a.ve semen OCTOBER 16, 1999 Music Volume 16, Issue 42 £3.95 Media®we talk Ito radio M&M chart toppers this week Swedish Internet giantBrits steal Eurochart Hot 100 Singles EIFFEL 65 moves into webradioMOBO show Blue by Johan Lindstrom channelsbroadcastingaroundthe by Paul Sexton (Bliss Co) clock, on which listeners will be able STOCKHOLM - LeadingSwedishto make requests from some 7,000 LONDON - Two home-grown female European Top 100 Albums Internet company Spray has launchedtitles. Although the format is "free Britishsoultalentsemergedtri- STING one of the first "professional" Internet - form," the emphasis is on dance and umphant at the Malibu 1999 MOBO Brand New Day only radio services to go on-line inalternative rock. Awards-one of them currently with- (A&M) Europe. Spray intends to eventually out a record deal. A technically inferior trial versionincrease the number of channels avail- The fourth annual Music Of Black European Radio Top 50 of "Spraydio" has been on the net since able via Spraydio, with separate genre Origin (MOBO) awards, held on Octo- CHRISTINA AGUILERA March, but the company's new Spray-stations being a possibility.It is also ber 6 at London's Royal Albert Hall, Genie In A Bottle dio service (www.spraydio.com) willplanning to join forces with an on-line featureddoublevictoriesforboth (RCA) providetworequest -basedmusic continued on page 21 Rhythm Series/Parlophone's Beverley Knight,forbestalbum(Prodigal European Dance Traxx Sista) and best R&B act, and for Kele Le Roc, who took best newcomer and PHATS & SMALL Listeners rally round GLR by Jon Heasman "save" eclectic London station BBC best single for My Love. Feelgood GLR. That single, released in March, was (Multiply) LONDON - Creation Records boss Alan The BBC has been reviewing the Le Roc's second consecutive top ten hit McGee and artists future of the AOR/talk for 1st Avenue/ Wild Card/Polydor, but Inside M&M this week including Tom Robin- DDIGLk 94 9f m station alongside that the artist parted company with Poly- son, Nick Lowe, Robin Hitchcock andof other local BBC stations in south dor in the spring and is currently in CLEAR CHOICE OF RADIO Dodgy's Andy Miller were among those eastEngland (M&M, August28). negotiations with several labels. Clear Channel Communications who attended a packed public meetingAlthough full details of the changes "I'm passionate has merged with AMFM to create on October 4 to establish a campaign to continued on page 21 about my music the world's biggest ever radio con- and it's nice get- glomerate, and has also snapped ting that across," up 50% of Radio 1 Norway. Pages Soul survivor Turner still the best Le Roc told Music 5 and 8. LONDON - Not many artists withber 1. The infectious dance -pop track, & Media. "Every- a 40 -year recording career can stillco -written by John Reid of the Night - thing happens for SURFIN' EUROPE command A -list crawlers and pro - a reason. Me and duced by the Polydor have part- Europe's music and radio indus- airplay.ButTina Kele Le Roc tries are making great strides on Turnerwillbe Metro team of Bri- ed but I still have the Internet. Music & Media turns celebrating her 60th anRawling and love in my heart for them. I'm looking to the experts to see what other birthday next month Mark Taylor-per- forward to signing with someone new." innovations can be expected soon with a brand new haps the most in - The awards, hosted by Mel G and within interactive media. Page 9. radio smash, writes demand producers Wyclef Jean, were televised in the UK Paul Sexton. in the world after on Channel 4 the following evening, NO STOPPING KOJAK When The T helmingCher's and culminated in the presentation by Techno trio Kojak are the latest Heartache Is Over, TWENTY FOURSEVEN monster hit Lionel Richie of the lifetime achieve- offering from France, thefirstsingle Believe-has made ment award to Tina Turner. Other home to other success- from the soul sur- impressive49-24-6 British winners included Big ful dance acts such as vivor's upcoming progress in its three Dada/Ninja Tune artist Roots Manu- Air and Cassius. Their Parlophone set weeks on Music & va for best national hip hopact; latest single, You Can't Twenty Four Seven, Media'sEuropean Grooverider(HigherGround/Sony), Stop It, is released this week and is off to a hot start Radio Top 50. best drum and bass act; Mercury could trigger a European break- on European playlists ahead of its "She'll always be a core artist as long Music Prize nominee Denys Baptiste through for the band. Page 10. commercial release on October18, as her records continue to target the (Dune/New Note) as best jazz act; and with the album following on Novem- continued on page 21 continued on page 21 the bad touch eBLOODHOUNDGANG INCLUDING THE SMASH HIT Top INer'ir2iIk0W.KIA