Q&A: Patrick Decam 3 Germany Charts Row 5 Norway National Licence 11 Station Operations 14 Special: Music Monitor 19 Off The Record 46 Europe's Music Radio Newsweekly..Volume 8. Issue27.July 9, 1991. 3, US$ 5, ECU 4 M&M SPECIAL TWO RADIO FREQUENCIES WANTED How Radio 1 Selects Holland's Veronica Its Music Goes Commercial by Hugh Fielder million (app. US$59 million) in by Machgiel Bakker advertising revenue. At 15.00 on Monday afternoon, The broadcast bomb has dropped Veronicasaysthestepis four record pluggers are sitting in Holland. inevitable because the country's in a corner of the lobby at Egton Now that Veronica has current broadcasting system lacks House,theheadquartersof announced its plans to go com- any viability and, in order to keep BBC Radio 1. An hour later mercial-with TROS likelyto its identity it must be allowed to their number has doubled and follow-the Dutch public broad- go commercial. by 17.00 there are between 15- casting system isin danger of According to Veronica spokes- 20 people gathered when a sec- slowly falling apart. The remain- person Steven Gelder, the organ- retary comes down from the GIMME THAT GUITAR -Radio Voice/Copenhagen DJSoren ing six broadcasters fear that the isation set a self-imposed goal of Radio 1 offices carrying copies Andreasen proudly holds the Washburn N4 guitar he won in an departure of Veronica and TROS October1,1992, to make the of the new playlist. It is hurried- Extreme campaign organised byA&MRecords. From 1-r: Extreme mem- will cost the system some Dfl 120 (continues on page 46) lyscrutinisedbeforemobile bers Paul Geary, Gary Cherone, Nuno Bettencourt, Andreasen, and Pat phones aredialled,spreading Badger. Extreme's single "More Than Words" is currently no. 49 with a news of its contents to record bullet in the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. (continues onpage 4) How's Your TV Commercials Reviving Back Record Service? release, which is good. But if we Catalogue Sales For Labels by theM&M staff are playing Michael Bolton, for What's the state of the industryinstance, over a period of three or four months, then we need to be by the M&M staff Race by Swiss group Yello. and then approach the publish- regarding record service? In this However, many other non - ers." first of a two-part special, radio continually fed with material. It is The use of pop music in interna- German titles did not re-enter the Ogilvy & Mather/Frankfurt's programmers discuss this aspect (continues on page 46) tional advertising-predominant- charts during or after the advertis- Harry Denhardt reveals how the of record company relations. ly produced in the US or UK for ing campaign. Peter F. Schulz of agency picks the right song for an NielsPederson,headof No. 1 in EUROPE companies such as Pepsi, which Berlin -based music publisher ad. "It depends on what I want to music at Radio Uptown/Copen- used Tina Turner & Rod Stew - Budde Verlag points to one suc- achieve. First, we have to deter- hagen, says Danish record com- European Hit Radio art'sIt Takes Two;Levi's, which cessstory."Berlin'sTake My mine what image we want to pro- panies rarely "plug" records face- ROXETTE used Steve Miller'sThe Joker,as Breath Away was licenced by ject, the mood we want to evoke, to-face or via telephone. "Virgin Fading Like A Flower well as The Clash with Should I Peugot for radio, TV and cinema the market we are addressing, and has always been good at a person - (EMI) Stay Or Should I Go-has result- in the UK. The single was re- which media are available." to -personapproach.Other big ed in renewed chart success for released in Great Britain and went In the UK Island Records labels we never hear from. But I Eurochart Hot 100 Singles these artists. to no.2 in the British charts. MD Marc Marot liased with cat- am a stubborn person and if I get ZUCCHERO & PAUL YOUNG German ad agencies are dig- Record sales reached the six -digit alogue exploitation head Tony bangedovertheheadoften Senza Una Donna ging in their vaults for their own level." Orchudesch to place Free's All enough, I might play the record (London! locally produced advertising. For Verlag adds, "German publish- Right Now (Island) single with just so they stop. Otherwise we example, Klaus Lage's Hand In ers are not yet in a position to Wrigley's. Marot explains, stick very clearly to our format." European Top 100 Albums Handisusedforthe Com- aggressively hype their songs to "Orchudesch went to the agencies Regardingartist background R.E.M. merzbank, Munich -based Domi- agencies, as is done in the US and to find out what campaigns