MUSIC WEEK MAY 26,1984 r^n American JV. Commentary Telford firm Co-op drive for RCA nears Ariola deal tries 'direct From IRA MAYER NEW YORK- Following the RCA-Bertelsmann-Arista rumours, advertising' a farmer divisl vice9president at RCA has -P^ediy been A TELFORD, Shropshire, interior electronic music assigned to formalise details of acquisition of 75 per cent of design company has come up with a Ariola from Bertelsmann. „„„+ hu novel way of advertising by forming ELECTRONIC MUSIC is to be trying to show that there is a need Sources suggest that Arista - already 50 per cent owned by a under its own name. It championed via a nationwide tour of for electronic music as well. We can RCA - would probably be folded into RCA, though maintained has recorded a local band, Berlin radio stations, record shops and understand the Musicians' Union's as a separate label. Completion of the latter purchase would be Walls on a single distributed by schools in June by Electronic fears, but electronic music does not in two stages of 25 per cent each. Pinnacle. Synthesizer Sound Projects (ESSP), necessarily mean that musicians will The entire deal is said to be dependent onbe a successfulc r, t La Rondie Kitchens & interiors an organisation specialising in the be put out of work. There are PolyWarner merger, and is not expected <0 D ° ^'® °° director Frankie La Rondie said: education and promotion of music advantages as well, and these are before the autumn. Unlike the proposed PolyWarner "We have given a local band a produced with computers and what we will be promoting." relationship, RCA would be the dominant force worldwide, chance for national recognition, and synthesizers. The organisation intends visiting despite Ariola's strength in Europe. . x..^« at the same time we are advertising The organisation, described as a various record shops as well as other Latest salvos in the PolyWarner battle with the Federal Trade our own company for as long as the non-profit motivated co-operative, outlets that can use synthesizer Commission find the labels' lawyers accusing the Government record remains in the buyer s intends to "give the other side of the music — for instance, book shops agency of "seriously jeopardising the joint venture a™ or collection." coin" to the recent Keep Music Live and hairdressers (as background undermining their competitive positions in Europe and the Ub. campaign. ESSP has several music), "response to our campaign projects running including an has been very encouraging," said MAJOR CROSS-PROMOTIONS are scheduled for the Flash pic disc information and distribution service Tuffnell. soundtrack albums of the first two breakdance movies re- and a campaign for more coverage leased here. Breakin'—which grossed $6m (£43m) in its first PRT IS making a bid to boost sales of electronic music on radio and TV. ek — has a PolyGram soundtrack which shipped in the of its Grandmaster Flash White Project co-ordinator, David "hundredswe of thousands" on its release. It features new Lines (Don't Do It) single — which Tuffnell said: "There has been a lot MfP serves up material by Ollie Brown and Jerry Knight, Carol Lynn Townes has hovered around the lower end of of publicity about the importance of and Street People, along with recent hits by the Bar-Kays, the Top 75 for weeks — by releasing using musicians in music but we are Rufus and Chaka Khan, and Hot Streak, Nike, the a 12-inch picture disc version. the Sixties sportswear/sneaker manufacturer, is involved in the FOLLOWING THE success of its promotion. recent Fifties album releases, budget Atlantic has the soundtrack to , with all-new company Music For Pleasure goes music produced by New Yorker and the film s back to the Sixties for its latest producer, . At a presentation for retailers and promotion campaign. media, Belafonte spoke feelingly of the tenacity with which Seven new compilation albums South Bronx rap, break and graffiti culture had survived and will spearhead the promotion, flourished in the past several years. among them Best Of albums from Atlantic VP/GM Dave Glew outlined several related Cilia Black (a reissue of last year's promotion pushes on behalf of the film and album: £7.5m in EMTV album), Manfred Mann, and pre-release ads by film distributor Orion; radio spots for the U Gerry And The Pacemakers. There is soundtrack; a point-of-sale video by Atlantic; and a sportswear also an addition to the Savile's Time merchandising effort by Puma and Brandywine which involves INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONAL Travels series (1965), 20 Fab No 800 boutfques in Montgomery Ward department stores. RECORDING EQUIPMENT Ones Of The Sixties, and 20 Fab No Initial single releases from Beat Street include Beat Street Twos, which includes The Beatles' Breakdown by Grandmaster and the Furious Five Please Please Me. Cliff Richard In which will be co-promoted by Atlantic on 7-inch and Sugar Hill 1 j The Sixties features 16 Top 10 hits on 12-inch; a Baker-produced cut by and i ») by the singer. Soul Sonic Force plus Shango (Tommy Boy); and ballads by n Promotion will include point-of- Jenny Burton & Patrick Jude and Latin star Ruben Blades sale material, posters, streamers, (Atlantic). Between all the simultaneously released singles. 12- i ») JJU browser cards and in-store displays inchs and videos, five cuts from the album will be actively using a Back To The Swinging promoted initially. KENSINGTON EXHIBITION CENTRE, KENSINGTON, LONDON Sixties theme. MfP's Geoff Inker WED THURS FRI said: "The dealer and consumer THE NATIONAL Association of Independent Record reaction to the Fifties albums was Distributors and Manufacturers (NAIRD) was urged to excellent, and we're anticipating a participate in the CD and cassette markets at its national JUNE 13 14 £r 15 similar response to this Sixties covention in San Francisco. Ironically, indies such as ROIR 10.00 to 18.00 hours promotion, which will also include were the first to come up with cassette-only labels. 13 back-catalogue albums". Tommy Boy Records head Tom Silverman (one of the TICKETS: APRS, 23 CHESTNUT AVENUE, founders and co-promoters of the New Music Seminar in New CHORLEYWOOD WD3 4HA, ENGLAND. York) also suggested that, as the majors get bigger, they leave ever-larger market segments untouched — precisely the niche News in brief... for which indies can cater.

