No. 1 IN BILLBOARD "o VOLUME 108 NO. 42 Blackwell Steps In To Realign Island THE BILLBOARD 200 102 * FROM THE MUDDY BANKS OF THE WISHKAH NIRVANA DGC New P'Gram Role Due For Former Prez Barbis CLASSICAL Holdings, as well as Paul McGuinness, U2's 50 BY MELINDA NEWMAN get along. * APPALACHIA WALTZ manager. YO -YO MA / EDGAR MEYER / MARK O'CONNOR SONY CLASSICAL Although Island is receiving critical new such as Harvey, Barbis is also well respected by the man- CLASSICAL CROSSOVER NEW YORK- Following John Barbis' depar- acclaim with acts PJ agers of many of the label's artists, who hope * LEONARD BERNSTEIN'S NEW YORK 50 ture as president of Island Records U.S., the Tracy Bonham, and Tricky, none of these T VARIOUS ARTISTS NONESUCH label is realigning itself under the guidance of artists' sales have approached platinum sta- his departure will not hurt their acts. label founder and chairman Chris Blackwell. tus yet. New releases from the Cranberries 'We're certainly going to miss Johnny, and COUNTRY 46 he championed a great project," says Scott P * BLUE LEANN RIMES CURB On Oct. 4, Island parent PolyGram announced that Barbis was taking a leave of McGhee, Bonham's manager. "I think Tracy's absence and would return to PolyGram in a project is far enough along, and there are A HEATSEEKERS 24 * FASHION NUGGET CAKE CAPRICORN yet- to -be- determined capacity. Blackwell, enough quality people plugged in that we cer- who founded Island in 1959, will oversee the tainly will strive ahead. Johnny's departure won't have as much effect on us as if a new B JAZZ 49 day -to -day operations of the label until a new u * FREEDOM IN THE GROOVE JOSHUA REDMAN WARNER BROS. president is named. president were brought in and that president M According to sources, Pat Monaco, senior ISLAND brought in a new second -in- command. That JAZZ / CONTEMPORARY VP /GM of Independent Label Sales, a unit of would be more disruptive to the momentum S * THE MOMENT KENNY G ARISTA 49 PolyGram Group Distribution, has been BLACKWELL we have." NEW AGE offered the post of senior VP /GM of Island "Whenever there are changes that are dra- 51 * LINUS 6 LUCY - THE MUSIC OF VINCE GUARALDI Records. Monaco, who could not be reached and Melissa Etheridge have gone platinum matic, from changes in morale to changes in GEORGE WINSTON WINDHAM HILL for comment by press time, will oversee sales, but have not performed nearly as well as direction, there is always an effect," says POP CATALOG 80 marketing, and promotion. either of the artists' past albums. Allen Kovac, manager of the Cranberries, * LEGEND BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS TUFF GONG Hooman Majd will retain his title as exec- Despite any tension between Blackwell and "but the one thing that doesn't change is, if utive VP of Island Records and will continue Barbis, the latter is extremely well liked by you have a hit, the hit will get through the what radio R &B 27 to oversee A &R, publicity, and creative ser- PolyGram higher -ups, including Roger Ames, system, because great songs are * ANdTHER LEVEL BLACKSTREET INTERSCOPE vices. Hiriam Hicks remains senior VP/GM president of PolyGram Music Group, and stations need." Island's black music division. Larry Mestel Alain Levy, president/CEO of PolyGram (Continued on page 99) 1100 of THE HOT 100 stays on as executive VP /C00 of the Island * MACARENA (BAYSIDE BOYS MIX) LOS DEL RIO RCA Entertainment Group. Billboard, ADULT CONTEMPORARY 94 In an exclusive statement to we have not * CHANGE THE WORLD ERIC CLAPTON REPRISE Blackwell says, "Basically, appointed a new president, because I plan to CD Leads To Market Growth In be in New York for the next six to nine ADULT TOP 40 94 * I LOVE YOU ALWAYS FOREVER DONNA LEWIS ATLANTIC months to handle the day -to -day operations of the company along with the executive team First Half Of Year, Says IFPI H COUNTRY 135 currently in place at Island. At the end of the 0 * BELIEVE ME BABY II LIED) TRISHA YEARWOOD MCA time period, we will reassess the situation. BY JEFF CLARK -MEADS and vinyl was down 6.7 %. T Perhaps Island will be able to exist without Says an IFPI representative, "The CD is DANCE / CLUB PLAY 32 a president, guided by myself and Island's LONDON -The ever- increasing success of the sole contributor to growth in an increas- * TWO TO TANGO VANESSA DAOU KRASNOW allied of the sin- ing number of music markets. Only five of S senior executives, all of whom are very tal- the CD and the resurgence ented and give Island the unique style it has gle offer two high notes in the latest figures the countries surveyed experienced growth I DANCE / MAXI -SINGLES SALES 32 * NO DIGGITY BLACKSTREET (FEAT. DR. DRE) INTERSCOPE always had." on global record sales. However, the statis- in other formats. Blackwell's statement should end specula- tics also reveal some worrying trends. "In the first half of '96, CDs accounted G LATIN tion that David Simone, president of Poly - The figures, released Oct. 10 by the Inter- for almost 80% of album [unit] sales and L * RECUERDOS, TRISTEZA Y SOLEDAD 147 73% of the singles market," the rep- MARCO ANTONIO SOUS FONOVISA Gram Music Publishing, was headed for the national Federation of the Phonographic some E Island presidency. Simone had no comment. Industry (IFPI), are for the first half of the resentative continues. "This compares with R &B 29 However, according to a source, Simone year and show the total value of the market 74% of album sales and 65% of singles in * NO