s itpelIra1444 WWW.BLOODHOUNDGANG.COM "YOU AND ME BABY AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT MAMMALS SO LET'S DO LIKE THEY DO ON THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL:' AmericanRadioHistory.Com 0E3 RADIO CONTACT RADIO DONNA THE VOICE NRJ FRANCE NRJ SWEDEN RADIO ONE CAPITAL RADIO ENERGY GERMANY RADIO Dk LOS 4,, RAD RADIO NRK 3 P4 MTV UROPE TMF VI A THE B rstanise AmericanRadioHistory.Com NEWS expect services which have a slightly broader appeal than GLR's. Music The BBC has shown, through its recent music policy Upfront changes at national station Radio 1, that it is only pre- by Jon Heasman, Music & Media deputy editor pared to see ratings slide so far in the name of "providing Media. the unprovided," because it knows that otherwise it will Call M&M on: The protests surrounding the BBC's future plans for Lon-be accused of not serving its public. Then again, if the cor- tel (+44) 171 822 8302 don's GLR highlight exactly the kind of dilefama which poration becomes too audience -driven it will equally face fax (+44) 171 242 9138 regularly faces Europe's public broadcasters. serious criticism - such is the Catch 22 situation of being For direct lines dial +44 171 822, The station-an eclectic mix of talk and AOR/alt.rock, a public broadcaster these days. followed by the required extension with even more specialist output in the evenings-has The BBC has recognised that GLR needs to change. long been a darling of the UK music and media industries,Yet, given the crowded London radio market, into what? Publisher: Ron Betist (ext. 8312) providing a platform for both new music and fresh broad- The news/talk territory into which the BBC seems to want Editor in chief: Emmanuel Legrand (8318) Director of operations: Kate Leech (8307) casting talent. to move GLR already appears saturated. Perhaps a Editorial The trouble is, it seems hardly anyone else listens to reverse strategy-taking the talk out of GLR and making Deputy editor: Jon Heasman (8316) GLR (it's current audience share is 0.6%). That kind ofit a "free form" multi -genre alternative music service- News editor: Lucy Aitken (8311) figure, as the launch of Xfm in London proved, would sim-would be a more constructive idea in Features/specials editor: Terry Heath (8317) ply be unsustainable in the commercial sector. Of course,terms of extending listener choice Charts 8c research this is precisely the case made for the retention of GLR, (and certainly much cheaper for the Charts editor: Ratil Cairo (8313) Charts researchers: Menno Visser (8322), and it is certainly true that in a competitive radio market licence -payer!). Siri Stavenes Dove (8321) like London, no commercial broadcaster would contem- Ultimately,the GLR review Production plate the kind of eclecticism GLR delivers. means there will be more than a few Production manager: Jonathan Crouch (8314) Those who see the role of public broadcasters as mere- people once again questioning the Correspond ly providing what the market cannot will probablywhole raison d'etre of a "BBC sta- Austria: Susan L. Schuhmayer - (43) 1 334 9608 approve of GLR. However, as long as state broadcasterstion for London"-there would cer- Belgium: Marc Maes - (32) 3 568 8082 such as the BBC continue to levy substantial licence fees, tainly be no shortage of commercial ClassicaUjazz: Terry Berne - (34) 9 3458 3791 Dance Grooves: Gary Smith - (34) 9 3488 2180 others would argue that the paying public are entitled to players willing to use the frequency. Denmark: Charles Ferro - (45) 3391 9156 France: Re'mi Bouton (radio and music business) - (33) 1 4586 8466; Cecile Tesseyre (artist profiles) - (33) 1 4909 0896 Germany: Gesa Birnkraut (Hamburg) - (49) 4101 US radio giants in mega -merger 45930; Ed Meza (Berlin) - (49) 30 423 9782 Italy: Mark Dezzani - (39) 0184 292 824 NEW YORK - US radio groups Clear $23.5billionandincludesthetising] where we are building a plat- The Netherlands: Robbert Till) - (31) 20-672 2566 Channel Communications andassumption of $6.1 billion of itsform across Europe, Great Britain Norway: Kai Lofthus - (47) 918 21 208 Spain: Howell Llewellyn - (34) 9 1593 2429; AMFM are combining in a $56 billion debt-is likely to require the divesti-and Scandanavia. We also have over- Sweden: Fredrik Nilsson - (46) 8 735 9750 deal which will create the largest con- ture of 125 radio stations in the US in laps with outdoor in Australia, New Scales and Marketing glomerate in radio history. order to meet Federal Communica-Zealand, Denmark and now Norway. International sales director: The merged company, to be knowntions Commission ownership guide- While international radio isstill a Ron Betist (UK, USA) - (31) 299 420274; mobile: (31) 653 194133 as Clear Channel, will comprise 830 lines.