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SM 14011 MMNIFIN BBO 9GREENLYMONT00 MARP6 NEWSPAPER MONTY GREENLY C3 10 37410 ELM UC Y LONG PEACH CA 90807 A B°Ilboard Publication The Internatior Newsweekly Of Music & Home Entertainment May 5, 1984 $3 (U.S.) AFTER RACK COMPLAINT DESPITE LABELS' EFFORTS Polytram Changes Budget Import Mart Booms Scorpions Cover By FRED GOODMAN ment of odds and ends from around that his firm does have American the world. customers, but that it counsels NEW YORK complaint from That attitude is apparently not -A NEW YORK -The U.S. market caution. a key rack account has led Mercury/ shared by Handleman or some of its "It's a large market," says one for imported budget, cutout and "We want to keep the U.S. compa- PolyGram to market two different customers. Mario DeFilippo, vice wholesaler who carries both domestic overstock albums is thriving. Despite nies happy," he says. "The customer covers of the Scorpions' top 10 album president of purchasing for the rack- and imported budget titles. "It basi- the efforts of the Recording Industry doesn't want to go out on a limb. But "Love At First Sting." . jobber, says that objections to album cally exists because the American Assn. of America, CBS Records and there is a whole midprice range we According to the label, Wal -Mart, cover art as well as lyrics are "a com- market is loaded with crap and the other American manufacturers to sti- supply that is not available in Ameri- a 670 -store discount chain racked by mon complaint from our customers." dual stuff is cheaper. It helps the fle parallel imports, a wide range of ca, and we let our customers decide Handleman, had refused to carry the As a result, the rackjobber now product -much of it in direct compe- small retailers to stay alive, since what to buy. We have some great album with its original packaging be- screens product before putting it into not price tition with American front -line prod - they're getting any breaks country compilations that aren't cause of fears that customers would its accounts. "Our customers have re- uct-is readily available here at be- from the majors." available in the U.S., and we do a find it offensive. That cover, featur- quested that if there's anything that low- market prices. In Britain, a manager for one Lon- good volume on them. The dollar ing a picture taken by fashion pho- may be questionable we show it to The most popular sources for for- don -based budget supplier reports (Continued on page 72) tographer Helmut Newton, depicts a them up front," adds DeFilippo. eign budget product include Canada, partially clad couple embracing while (Continued on page 72) the U.K., Spain, Portugal, Germany, the man applies a scorpion tattoo to Mexico and Uruguay. But one Amer- the woman's thigh. The new cover, Publishers Act To Bar Imports WEA Distributing ican cutout dealer states, "You can also photographed by Newton, is a bring it in from anywhere." By IS HOROWITZ black- and -white shot of the band that A spot check of New York retail to flow import- serves as the inner NEW YORK -Music publishers are attempting stanch the of sleeve for the orig- Blank Videotape outlets found WEA inal package. Canada over- ed recordings by threatening domestic merchandisers with legal action under stocks of numerous albums being the Copyright Act. "We made the second cover avail- By FAYE ZUCKERMAN sold at $3.99. Many of those albums, As in the parallel import problem plaguing U.S. record companies, the legal- able in the interest of making sure we LOS ANGELES-WEA is ready- including titles by Neil Young, Jack- ity of manufacture abroad is not at issue. But, insist the publishers, mechanical don't offend anybody," says Jim ing national distribution of a line of son Browne, Rod Stewart, Linda licenses granted elsewhere in the world do not convey the right to market the Lewis, vice president of marketing blank videocassettes from PD Mag- Ronstadt and others, are full -price ti- product in this country. for PolyGram. However, he adds netics carrying a wholesale price of tles in the U.S. WEA catalog. Cease -and -desist -or else- letters are being sent out to large accounts by at- that the label is also going to stand by $5. Also readily available are CBS torneys representing the Harry Fox Agency. These missives cite the same provi- the original and keep it in the market. The branch distribution arm of "Nice Price" titles from Canada, sion of the Copyright Act (Paragraph 602) as do manufacturers in parallel im- "We don't think it's pornographic," Warner Communications Inc. has Spanish pressings of Motown front- port cases as authority for their position. he says. "In fact, we think it's very decided to expand into all U.S. mar - line albums by Stevie Wonder, Diana While in