Tree International Buys Satellite Bandits Targeted

ews Multi- Million -Dollar Deal' Tree International Buys iNs 1

RCA, in line with the continuing trend to lower Com- al chapter, National Capitol, surprised many. Balti- Buck Owens Catalogs pact Disc prices, has cut all A &M titles in the configu- more distribution exec Torn Ray of M.S. Co. was cho- ration to $10, including that label's distributed lines, sen topper. Among its first four committees are one to I Hill. The new policy, effective Oct. 1, shepherd VSDA's national confab there Aug. 25-28 BY EDWARD MORRIS By The Tail," "(Today) Started such as Windham at Loving You Again," "Swinging boosts return privileges from 10% to 25% ... Pioneer the Washington Sheraton and another on local statutes, NASHVILLE The Tree Interna- Doors" and "L.A. International Air- radio programming pundit Paul Drew, who's been in in- including adult zoning in northern Virginia. tional publishing company here has port." dependent consultancy in L.A., is reported moving to purchased the hit-rich Blue Book Tree vice president Donna Hilley Washington, D.C., where he would work in global pro- LATEST on the possible relocation of the Summer CES and Gold Book catalogs from enter- says that the Blue Book buy brings gramming for federally funded overseas radio. to New York City has the Electronics Industries Assn. tainer Buck Owens in what the buy- her company's total of BMI awards now mulling the move there from Chicago in er characterized as a "multi- million- to 376. She adds that the purchase is CONTEMPORARY RECORDS, reported in Track 1986 ... Exercise expert Jack LaLanne finally joins dollar deal." Already the largest the most expensive Tree had made months ago to be negotiating to join the Fantasy family the home videocassettes trend with "Jack LaLanne's country music publisher in the since the '60s, when it acquired the of labels, will do just that soon. The label, founded by First Videocassette" ... At presstime ex -VSDA presi- world, Tree adds 2,800 songs to its Pamper Music catalog, which con- the late Lester Koenig, has been frozen in estate pro- dent Frank Barnako was slated to appear on the Larry collection in this purchase, 1,400 of tained songs by Willie Nelson, Har- ceedings. At presstime, Track confirmed that an L.A. King radio show, carried on the 260- station Mutual net- which have been recorded. lan Howard, Hank Cochran, Ray probate court approved the Fantasy purchase. More de- work, Friday (12) ... John Cassetta describes the split The agreement, which grants Price, Chuck Howard and Ray Pen- tails follow in next week's Blue Notes column of Alpha Distributing, New York (Billboard, Oct. 13), copyright renewal rights to Tree, nington. ... Former Apex -Martin Distributing of New Jersey as "an amicable parting." Alpha, chaired by Nick Apos- brings with it 60 songs that have Just prior to the Blue Book deal, principals Joe Martin and Jerry Cohen have formed toleris with Cassetta as president, will stick strictly to reached No. 1 on the country chart Tree bought the catalogs of RCA New Marketing in Miami. The brothers will rep audio singles and cassette rackjobbing. Spinoff firm, headed and 30 others that have gone top 10. artist Ed Bruce and his wife Patsy. accessories makers. by Nick Campanella and Murray Viscoso, will be an Songwriters represented in the cat- Among the major copyrights in the indie distributor. alogs include Owens, Don Rich, Sugarplum and Calico collections NAPOLEON'S GROCERY, the gourmet retail food Johnny Russell, Merle Haggard, are "Girls, Woman And Ladies," store concept recently instituted by the Record Bar CHRYSALIS Records has a few wrinkles in its release Bonnie Owens, Freddie Hart, Tom- "Tell 'Em I've Gone Crazy," "My chain with a Charlotte mall outlet, bowed its second lo- of Pat Benatar's "Tropico." The LP will retail at $8.98, my Collins, Red Simpson and Nat First Taste Of Texas," "Texas cation in Northgate Mall, Durham, Sunday (14) ... At with the tape at $9.98 -the label's first chrome cassette. Stuckey. (When I Die)," "Ever, Never Lovin' presstime, Gwen Kessler of Tara Distributing, Atlan- Three weeks later comes the CD at a $15.98 suggested Among the best known copy- You" and "Mamas Don't Let Your ta, confirmed that Randy Sanders had ankled his gen- list. A 10% discount will be available on the initial cas- rights are "Act Naturally," "Crying Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys." eral manager post to launch a distributorship of his own sette orders in lieu of a return accrual a la CBS's $9.98 Time," "Easy Loving," "Fightin' These acquisitions bring Tree's there. Kessler is not filling his slot ... Track just chrome releases ... Steve De Vre, who recently shut- Side Of Me," "Mama Tried," "Okie total number of songs to more than learned that one time West Coast industry vet Bernie tered Apex- Martin, the Plainfield, N.J. one -stop for From Muskogee," "I've Got A Tiger 62,000. Sparago has moved east to take a regional sales post WIN's Sam Weiss, has relocated to L.A. with IJE, parent of Kid Stuff Records. Tom Colley, who had been with the Jerry Weiner -Iry Schwartz ki- BOBBY "Boris" Pickett has his third album in 22 Bandits Targeted disk line, has left his job with IJE as Southwest regional years, this time on Easy Street. Label sales boss Walt Satellite director. Maguire brought in all three releases. In 1962, the L.A. - based part -time actor did "Monster Mash," which hit House Passes Tough Cable Bill CHARLEY AND ROSEMARY HALL now have all No. 1 on Billboard's charts. Maguire re- released the re- three sons in the industry. The longtime RCA Southern cord in 1973, when it peaked at No. 10 in the U.S. and BY BILL HOLLAND Violators who use the pirated sig- regional nabob has son Torn as director of the Balti- sold more records than it had in 1962. The Easy Street nals for commercial gain face a more Choral Art Society, Chip as a supervisor for Tur- issue, distributed by Peter Pan, is "Monster