12 General News IN U.K. BROWNE ATOP CHART Elektra /Asylum Surges McCartney With Albums & Singles Foots Holly LOS ANGELES - Elektra/ Life Away," up three berths to Asylum has three of Billboard's number 14. top four albums this week and It's the first top 10 pop hit for Party Bill three singles in the top 10. both Lee and Rabbitt; the fourth The posting of Jackson LONDON -The fifth annual for Queen, following the number Browne's "Hold Out" at No. 1, Buddy Holly Week got underway in nine "Bohemian Rhapsody" in the "Urban Cowboy" soundtrack Britain Sunday (7) organized, at 1976, the number four "We Are at number three and Queen's Paul McCartney's expense, via his The Champions" two years ago "The Game" at number four is MPL company here. and the No. 1 "Crazy Little the label's strongest weekly chart Thing Called Love" earlier this The former Beatle owns rights to performance since March 9, year. the Holly song catalog (around 38 1974, when it had the top three Queen's fortunes over the titles) in the U.S. and Canada; he course of the past two years can shares rights with Southern Music spots locked up with Bob Dylan's be taken in a symbolic sense to for the rest of the world. "Planet Waves," Joni Mitchell's "Court And Spark" and Carly represent E /A's as a whole: a hot "Paul doesn't do this because of Simon's "Hotcakes." 1978, followed by a rather ner- the publishing." says MPL chief Ste- The label could have four al- vous 1979 and finally a strong re- phen Shrimpton. "He does it be- bums in the top 10 as early as covery this year. cause he's a great Holly fan." next week: the Cars'"Panorama" The label also has the No. 1 The week -long celebration in- jumps five spots to number 12 in country single for the second cludes the distribution of 80,000 its second week. copies of the Wings magazine, Club chart The week with the Johnny Lee hit SHOP TALK -Doobie Brother Michael McDonald, left, chats with Pablo Sandwich, which carries interviews group's previous LP, "Candy - and the No. 1 country album Cruise songwriter /keyboard player Cory Lerios after a recent sellout Pablo with the Holly family, Don Everly O," hit number three a year ago. with Eddie Rabbitt's "Horizons." Cruise concert in Del Mar Last week's top- charted country at the Southern California Exposition which at- and others; ajive contest, featuring The No. 1 positioning of the tracted 60,000 people. rock'n'roll dancing; screening of the Jackson Browne LP continues his LP dips to number two: E /A's video film, "Reminiscing;" and the uninterrupted upward chart spi- "Urban Cowboy" collection. broadcast by London's Capital Ra- ral. His first album, "Jackson PAUL GREIN dio of a special tribute program, Browne," peaked at number 53 "The Day The Music Died." in June 1972, "For Everyman" There will also be Holly celebra- hit number 43 in December 1973, tions at the Hard Rock and Great "Late For The Sky" crested at American Disaster eateries in Lon- number 14 in December 1974. don, while MCA Records, which has "The Pretender" hit number five the Holly records, is discounting in December 1976 and "Running them for a week. On Empty" peaked at number There's even a revival of one of three in March 1978. Holly's songs, "Heartbeat," by the This is Asylum's seventh chart - Hollies on Polydor Records, to be topping LP, following Dylan's by a 12 single of other Many thanks to followed -inch "Planet Waves," Linda Ron - MOTIVATING Holly songs in October. stadt's back -to -back albums CONSUMERS... everyone who sent Tom Hammond of the local "Simple Things" and "Living In Heartfelt Holly Society will be doing The U.S.A." and four consecu- their thoughts and television and radio interviews, as tive Eagles packages: "One Of will the late singer's brother, Larry. These Nights," "Their Greatest prayers following my Hits," "Hotel California" and "The Long Run." unscheduled meeting Ironically, like Ronstadt and the Eagles, Browne is drawing his with a power pole first mixed reviews just as he em- FOGELSONG braces disk superstardom. has been refined to an excep- in Laurel Canyon. E /A's three singles in the TO SONGBIRD tional degree by any number pop top 10 are Johnnie Lee's Your good energies of manufacturers. But what NASHVILLE -In a structural "Lookin' For Love," up two realignment its Songbird gospel happens if the men in the of points to number eight; Queen's really helped pull division, MCA Records has ap- middle" don't get the mes- "Another One Bites The Dust," pointed Jim Fogelsong to head the sage? me up 14 notches to number nine through. label from Nashville. and Eddie Rabbitt's "Drivin' My "The men in the middle" stand Love, The move, coming at a time when between the manufacturer and gospel music appears to be in a the ultimate consumer. strong sales is as surge, soon an ef- They're the wholesalers or re- Lou fort to unify Songbird and ally the Ellman Asking tailers who dam the distribu- label more closely with the gospel tion flow or smooth it, who community. much of which is based Stop To Duping run in Nashville. stock the product or out, LOS ANGELES -Ellman Film who give it prominent display Fogelsong, Nashville division Enterprises here seeks to enjoin space or bury it, who switch president of MCA, says he hopes to Home Theatre Movies and Media brands or push them. They're develop Songbird's potential both Home Entertainment from allegedly the programmers who intro- from within the ranks of the label's duplicating some of its '/4 feature duce and expose your product. present roster and by vying in the films unauthorizedly and asks the marketplace for additional talent. defendants to pay royalties due the An integral part of every suc- "We plan to increase the roster plaintiff. cessful consumer promotion size gradually," notes Fogelsong. The local Superior Court filing program is a strong trade pro- "We're going to ease into it -not set names Charles Bond and Ronald gram that gets the active co- the world on fire within six months. Safinick as co- defendants. operation of your industry cus- We want to give maximum exposure The plaintiff licensed HTM in tomers. Even your own staff. to Songbird artists, and also give a March 1979 to distribute and manu- Your message in Billboard can few of our country artists who've ex- o facture its product for a 10% of turn on those who turn on pressed a desire to do a gosepl album wholesale price royalty. HTM con- millions. And we can prove it- the opportunity to do ty so." tracted MHE in November 1979 to with case history after case Charlie Shaw will continue as di- manufacture and distribute the Ell- history. rector of marketing and distribution man features for a $10 per copy roy- for Songbird on the West Coast, alty, of which the plaintiff was to re- P while Chris Christian continues to ceive 10 %. serve as Songbird's a &r consultant. The complaint charges that be- Fogelsong assumes leadership of tween March 1979 and August 1979 Songbird in addition to his current MHE made more than 2,000 illegal duties as president of MCA's coun- duplicates and several unauthorized Billboard® try operation. master copies of Ellman product. .where advertising sells records Artists now recording for Song- Approximately $34,000 was lost in bird include Little Anthony, B.J. royalties and the plaintiff asks an Thomas, Fireworks and B.W. Ste- additional $500,000 general and venson. KIP KIRBY $750,000 exemplary damages from the defendants. www.americanradiohistory.com.