Memphis' Explanation Retail !Soul TM 1 Chain Opens Its Own One -Stop C Copyright 1980, Billboard Publications, Inc

23 General News Billboard SPECIAL SURVEY For Week Ending 5/3/80 AND SEEKING NEW EMPLOYES Memphis' Explanation Retail !Soul TM 1 Chain Opens Its Own One -Stop c Copyright 1980, Billboard Publications, Inc. No part o' this publication may be reproduced. stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted. in any form or by any By JEAN WILLIAMS mea.s, electronic. mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission LOS ANGELES -The Explana- 1972, says record sales, for the most "For the industry people we had of the publisher. tion retail record chain in Memphis part, have been good at all shops. eight DJs from four local stations, expanded into the one -stop business He credits this largely on the ex- WDIA -AM, WLOK -AM, WHRK- *STAR Performer-LP's registering greatest proportionate upward prog- last week when it opened New Dawn pertise of his staffers, pointing out FM and WZXR -FM spinning rec- ress this week Enterprises. that his employes are trained in mu- ords. TITLE 3 TITLE The chain, with three outlets in sic, how to sell it and how to buy it. "For the general public," he con- Artist, Label & Number Artist, Label & Number Dist. Label) different parts of the city and a "Once they learn this they are on tinues, "we had Arista's Galaxy to (Dist. Label) A 3 fourth to open mid -May, has their own and I just consult them." provide the entertainment and we 2 3 GO AU. THE WAY 39 36 22 BRASS CONSTRUCTION 5 brought of Eldridge Henry and Ed- he says. There are 12 persons em- had several prizes ranging from a Isley Brothers, Brass Construction, ward Smith to operate the one -stop. ployed by the retail outlets. gift certificate to a weekend for two T -Neck FZ 36305 (CBS) United Artists LT-977 According to Clarence Boone, gen- In addition to competent staffers, at the Hilton Inn to a waterbed and 2 1 9 UGHT UP THE NIGHT 40 MEP [VP SWEET SENSATION Brothers Johnson, A &M SP -3716 Stephanie Mills, eral manager the chain, he is look- giveaways, of Boone says, "another reason our LPs, T- shirts, pins and 3 3 18 THE WHISPERS 20th Century T.603 (RCA) ing to hire an additional three per- sales are good is that we keep a good other things." The Whispers, 41 37 15 HIROSHIMA Solar BXL13521 (RCA) sons to work at New Dawn. advertising campaign going plus we In addition to the anniversary Hiroshima, Arista AB-4252 5 8 WARM THOUGHTS Boone notes that the Explanation do a lot of promotion." party. Boone maintains the com- 42 41 10 WINNERS Smokey Robinson. stores are full -line outlets stocking In terms of promotion, he explains pany sponsors this type of event a Meer, Atlantic SD 19262 Tamla T8367M1 (Motown) r &b, gospel, rock, pop country, jazz, that the company has an annual an- couple of times a year. 43 38 21 LIVE AND UNCENSORED 5 4 36 OFF THE WALL Millie Jackson, tapes and record accessories. niversary party, "and at that time we Record discounts is another rea- Michael Jackson, Epic FE -35745 Spring SP2-6725 (Polydor) Explanation has taken the mini - try to show our customers how much son customers continue to patronize 7 6 ROBERTA FLACK 44 44 9 LADY T mall concept for its outlets. Boone we appreciate them. Explanation, says Boone. FEATURING DONNY Teena Marie, Gordy HATHAWAY explains that under one roof are "In addition to our customers, we "We try to run special discounts at G7-992R1 (Motown) three operations, a record shop, invite label promotion representa- least quarterly and we always have Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway, Atlantic SD 16013 45 39 20 GLORYHALLASTOOPID flower shop and women's wear out- tives as well as radio announcers and an anniversary sale. For these sales. Parliament, 13 4 LETS Casablanca NBLP 7195 let. works GET SERIOUS "Each shop off the next." other station personnel and the local which include the top selling albums lermaine Jackson, 46 45 26 ON THE RADIO- GREATEST He notes that there is an open pas- media. and tapes, we discount the product Motown M7.928R1 HITS VOLUME sageway connecting the different "We structure the party in two 10 % -15 %. We also have a large dis- 10 TWO PLACES AT THE ONE & TWO shops and customers may stroll from phases. The first phase is for the mu- count section at all times." Explana- SAME TIME Donna Summer, Casablanca NBLP-2-7191 one to the next without leaving the sic industry people and media and tion charges $6.49 for its Ray Parker Jr. and Raydio. LPs and Arista AL 9515 building. phase two is for our customers. The tapes. 