INSIDE Singles chart, 6-7; Album chart, 17; New Singles, 18; New Albums 9; Airplay guide, 14-15; Independent Labels, 8; Country Music Focus,12-13. April 5, 1982 VOLUME FIVENumber 2 65p 56 staff given Record wholesalers' notice at EMI's video success story World Records IN STARK contrast to their retailing area of business. "It will never take mail order co. counterparts record wholesalers areover the record side and we wouldn't leading the move into video and mostwant it to but it is a valuable line," said WORLD RECORDS, EMI'smail are well placed to take advantage of theBrian Yershon, video marketing man- order arm, will be sold or merged with expected boom. ager. another direct mail company within the While the video -only wholesalers "In 1982 we are primarily a record next few months. eye the horizon with some trepidationwholesaler but we seefiveyears The company, which began 25 years the record/video outfits, particularlygrowth in the video industry. We are ago, was moved out of its Richmond the big four - Wynd-Up, Terry Blood,seeing growth on both sides and I think offices last year and re -settled at the S. Gold & Sons and Warrens - arethat records and videos are natural main EMI factory complex at Uxbridge looking for growth. bedfellows," said Colin Reilly, Wynd- Road, Hayes. The 56 staff were told last All these companies plus LightningUp chief executive. As a main board week that talks were taking place with (whose recent name change to Light-director of NSS he is also sure that other companies interested in either ning Records & Video indicates itsvideo is a promising retail growth area. merging with or purchasing World direction)haveconsolidatedtheir All these companies have strong Records. They were warned that they video wholesaling on top of tried andrecord sales and see some growth butIRON MAIDEN mascot Eddie takes awere likely to be given notice from the tested record systems. all have been enthusiastic investors indemonic view as Guy Holmes, (eft,end of April, although some will poss- Perhaps the most impressive growthvideo and are looking for returnsEMI promotions man, presents Radio -ibly be redeployed at Hayes or offered has been by S. Gold & Sons, in recordduring the next few years despite the1 DJ Tommy Vance with copies of thenew jobs once thedealhas gone terms the smallest of the big four, but aalmost certain contraction of the videonew album Number Of The Beast. EMIthrough. market leader in the video field. Re-wholesale field. added the beauty to the occasion. EMI views World Records as too cords now account for less than 10 small to be viable in the current econo- percent of turnover and Golds is mic climate. The mail order business looking for a video turnover of more has been hard hit by rapidly increased than £10 million. Teledisc to promote LPs media costs, particularly national press The larger companies do not claim advertising, at a time when record prices such feats although Wynd-Up seesin new Post Office deals are not showing a comparable upward itself as the country's biggest record/ trend. "If we were to stay in mail order video wholesaler having been in theDIRECT TV merchandiser Tellydisc isHook, Ann Murray, Charlie Rich andwe would have no option but to meet new market for three years - boostedbringingaseriesofrevolutionaryDon Williams among others, will re-these costs and the size of our operation in the last six months with the acquisi-marketing aids into play to back itsceive the 12 -page catalogue as part of thedoes not justify that," said Richard tion of Carnaby Video. Spring campaigns. package, plusaflexi-discfeaturingRobinson, UK regional director. "A video operation is becoming a The company will be testing a num-tracks from Tellydisc's other country In a re -structuring of EMI's telesales necessity for wholesalers," said Ronber of tie-ins with the Post Office andalbums from Slim Whitman and anotheroperation, seven girls have volunteered Gale, sales and marketing director ofNational Girobank to ease the way itsnew compilation called Cowboys Andfor redundancy out of the permanent Warrens arm Video Form, "but we areproducts are ordered by the public, andTruckers which carries tracks by Martystaff of 28. still involved in records in a big way."will also be printing its first catalogueRobbins, Johnny Cash,BuckOwens and They areto be replaced by part-time Graham Vernon, general managerand producing promotional flexi-discs.others. telesales gids -a system which accord- of Terry Blood, is just as certain that Tellydisc's campaign for Friends - a The company is also moving into aing to EMI: "Fits in better with weekly the two markets are compatible. "Firstcountry -pop double album selling forsystem of money -off vouchers which cansales patterns in the current record and foremost a wholesaler must con-£6.99 - takes the form of two -minutebe used to offset the price of multipleindustry." sider the needs of his