Might Affect Spears, Destiny's Child, Backstreet Their Fiscal Bread with a Steady Series in the U.S
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BUMPER CROP OF POP COMPILATIONS RENEWS GENRE Now the Web (Continued from page 5) tracks from `N Sync, Sisgó, Britney new collections. Many indies butter longest- running compilation total worldwide sales surpassing 46 Might Affect Spears, Destiny's Child, Backstreet their fiscal bread with a steady series in the U.S. In their origi- million, according to a spokeswoman Boys, and 3 Doors Down. The 19- stream of collections. nal form, the volumes show- at EMI in London. track "Now 5" hit the streets Nov. Indeed, the majors have bonded cased hit dance songs whose " `Now' was huge everywhere Compilations 14 and will debut in the next issue in a way that shuts out many of the videoclips aired over the net- except America," says Bob Mercer, NEW YORK -Does the wide- of Billboard. smaller players: "Now" was origi- work. senior VP of UTV Records and Uni- spread presence of shared music Other current -based collections nally a joint venture of PolyGram, Because of the hip brand identity, versal Music Enterprises. "It had files over the Internet endanger are eagerly falling in line -in this Universal, and the EMI Group, but they garnered immediate authority been popular pretty much from the the compilations marketplace? month alone, the R &B- niched "Vibe now also has Zomba (Jive) and Sony at the cash register: The first vol- moment it was released, so it was While industry observers Hits" on Arista (linked with Vibe in its camp (without the PolyGram ume moved half a million copies obvious there was a straightforward don't scoff at the Web's impact, magazine), the multi -format "Uni- name, since it merged with Univer- (with total sales of the 14- volume demand, and we weren't supplying neither are they intimidated by versal Smash Hits" on Universal/ sal last year). "Totally Hits" com- series now topping 8 million, accord- the U.S." its potential effect on high-pro- Motown, Roadrunner's "MTV: The prises Arista, Warner Bros., Elek- ing to SoundScan). But they were PolyGram, before folding into file collections. Return Of The Rock Vol. 2," LaFace tra, and Atlantic; and "Platinum still a tough sell for Tommy Boy Universal, had already had great "Musicmaker and downloading Records' R &B-splashed "The Plat- Hits" links Columbia with its C2 when negotiating with labels to success here with its mid- to late - over Napster are the same thing inum Collection," and "Totally Hits imprint, Ruffhouse, Interscope, and make tracks available for the series. '90s series "Pure Funk" and "Pure as building a mix tape for a party," 3," released by Arista in cooperation a handful of boutique labels. "At that time, we were really in Disco" and was open to a U.S. says Ken Peterson, executive VP with Warner, Elektra, and Atlantic. "It's harder for me now," acknowl- the business by ourselves," says invasion. for Virgin Records. "It's gone on Other long -running current -hits edges Cory Robbins, founder and Tommy Boy head of marketing Mar- With invited label parties brought for years, because some social di- series include MTV's "Party To Go" head of dance label Robbins Enter- tin Davies. "We always had to con- together under one roof-a feat in rector for a fraternity always on Tommy Boy, Arista's "Ultimate tainment, which assembles two to vince people that selling us their hot itself-and UTV Records VP of thinks he can make a better com- Dance Party," and "The Source" hip - four compilations a year. "The tracks wasn't going to damage artist A &R and marketing Jeff Moskow at pilation than we can." hop collections (originally on Poly - majors are no longer willing to sell sales, because advertising would the helm, the negotiating process to But no one said the industry Gram/Universal Music TV [UTV], me a track, because they're saving benefit impressions. That was al- decide upon tracks for the initial accepts that enthusiastically. now on Def Jam/Universal). These them for their own records. I can't ways an uphill battle, though one we "Now" got under way. Columbia Records Group execu- albums also continue to flex chart blame them, but it's important for us were able to win. Don't think we "We all approached this entirely tive VP /GM Will Botwin says, "It muscle, demonstrating a dramatic to have these, because there are didn't spend a reasonable amount of as a front -line business," Moskow doesn't mean we're happy about growth curve in compilations since slow months here and there, and I money to do so, though." says. "The business of compilations the fact that every piece of music the mid-'90s. need to have billing all the time." The compilation business