Billboard-1997-08-30
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$6.95 (CAN.), £4.95 (U.K.), Y2,500 (JAPAN) $5.95 (U.S.), IN MUSIC NEWS BBXHCCVR *****xX 3 -DIGIT 908 ;90807GEE374EM0021 BLBD 595 001 032898 2 126 1212 MONTY GREENLY 3740 ELM AVE APT A LONG BEACH CA 90807 Hall & Oates Return With New Push Records Set PAGE 1 2 THE INTERNATIONAL NEWSWEEKLY OF MUSIC, VIDEO AND HOME ENTERTAINMENT AUGUST 30, 1997 ADVERTISEMENTS 4th -Qtr. Prospects Bright, WMG Assesses Its Future Though Challenges Remain Despite Setbacks, Daly Sees Turnaround BY CRAIG ROSEN be an up year, and I think we are on Retail, Labels Hopeful Indies See Better Sales, the right roll," he says. LOS ANGELES -Warner Music That sense of guarded optimism About New Releases But Returns Still High Group (WMG) co- chairman Bob Daly was reflected at the annual WEA NOT YOUR BY DON JEFFREY BY CHRIS MORRIS looks at 1997 as a transitional year for marketing managers meeting in late and DOUG REECE the company, July. When WEA TYPICAL LOS ANGELES -The consensus which has endured chairman /CEO NEW YORK- Record labels and among independent labels and distribu- a spate of negative m David Mount retailers are looking forward to this tors is that the worst is over as they look press in the last addressed atten- OPEN AND year's all- important fourth quarter forward to a good holiday season. But few years. Despite WARNER MUSI C GROUP INC. dees, the mood with reactions rang- some express con- a disappointing was not one of SHUT CASE. ing from excited to NEWS ANALYSIS cern about contin- second quarter that saw Warner panic or defeat, but clear -eyed vision cautiously opti- ued high returns Music's earnings drop 24% from last mixed with some frustration. mistic. No one is of product. year, the executive believes the com- In the Steven J. Ross Theater, singing the blues. Andy Allen, president of Warner pany is well positioned for the named after the late chairman of NO HINGES TO BREAK They cite a new-release schedule that Music Group's indie- distribution arm, future. Time Warner, located on the Warn- YO TOP SPINE LABEL spreads out over many genres and Alternative Distribution Alliance "The second quarte: was off more er Bros. Studios lot, a video high- EASIER ACCESS styles of music and includes albums by (ADA), reports that the company's than I had hoped, and I think we will lighting 40 new artists from the vari- numerous superstars. Titles by acts gross was up 87% during the first six be off for the year compared to last ous Warner labels was screened. Yanni of 1997, thanks to strong year," he says. "But I -hink 1998 will (Continued on page 97) L A S E from Mariah Carey to Metallica to months in quarter. (Continued on page 105) D SC P A R®C K A G I N G are expected the fourth WW W.LASERFILE.COM 213-465-0840 Another reason for hopefulness is (Continued on page 105) Death Row Distrib IN- STORES 9 /16/97 Malpaso Set Heralds Deutsche Grammophon Once Again In Play THE BY CHRIS MORRIS Eastwood's Live Jazz On A Classical Campaign LAWHOU S E BY JIM BESSMAN LOS ANGELES -An informed source indicates that Death Row EXPERIENCE NEW YORK- It was one of those one- For 100th, DG Offers As Label Devotes Box To Records has been quietly talking to o I_ I l ) f of -a -kind concert other labels about distributing its re- events that fully Many Ways To Celebrate Its Beethoven Catalog leases, as a published report hit the ICE CURL merits the acco- BY BRADLEY BAMBARGER BY BRADLEY BAM 3ARGER streets alleging that Seagram Co. ICE l lades from those president/CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr. who were there and NEW YORK -The U.S. arm of NEW YORK- Deutsche Gram - is exerting pressure on Interscope rela- ARO\'E 4 1-1 L LAW the audio and video Deutsche Gram - mophon (DG) has Records to end its distribution long had a special tionship with Death Row. _ '' I)RU DO\VN documentation that mophon (DG) isn't is now coming, celebrating the relationship with The source offers no details on which l' (-i \ LOS the music of Lud- labels may have been contacted by GO n4ACK nearly one year parent label's 100 EASTWOOD later. years as one of wig van Beet - Death Row and could not say whether KAUSION "Eastwood After the most trusted hoven-ever since (Continued on page 104) l' HA 0k:Y D E- Hours -Live At Carnegie Hall" is a brands in classical 1913, m fact, when LV (Continued on page 104) music by just tak- Arthur Nikisch jft.AS KASS n,n .n, XLI ing out a few lau- directed the Berlin Aqua Single K-DEE- reled ads or host- Philharmonic in a Makes A