Rap." WASHINGTON The House, in the first-time fine of $25,000 or a year in tles' records chain, and Jim as an Arista regional rep face of Congressional adjournment, jail, and repeat violators $50,000 or out of Atlanta ... Grapevine has all employees of the FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA reportedly has engi- has passed a cable bill with an two years in jail. Private viewing vi- five Atlanta stores sold by Scott Young to Camelot En- neered a film exchange with the U.S.S.R. By offering amendment that cracks down on olators face $1,000 fines and /or six terprises (Billboard, Oct. 13) remaining. Young himself prints of his entire cache of films, he received pristine backyard satellite signal bandits months in jail. is going on a month's hiatus to plan his future. His copies of Sergei Eisenstein's "The Battleship Potem- who intercept scrambled signals au- Sources on both sides of the aisle brother, Dennis, also leaves the industry temporarily. kin," "Alexander Nevsky" and "Ivan The Terrible I thorized for cable operators to re- say that the Senate has agreed to and II." C oppola mulling the titles for home video re- transmit to their subscribers. the bill, and predicted passage when THE name of the Mary Helfer-Rip Pelley complex, lease ... Walt Disney Home Video reportedly hit an- The repercussions of the possible it was due to come to the Senate H &H, in Tarzana has been changed to Record Direc- other pre -order high with its 389,000 -order Christmas Senate passage of the bill might side in conference report late Thurs- tions Inc. The firm's latest effort is behind Static Bust- promotion ... Track erred! The MTM Music Group well have an impact on the direction day (11). er, a static eliminator for computers ... The 150 -person opened its office at 1207 17th Ave. South, Nashville, of future home taping legislation The bill, a compromise version of turnout for the first meeting of VSDA's newest region- with Tommy West at the tiller. Edited by JOHN SIPPEL that affects the record industry, be- one introduced by Rep. Albert Gore cause the amendment is focused Jr. (D- Tenn.) that would have ex- largely on a crackdown on inter- empted all backyard dish owners cepted scrambled signals. from the penalties, makes it a viola- CHAINS' YULE PLANS The amendment imposes stiff tion of the law for home dish own- penalties not only on violators who ers to intercept unscrambled sig- (Continued from page 1) all our ads and promotions it is men- away in two weeks. pull down and decode signals for nals in any community where a le- ning was a factor. tioned along with everything else." "We have a good year going, and commercial gain, but also on those gitimate marketing system (an Typifying inventory diversity, Re- A recognition that fourth quarter the customers are still coming in," who intercept and decode the sig- operator and subscribers) is al- cord Bar's eight -page gift guide will strategies should be "more effi- says Alan Schwartz, advertising di- nals for their own private viewing. ready in place. for the first time carry product on cient" as the record /tape business rector at 34 -unit Music Plus, sum- both front and back. Also new will continues to rebound helps explain ming up the bullish mood develop- be music video, via Warner Home why chains are planning earlier, ing. Video's "Purple Rain." Personal says Bill Rees, marketing vice presi- stereo will be featured on the cover dent at 160 -unit Camelot Enter- and throughout, "not isolated in one prises, North Canton, Ohio. section as before." "We have the dates and we know Set to hit Thanksgiving week, the the products," says Rees, offering Bugs at Work guide has been increased in circula- that vendors reflect the same opti- tion from an estimated 1.2 million mism in clearing proposals. Came- New graphics and content are households to 2.2 million, Vassen lot, too, is broadening newer catego- not the only changes taking says. It will be sent via direct mail ries, adding two Crown units and a place at Billboard. Our chart and newspaper inserts. pair of Unitech models to the basic database is being transferred Further illustrating the general JVC and Grand Prix lineup in its from one computer system to an- attitude toward this season, Record personal stereo selection. A year other. This has affected some of Bar's theme is "Make It Music," ago, only Grànd Prix was carried. the chart improvements. which Vassen says is more "blunt Also reflecting the diversity of At presstime, we were aware than our traditional Christmas mes- product, Licorice Pizza will mount of the following: suggested list sage last year." "a diverse campaign," says Randy prices do not appear on the Top While contending that Tower Re- Gerston of the 34 -unit chain, who ,200, Country and Black Album cords /Tower Video stores "will be demurs at spelling out details now. charts; where there is more than doing basically the same things as The strength of prerecorded music one producer of a title on either last year," Stan Goman, division cassettes will figure in the overall Hot Country Singles or Hot manager of the record /tape opera- strategy, he admits, because of re- Black Singles, only the first tion, sees CD coming on strong this cent campaigns. name appears. Christmas in Tower's 34 units. Licorice's "buy three and get the We're sorry for any inconve- Mann's Fans. Songwriter Barry Mann, left, poses with AN Music's Linda Perry "It was 10% of our business last next for $1" promotion is set for a nience this may cause, and ex- and Steve Love during BMI's recent "Million Airs" luncheon, where authors month," he says, following a promo- Halloween event, and the chain just pect to have the bugs worked out whose have more than million times in the U.S. were songs been broadcast a tion in September. "We now consid- came off another sale in which 4,000 by next issue. honored. er it as a standard configuration. In cassette storage bases were given

78 BILLBOARD OCTOBER 20, 1984