Sears Mulls Leased Audio Sections 7.9 12 -Plus Overall, While Country Ed Music (Billboard, Nov
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Crazy Eddie shuts down 17 stores 6***.c **' ** *''c3 -DIGIT 908 See page 73 000817973 4401 8914 MAR9OCHZ MONTY GREENLY N.Y. Home Video Show APT A 3740 ELM sends mixed message to LONG BEACH CA 90807 indie producers See page 5 Ziggy Marley ignites sales for reggae albums See page 4 VOLUME 101 NO. 14 THE INTERNATIONAL NEWSWEEKLY OF MUSIC AND HOME ENTERTAINMENT April 8, 1989/$3.95 (U.S.), $5 (CAN.), £3.50 (U.K.) Growth Of Oldies Stations Are LIVE, Musicland Courting 650 Stores? Invades Country Borders Sears Mulls Leased Audio Sections 7.9 12 -plus overall, while country ed music (Billboard, Nov. 19), bution to a leased- department situ- BY SEAN ROSS WWKA "K92" was down 13.4 -10.0; BY GEOFF MAYFIELD sources on Wall Street and within ation. Leading candidates to ser- NEW YORK The recent rise of the Denver, where KXKL -FM "Kool NEW YORK There may be more the record industry now believe vice the departments are reported- oldies format on FM has noticeably 105" led country KYGO -FM 7.1 -4.2; for the music industry's life at that Sears is actually on the brink ly LIVE Entertainment's impacted country stations -stations and Rochester, N.Y., where oldies Sears, possibly in as many as 650 of increasing its commitment to Lieberman Enterprises and The that, like oldies, draw heavily from WKLX went 4.0 -7.0 as country stores. music and video products. Musicland Group, although nei- listeners who grew up on rock'n'roll WBEE -FM fell 11.3-7.9. Contrary to earlier speculation, The scenario being pieced to- ther company has confirmed its but don't like current rock product. In Seattle, KMPS-AM -FM PD Tim which suggested that the 819 -store gether by industry sleuths has participation. But country PDs regard their new (Continued on page 7.9) chain would bail out of prerecord- Sears switching from rack distri- As a matter of company policy, competitors more as an annoyance LIVE will not comment on poten- than as a threat, saying that there tial or existing accounts. Music- are few options besides waiting the land chairman Jack Eugster was new stations out. on vacation at press time and was The country /oldies correlation be- Ingram/Metro Deal Alters Distilli Map unavailable for comment. came most obvious in the spring and become a lightning rod for anxiety tributors and resultant price com- Sears marketing communica- summer '88 Arbitrons as many of the BY EARL PAIGE over the future of video distribu- petition, and "sideways" shipping. tions manager Mike Mangan says new oldies FMs began kicking in LOS ANGELES While sudden, tion. Already, four major suppliers his company declines to comment (Billboard, Aug. 13). The impact of often dramatic changes in video The latest development in the have trimmed their distribution on rumors. He does note that deci- oldies was noticeable in several cities, distributing have become common- continuing consolidation of home roster. sions regarding prerecorded prod- among them: Orlando, Fla., where place over the past year, Ingram video distributors has wholesalers In the wake of the Ingram /Met- ucts fall in the hands of the chain's oldies WOCL "Cool 105.9" was up 4.0- Video's recent takeover of Metro looking at the entire matrix of re- ro deal, industry sources are pre - (Continued on page 73) Video distributors has apparently stricted representation, fewer dis- (Continued on page 84) Canada Brings Ap rRT.SEMEMFS Elektra To Test Mechanical Fee 5 -Inch CD Single Up To 5.25¢ With 2 Releases NEW YORK On April 11, Elektra BY KIRK LAPOINTE will become the first major label to OTTAWA Canada's antiquated make 5 -inch CD singles available two -cent -a -song compulsory me- for commercial sale. chanical rate has been replaced un- Two such maxisingles, one by the der a landmark deal between most Cure and another by the Pixies, are record companies and the country's scheduled for the initial release. The writers and publishers. list price for the new line is $5.49, The agreement, in effect until Oc- with a wholesale box -lot cost of tober 1990, includes a rate increase $3.52. The limited- edition disks will to five and a quarter cents per song, contain tracks and remixes not retroactive to last Oct. 1. Songwrit- available on other releases, a selling ers have praised the pact as long point that will be trumpeted on a overdue, while the Canadian Re- sticker. cording Industry Assn. says it is CONGRA ULATIONS CARLY! Foling Stone compares Joe Henry's new album Murder Of Kenny Hamlin, VP of sales for satisfied with the process of re- "Let The River Run" (The Theme from Working Girl), winrer