ISSN 0265-1548 A Morgan-Grampian pic publication ROYALTY ACCOUNTS ARE NEVER LATE WITH Rose release LEN BEADLES' Rose Records is u planning a follow-up to its Rose Of Romance Orchestra albums with a X n Volume 3 LP backed by a marketing incorporating Record & Tope Retailer and Record Business. campaign including TV and press advertising, point-of-sale material 40 Long Acre, London TALENT EDITOR: Chris White and a UK tour by the 50-piece SUB EDITOR: Moea Armstrong MUSICALC orchestra with conductor Jack WC2E 9JT RESEARCH MANAGER: Dorsey. Tel: 01-836 1522 Tony Adler MICRO COMPUTING SYSTEM Telex: 299485 ASSISTANT RESEARCH SUBSCRIPTION RATES MANAGER: Lynn Facey ROYALTY/GENERAL ACCOUNTS PACKAGE Virgin game centre East,UK C37. North Eire AfricaClfisii45 $143. Europe US. $108S. America, Middle RESEARCH ASSISTANT: Canada. India. Pakistan $168. Australia. Far VIRGIN RETAIL has acquired the East. Japan $190. Janet Yeo SINGLE OR MULTI USER SYSTEMS Games Centre shop in London's Subscriptions/Directory: CONTRIBUTORS: Jerry Smith, FOR THE MUSIC INDUSTRY Oxford Street and has re-opened it Jeanne Henderson, Nicolas Soames, Alan Jones, ARTIST-PRODUCER-COMPOSER- as the Virgin Games Centre selling Royal Sovereign House, Barry Lazell MECHANICAL COPYRIGHT computer software games, family 40 Beresford Street. US CORRESPONDENT: Ira games, puzzles, role-playing and London SE18 6BQ. Mayer, c/o Presentation STATEMENTS AVAILABLE AS AND war games. The new venture is part Tel; 01-854 2200. Consultants Inc, 2 West 45th St, WHEN NEEDED.EXPANDABLE TO Printed (or the Publishers by Ponsord Press Suite 1703, New York City. Virgin's "expansion programme for Ltd.. Gwent. Registered at the Post Office NY 10036. (Tel: 212 719 4822) MEET ALL FUTURE NEEDS AND 1984". as a newspaper. Member ol the Periodical AD MANAGER: Andrew Brain DEVELOPMENTS. HANDLES Circulation.Publishers Assoc. All materialLtd., and copyrightAudit Bureau 1984 of ASSISTANT AD USUAL MUSIC BUSINESS Chain to sell videos Music Week Ltd. MANAGER: Kathy Leppard APPLICATIONS-FOREIGN Music Week is sold on condition ihaf the AD EXECUTIVES: Phil Graham, pages coniainin-j charts will not be CURRENCY CONVERSION- TV RENTAL chain Multibroadcast displayed in such a way as to conceal any Tony Evans has started selling music videos in its part of such pages and it may not bo resold CLASSIFIED AD MANAGER: CONTRACTUAL DEDUCTIONS- 153 outlets, supplied by Videoform. without the same condition being imposed Mike Turner VAT RETURN-PROMOTIONAL They will initially feature the Top 40 on any subsequent purchaser. ASSISTANT: Jane Norford MAILING. best-selling music titles at a retail EDITOR: Rodney Burbeck AD PRODUCTION MANAGER price of £11.95 (EPs) and £19.95. DEPUTY EDITOR/ Jonathan Best INTERNATIONAL/MUSIC PRODUCTION ASSISTANT: PUBLISHING; Nigel Hunter Karen Denham MCPS ban GROUP PRODUCTION EDITOR: Danny Van Emden PROMOTIONS; Angela LOWmwrncr' COST . CANq YOU WITHOUT AFFORD IT? THE MCPS has imposed an import Fieldhouse T BE ban on the 12-inch Thomas Dolby SPECIAL PROJECTS MANAGING DIRECTOR: single Dissidents (US/Canada EDITOR: Jim Evans Jack Hutton Capitol V 8594) at the request of FEATURES EDITOR/ PUBLISHING DIRECTOR: MUSICALC SYSTEMS Ltd. Tel: 01-870-9912 TX915733 Street Music, RETAILING: ferri Anderson Peter Wilkinson PAGE 2