made its has suffered in the past for not being is available on MP3 and compres- In fact, their evolution has recast "Maybe it is unfair to the smaller next overture into American pop regarded in that manner. There's sion formats, but it's a fact. People the reputation of compilations from labels that the majors have teamed culture in 1995, when "Jock Jams" (Continued on next page) are music seekers." the ubiquitous, somewhat on Tommy Boy caught The downloading trend doesn't camp coterie of '70s K -tel the fancy of the sports - cast any sort of doom over compila- records -widely acknowl- obsessed public. The first tions, according to Michael Cohen, edged as the vanguard of in the series, released in VP of commercial marketing for the mass-appeal hit collections July '95, was a home run, COMPILATION Warner Music Group. "If anything, (see sidebar). moving 2.1 million copies. the popularity of Napster has final- Since then, eight vol- SALES ly proved that it's all about songs. HEARTY THUMBS -UP umes, including two "Jock The majority of record buyers are The genre today is draw- Rock" sets, have sold Below are unit sales totals for purchasing a record on the back of ing a hearty thumbs -up some 8.6 million copies. today's best-selling U.S. compila- one song and are often disappointed from all participating par- "That series represent- tion series, according to Sound - with the rest of the album. The same ties within the industry, ed popular culture in sta- Scan. The release date follows the holds true for soundtracks; you've with nary a notion of poten- diums, and there was title. got two or three hits and the rest is tially negative impact for plenty of relevant catalog a lot of filler. There are so many labels, retail, songwriters, that fit," says Davies, "Now 1" (Oct. 20, 1998): choices now. People have to decide or artists. Consumers, "from Village People to 1.8 million whether to buy music or a PlaySta- meanwhile, are getting 18 Gary Glitter, `We Are "Now 2" (July 27, 1999): tion. The compilations offer them or 19 solid hits for less than The Champions' to the 1.7 million something that's immediately a buck apiece. `Macarena.' It was phe- "Now 3" (Dec. 7, 1999): attractive because [they're] full of "What you're getting nomenally successful." 2.3 million the songs they already know and with these compilations is In 1996 one of the "Now 4" (July 11, 2000): like, instead of force-feeding them radio on CD without the majors at last jumped into 2 million an entire album, which has always commercials," says Clyde the compilations ring. been the model." Lieberman, VP of U.S. cre- Says Steve Bartels, sen- (Total sales of the "Now" "The jury is still out on how the ative operations for BMG. ior VP at Arista, "We'd series in the U.K: an estimated 46 Internet is going to affect the com- "It's a win -win, a complete been watching the popu- million [figure provided by EMI pilations business in the long run," positive for everybody larity of `MTV Party To London].) says David Santaniello, VP of involved." Go' and `Jock Jams' and strategic marketing alliances and "The idea is to try to had so many hit records "Totally Hits" (Nov. 11, sponsorshipsfor Columbia Records. expand music into as many doing well at radio that 1999): 1.7 million "But in the absence of having places as we can. These we wanted to give it our "Totally Hits 2" (May 23, secure file- sharing over the Web, packages do that," says own touch." The label 2000): 721,000 superstar compilations like this can Ken Peterson, executive released the first of its satisfy the need in a legitimate way VP for Virgin Records. "I annual series, "Ultimate "Platinum Hits 2000" (Aug. for kids to get a multi-artist sampler think they're here to stay. Dance Party," in Novem- 29, 2000): 130,000 with the songs they like on it." We offer great value, we're expos- together, but that's the reality," adds ber 1996, selling 1.7 million copies of Besides, he adds, "our research ing music to people that don't have Jonathan First, president of Edel the set. "MTV Party To Go," launched shows that when people receive the time or the inclination to buy a America. `We won't be able to sell To date, the four albums released in May 1991, with a total of 14 vol- any kind of samplers -like a free lot of the full artists' albums, and into the millions, but we can do well in the series have sold a total of 3.2 umes, including the most recent, giveaway at Tommy Hilfiger or we've proved that the artist market, if our expectations are in line with million copies, but for Arista, there "MTV Party To Go 2000." Total Banana Republic -65% of those if anything, has improved because of the repertoire that we have." were other profound benefits from sales: 8.1 million.