Mayhok/Newdaîsummit Brighten Ing Potential, Including a System De- Holiday Retail Picture by MIKE HENNESSEY Veloped by Philips
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ICD 08120 *************3- 01 GIT 908 000817973 4401 8801 MAR88UHI MONTY GREENLY APT A 740 ELM LONG BEACH CA 90807 I Follows page 44 4OLUME 100 NO. 2 THE INTERNATIONAL NEWSWEEKLY OF MUSIC AND HOME ENTERTAINMENT January 9, 1988/$3.95 (U.S.), $5 (CAN.) Hardware, Software Firms Gains For CD, Sell -Through Video MayHok/NewDAîSummit Brighten ing potential, including a system de- Holiday Retail Picture BY MIKE HENNESSEY veloped by Philips. (For a special BY KEN LONDON Responding to a recent Billboard analysis, see page 3.) BY CHRIS MORRIS TERRY initiative by hardware manufactur- "I can't say for sure there will be LOS ANGELES As the Christmas shopping season NEW YORK Record retailers were racking up healthy ers to end the impasse on digital au- a summit at this point," comments drew to a close last week, cash registers were ringing sales increases for the Christmas selling season in diotape, the two leading trade asso- Jay Berman, president of the RIAA. like Yuletide bells at video specialty stores around the many areas of the country, according to preliminary in- ciations of the worldwide record in- "But a process has been set in mo- country. dications. However, the nation's two biggest record re- dustry are preparing a proposal for tion by which we are hoping that Many retailers polled by Billboard following the holi- tailing chains, Musicland and Trans World, had no infor- a new "summit" meeting that hardware and software manufac- days reported increases over last year in both sales and mation on Christmas sales at press time, and another would bring together the top execu- turers might get, together." rental volume for the week ending Dec. 25. big chain, Camelot Music, had experienced flat sales for lives of the major hardware and rec- Such a summit meeting would be Due to fragmentary figures at press time, most re- much of the holiday period. ord companies. the second held between the major tailers could not cite specific titles that performed par - "We're very pleased with the last week or 10 days," With this idea in mind, represen- record labels and the world's lead- ticularly well for them, but the few who did mentioned said Lew Garrett, vice president of purchasing for Cam- tatives of the Recording Industry ing electronics manufacturers, most films that had been flying high in video stores since the elot, on Dec. 28. "We've hopefully erased some of the Assn. of America and the Interna- of which are Japanese. The first, kickoff of the holiday seLing season. flat business we saw earlier in the month." Still, Garrett tional Federation of Phonogram which took place in Vancouver, Brit- Walt Disney Home Video's "Lady And The Tramp," cnly hoped that the 206 -store, North Canton, Ohio - and Videogram Producers will meet ish Columbia, in December 1986, Paramount Home Video's "Star Trek IV," and MCA based chain would do as well this December as it did in in London this month. In addition to produced nothing but discord: The Home Video's "An American Tail" were frequently December 1986. coordinating plans for the proposed hardware companies maintained mentioned sell -through titles, while Warner Home Vid- The key problem, Garrett said, is that "we had no- summit, they will also examine non- that their new DAT recorders eo's "Lethal Weapon" remained a high- caliber rental where near the size hits this season that we had last Copycode technical solutions to would not hurt the interests of item. season." The 1986 records of Bon Jovi, Cinderella, Bos- problems posed by DAT's home -tap- (Continued on page 82) (Continued on page 79) (Contin/icd on page 8.5) ADVERTISEMENTS Winter CES: GRP Decides Technology At To Market The Crossroads DAT Albums BY STEVEN DUPLER BY IRV LICHTMAN NEW YORK Steep price increases NEW YORK GRP Records has for Japanese hardware and blank decided to take the plunge in mar- tape, speculation on the future of keting prerecorded digital audio - digital audiotape, and new video tapes, with a planned issue of six technologies such as high- definition titles next month in Europe and a television and Super-VHS will be at release set for April in the U.S. the forefront of the Winter Con- The successful, jazz- oriented inde- sumer Electronics Show this week pendent is likely to be the first (7-10) at the Las Vegas Convention American company to enter the Center and that city's Hilton, Rivi- controversial DAT market. era, and Sahara hotels. In the U.S., the label will bypass CES officials say they expect T-IE RITZ ON DENON: Vocal jazz that bops through the '50s, Two years ago, we found an astounding new s