JEMPHISir A BILLBOARD SPOTLIGHT r-r^'TTR c `r SECTION COIN MACHINE MARCH 29, 1969 $1.00 PAGES TWO SECTIONS SECTION I 49 TO 54 The A/o r'3 International Music -Record Newsweekly GRT in 1 -Fold Pirates' $10 Million Haul U. S. Car Mart By BRUCE WEBER LOS ANGELES Contract With - Music sales manager of Robbins, Feist, strument representatives for publishers are losing more than Miller. counterfeit product. Breakthrough $10 million a year to illegal The forged music "The worst offenders book and books, often are or- sheet music counter- peddled by traveling gan teachers, professional feiters. salesmen mu- Gamble & Huff or sold under-the-counter at mu- sic studios and musical instru- "Sheet and book music pi- For sic stores, sell in a loose-leaf ment jobbers," said Steiger. "We Cassettes By rates have been active MIKE GROSS for 30 binder for $15-$25 for 1,000 (The Big Three) prosecute every years because copyright laws By HANK FOX are songs, most of which are case our investigators NEW YORK GRT fur- not severe incom- uncover." - enough to halt the plete. The Big The Big ther solidified its foothold in the Three, which pub- Three sells product NEW YORK-The cassette practice," said Herman Steiger, lishes about (Continued recording field by wrapping up 52 hardbound folios on page 15) system will establish a beach- a year, sells its head in a deal with independent pro- books for $1.50- the U. S. automobile $3.95 for 15 IIII I IIII I Ildl I I I IIIIII1mINIIIIIIIII market this to IIIII I I I I I I I I I I 30 I summer when ducers Gamble and Huff that complete III I11111111IIIIIIIIIIOIIIIII111 Mer- songs. cedes couples disk distribution and IMIC Plans Benz will offer a stereo a cassette tape license agreement. It in- Steiger said that printers in deck as optional NAB SALUTE O.E.M. equipment. - a major commitment on foreign countries, many without As a special salute to the Billboard GRT's part for the duration of Distaff Days copyright laws, are shipping 47th has learned that annual NAB Convention, Bill- Mercedes executives the three-year contract with NEW YORK product to the U. S. for distribu- in Ger- - Ladies at- board presents bylined articles many have contracted with Gamble and Huff. tending the tion. "Several years ago, music International Music by four of the nation's Becker, a The deal calls for book pirates confined themselves leading German electronics GRT to Industry Conference at Paradise authorities in radio program- equipment distribute the records produced to illegally duplicating standards. manufacturer, to Island Hotel, Nassau, in the Ba- ming-Tom Harrison of Blair; supply the company with and manufactured by Gamble hamas, Today, they're counterfeiting cas- April 20-23, will have Ben Holmes of Petry; Rick sette units for all of its models. and Huff. The records will be their own program contemporary songs, too." of activities Sklar of WABC, New York; While the imported auto- distributed through GRT's Chess concurrent To crack to the business semi- down on illegal du- and Don Paul of WRCP. Phil- mobile enjoys only limited dis- Records organization. Gamble nars for the men. plicators and For a small distributors, the adelphia. See page 32 and visit tribution in the U. S., the cas- and Huff will form a new label registration Big Three uses fee, the ladies will be company detec- Billboard at he Sheraton Park, sette breakthrough in the Mer- for the line aimed at GRT dis - treated to tives to three days of sight - check music stores, Suite M 753 5. cedes is seen as a major stride (Continued on page 78) (Continued on page 78) schools, music teachers and in- lits 111111111111111111111IIU110011101111111111111111111111111111111111111tlllllllll (Continued on page 22) 'Blues Power in Comeback By ED OCHS NEW YORK - Having sur- brother, the blues, as the major faced through the soul move- (white) market moves to revive ment. the "rhythm" half of the copyrights and artists of the rhythm and blues has yielded bypassed black blues era. momentum to its musical soul Now that the "soul" of the black culture has been absorbed 250 Mil, to See into the pop ranks, white blues bands-prime movers of the re- Eurovision on TV vival-have stepped aside to split By MIKE HENNESSEY the bill with B. B. King, Chuck Berry, Albert King, Muddy MADRID-Some 250 mil- Waters and Slim Harpo at Bill lion people are expected to Graham's Fillmore East rock watch the 14th Eurovision Song house and Steve Paul's Scene. Contest held in the Theater Both Berry, who has already Royal. Madrid, on Saturday appeared at Fillmore East, and (29), when the 16 -nation com- Bobby Blue Bland, arc due to petition will be transmitted in play these top -exposure show- color by Spanish Television, cases. TVE, over the Eurovision link. Championed Adam Wade is at it