Majors in New Antipiracy Tack: Televisa Boss Snuffs Sales Mass Civil Actions Vs
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08120 ,1Atf'44 NEWSPAPER Fhil YMr1NT()tl PF?(14CGRF (Z3 1 t NtriNTY Gr?FFNIY t1CV 374û F1_hA nur, RFACP Cd ç()9(17 I Feb. 26, 1983 $3 (U.S.) A Billboard Publication The International Newsweeklyour Of Music & Home Entertainment Snowstorm Majors In New Antipiracy Tack: Televisa Boss Snuffs Sales Mass Civil Actions Vs. Retailers To Deliver The suits ask statutory damages By IS HOROWITZ effective. Heavy press coverage was given the suit filings throughout the for copyright infringement for each IMIC Keynote In Northeast NEW YORK -Fifty -two civil Carolinas, he says, and there are in- illicit tape found on store premises, By LEO SACKS suits seeking financial damages dications that some violators are al- surrender of all illegal copies, and a MEXICO CITY - Emilio Azcar- from retail outlets charged with sell- ready exploring settlements. permanent injunction on further in- raga- Milmo, president of Televisa, NEW YORK -Record retailers ing counterfeit and pirate tapes were Schoenfeld indicates that the fringement. In addition, the suit asks one of the world's major multi- from the Carolinas to New England filed in three North Carolina federal plaintiffs are willing to entertain set- $1 million in punitive damages from media conglomerates, will keynote took a proverbial "bath" the week- courts Feb. 14. No traditional music tlements that include acceptance of each defendant for "repeated Billboard's International Music In- end of Feb. 11 as the worst winter stores were among those hit. injunctions against continued sales, wrongful, wanton, willful and ma- dustry Conference (IMIC) this year. storm in decades paralyzed the region. The massive legal action, brought some damages and legal costs. How- licious infringement of plaintiffs The event takes place May 2 -5 at Businesses in such major cities as by eight major labels deep in a terri- ever, he stresses, "We are prepared copyrights." the Algarve, Portugal; venue is the RCA, MCA, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, tory long considered a center of pi- to go to court and pursue legal reme- Plaintiff labels are Alvor Praia Hotel. Elektra / Asylum / Nonesuch, Baltimore and Washington were rate activity, represents a new indus- dies. Enough is enough." Azcarraga's address, "Is This The Warner Bros., Atlantic, CBS, Poly - crippled as accumulations of up to try strategy to inhibit illicit sales by Years ?," will probe the inter- Gram and Capitol. Schoenfeld cred- Best Of three feet of snow forced many deal- making it too expensive for persis- play of the various facets of the its Warner Communications Inc. ers to close their doors Feb. 11-12 on tent violators (Billboard, Feb. 19). Lieberman Cuts home entertainment industry as with a major role in developing the the eve of Valentine's Day, one of each impacts upon the other, against Coordinated by the antipiracy civil suit strategy. the big gift giving holidays and Most One -Stops the backdrop of today's world eco- unit of the RIAA, the suits were filed Most of the defendants are small heavily promoted by NARM's "Gift nomic conditions. only after the defendants ignored B3 JOHN SIPPEI. retailers who fall into the truck stop, Of Music" program. and desist" hand -delivered "cease convenience or souvenir store cate- The Televisa complex comprises It was a costly weekend for the letters, were found to still be and LOS ANGELES -Lieberman En- gories. Some of those named in the record companies (Melody and World chain, accord- stocking allegedly bogus product Record /TSS terprises is closing its retail-targeted complaints, however, are thought to Cisne), tv networks (Mexico's Chan- ing to director Pauline openly on subsequent visits by in- operations one -stops in Chicago, Minneapolis, also be distributors, says Schoenfeld. nels 2, 4, 5 and 8), and radio stations Corin. Forty its 43 locations in More 100 stores re- of vestigators. than Kansas City, Dallas and Denver. Thirty -six suits naming 91 defend- and is involved in various satellite five mid -Atlantic of northeastern and ceived warnings during the course Replacing them will be the firm's ants were filed at the federal court- operations (SIN- Spanish Inter- states were idled, representing a 40% investigation. a four -month new computer software rackjobbing house in Raleigh, eight suits against national Network and Univision) loss in sales from the week before. "There will be more such actions," sector, expected to be fully oper- 20 defendants in Greensboro, and and cable and pay -tv ( Galavision). "What a disaster!," she remarks. says Joel Schoenfeld, chief antipi- ational this spring. another eight suits against 19 de- In addition, the firm maintains ex- In Philadelphia, Leonard Rakliff, racy counsel for the RIAA, who says Lieberman president Harold Oki - fendants in Charlotte. tensive video and motion picture (Continued on page 55) he feels