MAKING WAVES: Milan's 105 storms back...see page 8 MARCH30, 1996 VOLUME13,ISSUE 13 Madonna Enters EHR Top 40 Europe's Radio -Active Newsweekly E2.95 DM8 FFR25 US$5 DFL8.50 Page 29 Mary Wilson Signs With RayMar's Label Music Industry Calls For Piracy Crackdown by Mark Dezzani Following the Rome press Czech Republic, Russia, Singa- conference,IFPIexecutives pore, Hong Kong and Austria. ROME -Top international and met with officials from the He alsodeniesthatmost Italian music industry execu- Italian government and the pirate distributors in Italy are tives are lobbying the Italian Italianauthorsrights body directly linked to organised government for stricter imple- SIAE.However, SIAE has crime. mentation of existinganti - refuted suggestions that the "As with many businesses piracy laws, and to legislate high level of piracy in Italy is which use illegal distribution for much tougher penalties purely an Italian problem. methods, the pirates have to against music pirates. 'With the free movement of pay off organised crime syndi- At a press conference in product within the EU, we are cates," he says. "However, it is Former Supreme Mary Wilson has been signed by Da Bridge, a brand Rome, the International Fed- finding much more foreign anurbanmyththatthe new label of RayMar Productions, owned by 2 Unlimited rapper Ray eration of Phonographic pirateproduct," Slilyngaard and Marvin D. Tholen. Da Bridge will specialise in releasing says SIAE pirates are the mafia." US artists in Europe, and Wilson's single is its very first release. U. Pic- Industries (IFPI) warned that press director, Sapo Matteucci. Alfano adds that his task tured (1-r) are: Slijngaard, Wilson and Tholen. Photo: Reinold van Ger- sanctions against Italy could "Focusing only on Italy has forcehas foundcounterfeit risheim. be considered by the US gov- damaged the Italian [music] CDs of Italian artists Gianluca ernment if intellectual proper- business by giving it a badGrignani and Pino Daniele ty rights were not better pro- image abroad." bearing the SID security code INSIDE tected. Vito Alfano, head of the which identifies their origin as Niedecken IFPI estimates show that SIAE's own anti -piracy task Sony's DADC plant in Austria. Jingle Society Spreads (in terms of value) Italy ranks force, claims that much of the "Eitherthese discswere Wins 1996 fifth in the world league table pirate product found in Italy pressed there or we are deal - Its Wings10 of pirate product. comesfromBulgaria,the continues on page 28 SPOTLIGHT Frankfurt Live Assist For Advertising 14 Music Award Zelmani's SPOTLIGHT Ratings Uncertainty Swedish Dance Awards 16 by Christian Lorenz Gentle Pop FRANKFURT - Rock singer Continues In UK Takes Root NUMBER ONE Wolfgang Niedecken has been awarded the prestigious 1996 by Jonathan Heasman Thefigurespublished grocumm - Swedish European Hit Radio Frankfurt Music Award. last week for the final quar- singer/songwriter Sophie Zel- Celebrating its 15th LONDON - TAKE THAT The UK's official terof1995hadtobe mani is only 24, but she has anniversarythisyear,the radio ratings are still in a "ascripted" using a specially - How Deep Is Your Love already swiped the national award was presented on the state of flux following the designed weighting system industry award for Best New- (RCA) eve of this years Frankfurt publicationof the much - following unexpected prob- comer. Her gentle composi- Music Festival.It isclosely delayed figures for the final lems with Rajar's change of tions with self -composed Eng- Eurochart Hot 100 Singles linked with the main aim of quarter of 1995. methodology,which con- lishlyrics-bornofearlier ROBERT MILES the fair, which is to promote Withinthenexttwo cerned a change from pre- attempts at poetry-rely on Children music as an active hobby or weeks ratings body Rajar printedto"self -assembly" simple strength rather than (DBX) profession. Worth DM 25.000 will announcea firm deci- listenerdiaries(Music & sweet girlish charm. Her self - (app. US$ 17.500), the award sionconcerningbothits Media, January 13). titled album has already gone European Top 100 Albums is sponsored by the city of future methodology and the A slightly modified ver- gold in Sweden, having sold STING Frankfurt, the Federal Associ- publication of ratingsfig- sion of the old pre-printed 50.000 copies, and is ready for Mercury Falling ation Of German Music ures for the first quarter of diarysystemisrunning an international break- (A&M) Instrument Manufacturers 1996. continues on page 28 through. continues on page 28 See page 11 hap Nfin a mnkua figs ..SICXDE 161 DA RIDLA SERIOU.S PURE Q-RIQ DE CT AmericanRadioHistory.Com M & M N E W S S W E Radio's Free ChoiceNRJ Network Makes New Between Does public radio have an obligation to Ratings Gains In Sweden playpopularrecords?Thisissueis The Linescurrently hitting the headlines in the UK by Keith