of Crows to the work of Randy Newman and Van Morrison. Producer the label, says the first pair repre- vamping the mechanical rate, de- the Academy Arvard for Best Original Song.' Available on the Anton Fier assembled a set of musicians perfectly attuned to the sents a trial balloon; there are no spite its many difficulties and set- smash soundtrack to Working Girl, now working its way to gold! s ngular vision of Joe Henry's songwriting, including ex- Rolling plans yet to release 5 -inch CD sin- backs. On Arista Throne cassettes, compact discs and records. Stine Mick Taylor on guitar, ex- Allman Brother Chuck Leavell on gles on a regular basis. "We're go- (Continued 85) paru, and Fier himself on drums. On A&M Records, Compact on page Eisen and BASF Chrome Tape. [SP52101 (Continued on page 85) PHOEBE SNOW .t Listen to Phoebe Snow's On Tour: Elektra debut, and you'll know why this 4/10- Philadelphia, PA co is something real. Something Real is a brand new 4/13- Cambridge, MA collection of songs from a true original, one of the 4/14 - New York, NY classic voices in American music. 4/25- Atlanta, GA 4/26 Chicago, IL Featuring the first single video and 4/2T if shington, DC "If1 Can Just G'et Through The Night." 5 / 1- Los Angeles, CA Feel the warmth of Phoebe Snow. 5 / 2- San Francisco, CA o Executive Producer: Don Rubin Management: Chip Rachlin /C//R Management On Elektra Cassettes, Compact Discs and Records. SOMETHING R E A L © 1989 Elektro /Asylum /Nonesuch Records, o Division of Warner Communications Inc., O' ADVERTISEMENT www.americanradiohistory.com Joe Jackson's new album Blaze of Glory finds him once again on daring conceptual ground: Melodies. Lyrics. Humor. Anger. Rock. Pop. Folk. Jazz. Strings. Horns. Guitars. Sitars. Twelve real songs. Leave it to Joe Jackson to remind us of how a song can make us feel, and why certain songs stay with us forever. With Blaze Of Glory Joe Jackson draws from his entire range of musical experience to respond to particular moments in his own life, creating songs that express things that everyone feels, as only music can. Blaze Of Glory (SP 5249) Available everywhere April 18. Featuring "Nineteen Forever" (AM 1404, Written, Arranged and Produced by Joe Jackson Associate Producer: Ed Roynesdal Management: Steven Jensen & Martin Kirkup, DIRECT MANAGEMENT GROUP, Los Angeles & London RECORDS c. 1989 A &M Records, Inc. All rights reserved. www.americanradiohistory.com "There's only two kinds of music -good and bad:' Duke Ellington www.americanradiohistory.com Z. Marley Spurs Sales Of Caribbean Sound Reggae On A Roll At Retail Distributors in Atlanta, does Univ.'s WBAU, says 1988 was a BY BRUCE HARING strong business with Ras Records, year "that a lightbulb went on." NEW YORK Reggae music, long the Virginia -based reggae label. "Aswad's 'Don't Turn Around' hyped as the "next big thing" in Walker says the military is a par- hit a lot of urban stations," she music circles, is seen as finally ticularly strong buyer of the is- says, "and with Ziggy, Shinehead, making significant gains at retail, land- flavored music. and the resurgence of UB40's fueled by the pop crossover suc- "I suppose the demographics of 'Red, Red Wine,' it seemed like cess of Ziggy Marley and strong the military gets a little more of there was a good handful of songs back -catalog action. the segments of society," Walker that hit the masses in a bigger Although reggae sales are still a says, adding, "I find that reggae way." small segment of the overall mar- doesn't know many color barri- Wachtel cites newly awakened ket -most surveyed accounts peg ers." support among black Americans it at about 5% -the category's Consumer wanderlust is broad- for the genre, a community that Thom-y Answered. Top executives of EMI Music Publishing support- Questions sales are reported up as much as ening reggae's appeal, Walker has not traditionally been Worldwide and Chrysalis hold a press conference in Los Angeles to explain the ive, a re- 50% at several chains, with retail contends. "There are so many although she mentioned in- principle agreement for Thorn EMI to acquire a 50% interest in the Chrysalis eagerly anticipating the June re- good deals for people to go to the cent exclusive party at New Record Cos. Pictured, from left, are Jim Fifield, president and CEO, EMI Music lease of Marley's second album on Caribbean, to Jamaica, St. Thom- York's Puck Building that was Worldwide; Chris Wright, chairman and CEO, Chrysalis Group; and Joe Kiener, Virgin Records. as- people come back and want to jammed with "a bunch of white executive VP, Chrysalis Group. David Roy, senior buyer for the get into the music." yuppies in suits." 437 -store, Albany, N.Y.