Dominates Midem Asia
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MAY 31, 1997 Music VOLUME 14, ISSUE 22 £3.95 DM11 FFR35 Alternative rock: a term US$7 without meaning in DFL11.50 Media® 1997? See pages 13-15. Hong Kong hand -over Otto sells his stake in Viva dominates Midem Asia by Christian Lorenz HAMBURG - Mediaentrepreneur by Emmanuel Legrand east Asia, Jui Chian Giouw, said dur- much bigger consumer base." Frank Otto has sold his 19.8 percent ing a panel focusing on "Hong Kong Leslie Ching, general manager of stake in German music TV station HONG KONG - The music industry is Hong Kong's composers and authors Viva to the remaining shareholders. still undecided whether the hand -over rights society CASH, says the local of the British colony of Hong Kong to industry will benefit from having to China on July 1 will represent a major invest in new musical genres to better leap forward or a dramatic step back- accomodate the tastes of consumers in wards in trying to establish one of the mainland China. strongest legitimate music markets in Ching pointedoutthat, "Hong11411VA Southeast Asia. Kong -based entrepreneurs will be ina The subject was very much on the better position to set up joint ventures Before the deal, which took effect minds of attendees at the Midem Asia with companies in mainland China." on April 30, Viva's capital was equally trade fair, held in Hong Kong May 21- S With the extension of the music mar- dividedbetweenEMI,PolyGram, 23. Despite some reservations, the gen- post -June 1997" that the Hong Kongket,hesaysthatheeventually Sony Music, Warner Music and Otto, eral consensus among representatives Music industry is, "bullish about the expects, "competition to become stiffer with a 1 percent minority share held of the local industry was that business handover, because we will have a continued on page 28 by Musik Im Fernsehen, the owner of would benefit from the hand -over. the Viva name. Key industry figures expect Hong Shortlybeforethesalewas Kong -based companies to have easier finalised, Musik Im Fernsehen-whose access to the Chinese market than at Cannes Accord ready 'soon' main shareholders are Austrian video present, and to be able to rely on a producers Hannes Rossacher and Rudi wider audience to which to market by Jeff Clark -Meads ety (MCPS) and PolyGram Interna- Dolezal-opted to take up its option to their artists. tional Music Publishing, the main pro- increase its stake in the station. As a IFPI regional director for South LONDON - Logistics rather than majorponents of direct distribution, agreed result, Viva's def- disagreements are behind the latestto drop the scheme in return for a sys- inite capital delay in settling the most divisive issuetem of lower commission rates from all structure still in the history of European mechanicalof Europe's collecting societies (see has to be negoti- NUMBER ONE royalty collection. Music & Media, February 1). ated between the The Cannes Accord, the document The agreement ending the dispute, partners. A European Radio Top 50 which ended the contentious issue ofthe Cannes Accord, which was ham- spokesperson for MICHAEL JACKSON direct distribution, is five months late mered out by leading collecting society Viva MD Dieter Blood On The Dance Floor in being signed (Music & Media, Mayexecutives and the world-wide heads of Gorny says a res- (Epic 24) but both sides in the direct distrib-the international publishing compa- Frank Otto olution is expect- ution debate now say it is satisfactorynies, was due to have been signed ed in around one Eurochart Hot 100 Singles in its current form. before the end of last winter. However, month's time. R. KELLY Europe's music publishers and col- it was delayed by a number of technical According to Otto, the sale was I Believe I Can Fly lecting societies had been set intomatters and interpretational disputes. motivated by "an attractive price and (Jive) entrenched and opposing camps overA final version of the document was tax considerations." The exact value of the issue of direct distribution, whichagreed on April 29, and should have the deal has not been disclosed, but European Top 100 Albums threatens to deprive continental Euro- been completed in the first week of Otto hints at, "A two -digit figure in SPICE GIRLS pean authors bodies of traditional rev- May, but remains unsigned. million DM." enue schemes. It is understood that the document is Otto-who owns significant stakes Spice At MIDEM in January, the U.K.'smissing business information from a in several German radio stations as (Virgin) Mechanical Copyright Protection Soci- continued on page 28 continued on page 28 OUT NOW WORLDWIDE ON ORBIT RECORDS/ VIRGIN RECORDS FAX -NO. FOR SAMBA DE JANEIRO LICENSING REQUESTS: 0049-40-432932-0 CD: 8 94331 2 lanna AmericanRadioHistory.Com jon bon jovimidnight in Chelsea the new solo single #1 most added CHR radio in US Written & Produced by Jon Bon Jovi & Dave