$5.95 (U.S.), $6.95 (CAN.), £4.95 (U.K.), Y2,500 (JAPAN) 88XNCCVR ******* 3 -DIGIT 908 190807GEE374EM0021 BLBD 591 001 032198 2 126 1194 33740Y ELM EAVEYAPT A LONG BEACH CA 90807 Bottle Rockets Are Primed To Ignite With New Atlantic Set 1\10/ \MI II PAGE 9 AUGUST 2, 1997 THE INTERNATIONAL NEWSWEEKLY OF MUSIC, VIDEO AND HOME ENTERTAINMENT ADVERTISEMENTS BMG Rings Up Strong Results 171ir1c. I Ilfl'l' 1uU'l'. I.)111' IIIICPUIIhUI7P. Mechanicals Pact Set On A Wide Variety Of Fronts U.S. Deal Looks To Digital Future Bulletin, July 22). BY DON JEFFREY $2.4 billion for the fiscal year ending BY IRV LICHTMAN ations (Billboard Music Publishers' Wednriuc June 30, while profit increased 24 %. At the National revenue was NEW YORK-While the new 10- Assn. (NMPA) annual gathering, 11uU1' I Could Niu Luec lml Moir NEW YORK -At a time when some BMG North America's music manufactur- $1.7 billion, and its year mechanical royalty agreement held July 21 in New York, presi- ers are reporting profit doubled. Pri- recently reached between U.S. mu- dent/CEO Ed Murphy said that a sluggish results, vately held parent sic publishers written agreement "reflecting the l all ISINI-R(N,;li jnple U3141 !i,l Bertelsmann does and record labels parties' understanding is now being y ltllp:'uxx.ladFdnerunvjn,ldnr BMG Entertain- ment turned in not disclose profits. addresses many prepared and will be submitted to the for review." an impressive per- Total music rev- of the same is- U.S. Copyright Office enue was about $4.2 sues included in nm More good news came at the formance in the billion last year. the current pact, pa NMPA meeting, where a relatively past year, with DORNEMANN music revenue ris- In a prepared it also promises upbeat global music publishing revealed (see ing nearly 5% to a statement released to tackle new is- financial picture was record $4.4 billion. July 21, BMG sues such as digital distribution as story, page 94). And the compa- Entertainment the industry moves into the next mil- The current mechanical rate ny's domestic and chairman /CEO lennium. expires Dec. 31, ending a decade -old international units, Michael Dorne- U.S. music publishers and record rate structure, keyed at two -year as well as many of mann said, "BMG's companies settled on the new intervals to the Consumer Price endorsed by the its labels and oper- ZELNICK GASSNER performance over mechanical royalty agreement for Index (CPI) and ating companies, the past 10 years the 10 -year period beginning Jan. 1, now -defunct U.S. Copyright Royal - (Continued on page 94) 01997 hit. Ldl. WM. posted significantly higher profits than speaks for itself, and I'm confident that 1998, after several months of negoti- m6ulu rd and Markub hr:1\M .lssorialyd Lid, . on page 93) diisüin or:1AM RrWrrd Inr.. a PolvGram runtya, in the previous year. (Continued 111 Itirhl Ilr.rr. BMG International had revenue of Dance Industry Mulls PolyGram Music Sales Up 9(4 In First Half ... See Page 6 RCA Expects Jai To Fill Mkt. Progress, Challenges ...fea oing BY CHUCK TAYLOR Disney Plans To Raise Niche With His Soulful Sound CHICAGO -The dance music indus- Biz Its Profile In Music BY PAUL SEXTON of its output with BMG. Jai was try has found its rhythm. BY CRAIG ROSEN signed to M &G, which has a roster of head LONDON -As the search for the about half a dozen U.K. acts, by Billboard Fourth finoual LOS ANGELES -Despite its lack of next heavy- hitting pop singer /song- of A&R Jack Steven. Records, the writer continues, RCA is looking In the U.S., Jai is slated to have his success with Hollywood .,,.........., west. debut album, "Heaven," To the west of England, at released Oct. 14, to be pre- Gi.ftCRYL2Ui5 rate, and Yeovil, to be ceded by the single "I The Company. any ()ALTirfo precise. It's a town best Believe," which has a known in rock circles as the planned multi- format At the fourth annual Billboard Dance home of Polly Jean Harvey impact date of Aug. 18. The Music Summit, held July 16 -18 here, Walt Disney Co. is committed to and also the birthplace of evocative single glides into 500 clubland heavyweights heralded becoming a major player in the music Jai, a 23- year -old vocalist action with a wash of guitar the unity of the community with (Continued on page 93) and writer on whom the that briefly recalls vintage (Continued on page 90) label is pinning big hopes. Peter Green before Jai's Jai is already two singles JAI breathy vocal takes over. usic for_!Ie.sure into his career in the U.K., Here and on other tracks, NATIV te where he is signed to