies have also dropped RRP "The-retailers are more terrified of limes. There have been so many various locations instead of sending Christmas cards. The following but will make available lists of these price increases than we are. I cuts. Record companies have got rid hospitals will benefit, with the proviso from CBS that the money is "average prices" for their product. don't think it will harm us. The of the fat, sliced through the meat-' spent specifically on Christmas Day food and gifts: The Red Cross record market has bottomed out to a and are now just left with the bones. (Aylesbury), Bridgcnd General (Glamorgan), St Charles (Acton), hard core of regular, dedicated We at RCA cannot do anything but Guys, University College and The Middlesex. record buyers who, if they want pass on our increases in costs." Agreement AVAILABLE NOW on RRP issue Police top year-end charts THE BP1 and Mechanical Rights 1980 WAS the year of The Police. other established acts such as Roxy Society are understood to have Top album of the year was their Music, Michael Jackson, Genesis, tl* reached agreement on a course of Zenyatta Mondatta (AMLH 64831) Shadows, David Bowie, Pink Floyd action following the and top single. Don't Stand So Close and Rod Stewart showing well. manufacturers' unilateral action To Me (AMS 7564). The A&M Of the newer bands to break in abolishing recommended retail through, The Pretenders were at prices. band's Outlandos D'Amour album Both sides have agreed on the also continued to sell well and was number three (Real RAL 3), number 18 in the year's Top 100 Madness (Stiff, SEEZ 17) at 11, C principle of notional retail prices charts compiled from sales figures Specials (Two Tone CDLTT 5001) at on which copyright and royalty by BMRB (see pages 21-22). 23 and The Beat's I Just Can't Stop VOLUME n payments will be based in the And The Police were leaving the It,'N(Go Feet BEAT 001) at 27 with absence of a manufacturer's list year in style as MW went to press, Signing Off (Graduate GRADLP 2) or RRP. playing sell-out London concerts by UB40 following at 28. A price survey will be jointly while their latest single De Do Do On the singles front, women commissioned by BPI and MRS Do De Da Da Da was high in the figured strongly behind The Police. j Ffetula Clark .The King's Singers Harry Secombe to establish national retail prices charts. Barbra Streisand had the second- Noel Edmonds Jeremy Lloyd Fbter Skellern for different categories of 1980 was a year of consolidation best" selling single with Woman In St. Paul's Chorister records. for The Police. They ended 1979 Love (CBS 8966), Kelly Marie's Penelope Keith Keith Michel I Moving quickly after the with the chart topping Walking On Feels Like I'm In L?^ (Calibre agreement, EMI Records this The Moon and through the year PLUS 1) was at 3. Fern Kinney's LyrUt ty Jeremy Lloyd week announced it is abolishing, played an extensive world tour that Together We Are Beautiful (WEA K with immediate effect, the included dates in India, Thailand 79111) and Sheena Easton's 9 To 5 Jim Parker ordinary list price with which it and Hong Kong. They also (EMI 5066) in ninth spot. Of the replaced RRP in June. headlined the Rockatta De Bowl newer bands, Dexy's Midnight Until the results of the festival at Milton Keynes. Runners were the highest placed BPI/MRS survey, EMI will base Runner-up in the Top 100 albums with Geno (Parlophone R 6033) copyright and royalty chart was Rose Royce's Greatest reaching No. 5. calculations on an agreed Hits (Whitfield RRTV 1), the only • These charts cover (tip period "interim price", but will TV-advertised album to figure in the December 31, 1979 to December 6, continue to publish an ordinary Top 10. 1980 and therefore do not reflect the list price for TV advertised The third album was Abba's recent sales of John Lennon Includes the new single Keith Michell's product and classical releases. Super Trouper (EPC 10022), with product. Captain Beaky's Christmas Pantomime _____ Retailing/Classical 10 • Publlshing/Broadcasling 12 • Tipshecl/Talenl 13 • Video 16 • Also available is Captain Beaky and his Band (Vbl. 1) 1,P chart of (he year 21 • Singles chart of the year 22 • New releases 23 • Select singles 24 « us co,nmcntary/lntcrnalional 26 • Diary/Lcllcrs/Performancc 22 □13 POLYDOR SUPER 2383 588 El 3170 588 MUSIC WEEK DECEMBER 27, 1980 Edited by JIM EVANS /of 5"~ Sr-Jt Vmz machines 10 retail outlets . Virgin slashes studio rates for small labels Robin Taylor resigns front UA January Music . ■ Peter Gabriel Knocks MARTIN DAVIS joins Island as McCartney off the top album slot chairman . Polydor and RSO win News review of 1980 independent record companies latest round in imports battle .