PolyGram -Tin Pan Apple Ally Fat Boys On New label )E THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION has given plaints on compact disk product. Of about 90 employ- by LL Cool J and Oran "Juice" final approval to a consent BY BRIAN CHIN agreement between ees, 20 or so are expected to survive the cutback, Jones' pop- charting "The Rain." Warner Communications Inc. and PolyGram Records some of whom will wind up in the company's broad- NEW YORK PolyGram is the lat- RCA is readying a special 12- Inc. relating to the ill- fated, FTC- nullified attempt by casting unit ... Marvin Cane, former chief of Famous est major label to jump into the inch label to be called "ARF," in both labels to join forces abroad and in the U.S. The Music, is about to make a deal on a feature film come- street -music fray: A distribution reference to RCA's historic Nipper agreement, first announced last June (Billboard, June dy, for which he'll serve as associate producer. Cane deal between PolyGram and the logo. No artists have yet been 28), stated that the companies would seek FTC ap- promises lots of contemporary music for the sound- newly formed Tin Pan Apple Rec- signed to ARF, although the RCA proval before acquiring any interest in major record track. ords brings the gold -selling Fat label released J.M. Silk's house - companies and notify the commission about any dis- Boys into major distribution, end- music single "I Can't Turn tribution agreements planned. The agreements carry FRED, GINGER & NEIMAN- MARCUS: RKO Pic- ing the act's three -album relation- Around" in September. This re- the force of law ... Shelly Rudin has left PolyGram tures Home Video has prepared a three -volume set of ship with the independently dis- lease represents another major-la- Records as senior vice president of sales . .. Florence Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers classics that will be tributed Sutra label. bel effort to bring black street mu- Greenberg, founder of Scepter Records, who now sold by the upscale Neiman -Marcus department Also covered under the Tin Pan sic to mainstream radio. lives in Los Angeles, is writing her autobiography. stores under the tag "Neiman- Marcus And RKO Pic- Apple umbrella are the Latin Ras- It'll center, of course, on the years at Scepter when tures Present." The specially designed box, contain- cals, the New York -based studio hits flowed from the likes of Dionne Warwick and ing "Top Hat," "Shall We Dance ?" and "Swingtime," edit -and -remix team of Tony `We expect B.J. Thomas, with much writing and record produc- sells for $100 and contains never -released black -and- Moran & Albert Cabrera. Moran & to tion done by none other than Burt Bacharach and Hal white stills. The store has purchased 3,000 copies, ac- Cabrera have built a strong follow- do really David ... Sid Bernstein is back in management after cording to RKO's Ellen Wander. RKO has released ing as producers and artists. big things' signing Bobby Rock & the Dream, a group out of seven musicals starring Astaire, which are sold sepa- Custom -label activity of this Bucks County, Pa. It's been five years since Bern- rately for $29.95 each. sort has been on the increase this stein last managed an act -Laura Branigan. year. Examples include: the cross- In announcing the Tin Pan Apple PRIORITY RECORDS, owned by Bryan Turner and over success of Tommy Boy's agreement, PolyGram president TRUTH IN ADVERTISING: Ads for the new Tower Mark Cerami and distributed by Capitol Records, is Force M.D.'s and the label's linkup and CEO Dick Asher praised the Records /Tower Video in Torrance, Calif., express re- now shipping its first compact disk, a 1980 live con- with Warner Bros., the release of Fat Boys and the Latin Rascals as spect for the competition and confidence in the Tower cert by Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons. The compa- the Warner-signed Club Nouveau being "among the freshest and chain's own strength: Tag lines tell consumers that ny is preparing 10 compilation CDs of '50s and '60s through Tommy Boy as an inde- most dynamic performers around Tower's recently opened outlet is located "across the hits ... RCA's compact disk club has added book cas- pendently distributed record in the today." Tin Pan Apple is owned by street" from the established Wherehouse superstore. settes to its monthly mailings. CBS recently expand- 12 -inch format, and the string of Charles Stettler and Linda West. A ed its line of home entertainment software to include Def Jam /Columbia hits, notably Tin Pan Apple spokeswoman said, THE AGREEMENT in which Fries Entertainment home video programmings ... The CD boom has also the gold- certified "Radio" album "We're very happy with the deal, would purchase Prism Entertainment, the home video meant a spirited revival of the industry fortunes of and we expect both [bands] to do company, is off. Negotiating to finalize the deal since jacket fabricators. Ivy Hill, for instance, had its first really big things." No other acts May, the companies have now decided to "agree to printing last month of 1 million CD booklets, reports are currently signed to the new la- disagree." The impact of the breakup upon Prism is 'company president Ellis Kern, who is currently also bel. as yet uncertain. busy chairing the Nov. 1 United Jewish Appeal dinner MTV Shuffle The Fat Boys are now filming in honor of Willie Nelson ... New York Gov. Mario "Disorderlies," the act's first star- GROWING PAINS are forcing the National Assn. of Cuomo couldn't make Sept. 23's music and video ring Creates Two movie. The trio had co- starred Recording Merchandisers and the Video Software B'nai B'rith luncheon in New York in honor of Music - in last year's "Krush Groove" with Dealers Assn. to move from their Cherry Hill, N.J., land's Jack Eugster. Instead, none other than former numerous other rap artists. The address to a larger facility in Marlton, N.J., the first U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger delivered the New Divisions Fat Boys will release an album week of December. The new headquarters will give keynote address ... The third annual Music Industry through PolyGram in early 1987, the crowded NARM /VSDA staff an additional 2,500 Tennis Open for the benefit of the T.J. Martell Foun- followed by the film soundtrack to square feet . RCA /Ariola chief Elliot will BY STEVEN DUPLER Goldman dation for Leukemia and Cancer Research will be "Disorderlies." The