DIGGITY BLACKSTREET (FEAT. DR. DREI INTERSCOPE may have decided that the job wasn't for him. across 31 countries up just 0.2% compared January -June 1995." "Does ?" the source. with the same period in 1995. IFPI notes, though, that while CD growth RAP Simone want the gig asks 30 44 but, says remains in excess of 10 %, "some of the most * BOW DOWN WESTSIDE CONNECTION LENCH MOB "No recent president has lasted at Island for The survey covers countries, very long. Is that your career move ?" IFPI, only 31 can be compared directly with mature CD markets have experienced flat- ROCK / MAINSTREAM ROCK TRACKS 93 Indeed, the presidency at Island has the prior -year period. In those 31, sales at ter sales this year." * TEST FOR ECHO RUSH ATLANTIC resembled a revolving door during the last retail values were the equivalent of $16.24 The main area of CD advances is in the several years. Shortly after Mike Bone's billion in the period from January to June. singles market, where unit sales of the for- ROCK / MODERN ROCK TRACKS 93 departure as president in 1990, Island became Unit sales were up 5.3% at 1.25 billion. mat grew by 25% this year compared with * NOVOCAINE FOR THE SOUL. EELS DREAMWORKS part of PolyGram Label Group, which was Across all 44 countries in the survey, sales the same period in 1995. Says the IFPI rep- run by Rick Dobbis. In 1994, after PLG was were worth the equivalent of $16.72 billion resentative, "The surge in popularity of the T TOP VIDEO SALES 88 dissolved, Barbis, who had been with Poly - on a volume of 1.3 billion units. CD single has stimulated very high levels of O * OUVER AND COMPANY BUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO Gram since 1991, was named president. In the 31 comparable countries, CD unit growth in even the smallest singles markets P no reason was given for the leave sales were up by 11.9%, and singles rose and has boosted the significance of singles KID VIDEO 90 Although 12.3 %, on page 20) V * OLIVER AND COMPANY BUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO of absence, it was well known within the 11.5%. However, cassette sales fell by (Continued industry that Barbis and Blackwell did not I D LASERDISCS 91 * HEAT WARNER HOME VIDEO T H I S W E E K I N B I L L B O A R D O RENTALS S * THE BIRDCAGE M. r.I i UA HOME VIDEO 90 BOOM IN BRAZIL COMMENTARY 6 MERCHANTS & MARKETING 79 Retail Track 82 Record sales are soaring in Brazil, and by year's end, the country ARTISTS & MUSIC 13 No, 1 ON THIS WEEK'S UNPUBLISHED CHARTS Declarations Of Independents 84 is expected to have the sixth- largest market in the world. The Bill- Executive Turntable 14 Reel Thing 84 board Spotlight examines why the industry has reason to cele- The The Enter *Active File 86 BLUES brate. Page 67 The Beat 19 MALACO Video 87 * GOOD LOVEI JOHNNIE TAYLOR Boxscore 21 Home Shelf Talk 88 HELLO SANTA' Continental Drift 22 CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN `MRS. Child's Play 90 * SIGNS OF LIFE STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN SPARROW December will bring Jerry Herman's "Mrs. Santa," the first new Popular Uprisings 24 TV musical in decades by a major Broadway writer. Deputy editor REVIEWS & PREVIEWS 61 GOSPEL R &B 25 Iry Lichtman has the story. Page 52 * WHATCHA LOOKIN' 4 The Rap Column 30 PROGRAMMING 92 KIRK FRANKLIN AND THE FAMILY GOSPO CENTRIC Dance Trax 31 The Modern Age 93 is BPI COMMUNICATIONS Chairman: Gerald S. Hobbs President & CEO: John B. Babcock Jr. KID AUDIO 34 Vox Jox 95 Executive Vice Presidents: Robert J. Bowling, Martin R. Feely, Howard Lander Senior Vice Presi- Country * FOR OUR CHILDREN, TOO VARIOUS ARTISTS KID RHINO Music Video 97 dents: Georgina Challis, Paul Curran, Ann Haire, Rosalee Lovett Vice President: Glenn Heffernan Latin Notas 47 Chairman Emeritus: W.D. Littleford Jazz /Blue Notes 48 FEATURES THE BILLBOARD LATIN 50 ©Copyright 1996 by BPI Communications Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored * ARIOSA MACARENA NON STOP LOS DEL RIO in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photo- Classical /Keeping Score 50 Update /Lifelines 60 copying, recording , or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. BILLBOARD Hot 100 Singles Spotlight 99 MUSIC VIDEO MAGAZINE (ISSN 0006 -2510) is published weekly except for the last week in December, One Astor Songwriters & Publishers 52 Plaza, 1515 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10036. Subscription rate: annual rate, Continental U.S. 108 * LES MISERABLES: 10TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT Between The Bullets $265.00. Continental Europe 215 pounds. Billboard. Tower House, Sovereign Park, market Harbor - Studio Action 53 VARIOUS ARTISTS COLUMBIA TRISTAR HOME VIDEO ough, Leicestershire, England LE16 9EF. Registered as a newspaper at the British Post Office. Japan Market Watch 110 109.000 yen. Music Labo Inc., Dempa Building, 2nd Floor, 11 -2, 1- Chome, Nigashi- Gotanda, Shine - Tokyo Periodicals postage paid at New York, N. Y. and at additional mailing INTERNATIONAL 55 REGGAE gawa-ku, 141, Japan. CLASSIFIED 64 offices. Postmaster: please send changes of address to Billboard, R O. Box 2011, Marion, OH 43305- MY XPERIENCE BOUNTY KILLER VP / BLUNT * 2011. Current and back copies of Billboard are available on microfilm from Kraus Microform, Route Canada 57 100, Millwood, N.Y. 10546 or Xerox University Microfilms, 300 North Zeeb Road. Ann Arbor, Mich. 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