the tactic has already proven (Continued on page 60) (Continued on page 62) "'Q (Continued on page 55) - Inside Billboard - VIDEO GAME RETAILERS are using cartridge manufacturer dis- counts to lower prices and build traffic, rather than for stock balancing. They're also approaching new titles with extreme caution. Page 3. MARINER'S WLW /WSKS Cincinnati are being sold to Seven Hills Communications. The latter's president, Charles Murdock, originally sold the stations to Mariner in 1979 when he was chief of Queen City Communications. Radio, page 12. STOCKING PROGRAMS are being offered on classical product through mid -March by CBS and PolyGram. Former's plan covers all top -of- the -line Masterworks product, new and catalog; latter scheme concerns mostly catalog. Pages 3, 36. PROGRAMMER BOBBY HATTRIK has been rehired by Doubleday Broadcasting to consult the nine -station chain. Hattrik, who formed his own consultancy last year, will end his current association with Washington's DC- 101 as a result. Radio, page 12. THE BLACK RETAIL program unveiled by the Black Music Assn. last June has been stalled by various problems. Among them, says the organiza- of A Billboard Country Chart Debut. Radio is hot on Cool Down by THE COOL The new LP from Change proves once again there's always time for a tion's executive director, George Ware, is a "negative" attitude on the part is a warm burst of high change! The title track and single, "This Is Your Time " -a surefire smash, many whom the plan was intended to help. Page 3. TERS. The first single, Caroline's Still In Georgia, -to- coast. On Dolphin Records and features the tremendous dual lead vocal power of lames Robinson and LISTENER- CONTROLLED POLLING devices have been developed harmony making fresh airwaves coast Tapes. Album (dlp.10004), cassette (dcs- 10004) and single (ds45003) Deborah Cooper. "This Is Your Time," the album and the single- destined by a firm in permitting radio audiences to respond instantly to sur- California, available from Pickwick, Schwartz Bros. and Bib. (Advertisement) for the top! Change On RFC /Atlantic Records and Cassettes. 80053 (LP) 7- vey questions by utilizing telephone touch tones. A similar system is available 89883 (Single) (Advertisement) to music stations. Radio, page 12. (Advertisement) o D Featuring the hit single, "Burning Heart.'99947 D Vandenberg on tour with Ozzy Osborne 1 r .....4,,,,,,, watch for Vandenberg on MTV! D :ILA On Atco Cassettes and Records. A Division of Atlantic Recording Corp. and Stuart Epps 90005 1983 Adam, Recordng Corp. OA Wormer Commanicol,os Co. Produced by Vandenberg www.americanradiohistory.com The latest albu ftWeve9 # thequt single Got T4iightYas ed by Kenny Rogers apd Shee aEaston. orel Riche, James Carm &eel, Brent Maher, Randy Goodrr Management. Jcen agElspi Kragen & &)enpany y XDR Cassettes I 41 . .R, or° #1#1 , t RDS. aki.vor cf Caltol Rfcs,ft f#F1*-:.144eSe www.americanradiohistory.com 3 News Twin Cassette Vidgame Retailers Series Bowed Using Low Prices By Polytram To Build Traffic By IRV LICHTMAN By PAUL SWEETING NEW YORK -Widespread man- serves, the huge distributors' dis- NEW YORK -PolyGram Rec- ufacturer discounts of select video counts on older product aren't of ords has entered the pop twin -album games have been used by retailers to much direct benefit. cassette market with 12 releases lower prices across the board and Instead, Troup uses low -price and culled from its various label divi- build store traffic, rather than for the free -goods deals to lower price levels sions. stock balancing the game makers in- slightly on all product. "Consumers The product, dubbed "2 -4 -1," will tend. definitely comparison shop; it's easy carry a list price of $8.98, joining Concurrently, dealers say that an to get a reputation as a high -priced CBS at this price point, which is the overabundance of product -ex- outfit. If the dealer can get some car- lowest among the four labels cur- pected to reach 500 titles when all tridges free and lower prices across rently offering pop double cassettes. the recent CES introductions have the board, it protects both his com- WEA's list is the highest at $10.98. MEN OF TOMORROW -Musical Youth members Patrick Waite, left, Kelvin come out -is telescoping the "hit" petitiveness and his markup," he while MCA's price tag is $9.98. Grant, Michael Grant, center, Dennis Seaton and Junior Waite, perform "Pass cycle of game cartridges into a fleet- says. Troup's store is one of some According to Harry Losk, senior The Dutchie" from their MCA LP, "The Youth Of Today," at the MTV studios ing two weeks to a month. In that 200 Video Connection franchised vice president of marketing at Poly - in New York. time, according to retailers, the title outlets nationwide. Gram, prior research indicated the is usually blown out the door at cost Similarly, according to Jeremy need to portray the original album by discounters and mass merchan- Kennedy of Nickelodeon, Los An- covers on the cassette package.