47 46 10 SUPERCHARGED 11 4 Tavares, Capitol ST 12026 The mini -mall concept applies to last party we called 'Explanations Boone had been purchasing his GQArista AL 9511 48 47 20 THE DANCE OF UFE all three retail record locations. The Welcome To The '80s Disco' which product from Select-O -Hit and Pop- 10 6 20 GAP BAND II Narada Michael Walden, Atlantic fourth shop will be located in the was held at Club 2001. ular Tune, both Memphis one -stops. Gap Band, Mercury SRM 13804 SD 19259 11 RAY, Mid America Mall. 8 18 GOODMAN & BROWN 49 50 5 TWO TONS OF FUN Ray, Goodman & Brown, All outlets do not have the same Two Tons Of Fun, Fantasy F -9584 Polydor PD 1 -6240 - mix of stores. "It depends on the 59 3 MONSTER Veteran Ex- 16 3 SPIRIT OF LOVE W Motown Acts Herbie Hancock, area. That determines how we mix Con Funk Shun, Columbia IC 36415 the businesses. Instead of plants, at Mercury SRM 1 -3806 60 2 LOVE IS THE ANSWER one store we have furnishings. Some Rebound Strong On Chart 1 UPPS INC. W Lonnie Liston Smith. Mouth To Mouth, areas lean to plants while others lean Columbia JC 36373 LOS ANGELES -Gladys Knight Knight & the Pips' "Landlord," Casablanca NBLP 7197 toward furnishings," he says. & the Pips, the Temptations and produced by Ashford & Simpson, 14 9 SKYLARKIN' 52 48 8 IN 'N' OUT Stone City Band, Boone points out that each shop Jimmy Ruffin, all classic acts from leaps 18 points to number 32 in its Grover Washington, Jr., Motown M7-933R1 Gordy G7991R1 (Motown) attracts a different clientele. "One Motown's mid -'60s heyday, are re- third week on Billboard's Soul Sin- store is on Elvis Presley Blvd., where 15 15 THE BLUE ALBUM 53 49 25 MASTERIAM bounding after long cold spells on gles chart. The disk is the group's Rufus & &hake, MCA MCA-5103 the customers are 85% black, in the Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes the heels of recent label realign- first release on Columbia after seven Featuring Sharon Paige, Source 54 54 7 SURE SHOT Whitehaven area shop the clientele S0R-3197 (MCA) ments. years on Buddah. Gown Heights Affair, is about 55% black, 45% white and in 16 14 9 LOVE SOMEBODY TODAY De-Lite SDR-9517 (Mercury) Another group from Motown's The family group was the No. I Sister Sledge, Cotillion the East Memphis store it's broken is 55 51 4 RELEASED golden era, the Four Tops, in the pop singles act in the business on SD-16012 (Atlantic) down to 15% black, 85% white. We process of Patti LaBelle, Epic JE 36381 being signed to Casa- Billboard's year -end chart recaps for 17 12 12 EVERY GENERATION must stock all types of music." 56 52 16 YELLOW MAGIC blanca, which formerly had the Pips both 1973 and 1974, but hasn't had a Ronnie Laws, Boone does the buying for all out- minus Gladys under contract. After top 20 pop hit since "The Way We United Artists LT-1001 ORCHESTRA Yellow Magic Orchestra, Horizon lets, which are owned by James 18 17 29 BIG FUN leaving Motown, the Tops had three Were" five years ago. SP -736 (ABM) Scales and Thomas Bowen. 15 Shalamar, Solar BXLI.3419 (RCA) top pop hits in 1973 on ABC/ And the Temptations' "Power," 67 2 NOW APPEARING 19 19 9 SKYWAY Boone, who started with Explana- Dunhill, but the act hasn't cracked coproduced by Berry Gordy, jumps AT MISS Skyy, Salsoul SA 8532 (RCA) OLE tion at the time of its inception in the Top 40 since that year. 16 spots to number 52 in its second B.B. King, MCA MCA 28016 25 3 AFTER MIDNIGHT week on the soul chart. It's the Manhattans, Columbia JC 36411 58 53 30 RISE Herb Alpert, HAM SP 4790 Temptations' first single since re- 21 20 9 101 signing with Motown's Gordy label Dramatics, MCA MCA-3I96 59 55 26 INJOY after two hitless years on Atlantic. 22 21 11 FUN AND GAMES Bar -Kays, Mercury SRM 13781 Mangione, Counterpoint The group hit the pop top 15 at Chuck A8M SP3715 73 2 THE GLOW OF LOVE least once every year from 1964 W 27 6 SPYRO GYRA Change, RFC 3438 (Warner Bros) Continued from page 22 Catching The Sun, MCA MCA -5108 Jackson, Miss. -based Juana Rec- ( "The Way You Do The Things You 61 57 46 WHERE THERE'S SMOKE Chicago -based firm, Maurice G. 24 22 33 LADIES NIGHT Smokey Robinson, ords, headed by Frederick Knight, Do ") to 1973 ( "Masterpiece"), but Kool The White & Associates. 8 Gang De-Lite Tamia T7366 (Motown) has moved from TK Records to in- has been shut out from the Top 40 DSR -9513 (Mercury) 62 64 2 BACK FOR MORE White's company, which he calls a 3 HOT BOX dependent distribution.

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