Big Sugar: Expounding Hemi-Vision the State of Retail This Side of the Border
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Much Music Video Award winners Big Sugar: Expounding hemi-vision The state of retail this side of the border Alanis Morissette accepts one of her three MuchMusic Video awards/Bryan Adams brings the house down at Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern. For more photos and MuchMusic winners see page 8 2 - RPM -Monday September 30, 1996 year." RETAILcontinued from page 2 August CRIA stats show rise in singfeE market The figures portray the retail sector continuing Statistics for the month of August from the "The CD single market has all but dried up in its downward spiral which Robertson believes "There is a lot of good product com Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) and the manufacturers, including ourselves, are has been due in part to an overexpansion in the next two or three months and we'rt have indicated a 9% drop from last year in units putting out CD EPs when there is an opportunity marketplace. with a little cooler weather, there wil shipped and a 7% decrease in overall sales. Though to do so, but only when we can offer some value "There is a great deal of returns activity and the malls and in the stores." CD and cassette figures also dropped, there has added," he says. "When you're dealing with that's having a big influence on these numbers, Even catalog sales, which have t been an unexpected increase in the singles market. relatively small numbers any kind of glitch can whereby you're getting companies who have been in the past year that the CD revolut The figures are misleading, according to Bill send a false signal. In other words, if the numbers aggressively buying product in, not to mention the engine, have not bothered retailers Ott, Vice -President of PolyGram Group Sales were very small in '95 (and they were) and all you price wars," he says. "There seems to be a common "I didn't know what it was like (PGS), one of the leading proponents in the retail do is put out a CD EP and someone is going to view that the country has over -retailed and you're here so I can't really say," says Zin singles market. tweak those numbers right away. And I sense that getting a lot of product coming back." comes from Towers store managem is exactly what has happened because I show our Still, there are signs of abatement and "In comparison to the stores in numbers not to be significant at all and we're one Robertson believes that a truer picture for the year worked in I think catalog sales are of the more active companies in that area." will be foreshadowed in next month's report. off. I think the disparity in pricing sizzlingwith The report makes it clear, however, that the "September and October would be a pretty catalogue and hit product obviousl Toronto was visit retail slump is not yet over. For CRIA President good barometer of what the year end is going to role in that. Why should I buy a & Adams those Brian Robertson "it reflects the malaise that the be," he says, "we'll have to wait and see." Michael title when the new one is Morissette remeberedStreet for industry has been wallowing in for most of this dollars cheaper? night will be b CRIA stats on page 14 Last Thursdaybe part of theQueen "I see us selling more hits and s fotunate enough just twoof many I'm used to which is a lot more catali Morissette andAdams were roaming aroundthe Much/City Crfois stved off at the border, say retailers domestic artists video Awards. the MuchMusic overexpansion at the retail sector, cash flow building, during Adams rockedthe The word is out: regional retail trends worldwide Following theshow Bryan show a pretty fierce competition, returns have hit problems, price wars, and debt taken on as a result crowd. PGS: The retail em house in frontof an intimate a high and catalogue sales are the pits. The story of expansion strategies. Just last week a national has been well documented at this point; paper south of the border diagnosed the situation Product Road Show, PolyGram S as a worldwide retail climate of crisis. cross Canada retail promotional tou Canadian retailers, however, are sticking to wound up from its six day trek. The their guns that while there may be major problems at an international level, Canadian figures are not all that bad. Everyone is willing to admit that things could be better, even that things have not been worse in recent memory, but with conservative buying, fierce strategies for forging ahead and optimism worn like a badge of courage, the retailers have contributed marvels to the local front and kept their heads above water. "We're pretty happy right now," says Robert Zimmerman, General Manager for Tower Records in Toronto. "Like any business, things could always be better, but each month we've been showing steady increases." Zimmerman joins a chorus of complacency across the board. He admits that "the retail condition in the States is the pits, obviously," but he maintains that things here could definitely be worse and his competitors agree. Joe Summers "The business is very dull but it is definitely not in a state of crisis," says Bob Smith Pindoff EAS non-compatibil Music Sales. "In total our business is up simply because we are doing more things with new may prove costly to Bryan Adam's manager Bruce Allen stops for a photo with PolyGram Group Sales' Bill Ott andAaM'sRandy customers. RETAIL continued on page 3 EAS (electronic article surveillance Wells at Adams's Horseshoe date proven successful protection f inventory but could, without some s pre-packaged policy, end up costing HIT PICK than they bargained for. Alpha Magnum, providers o market EAS tagging, is expressing the possibility of record labels gob different forms of EAS labelling, wl retailers a pretty penny to "revamr already working with," says Terry and Partners, representing Alpha M Vallen says that currently the done by Alpha Magnum is not on13 can be used for a variety of media , s C CDs, cassettes and videos. "It's flex effective and pretty much compati retailer]." The controversy, Vallen explaid KEY WEST INTERMEZZO CLINT BLACK ANGELSOF THE SiLENCES "if a record company decides to dist John Mellencamp The Greatest Hits Counting Crows with their own security devices, it w Mercury RCA - 66671-N DGC serious revamping and expense [to contact a presenters. international room/ Montreal, around performances 60 retailers]." 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