again with a fantastic new in Britain by hit and a Motown's phenomenal Stevie Wonder has it all going again The contest, being held in bluesmen smash new sound. He John Mayall, Peter has attracted many followers in the with a fantastic Spain for the chart album triggered by his smash "For first time, will Green, Cream and others, past, with a number of hit records, he Amer- now is back again Once in My Life" a be directed for TV by Ramon ica's home-grown and new blockbuster single "I Don't music has re- with: "Half the World" (REM 7791), a powerful rendition Diez, and orchestral backing turned Know Why" (Tamla 54180). Stevie Wonder has become one to link with white trans - of a powerful new song. This is one you won't forget (Continued on page 61) on of the most successful multimedia performers in the world (Continued on page 15) Remember Records. I Advertisement and his career is skyrocketing. IAdvertisement 1 Adwrtisment 1 Ellis It pronounced e Tetragrammaton Records www.americanradiohistory.com Jim Reeves'singles are more than memories. They're part of a great tradition. "When Two Worlds Collide" c/w "Could I Be Falling in Love" RC"#0135. www.americanradiohistory.com Spinoffs Spin Out Col. Pictures Buys Bell for 3.5 Mil. NEW YORK - Bell Records Records. Bell was owned by opened for current producers has been purchased by Columbia Uttal and Al Massler. The Bell and artists on Bell. Also ex- Group; Pictures Industries for $3.5 mil- aquisition puts All. Signs the picture com- pected is a stronger liaison be- lion in stock. Larry Uttal, presi- pany hack into the record busi- tween records and Screen Gems - NEW dent of Amy -Mata -Bell Records, ness with YORK-Spinoffs from terial and have their own firm its own strong entry. Columbia Music and the Roose- three -super has been named president of a groups have teamed to handle the publishing Columbia Pictures' Colgems velt Music division. Uttal also to rights. newly created Columbia Pic- form a new all-star group and Their first LP Records deal with RCA and the felt that the new operation record was recorded tures Industries Record division, under the Atlantic Rec- at Wally Heider's SOC Records deal with Atlantic would be able to get deeper into ords Studio Three which will be organized around banner. The spinoffs are in Hollywood with Bill Records will be allowed to run motion picture soundtrack and David Crosby, Halver- the Bell operations. Bell also acts their from the Byrds; son as engineer. Atlantic's courses. Broadway original cast albums. Stephen own as a distributing house for such Sills, from the now de- chief engineer Tom Dowd will Uttal said that one of the most The new record division will funct Buffalo labels as Direction, Elf, Page exciting aspects Springfield, and probably be called in of the new ven- operate under Screen Gems, ac- Graham Nash, to help One, A.G.P., Philly Groove. ture with from the Hollies, on future recording Columbia Pictures is cording to Jerome S. Hyams, projects. Goldwax, Flashback, and D. a British group. The new group J. the new avenues of exposure executive vice-president of the will be known as Crosby, Stills Columbia Pictures Industries and and Nash, and the name of the president of the Screen Gems group will also be the title of its division. Bell, which a few first album, scheduled for re- Disk a Month for months ago began expanding lease next Op: month. Bilotta overseas with its own label, was The trio works with an un - By PAUL ACKERMAN one of the trailblazers in using billed drummer, Dallas Taylor, independent NEW YORK-Key up -State aware of them record producers, and is scouting for a bass player "because he has up considerable plus business." including jukebox operator John become lazy such names as Chips to accompany them on the con- Bilotta and buys from the Bilotta added that an additional Moman, last week urged that the one -stop who Dan Penn, Buzz Cason cert trail which is now being top 25 is only interested help would be to release these and record labels individually in chart records." Bobby Russell. Kasenetz- lined up. re- specially tailored jukebox disks Katz Associates, Don lease one disk per month "es- Schroeder According to Ahmet Erte - Said Harry in stereo. and Bones pecially for the operators." Apostoleris of Howe. gun, president of Atlantic Rec- Bil- Alpha Distributing: "In otta said this would (1) quickly the old ords, plans are in the works to days the manufacturer would create a library of programming have Crosby, Stills and Nash not think of making records currently needed by the juke- record individually in addition without the needs of the opera- 4 Area Meets in August Will boxes; (2) raise the take of some to their recording work as a tor in mind, the operator was jukeboxes by as combo.