MTM Checks Out Europe's Own MTV Unplugged. Also, GrooveMix Looks At French Club Charts. See page 10 & 12. Europe's Music Radio Newsweekly Volume 10 . Issue 11 . March 13, 1993 . £ 3, US$ 5, ECU 4 Radio Wins UK PolyGram Operating Copyright Battle Income Up 7% broadcasting revenue, including by Thom Duffy & income from sponsorship, barter Mike McGeever and contra deals for the first time, by Steve Wonsiewicz Record companies inthe UK as well as advertising revenue. Worldwide music and entertain- have been dealt a major setback The ratefor stations with net ment group PolyGram reported in their bid to boost the royalty broadcastingrevenuebetween a 7.3% increaseinoperating payments they receive from com- US$1.02 million and US$525.000 income to Dfl 789 million (app. mercial radio stations, under a will drop to 3% and 2% for those US$448 million) on a 4.6% rise ruling handed down March 2 by with net income below in sales to Dfl 6.62 billion last the Copyright Tribunal. US$525.000. The royaltiesare year, despite a severe recession DANISH GRAMMIES - Danish band Gangway (BMG/Genlyd Den- In an action brought by the retroactive to April 1, 1991. in several of its key European mark) received four prizes in this year's Danish Grammy Show while Association ofIndependent The total operating profit of markets. Lisa Nilsson (Diesel Music, Sweden) took two awards. Pictured (4) are: Radio Contractors (AIRC) to set the commercial UK radio indus- Net income for thefiscal Tonja Pedersen (musician, Lisa Nilsson), Lasse Illinton (Gangway), BMG new broadcast royalty rates for 79 try in 1990-91 was approximately year ended December 31 was up label manager Susanne Kier, Diesel Music MD Torbjorn Sten, Lisa Nils- commercialradiocompanies, US$11 millionwithCapital 13.5% to Dfl 506 million. The son, BMG MD Dietmar Glodde, Lisa Nilsson producer Johan Ekelund, Phonographic Performance Radio and the London Broad- company contributed the results Allan Jensen (Gangway), Jens Jacob Thorsen (Feltwave Video), Thorsten Ltd. (PPL), which represents the casting Company accounting for to the continued turnaround at Leschly (Fellwave Video), Henrik Balling (Gangway), Cai Boisen-Moller Britishrecordlabels,sawits nearly80%ofthatamount, itsNorth American operation (Gangway), Torben Johansen (Gangway), Halfdan E Nielsen (Gang- arguments for rates as high as according to the Tribunal. and to strong performances at way), Josephine Akvama (musician, Lisa Nilsson), BMG promotion man- 15% ofallbroadcast revenue PPL had argued, among other several Far Eastern subsidiaries. ager Annetta Elmo and BMG A&R/marketing manager Jesper Bay. roundly rejected by the tribunal. points, that the value of its reper- European sales slipped near- The current rate is between 4-7% toire to broadcasters had ly 1% to Dfl 3.77 billion while ofastation'snetadvertising increasedsignificantlythrough operating income rose 1.6% to income. the elimination in 1990 of restric- Dfl 560 million. The company 1st National Czech In its 63 -page ruling, the tri- tions on "needletime," a nine - estimatesits European market bunal instead set the new stan- hour daily limit on the use of share at 22% from 22.5%. Oper- dardbroadcast royalty rate commerciallyrecordedmusic. ating margins in Europe edged Licence To Europe 1 payable to PPL at 5%. However, The Tribunal ruled that the lifting the royalty rate now applies to net (continues on page 25) (continues on page 25) national FM full -service commer- by Emmanuel Legrand cial radio licences in the new EuropeDeveloppement, the Czech Republic, allocated by the Bertelsmann Out No. 1 in EUROPE international arm of French group country'snewradioand TV Europe 1 Communications, was broadcasting authority in Prague European Hit Radio granted oneof thefirsttwo on February 25. Of German Viva STING A total of 15 projects have If I Ever Lose My Faith In You been submitted to the authority, vations concerning the company's (A&M) Warner Labels including Radio City (backed by by Miranda Watson increasing involvement in various Top San Remo Luxembourg -based group CLT), Bertelsmann AG has pulled out othercommercialbroadcasting Eurochart Hot 100 Radio Rio, Radio 98, two Aus- of discussionstofinancethe projects. An estimated three-year 2 UNLIMITED tralian projects and cultural pro- planned German cable TV music start-up capital of DM 100 mil- No Limit by David Stansfield gramme Radio Cobra. channelViva. The decision lion (US$63 million) is said to be (Byte) Artists on the Time Warner - Europe Developpement, comes as no surprise to insiders another reason for the company's owned CGD and WEA labels whichalreadyowns 95% of in the record industry; the media U-turn on the deal. European Top 100 Albums walked off with the lion's share of Prague's most important private giant is known to have had cold Bertelsmann threatened to pull OST - THE BODYGUARD awards at the San Remo Song FM station Evropa 2, will own feet about the deal from the start. out of finance discussions at the The Bodyguard FestivalheldFebruary23-27. 