No Accord Yet On

4 General News Croce Defendants Deny Charges Claim Lawsuit Has No Foundation No Money Owed Executive TurnEoble__1 By ROMAN KOZAK Record Companies NEW YORK -Defendants in the Kurnit calls the litigation against singer's life. Also. Kurnit says, as Les Garland joins Atlantic Records in Los Angeles as general manager of federal court battle over the Jim himself and the other defendants a lawyer for the Croce estate he West Coast operations. For the past three years he was program director at Croce estate (Billboard, June 7, "vendetta," because, he says, with wanted to make sure that Adrian KRFC -AM in San Francisco. He replaces Bob Greenberg who left the label to 1980) are mounting a counter- his companies owning the rights to Croce would inherit his father's es- form his own record Frank Jones takes over as director offensive in the two -year -old case. Croce material, Croce's wife cannot tate, rather than all the money going company.... of Nash- ville operations for Warner Bros. Records. Jones held the post of vice president In the suit, Ingrid Croce, Jim make a movie based on the late to the widow. and general manager for Capitol Croce's widow, is charging Lifesong Records Records, Cashwest, Blendingwell country division for five years. ... At A &M Records in Los Angeles, Jordan Harris has Music, Cashman. Pistilli & West, and their principals -Phillip Kurnit, been upped to vice president /manager of Tommy West and Terry Cashman a &r. Harris, who was in the a &r department, - will direct the a &r staff while handling crea- with a number of alleged civil viola- tions. tive duties. At the same time, Mike Gormley moves vice The defendants deny them all, up to president of communications. He retains his title of assistant to the saying they have no foundation" Garland Jones and pointing to U.S. District Judge chairman. Gormley joined A &M in 1978 as Abraham D. Sofaer's opinion on the director of communications. ... Jere Hausfater has been named director of case last summer when he denied business affairs at MCA Records in L.A. and Bonnie Greenberg has joined the summary judgment. "Plaintiff company's legal department.... Roy Rosenberg moves into the position of na- makes numerous factual and legal tional director of promotion at Stiff Records in New York. Most recently he claims. Most seem meritless," wrote was the Eastern regional album promotion director for Atlantic Records. Ap- the judge. pointments at WEA include Brent Gordon, formerly sales manager for its Washington branch, moving to L.A. where In papers filed in federal court he has taken over as branch man- replacing Rossi, who WEA's and in a subsequent letter to Bill- ager, George has joined home office force in Bur- bank. Davis A. board. Kurnit says that he was not Also Thomas becomes promotion rep for Warner Bros. product in Atlanta. Prior to WEA, Thomas had been a radio programmer. an attorney for Jim Croce when joining WEA Croce was negotiating his manage- Karen Fisher, singles rep in the Balti- ment, publishing and recording con- more /Washington sales office, becomes the tracts with the other defendants, and firm's local promo person representing At- at any rate the contracts were not un- lantic product, while Ferd Renze is named fair to Croce. Kurnit says he only be- promotion representative for Elektra /Asy- lum's product in Philadelphia. came Croce's attorney in 1972. Phil Seltzer has been elevated to warehouse manager of Though the original recording Allied Manufacturing. from assistant ware- DALLAS DESSERT -Bill McEachern of RCA Records group Odyssey is offered contract Croce signed in 1968 gave house manager for WEA's L.A. branch. And slices of cake by fellow group members Louise and Lillian Lopez. The cake ` Harris Gormley Cashman, Pistilli & West options for Sherry Tomura is appointed manager of ac- six years where Croce's royalty was was presented to the group at a party at Dallas' Bernard's II disco in honor of their being given the key to the city, where they were promoting their current counting, headquartered at the company's Burbank facility. Pat Coleman, in only to go up to 8 % of wholesale for LP, "Hang Together." the same office, is now manager of special accounting projects.... At Colum- domestic sales. Kurnit says that in bia Records, New York, Bob Wilcox becomes the East Coast associate director 1971 the contract was extended with of product management. He will be responsible for directing the activities of Croce earning 10% in royalties. COLLEGE PACT the staff. Since last year he has held the position of associate product manager. Says Kurnit: "The (distribution) ... Walter Winnick moves up to regional promotion /marketing manager of deal we made with ABC on Jim the Northeast region for Epic. Portrait, Associated Labels. He