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CASH BOX AUGUST 6, 1994 18 INTERNATIONAL

United Kingdom PLATINUM UP: The number of Platinum albums has surged in the first half of 1994, according to new figures released by the BPI. A total of 24 albums By David Courtney achieved Platinum discs for shipment in excess of 300,000 in the first half of 1994, compared with just eight for the first six months of 1993. CASTLE UPDATE; Castle Communications are close to completing a deal with U.S. media group Alliance Entertainment Corp. Last week Castle’s VOCALIST AND COM- share value remained high at 325p, after Castle admitted it was engaged m POSER EDDI READER will talks which could result in a take-over. Alongside film sales and video see the U.S. release of her epo- Alliance also owns two North American audio wholesalers. interests. nymously-titled Reprise Re- cords solo album on August 30. DCC PANIC CUT: Philips is slashing the price of its DCC hardware by But in the U.K., where Reader almost 50% in a bid to save the ailing format. Latest reports show the digital has long been one of the coun- tape system falling behind MiniDisc, with around half its rival sales. In the try’s best-kept musical secrets, first six months of this year less than 600 DCC tapes were sold, compared she is already off and running with more than 1,300 copies of Sony’s MD format (remember Beta?). with an out-of-the-box smash. The album, featuring 12 BIG RATINGS EOR THE THREE TENORS: More than 11 miUion Reader originals and produced viewers tuned to the BBC’s TV broadcast of “The Three Tenors World Cup’’ by Greg Penny (k.d. lang), de- concert. The show had an immediate impact on sales, sending Decca’s original buted at M on U.K. album recording into the Top 10 albums and boosting the Three Tenors single charts, and the first single, “Pa- tience Of Angels,’’ received im- “Libiamo.” Warners’ 1994 album and video is released on August 29th. mediate play on both Radio 1

and Capitol Radio, where it is EMAP RULING SOON: Emap should know by the end of this week if its still in heavy rotation after eight planned takeover of Trans World Communications will be permitted under Eddi Reader weeks. the terms of the Broadcasting Act. The Guardian Media Group, which owns Just shipped worldwide, stake in Trans World, has challenged the Authority’s decision a 20% Radio Eddi Reader has already sold to allow the deal a judicial review begins Wednesday (July Trans and on 27). over 20,000 copies within the first week of its release in Japan. World is also against the deal claiming that the Emap offer undervalues the Reader, an in-demand session singer for eight years and one-time lead company. singer for Fairground Attraction, made her stage acting debut in recent months in a London production of The Trick Is To Keep Breathing.

MIDEM TO CUT THEIR RATES; The Midem Organisation is planning to cut the registration rates in a bid to attract smaller companies to the annual DIGITAL ZEPPELIN: EastWest is re-issuing back catalogue albums by south of France music conference. At present, the single registration fee is Led Zeppelin and AC/DC in re-mastered fonn. The entire Zeppelin catalogue

£1,000, which allows up to three full-time employees to attend. This is to be consisting of nine studio albums, which have been digitally re-mastered by replaced by a per-person charge of £390 (FF3,300), which will start as from the band’s guitarist Jimmy Page, will be at full price, replacing the mid-price next year’s event, taking place in Cannes from January 30 to February 3. versions, which have been deleted.

MUSICLINK STOPPED IN THEIR TRACKS: The recently formed ON THE ROAD: Chart-topping Wet Wet Wet, whose single “Love Is All company MusicLink has been forced to fold its direct sales service after Around’’ has now sold over a million copies making it this year’s biggest- distributor EUK cancelled a supply agreement between the two companies. selling single, have just announced their plans for a spectacular arena tour in MusicLink, who offered consumers CD and cassette albums over the tele- summer 1995. Still at #1 after seven weeks, the band have just confirmed phone at High Street prices to be delivered within three working days, has Double Platinum sales for their recent album End Of Part One— Tl^eir closed the service following the EUK decision. Kingfisher-owned EUK Greatest Hits. . Traffic will be touring in the U. K. from September 20th thru agreed to supply MusicLink when it was launched last September but ended to October 3rd... Acclaimed Canadian four-piece Rheostatics hit the U.K. the agreement in March after only 2,000 albums were sold in six months. next month for a handful of live shows. Dates are: Augast 18, 21, 23, 24,

27-29 and September 1 . . .Texan singer/songwriter Tish Hinojosa releases her

U.S. TOUR VISA SHAKE UP: Record companies and artist managers are debut album Destiny's Gate here on August 1st and celebrates with a one-off being advised to apply now for visas to tour and record in the U.S. to avoid show as part of the Roots Festival at London’s South Bank Centre on July a flood of applications in the New Year. The U.S. government has announced 29th... Blur have confirmed a headline show at Aston Villa Leisure Centre that multiple indefinite business holiday visas, the type most commonly used on Wednesday, 5th October. Their only other date this year will be the by U.K. acts, will cease to be vahd from January 1995. Alexandra Parklife Show on Friday, 7th October and their headline appear- ance at the T In The Park Festival in Glasgow on Saturday, 30th July.

STILL EAITH IN MUSIC VIDEO: Despite enduring the worst six months sales figures in its history, music video retains the backing of retaOers who U.K. SINGLES CHART: #1 “Love Is All Around,’’ Wet Wet Wet insist that there is still life left in the format. Sales have fallen this year to All-4-One are still at #2 with “I Swear.” No change at #3, BC-52’s “Meet their lowest point since the launch of VHS in the early ’80s. Just two million The Flintstones.” Let Loose move up two places to #4 with “Crazy For units were sold in the first six months of 1994, down 28% on the 2.8 mi llion You.” “Regulate” from Warren G & Nate Dogg is up four places to k5. sales for the same period last year. This week’s highest entry and new in at ff6 is “Run To The Sun” from Erasure. At #7 is “Searching” from China Black. Aswad drop down three places to #8 with “Shine.” The Grid hold on at #9 with “Swamp Thing.” VIRGIN IN-STORE RADIO: Virgin Retail is launching its own radio Fixed at the #10 slot is Lewis with “Everything Is Alright.” New in at station which will broadcast to all the chain’s 30 stores. The retailer has CJ #21, “Libiamo/La Donna E Mobile” from those famous Tliree Tenors, secured a license from the Radio Authority to turn its existing Virgin EM Pavarotti. radio operation at London’s Oxford Street Megastore into a national service. Carreras, Domingo & Tlie service will be beamed by satellite across the U.K. starting next month.