Foster some 11.3% of the Swedish working. Our programmes are where the head of production at national population, up from 10.7% in successful with all our major pubcaster BBC Radio 1, Trevor Dann, has SToomoud - Thelatest thelastquarterof1995. target groups and we are the decided not to playlist the latest Beatles audience figures for radio in Managingdirectorofthe national leader for the under - single, Real Love. Sweden show thecountry's French -owned network Jerome 50 age group." The subject has taken on even wider NRJnetworkgaining in Segond says the success was In the capital Stockholm, implications with a Conservative MP strength, while pubcaster expected. "I'm extremely the improvement in the EHR planning to take the issue to the House of Sveriges Radio (SR) witnesses happy about it of course. It's station'sfortunescoincides Commons (see page 28). One needs to live a downturn in its fortunes. the result of hard work and with bad news for the city's in the UK, I guess, to fully understand this The figures, compiled by investment," he says. "What it four ACE outlets.Megapol, madness. And earlier this month, BBC RUAB, show NRJ reaching shows is that our strategy is City, Klassika Hits and Radio by Machgiel Bakker Radio 1 was threatened with legal action Rix alllost audience share, for not playing Status Quo's Fun, Fun;t4 prompting further speculation Fun (Music & Media, March 16). Virgin/One Little Indian Deal thattheformatis over - A similar case came to the fore in Holland early this year when serviced in Stockholm. Vader Abrahams (the man behind the 1977 novelty mega -seller, Otherwise, the RUAB The Smurf Song) threatened to sue the nation's pubcaster for not figuresshowacontinuing giving proper support to his latest offering Als Je Inlegkruisje decline overall for pubcaster Maar Goed Zit (too tacky to translate). SverigesRadio.Thefour Public broadcasters are generally supposed to reflect popular national channels are again culture and tastes. But, in the final analysis, it is the duty of any losing listeners after rallying station to decide what it feels are appropriate records for its briefly at the end of last year. audience. And in the competitive marketplace that is UK radio Some 58.6%of thepublic these days, BBC Radio 1 has clearly positioned itself as a "cutting listen to SR daily, compared to edge" station with a more youthful appeal than its EHR and ACE 61.6% in the previous period. counterparts from the commercial sector. Real Love, says the station, does not fit in with that mission. Records are chosen on Top Swedish Stations their merit, and that's the way it should be. (% listenership) Personally, I think that Real Love is almost an offence to any Station Q 4 Q1 (Format) '95 '96chge serious Beatles fan (and I'm one of them). It's a pointless exercise SR P4 (vs) 39.338.0-1.3 in trying to beef up a demo that was weak in the first place. Radio SR P3 (EHR) 18.217.1-1.1 stations are much wiser playing the genuinely exciting material NRJ/Energy(EHR) 10.711.3+0.6 from Anthology 2 -there's plenty of it. Munich -based Virgin Records Germany has signed a worldwide Radio Rix (AC) - 6.9 licensing deal with London's One Little Indian (OLI) label. The SRAB/"City" (AC)7.2 6.7-0.5 deal also includes OLI associated labels Clean Up and Elemental. Megapol (AC) 6.6 6.1-0.5 Excluded from the agreement are the rights for US and Canada Source: RUAB and the UK. Pictured are (1 to r): front, Clean Up label manager 1.) Craig Mineard, OLI MD Derek Berkitt and Elemental label manager Nick Evans; standing, OLI business affairs Jay Barbour, OLI international marketing Sue Johnstone, Virgin Germany MD BMG Italy Industry highlights this week Udo Lange and Virgin Germany financial director Klaus Zuber. Appoints Berwick As UNITED KINGDOM offering unsigned acts the 'European' Radio 3 Record Revenues For chance to be heard by millions. New MD Commercial Radio SCYPE, which stands for Song Goes 24 Hour Total advertising revenue for Competition For Youth by Mark Dezzani UK commercial radio grew by Programmes In Europe, was by Jonathan Heasman otherorchestrasandsolo a record 22.7% during 1995, open to musicians from all artists." MILAN - Adrian Berwick has according to latest figures genres and took place on LONDON - Radio 3, the BBC's Donald Macleod, Radio 3's been appointed the new released by the Advertising March 24. Stations participa- national classical music formerpresentationeditor, managing directorofItaly's Association. In addition, ting in this year's event, network, is to become a 24 - has been appointed editor of BMG label,six weeks after revenues for the final quarter organised by Denmark's P3 hour operation from May 4, the new night-time schedule. resigning from the top seat at of 1995 represented the highest network, included P3/Sweden, significantlyincreasingthe "Inputtingtogetherthe Polydor Italy.