25% of the new operation, to be The German government is also end of 1992, but was coaxed back (Arista) (continues on page 25) (continues on page25) believed to have expressed reser- (continues onpage 25) pluqvulhothouse acts 11110/11MIIC flowers the single -c7x.h`6-it now on anemotional timebreakout extra rotation AmericanRadioHistory.Com hothouse flowers 1111 %ow ur ctoytiumusac the new album songsfrom the rain out 8th march Having sold in excess of 1 million albums across Europe, the Hothouse Flowers return with their third and undoubtedly best album "Songs From The Rain". The collection of 11 brand new tracks is remarkable for the quality and consistency of the songwriting - StewartLevine's production brings out the best in each, and Dave Stewart makes a telling contribution, co -writing two tracks. The strength of the singles to come should ensure that the Hothouse Flowers won't be far from your playlists throughout 19931 features the current single anemotional time now on MTV breakout extra european tourfrom april to june AmericanRadioHistory.Com News MCA/GRP Label Marketed EUROPE A T A GLANCE GERMANY: ECHO Nominations Announced Through MCA/Geffen The Phono-Akademie has announced nominations for the national awards gala show, the ECHO, on March 15 in Berlin. Based on sales results over UK and Germany, MCA is market- They will all have their set of priori- '92, it has selected five artists for 11 categories. See page 25. MB by Machgiel Bakker ed by BMG). ties and an MCA/GRP release may The recent In the US, MCA/GRP material be one of them. This will be judged EUROPE GERMANY: Musikmarkt Publishers Buy French Trade launchofthe will be primarily worked by GRP case -by -case." The publishing house of German trade magazine Musikmarkt, Josef Keller new US label imprint MCA/GRP staff. "The last thing I want," says The firstrelease through the Verlag, has bought a share in French company East Side West Side Pub- will not directly impact the modus Watson, "is to lock GRP repertoire new imprint is the debut of Latvian - lications, the publishers of French trade Show Magazine. Show Magazine operandi of MCA/Geffen's Euro- in a specialist area and prevent it born artist Laima, a superstar in the is claimed to have a circulation of 6.000. MW pean marketing managers, although from making a crossover. But it is former Soviet Union and Eastern it might lead to a change of focus. not just a case of dumping more European states. FRANCE: Bidding For Radio Monte Carlo Kicks Off This is how MCA Records Inter- artists onto the marketing managers. Eight companies have made official bids to acquire a majority stake in national senior VP Stuart Watson Radio Monte Carlo, according to Gerard Ganser, president of state- believesthecreationof GRP owned company Sofirad, which owns 83% of the RMC-TMC Group. Records' new subsidiary will affect Chrysalis To Bid For IR Licence Ganser declined to reveal the names of the bidders, but said in the weekly MCA/Geffen'sEuropeanopera- publication Strategies, that the privatisation "will not take place before the tions. London -wide franchises advertised end of March...for technical reasons." According to Ganser, the only part to by Mike McGeever In the US, GRP has teamed up on March 3. Chrysalis will not dis- be privatised will be the full -service radio station RMC and gold station withparent company MCA to Media company close what format they are propos- Nostalgie, as well as ad representative GEM. The audiovisual sector UK channel its non -jazz artist roster and Chrysalis ing, he said, but affirms it will be (TMC) will be unaffected by the sale. Emmanuel Legrand to facilitate the expansion into the Group has confirmed its intention "new to the region." pop area. to compete for the North West Chrysalis first became involved EUROPE: Springsteen Returns To Europe "There are certain GRP acts," England licence(potentialaudi- with UK radio in 1989 when it Bruce Springsteen will be touring Europe again this spring. The eight - says Watson, "that we refer to as ence of 3.5 million). acquired 20% of group owner week tour, starting at the SECC in Glasgow on March 31, will include the 'crossover artists,' like Spyro Gyra, Says Chrysalis director of cor- Metro Radio. UK, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, France, Holland, Belgium, Portugal, Crusaders and Larry Carlton. I'm porate development Richard Other major industry groups Spain, Italy and Scandinavia. JS not saying they are not jazz, but Huntingford, "Part of our devel- expected to apply for the North they have appeal across a wider opmental strategyisto look at West region include Emap, Trans ITALY: Sting CDs Stolen spectrum. In those cases, I want the additional radio opportunities in World Communications, Grana- Over 100.000 CDs and 8.000 video cassettes of Sting's new album Ten frontline marketing people to get the UK, whether existing licences da Television, Border Television, Summoner's Tales were stolen from a lorry on its route from Germany, involved." or new licences to be advertised." Guardian Manchester Evening where the product was manufactured.