Wired Record- like "I Need Love," his gossamer lead includes th ings, owned by the independent M &G recalls the style of another respect- AMERICEAN "What Do Want From Me M &G ed, emerging British vocalist, Virgin http://www.polydor.com/polydor Records, and published by MUSIC Music. Outside the U.K., M &G has a signing David McAlmont. t Manufactured GE%PEL 997 Palydar Ltd (UK). A BILLBOARD SPOTLIGHT 07Jdur rd Marketed by A&M Associated Laheis. ItII.I,RIIAICII tiI'11'i'I,I6II'l' on page 91) 4LAW Rec rds. Inc.. a worldwide distribution deal for most (Continued rights reserved. ßtÌ SEE PAGE 45 SEE PAGE 17 IN THE NEWS Germany's PopKomm To Draw Top Gov't Execs PAGE 6 $5.95 US $6.95 CANADA 31 > i i or email: jsomersteinä billboard.com CALL NOW ! NY: 212-536-5261 London: 44-171-323 -6686 0 4808 02 52 7 ADVERTISEMENT www.americanradiohistory.com A a L L y a h- doubly platinum album ALL- 4-one - platinum album, double platinum album, platinum single, 2 gold singles Brandy - quadruple " urr 'bum, platinum single, 2 gold singles Chang Lng Face - cld album, platinum single H L g h school. H L g h- Soundtrack, gold album u n L o r M . A. F. I. A.- gcld album, platinum single L L L' K L m- platinum album, gold single Mark Morr,.Son - platinum single Quad c L t y D A S- plathum slbum, platinum single Space dam - Soundtrack 6X platinum worldwide watch for new albums from: AnLta oaker / Grandy / oJ Pooh , Fat doe / CLL.' cease Magoo & TLmbaland / RBL Posse / TwLsta /body watLey / Gebe wLnans Q©U^A!DIFRwA UNDEAS 1®, RECORDING B¡ ri' Tái v ENtersiAIneN,N()(T(IVw1i Ttül' THE ATLANTIC GROUP 01997 A-/antic Re-orc.na Ccro. A Time Warner Company. www.americanradiohistory.com No. I IN BILLBOARD N. VOLUME 109 NO. 31 M2 REINVENTS THE ART OF MUSIC TV content, and seen how rejuvenating M2 can be for new projects, I'd be willing to bet THE BILLBOARD 200 98 In a finite world of familiar vehicles, conventional by invent- it'll have a similar effect on various acts' catalog sales." * MEN IN BLACK - THE ALBUM SOUNDTRACK COWMBIA exhausted capacity, the provident mind creates a new future ing an empty vessel. M2: Music Television, the 24 -hour free -form musi- "We certainly hope to," confirms Fulmer, who cites the Pretenders' on seldom -seen 1986 "Don't Get Me Wrong" clip as a vintage video recent- BLUES 39 cal channel launched by MTV will celebrate its first anniversary * UE TO LIE JONNY LANG 6 Friday (1), and even before it has secured a major cable agreement, ly added simply for its "great beat" and "narrative quality." the largely satellite -distributed enterprise is arguably the best thing Indeed, the "art-form aspects" of video are not shrugged off at M2, CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN 43 to happen to popular music since the advent of the music video. Why? where whole blocs of programming are devoted to directors who've * SHADES OF GRACE BOB CARLISLE DIADEM Because its central premise is that there shouldn't be one. earned the staff's admiration. M2 recently scheduled and then repeat- "The format is no format," says M2 director of music programming ed a one -hour homage to the surreal beauty of music clips by French COUNTRY 38 Darcy Sanders Fulmer with a gleeful laugh. "Today's playlist may director Michel Gondry, including those he devised for Bjork's "Human * EVERYWHERE TIM MCGRAW CURL make complete sense, and tomorrow's programming day could seem to Behavior," Daft Punk's "Around The World," Sheryl Crow's "A Change way, it's deliberate." Would Do You Good," Foo Fighters' "Everlong," Cibo Matto's "Sugar GOSPEL 44 make no sense at all-but either * GOD'S PROPERTY Fulmer, a former music director (1992 -94) at KROQ Los Angeles Water," Lucas' "Lucas With The Lid Off," Massive Attack's "Protec- FROM FRANKLIN'S NU NATION IA IL GOD'S PROPERTY KIRK and programming director (1994 -96) at VH1, explains that M2 was tion," Lenny Kravitz's "Believe," Terence Trent D'Arby's "She Kissed music -based radio or TV Me," and the 1995 "Stripped" rendition of the Rolling Stones' "Like A HEATSEEKERS 16 designed from the onset to be "unlike any * ROBYN IS HERE ROBYN <r station you've ever heard or seen. When we started last summer, we Rolling Stone." went through the MTV library and picked over 100 videos that were "We also think up these crazy themes," notes Fulmer, "like a Blur vs. KID AUDIO 72 underexposed, extremely cool either visually or musically, or had never Oasis hour, or this upcoming sequence of videos with scenes about danc- * HERCULES READ -ALONG WALT DISNEY seemed to fit elsewhere.