some recent cases the offending product is being sold at budget artistic." (Continued on page 72) Ross and others, and a wide assort- (Continued an page 72) - Inside Billboard - VIDEO DISTRIBUTORS AND DEALERS were the temporary victors last week following an unsuccessful attempt by a House subcommittee to mark up an "omnibus" copyright reform bill linking video rental, audio rental and home taping legislation with two cable television reform amendments. Mean- while, organized groups of video dealers are stepping up their lobbying drive against any proposed video rental legislation. Page 3. RADIO ADVERTISING will play a major part in Apple Computer's planned campaign to boost its formal entry into the home market. Some $2 mil- lion of Apple's $20 million advertising budget has been earmarked for radio, with about half of that total slated for AOR stations. Page 3. WHK CLEVELAND has returned to the sound that put it on the map 20 years ago. The longtime AM country outlet, owned by Malrite Communica- tions, has switched to an oldies format. Radio, page 14. STORE SECURITY EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS are reporting unexpectedly soft sales to record /tape dealers, despite the steady if conditional resurgence in business those dealers are feeling. Page 3. "Magic" is the album debut from singer, songwriter Mark Gray. Gray, THOMAS DOLBY? Musicologist? Computer synth- whose co- writing credits include: "The Closer You Get," "Take Me Down' and Jazzbo'v Dolby is all these and more. Why, the ma any talents CHURCH MUSIC PUBLISHERS area applauding the $3 million judg- "It Ain't Easy,- shows he is as comfortable performing his own lyrics, as he is he scares even himself. His new single. I MYSELF B-5355). ment recently handed down against the Archdiocese of Chicago for copyright SCARE writing them. produced by Bob Montgomery "Magic," and Steve Bucking- can be heard on THE FLAT EARTH at; r al one of infringement. But they say the fact that the suit was filed in the first place has ham includes the chart singles "It Ain't Real If It Ain't You 25 *, The Left Side probably had more to do with curbing infringement than news of the decision Dolby's current concerts. Another musical vision for your minds ear from Of The Bede 10', plus the new "If All The Magic Is Gone." In High -Quality XDR will. Page 6. THOMAS DOLBY. Available on Records and Cas- store 5/7. Columbia #FC 39143. (Advertisement) seles from Capitol. (Advertisement) (Advertisement) CO T.S. ACOUSTICS INC. SPECIAU3ING IN CUSTOM BUILT CERWIN-/EGASOUND CD REINFORCEMENT SYSTEMS O oco a ref (`ITC (`ID1' I CAICMA /DI IDV DADI! ('Al nlnnn one Ann 1ncc. c (#rwrr a i,, ic'r est-.."-st-sa I rso Au , A w A y .,- .. a www.americanradiohistory.com SINGER SONGWRITER PRODUCER MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST ARRANGER LOVER Top 10 smashes "Thé, Freair as well as the ne , them ' - ' ,in'" is back with nd its first siegle "LOVELITE7' - . , - AvillaJle on Fecbrds and lifIW High-QualiYy-Xtilk , 10 pflfRILL)p-, ,v;s% APANYii 1:11iitA4. www.americanradiohistory.com 3 News `Omnibus' Bill Pro ves Un wieldy House Subcommittee Divided On Rental /Taping Link By BILL HOLLAND Wednesday (2), although there has By meeting's end, however, a num- been no formal schedule announce- ber of swing -vote members indicated WASHINGTON - Videocassette ment for that meeting as yet. they would try to support the omni- distributors and dealers were at least Recording industry officials, who bus bill if it were rewritten to address temporary victors last week follow- had pressed for separate passage of their concerns. And, in an election ing an unsuccessful attempt Wednes- the audio rental bill, which most year, the Congressmen's greatest day (25) by a House subcommittee to members view as non -controversial, concern appears to be to support a mark up an apparently unwieldy were unable to persuade Kastenmeier bill that will not be viewed as anti - "omnibus" copyright reform bill that to extract that section from the cra- consumer in tone. links the video rental, audio rental zy -quilt bill, which observers here As Rep. Mike Synar (D- Okla.) put and home taping exemption bills now worry might fall apart at the it: "We're walking through some real with two cable television reform seams. political minefields out there." amendments. Kastenmeir termed the package There is also a strong feeling that a Members of the House subcom- bill "a delicate balance" of consumer bill that combines video rental, audio mittee on courts, civil liberties and and copyright owner interests and rental, cable and home taping is an the administration of justice met and presented to the members of the sub- impossible legislative concept.

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