PRPf)f Y,FI7 f,YtAYI Al', ing a round of back -slapping parties. recording of the composer's Fifth liffp It's launching one of the most exten- Symphony. With the label's "Complete sive marketing campaigns in the com- Beethoven Edition," this. legacy has Splash At pany's history in the history of been documented in grand style. REPLICATION -or U.S. Radio A B I L L B O A R D S P O T L I G H T any classical label. The flagship release for DG's cen- (Continued on page 96) (Continued on page 96) SEE PAGE 41 mirm The best oo-COLL10 RHYE: DIRECT HITS I %\NI JAIA B l L B O A R D S P O T L G H T SEE PAGE 61 $5.95 US $6.95 CANADA 35> COLLIfl HHYE CMA Nominee: Mate Vocalist oy the year 1 11 with Sony Online at httpV/www.sony.cem. o 74808 02552 7 IO- STORE: RUGUST 26 © 1997 Sony Music Entertainment Inc. "Epic ", & " " Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off. Mersa Registrada. For more information, connect ADVERTISEMENT www.americanradiohistory.com WITH HIS DYNAMIC NEW ALBUM MIDNI` featuring BOOMBASTIC. ;. ' ©1997 Virgin Records Ltd. 1 AOL keyword: Virgin Records hftp. /vìrgìnrecords. corn www.americanradiohistory.com No. I IN BILLBOARD o. VOLUME 109 NO 35 RIAA Midyear Figs Show Mixed News THE BILLBOARD 200 102 * NO WAY OUT PUFF DADDY & THE FAMILY HAD BOY Trade Group Insists Music Retail Is Healthier BLUES BY BILL HOLLAND The dollar value of that product, calculat- out a net shipment [number] after returns. * UVE AT CARNEGIE HALL 37 STEVIE RAY VAUGHN AND DOUBLE TROUBLE EPIC ed at suggested list price, decreased from So if for some reason a chain closes, or files WASHINGTON, D.C. -Partial market $5.5 billion at midyear '96 to $5.2 billion this for bankruptcy, and pays some of its bill by CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN 36 shrinkage causing a nearly 10% drop in over- year -a 5% decrease (Billboard Bulletin, returning product, that goes off as a nega- * SHADES OF GRACE BOB CARLISLE DIADEM all units shipped and a 5% drop in dollar Aug. 20). tive." in owner of the six- store, COUNTRY value- that's the short version of the bad The RIAA's downbeat figures stand Carl Singmaster, 30 S.C. -based Manifest Disc & Tapes, T * EVERYWHERE TIM MCGRAW CURB news in the midyear sales figures from the stark contrast with recent midyear numbers Columbia, Recording Industry Assn. of America issued by SoundScan, which show a 7.3% in- seconds that assessment. He feels that the O GOSPEL (RIAA), released Aug. 19. crease in units sold at retail. RIAA figures may be accounted for by the P GOD'S PROPERTY 34 * - Mike Fine says, howev- number of chains that have closed stores or GOD'S PROPERTY FROM KIRK FRANKLIN'S NU NATION B.RITE The continuing growth in sales of full SoundScan CEO i length CD albums at retail and a strong er, "I don't necessarily find that a contradic- are buying much more prudently. A HEATSEEKERS uptick in CD singles is the capsule summary tion." "The big guys are buying a lot tighter * BECOMING X SNEAKER PIMPS CLEAN UP now," He also cites changes in label L of the good. He explains, "Their figures say, in retail, he says. of new-re- B KID AUDIO According to the RIAA statistics, the net sales are up; it's among the special markets policies that allow for an extension * CLASSIC DISNEY VOL. I - 60 YEARS OF MUSICAL MAGIC 79 number of all audio and music video product that they say sales are down. SoundScan does lease deals; therefore, retailers can buy VARIOUS ARTISTS WALT DISNEY that manufacturers shipped to U.S. markets not report special- market sales." "more responsibly, because you still have a M (retail, mass merchandisers, and special mar- The RIAA defines the special- market seg- chance on the day after release data to buy THE BILLBOARD LATIN 50 33 S * ROMANCES LUIS MIGUEL WEA LATINA kets, such as record clubs) dropped from ment as including mail-order operations and in at the new -release deal price." 521.2 million at midyear 1996 to 470.7 million record clubs, which it says accounts for 18% For his part, Singmaster says his sales in POP CATALOG 75 in 1997-a 9.7% decrease. of all shipments. 1997 are up "far beyond last year; we're in * GREASE SOUNDTRACK POLYDOR Factoring out this segment, the RIAA says double digits." that retail -only unit shipments of all configu- Sandy Bean, VP of advertising and pro- R &B 21 rations were down only 1.6% and that ship- motions for the 38- store, Troy, Mich.-based * NO WAY OUT PUFF DADDY & THE FAMILY BAD BOY 1st RIAA Latino ments of CD albums to this sector were actu- Harmony House, also reports strong re- ally up 3.2 %.