customer. Incommercials which are being screenedpurchases. EMI will carry a full telesales staff in wholesale terms video is no differentin major areas nationwide during the For the first time Tellydisc will bethe early part of the week, with fewer from records." run-up this Easter's Wembley Countrymarketing non -record products, usingmanning the phones on Thursdays and Lightning moved into video only lastMusic Festival. the back page of its catalogue to adver-Fridays. Most major companies now year but is already finding it a develop- Buyersof FriendsfeaturingDr. TURN TO P2operate a similar work roster. ASSOCIATES `FOURTH DRAWER DOWN'(SITU 2) Specially imported by SITUATION TWO Available from Pinnacle, Rough Trade, Red Rhino etc. IIIEWS BPI chart committee views cheap singlesas 'matter of concern' BPI DISCUSSION of the practice ofbut its chairman Tony Morris, and ofoffering half-price or other special dealsoffers. distributing special -offer singles to aPolydor Records, told RB that there hadto select shops, many of which are on the Commenting on the current con- section of the retail trade took anotherbeen much discussion and action ofindustry chart returns panel, is a legaltroversysurroundingcheapsingles step forward last week when it wassome kind was the desire of the con-one. Morris said the record industry had a far treated as a matter of some concern bysensus. BPI in-house lawyer Patrick Isher-more open attitude to its problems than the Chart Committee. The problem with immediately out-wood warned of the legal dangers ofmany comparable industries. No decision was taken by the meetinglawing the now common practice ofinterfering with the operation of special Scottish dealer topay Flexi-disc on Our Price to card to mark open 7 new up in BPI imports case Papal visit ALTHOUGH NO details have yet record stores THE BPI's campaign to stamp outOn Tuesday March 23 the Scottish been announced concerning alloca- illegal parallel imports moved North ofCourt of Session granted Motown and tion of recording rights for the first OUR PRICE, currently controlling 56 the border last week when a ScottishRCA Records suing on behalf of them- UK visit by Pope Paul in May, a retail outlets in London and the Home retaileragreedtoan out of courtselves and representing all members ofsmall London company has already Counties, is shortly to open seven new settlement of £30,000 for handling illicitthe BPI the Scottish equivalent of an secured an official Papal recording stores as it moves towards its target size albums. Anton Piller order. It was carried out the through the Vatican Editorial Lib- of about 90 shops. GI Records of 37/39 Cockburn Street,same day by a Commissioner appointed rary in Rome. During the next two or three months, Edinburgh and two directors of theby the court. Circlemark, with the approval of Our Price will be moving into Swindon, company Gordon and Margaret Inglis The plaintiffs are also seeking from Papal Visit Ltd, the company set up Newbury, Hemel Hempstead, Eltham, of West Mayfield, Edinburgh werethe defendents permanent undertakings to co-ordinate details of the visit, is Ilford, North Finchley and Crawley. selling albums which had been illegallyrestraining them from dealing in albums putting out a flexi disc, as part of a The firm, which absorbed the Harlequin imported into the UK from Canada, themanufactured in non -EEC countries souvenir card, which contains a chain about two years ago, is looking to Phillipines, Spain, Portugal and theand imported into the UK. prayer and blessing spoken by the expand its retail operations by a total of USA. 20 shops over a two-year period. Commented BPI directorgeneral Pope. Also featured are extracts More than 5,000 of these LPs were from Vivaldi's Gloria recorded by The continuing growth of Our Price seized by BPI solicitors in Edinburgh.John Deacon: "I would like to reiterate chain is particularly impressive in the earlierwarningsthatanyretailer, the New Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Riccar- light of the official BPI analysis of record wholesaler or importer found dealing in sales in 1981 which indicated the con- parallel imports will be severely dealt do Muti. Playing time is six minutes Tape levy: and the rrp is 99p. Circlemark is tinuing stagnation of album sales. Our with. There are a number of further Price has moved to counter the volume similar cases pending in Scotland. looking for distributors to handle Lords support the record. downturn in hot product by concentrat- ing more heavily on back catalogue THE HOUSE of Lords has been debat- repertoire. "We have opened up base- ing the proposed reform of the law ofJoint BVA-BPI anti -piracy ments and first -floor space in our stores copyright, part of which covers the where possible and we are well pleased industry's case for a levy on blank tapesorganisation plan collapses with the results of our catalogue invest- and recorders.