Latin Rascals, keynote the NARM convention in February in Holly- held Oct. 18, at the National Tennis Center in Flush- NEW YORK MTV Networks has whose first single, "Bach To The wood, Fla. On Dec. 13 Goldman receives the Humani- ing Meadow, N.Y. Contact tennis committee chairman revealed a major management over- Future," was released on Sutra re- tarian Award in New York from the AMC Cancer Re- Herb Linsky for more info at 212 -247 -4422 ... The haul, in which the Viacom Interna- cently, will release a like -titled al- search Center ... Lou Kwiker, president of Where- wife of Ervin Litkei, the New York -based wholesaler tional Inc. subsidiary is split into two bum through Tin Pan Apple early house, told a story of family loyalty during the recent (Olympia Record Industries), has just had her third newly created divisions: MTV Net- in 1987. NARM advisory committee meetings in San Diego. book of poetry, "Horn Of The Unicorn," published, re- works Entertainment and MTV Net- The Fat Boys were known as the Two years ago, his wife could not find a 12 -inch single plete with four -color reproductions of paintings by works Operations. Disco 3 until the single "Fat Boys" she'd been searching for at Kwiker's chain and resort- the author, Andrea Fodor Litkei. Bob Pittman -MTVN president became a hit. It was after this suc- ed to buying it from a competitor. "When my kids saw and chief executive officer, who re- cess that the band officially adopt- her get out of the car with a Licorice Pizza bag, they CHRISTMAS WITH MADONNA: Sire Records will cently said he will leave the company ed the name. On Sutra, its three al- said 'How could you ?' and wouldn't speak to her for market a 6 -cut Madonna EP, "You Can Dance," a sometime next year to form a record bums have all been major sellers: two days," said Kwiker. month or so before Christmas. The package contains label and to work on various other en- "Fat Boys" has sold more than a previously unreleased cut, "Spotlight," and five re- tertainment ventures with MCA Rec- 800,000 units; "The Fat Boys Are CBS RECORDS will inherit several executives as a mixes of previous releases. Edited by IRV LICHTMAN ords -has named Tom Freston, for- Back!" has sold more than 600,000; result of layoffs at the CBS Technology Center in merly senior vice president and gen- and "Big and Beautiful" is nearly Stamford, Conn. The applied research unit, which eral manager of MTVN, to the post equivalent to gold, according to CBS is expected to sell, is credited with helping to de- of president of the entertainment di- Sutra. velop the LP and has been monitoring consumer com- vision. Bob Roganti, who was senior vice president and general manager of MTVN advertising sales, is now president of the operations arm. The purpose of the restructuring is US. Latin Label Gets Tough On Para/ /e/ Imports to "ensure a smooth transition" as which presently has copyright in- says the counterfeits are Ameri- BY FRED GOODMAN want to get involved. "Mostly, Pittman prepares to leave the firm, fringement suits pending in Cali- can- manufactured. we've been going in with our own says Kenneth Gorman, executive vice NEW YORK A U.S. -based Latin fornia, Illinois, and Florida, also "The counterfeits are hurting investigators and making people president of Viacom International label is taking an aggressive plans to intensify its activities in everybody," he says. "We recently sign statements that the material Inc. and chairman of the Viacom Net- stance against parallel imports Texas, where it wants to focus at- went to a swap meet where all the they're selling is counterfeit in ex- works Group. and counterfeit recordings. tention on flea markets and swap recordings being offered were change for the product," he says. Under the new arrangement, a ma- Profono Internacional Inc. of counterfeits -and there was no "There's some risk in that." jor consolidation of the various Los Angeles says it has served Latin product." According to Pisterman, the bat- MTVN executives and programming more than 100 cease-and -desist let- `The counterfeits ALARM, which was formed over tle against illegal product was un- services takes place. Reporting to ters and undertaken 13 separate hurt five years ago to deal with illicit dertaken because "we noticed our Freston are the programming, pro- infringement suits in recent everybody' product, among other issues, em- sales were getting smaller. And duction, and marketing groups of months as part of a drive to stem ploys its own team of investiga- we think we can hurt the counter- MTV, VH -1, Nickelodeon, and Nick the flow of illicit product affecting meets as well as on sale of illegal tors. Pisterman says that when the feiters and make them think At Nite as well as all MTVN affiliate the Latin and pop markets in the product through supermarkets group had originally sought help twice." sales and marketing, business man- U.S. and other retail outlets. from the FBI, it was told that rec- Pisterman says that with the agement and development, and press Luis Pisterman, general manag- Pisterman says that although ord counterfeiting is a low priori- quality of counterfeits improving, and public affairs executives. er for Profono, says the compa- Profono and ALARM undertook ty. However, ALARM has been the problem could get worse. He Roganti now oversees all advertis- ny- through its membership in the their campaign in order to stem able to gain the cooperation of the notes there are other issues fuel- ing sales for each of the four MTVN Assn. of Latin American Record the flow of counterfeit and parallel Los Angeles Police Department ing the situation. "The big distrib- services, as well as MTVN promo- Manufacturers (ALARM) -has import Latin titles in the American and is working to teach vice offi- utors are just not giving good ser- tional marketing and corporate ser- been involved in raids on street market, their raids have uncovered cers to recognize counterfeit re- vice to the Latin market," he says. vices, including creative services and and swap -meet vendors that have counterfeit versions of current re- cordings. "But I think we have research. to try and put netted over 100,000 illegal cas- leases by Madonna, Peter Cetera, Pisterman says there are re- our house in order." settes in the last month. Profono, and David Lee Roth as well. He gions where the local police do not 92 BILLBOARD OCTOBER 4, 1986

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