The Surprising Success of WVIOT
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The Surprising Success of WVIOT By NELSON GEORGE Talking about the company's the Cold; three members of the band; tions. growth in the past year, Bernstein cites and John Birge, director of P&D labels, At about noon Rubens, Bernstein, PHILADELPHIA - With the the addition of Billy Bass (formerly of CBS Records. The Cold is a self - Birge, and Bass (on the phone from Los phenomenal sales of Frankie Smith's Chrysalis) as head of the pop music described "new wave Dixieland" band Angeles) talk about several promo- "Double Dutch Bus" (the 12 -inch is division and Leonard Hodes as viceconsidered the top local band in the tional activities. One priority is getting nearing platinum), Philadelphia's president of music publishing and in-New Orleans area. WMOT and thetogether a visual in-store display for WMOT Records shocked many in the ternational, and the return of Marygroup have been having discussions Meri Wilson's "Peter the Meter music industry. "Who are these guys Dorfman, senior vice president, mar-since the spring. Birge is interested, Reader," a humorously salacious anyway?" people asked. To answer keting and sales, as key. All are based since it would be the first non-R&B novelty record about a meter reader that query, Record World spent a day in WMOT's west coast office. oriented act on the label and wouldand a lonely housewife that many at WMOT's Philadelphia office (there Bernstein then speaks about several introduce the label to a whole newadult contemporary jocks are pro - market. But there is a communication prob- lem between the label and the band. The Cold's success in New Orleans has encouraged them to feel that the same techniques that worked for them there can be applied nationally. Ru- bens and Birge stressing that what works in one market can't necessarily be applied nationally, and that the record company makes marketing de- cisions. Spizer asks, "Can WMOT work a white pop act properly?" Rubens puffs on his cigarette and replies: "We have several strengths in this area. First, we have Billy Bass handling national pop promotion. He worked at Chrysalis when they broke Pat Benatar and Blondie and has ex- .10 Barbara Mason and Alan Rubens. From left: marketing coordinator Dee Wellman, special projects manager Jan Felman, cellent contacts in AOR radio and the president Alan Rubens, promotion VP Reggie Barnes, A&R VP Nick Martinelli, and busi- expertise to make them work for you. gramming. Rubens tells Bass he wants ness affairs VP Jonathan Black. "Due to our P&D deal with CBS we "a visual that will make the humor is another in Los Angeles) meeting theWMOT acts: the vocal group Heaven have CBS's clout at the retail level, but apparent, but that is it good taste." staff and learning the company's his- & Earth ("Their last album came during without the competition between acts WMOT hopes to generate in-store tory. the merger of WMOT and TEC, so it they have on the roster. So when your play and sales on a record that has Bright and lively at 9 a.m. is Steve got lost, which was unfortunate, since record comes out you will be our pri- reportedly sold 30,000 copies with Bernstein, the label's president of op- they have all the talent in the world"), mary consideration and not just modest airplay so far. erations and one of its founders. Count Coolout ("Right out of the box another rock band among many. We From down the hall the sound of "WMOT was started in 1974 by ourthat rap record did 80,000, showingwork our records. Look at that gold pounding dance music is filling the president, Alan Rubens and myself, how strong a market that is"), and an record on the wall." Rubens turns and corridor. Inside, A&R chief Nick Mar- just a couple of street guys from attractive young singer named Brandy points to the gold "Double Dutch tinelli and singer Brandy Wells are lis- Philadelphia," he says. "For several Wells for whom WMOT has high Bus" 12 -inch behind him. "That was tening to tracks from her upcoming years we were distributed by Atlantic hopes. because we believed in the music and album, "Watch Out," with Wells sing- Records, and we had success with Bernstein plays a tape of a ballad knew if we stayed on it the quality ing along. "When It's Love," a bouncy Blue Magic and Major Harris there. featuring Wells called "When You For a time Fantasy distributed us, and Get Right Down to It," with the great then a year and a half ago we signed a Philadelphia producer Thom Bell singing background vocals. "Bill Neale, who produced and wrote the song, is a Thom Bell protege, so Bell consented to do it." While admitting that Bell's influence on Neale's work was apparent, Bernstein adds, "We feel that Bill has his own unique ap- proach and look forward to working with him on many projects in the fu- ture." Down the hall from Bernsteinis another office filled by three women making calls, typing, and filling out tracking sheets at a dizzying rate- all National promotion coordinator Valerie this at 9:30 in the morning. In one Hampton. corner is Jan Felman, special pro- pressing and distribution agreement gramming manager who works on with CBS. crossing WMOT records from black toSteve Bernstein, president of operations, WMOT, and John Birge, director of KW labels, "In 1980 WMOT merged with pop radio; in another is Lei Lawson, CBS Records. another Philadelphia label, TEC,Alan Rubens' assistant and coor-would come through. That's how we Dexter Wansel-penned tune, is what owned by Mark Stewart, a very suc- dinator of relations with WMOT'sdo things at WMOT." they have been working with. cessfullocal entrepreneur. Unfortu- foreign liscensees; and on the other Twice during the meeting WMOT's Lei Lawson then graciously pro- nately, a number of the people Stewart side is Valerie "Ducky" Hampton, na- aggressive vice president of promo- vides a guided tour of the rest of had hired had little or no expertise in tional promotion coordinator, whotion, Reggie Barnes, stops in to report WMOT's Philadelphia office. Located the business. On the other hand we "does a little bit of everything." the progress of two singles: Tom in an apartment complex in the Wash- were raised in the business by people Next door, at 10:30, a most interest- Grant's "Heaven Is Waiting" and Bar- ington Square West sectionof like Ahmet Ertegun, Jerry Wexler, and ing meeting begins. Rubens sits be-bara Mason's "She Got the Papers (I Philadelphia, WMOT takes up all of Jerry Greenberg. Pulling all our re- hind his desk, occassionally puffing aGot the Man)". Grant was added to one floor and part of another. On the sources together we have made a cigarette. Facing him is Bruce Spizer, Philadelphia's WDAS-FM, while second level Carter Burnette, dance larger, stronger operation." manager of the New Orleans band, Mason has just hit three southern sta- (Continued on page 37) RECORD WORLD OCTOBER 3, 1981 23.