nger, ELISA MCA, its branch distributor, in more than 100,000 attendees for the scats through the '70s and swings the '80s with style. FIORLLO. Last year, you found "WHO FOUND WHO ", Elisa's Intl sales to audio and music retailers event, including distributors and re- 1D: CY -1839 (C DD), Cassette, CC -22. smash hit will JELLYBEAN BENITEZ. Our New Year celebration via a new network of six or eight tailers from more than 70 countries. begins with fie release of Elise's brilliant debut LF featuring her sales representatives. Exhibit space has long been sold out new lit song "-IOW CAN I FORGET YOU ". One îsten and you'll According to Larry Rosen, never be abe to forget our Elisa Fiorillo, the first Lnforgetable event 85) (Continued on page 84) of 1988. On Chrysalis. (Continued on page N DAVID FOSTER S E T S A N E W O L Y M P I C RECORD! No with his single Produced by David Foste 00 Co- Produced by Jeremy Lubbock o Executive Producer: Chris Earthy "WINTER GAMES" (7- 89140) THE SONG OF THE WINTER OLYMPICS from the forthcoming album O THE SYMPHONY SESSIONS 181799) 11 SN,WRMAN p[tl.ASN) On Atlantic Records, Cassettes & Compact Discs , 1987 Allont,c Recording Corp.D A Werner Communications Co. ADVERTISEMENT IMP www.americanradiohistory.com N Our new president is not one for resting on his laurels. See that leg? That's Ken Thomson. A man who would be a profitable line for retailers' with even further increases rather help his company sit pretty than sit and discuss himself. in new product design, distribution, and marketing support. This action oriented attitude has helped Ken reach the Sure, Ken might like to have his picture in magazines, upper echelons of management in Motorola, GTE Sylvania, but he'd rather spend his time helping his dealers make and Magnavox Corporation over the past 25 years. An more money than advertise his own success. atude that makes Ken the perfect If you want to learn more about our company and prod- man for the job as president of ucts write Discwasher, Inc., Department 1, 4310 Transworld Rd., Discwasher, Inc.. Schiller Park, Illinois 60176. Or call Ed Mary at (312) 678 -9600. Since joining our company a year ago Ken has helped sales and profits achieve outstanding He that discwasher ed. growth. promises IatPIs!h1m e Discwasher® will "continue to for sparklingperformances. www.americanradiohistory.com =IM _ _I_ _ _ MINs _ 1_ MEMOIR I_ 1_ IIMS ll_ _ llti I_ Tensions Easing In DAT Dispute I_ i_ i_I11I_ I_ - I_ e_ -¡ -Billatdábo --- ---- -- - _ Hardware Makers Mull Compromise - -- -- - MIN - -----EN =III .mm1. - -_ fi - -- process that has been percolating be- labels than to risk losing a promising .. BY KEN TERRY --- low for past few product. the surface the NEW YORK Although it's too soon months, say insid- Setting the pace, as usual, has been VOLUME 100 NO. 2 January 9, 1988 to predict that digital audiotape re- ers. Sony Corp. According to one source corders will appear in the U.S. this A SPECIAL Hardware com- at a leading consumer -electronics TOWER TESTS `MUSIC SAMPLER' year, the ferocious dispute between panies have been company, "Sony has made consistent BILLBOARD statements recently that it wants to Five Tower Records stores in the Los Angeles area are the first to test a hardware and software manufactur- talking to each ers over the new technology shows ANALYSIS other about the sell DAT, but in such a way that it 7 -foot audio /video machine that allows consumers to preview music signs of abating. difficulty of satisfies music merchants." from new albums. Marketing editor Earl Paige reports. Page 37 The decision to hold a hardware in- launching DAT re- This assertion finds confirmation dustry round -table discussion to ex- corders without any prerecorded in comments made by Sony chairman Winter Consumer Electronics Show Preview amine alternatives to the Copycode software. Finally, they seem to have Akio Morita following the November New trends and developments in CD, VCRs, and blank tape will be on antitaping system (see story, page 1) reached the conclusion that it's better meeting of Japanese and European is the most public manifestation of a to compromise with the major record electronics manufacturers in Paris. display in Las Vegas Jan. 7 -10. Hardware and software reports abound At a press conference, the Sony in this special section. Follows page 44 chairman was asked whether partici- pants in the round -table discussion RONSTADT REVEALS LATIN ROOTS had agreed that "some form of pro- Linda Ronstadt's career continues to defy any attempts at pigeonholing. New Cornyn/WCI Venture tection" for copyright holders was re- Her latest album, ' Canciones De Mi Padre," is a collection of folk songs quired before a full -scale market roll- out of DAT in the U.S.