is based in New Croce masters was made in 1972. ap- No Accord Yet York.... At Chrysalis Records, L.A., Janet Levinson is named manager of cre- proximately a year after Jim's roy- On ative services. She will be responsible for coordinating and producing all ad- alty rate from us had already in- vertising and promotional materials. ... At 20th Century -Fox Records, Lynn creased to 10% of wholesale. The top ASCAP Fulton is the new coordinator of a &r admin- royalty rate we received from ABC . Licenses istration.... Norro Wilson, staff producer of was 18% of wholesale, and thus we LOS ANGELES -Negotiations prices for contracted shows in excess Warner Bros. country division in Nashville, paid out 5 /9ths of the royalty, more are continuing between the educa- of $1,000. has ankled the post to become an independent than one -half. to Jim in artist royal- tional organizations and ASCAP on An agreement with ASCAP is ex- producer /writer. ties. This translates into approxi- a new license that will increase the pected sometime within the next Publishing mately a 3% of retail producing fee amount of performance copyright week or two. to us, quite low for the talents and fees colleges and universities will Robin Taylor has left his post as general accomplishments of Cashman & pay for music use. manager of United Artists Music in London. West." Wilcox The move leaves the UA Music offices there Winnick Nor, says Kurnit, has Croce's BMI and the educational organi- with only an administrative staff. widow been denied the royalties due zations came to an accord in March In This Issue Croce. He says that as of the end of on a new 31/2-year license (Billboard. CLASSICAL 44 Related Fields last year "a total of $2,336,094 has March 29, 1980). CLASSIFIED MART 33, 35 COMMENTARY 16 been paid by us to Ingrid Croce (ei- According to a source close to the At Radio Shack in Fort Worth, Dr. John D. Patterson is appointed vice pres- ther directly or to the estate)." COUNTRY 27 negotiations, ASCAP's demands are DISCO BUSINESS 51 ident of research and development. Before joining Radio Shack in 1979, as di- "exceedingly high" which is perhaps INTERNATIONAL 59 rector of Tandy Systems Design, Patterson had been manager of product de- one reason it has taken longer to JAZZ 70 velopment for Xerox Corp. ... The William Morris Agency has transferred Chrysalis Renews reach to an agreement with that PUBLISHING 26 Marty Klein to the New York personal appearance department in an executive RADIO 17 department, moved into the LOS ANGELES- Chrysalis Rec- society. SOUND BUSINESS /VIDEO 55 capacity. Klein, who headed the New York music new position because of expanded activity in Atlantic City and on the East ords is renewing its licensee deal Under the terms of the former li- TALENT 46 Coast Ronnie Cohan joins American Talent International as an with Capitol Records -EMI of Can- cense which expired Dec. 31, 1979. generally.... FEATURES agent. He joins the firm from International Creative Management where for ada, Ltd. The three -year contract, ASCAP received 6 cents per full - Counterpoint 31 six years he worked many of that firm's top which begins July 1 of this year, con- time equivalent student with an ap- Disco Action 52 Tom Eaton joins House Distributors tinues the previous three -year pact proximate additional one cent based Inside Track 78 acts.... as a Denver sales rep. Previously he was a with Capitol. on both seating capacity and ticket Lifelines 71 New LP & Tape Releases 37, 39 buyer for Danjay Music in that city.... Au- Rock 'n' Rolling 65 dio-Technica U.A., Inc., promotes Dorie Sales Barometer 8 Johnson to regional sales manager for parts Stock Market Quotations 8 VoxJox 25 of the Midwest and Eastern seaboard. She NASHVILLE PRODUCERS was a customer services manager for the CHARTS Levinson phono accessory and audiophile record mar- Fulton Top LPs 75, 77 keting firm. ... At Zenith Radio Corp. in GO OUT ON THEIR OWN Singles Radio Action Chart 20, 22 By KIP KIRBY Glenview, Ill., John L. McCallis has been upped to vice president of marketing Album Radio Action Chart 24 activities from vice president, sales plans. He will be responsible for product NASHVILLE -Nashville appears the rest falling to outside producers Boxoffice 48 planning, advertising, sales promotion, market analysis and sales training. He to be going the route of the inde- in the studio. Bubbling Under Top LPs /Hot 100 25 replaces Roberts S. Bowen who has resigned.... Ken McKenzie has been ap- producer, judging from a Billy Sherrill, long -time a &r vet- pendent Disco Top 100 54 pointed corporate director of sales and marketing at Emilar in Studio City, of local record companies eran and staff producer for CBS survey Jazz LPs 70 Calif.

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