were material, Pederson says, "Often Out Of Time noe's Here I Am was licenced by the UK. The agenciesdecide being planned. He approached we will get a mass of press cut- (Warner Brothers) Renault, while BP chose The which music they want to use, (continues on page 46) tings on a particularartist on JULIAN DAWSON BILLI MYER KARL KEATON AmericanRadioHistory.Com AmericanRadioHistory.Com Raising The Collective Consciousness trust us and listen to us, and we Patrick Decam is GM of Sony Music France's Columbia label. In will do the same. Then, a limited "...a market cannot grow forever at a this interview with Emmanuel Legrand, he reviews the challenges number of changes could help yearly rate of 30%. At a certain point, faced by the music French industry and takes a close look at the bring some dynamism to the sys- French radio situation. tem. we'll have to deal with a normal rate of 4-5%..." Q: What does Columbia repre- was based on a simple fact: it's Q: Such as? sent in France? getting more and more expensive A: First, improving the penetra- A: Sony Music has three creative to break an act. When you sign an tion speed of a song in the media. the publisher; if a magazine prints A: We have never traded advertis- and independent labels in France: artist,and add allthe various FM stations are the main factor in a picture, the name of the photog- ing in exchange for airplay. But Columbia,EpicandSquatt. costs - recording,marketing, the slack pace. They must under- rapher isrequired. Why should we do run TV advertising cam- Columbia is the flagship of the promotion, video, tour, support, standthatwith international music be the only art that doesn't paigns on artists by adding the company. Our local roster TV advertising campaigns - you tracks, they face limited risks by oblige broadcasters by mention- logo of a radio station. We don't includes top artists like Patricia realise you have to make crucial playing European hits. And when ing the sources of the products do it just to please a station;it Kaas, Jean -Jacques Goldman, choices. So we are limiting the it comes to French production, we they broadcast? would be too expensive. We do it Francis Cabrel, Jacques number of acts on our roster, but should try to set up a good part- because we have decided that a Dutronc and others in develop- we are working harder on them. nership, or we should get down to Q: How could it happen? By TV campaign can be useful in ment like Thierry Hazard or Another factor to consider is that quotas. I think it's necessary for forcing stations or, as in the US, pushing the sales of an artist. We Dana Dawson. Our turnover is seven to nine months arestill France to have a very strong local by running a campaign similar add a logo of a radio station approximatelyFfr700million needed to develop a singlein market and we must protectit. to "When you play it, say it?" because, at some point, the sta- (app. US$113 million). In four France. I think it's the only Euro- That doesn't mean that if our pro- A: As a liberal, I don't think reg- tion has taken a risk in playing years, Sony Music's turnover rose pean country where the delay duction is not good, we have to ulations are an answer to every- the artist.It's a natural partner- from Ffr500 million to Ffrl.3 bil- between the release of a single impose it. We are part of a Euro- thing. I trust the common sense of ship where we give some visibili- lion. The past four years - with and entry in the charts is so long. pean market. so it's up to us to thebroadcasters.The industry ty to the station that has taken a the development of the compact must convince radio stations that risk. There is nothing perverted in disc, TV advertising, and the low- "No groupofmedia[inFrance], it is vital for us and, therefore, for doing this. eringof VAT - have been them,inthelongterm,to incredible for the music industry. whether they are FM networks, local announce the songs and the artists Q: The industry is massively These three elements have creat- FM stations, national AMs, or W, are when they play them. But if it's and collectively launching the ed a fantastic boom. not possible, a law could be the two track cassette. What do you strong enough to really generate sales solution. think of it? Q: Is there a risk of recession alone. We need at least two, together." A: It is clear that the cassette sin- now? Q: And what about the current gle will help the industry regain A: I don't think so, but a market singles charts? the consumers who stopped buy- cannot grow forever at a yearly A: We absolutely need a more ing vinyl singles.