Stewart Radio Active and most added European Radio Top 50 hot/breakout rotation From the forthcoming album: "Destination Anywhere" AmericanRadioHistory.Com German radio targets techno fans gets 14-25 year -olds with a mixture of The station's programming variesent company FFH and close to that of techno, hip -hop and rap. Originallythe intensity of the music and beats the station's target audience. COLOGNE/FRANKFURT -Fans of tech - launched in February as part of a dig- per minute according to the time ofProgramme director Andreas Schulz no and current ambient sounds areital audio broadcasting (DAB) pilot day, from ambient and trip -hop in the and music editor Kerstin Schwitalla are being catered for as never before byproject in the state of Hessen, the sta- morning, through techno and house in supported by a team of 10 employees. German radio. tion went terrestrial on April 21, after the afternoon, back to more ambient Whether the new techno formats Two new German radio stationsstate media authority LPR Hessenmusic at night. Heitmeyer explains will prove commercially viable remains have begun broadcasting a wide spec- awarded FFH three FM frequencies. that the station aims to offer, "the to be seen. Heitmeyer expects Evosonic trum of current electronic music-from right kind of sound at the right time." to gross DM 3 million ($1.8 million) in ambient electronics to hard techno FFHhead ofsales revenue by the end of the year, tracks-to listeners in most European music Ralf"based on 15 percent sold advertising territories via the Astra satellite. Blasberg acts as time in the first six months and 20 per- Cologne -based Evosonic and Planet a programmingcent after that." Radio in Frankfurt are targeting the consultant for At present, Evosonic offers only German market, but their signal can be Planet Radio and three minutes of advertising per hour received in other parts of Europe with- Evosonic broadcasts at present via is influential in for DM 13-25 ($8.1-$15.6) per second, a out difficulty-and the absence of virtu- Astraandcablenetworksin determining that station's playlist. price on a par with satellite market ally all talk content makes it easy for Nordrhein-Westfalen, Schleswig-"Planet Radio has probably one of theleader Klassik FM. Younger German listeners to avoid the language barrier. Holstein and Baden-Wurttemberg.youngest formats in Germany," claims satellite broadcasters such as black Evosonic was launched on May 1 byBased on faxes and phone calls fromBlasberg. He adds that its core artistsmusic station Jam FM sell from founder/MD Frank Heitmeyer. It tar-listeners, Heitmeyer estimates thatinclude Daft Punk, Brooklyn Bounce, around DM 3 ($1.8) per second. gets 12-39 year -olds with ambient Evosonic reaches a total of 40,000 lis- DJ Quicksilver and Red 5. "On June 30, we will re -assess our music, trip -hop, techno and other teners per average hour. There are two basic rotations. Asituation," says Heitmeyer. "If we formsof contemporaryelectronic The station employs a staff of 12. title on "power" rotation returns everycannot communicate the concept of music. By June 30, Heitmeyer plans to Programme director Ingotwo and a half hours; a title on cur-limited advertising at a premium have the station included on all Schnorrenberg can call on guest DJsrent rotation is played every fourrate, we will have to reconsider our German cable nets, with the exception likeChicago house legend Jessehours on average. The station playsprices and the percentage of advertis- of Hamburg and Berlin. Saunders to spice up the schedule. "We 14 titles per hour and keeps talk downing in our output." He adds, "The sta- PlanetRadioisoperatedby invite local or international DJs intoto a bare minimum. tion might go through considerable Frankfurt -based commercial CHR our Cologne studios, or we ask them to With an average age of 22, Planetchanges after June 30." broadcaster Hit Radio FFH, and tar- send us DATs," says Heitmeyer. Radio's staff is younger than that of par-Additional reporting by Robert Lyng. Manchester, Merseyside to gainnewFM licence by Mike McGeever putting together a bid for the NorthWest regional licence won by Jazz West licence, according to sources. 100.4 FM, which went on -airin LONDON -Record producer Pete Meanwhile, the Chrysalis Group's September 1994. Chrysalis also pro- Waterman and former Virgin Radio radio division Chrysalis Radio has con- posed an AC format for a commercial programme director Mark Story arefirmed it is applying for the licence,licence in Manchester-which was among the first contenders to emergewhich has the potential to reach aboutawarded to dance station Kiss 102 in the race for the new North West4.3 million adults (aged 15 -plus).FM-in the same year. England regional commercial licenceChrysalis has also indicated it will be The Virus Radio application propos- advertisedby competing with Virus again when the es a station which will champion new U.K.