M&M Features Its Spring Jazz Special. Also, MTM Looks At The Sunshine Behind Eros Ramazzotti. See Pages 9-13 & 14. Europe's Music Radio Newsweekly . Volume 10 . Issue 20 . May 15, 1993 .2.95, US$ 5, ECU 4 Branson Discusses Virgin Bows With Exclusive Virgin Switch To FM Playlist UNITED KINGDOM Says Branson, "It is going to RichardBranson's 25 -year by Mike McGeever be much tougher for us [being on wish for a national rock station AM]. To me it seems strange that became reality at 12:15 on April Richard Branson is spearhead- a station playing such good music 30 with the launch of AOR Vir- inga campaignto move his is not able to do it on FM for lis- gin 1215 AM, the country's first recently launched AOR national teners who are used to hearing commercial rock network. "I've service Virgin 1215 AM to the music of the high quality sound been waiting for this moment FM band. Branson says he is to produced by CDs. We should for .25 years, along with many hold talks "in a few days" with have something like Radio 4's others," said Branson after he EUROPE JUMPS ON MUSIC VIDEO KARUSSELL - Music executives from BBC's director general John Birt [frequency].They havetalk officially launched thestation 10 countries got together in Hamburg recently to discuss setting up Karus about the possibility of swapping shows and don't need an FM fre- from one of his Virgin Megas- sell Musik & Video in their respective countries. Pictured OA are Poly - his station's AM slot with the cor- quency." tore record shops in Manch- Gram executives: Wolfgang Gramatke (Germany president), Werner poration'snews/talkRadio4 He contendsthatRadio 4 ester. Klose (Karussel MD), Gilles Paire (France MD), Stefan Fryland (Denmark national network spot on the FM would benefit fromtheswap Billed asa"radio revolu- MD), Peter Kaudinya, Wim Punte (Germany), Petra Dietz (Karussell), dial. (continues onpage 25) tion," the station kicked off with Anton Witkamp (Holland), Thomas Hedstrom (UK), Max Gleller (Switzer- two world exclusives -a cover land), Chris Wemcken (Austria), Lennart Backman (Sweden), Jorn Johnsen version ofSteppenwolfs Born (Norway), Gerd Brendemiihl (Karussell), Anja Glahn (Karussell), Jurgen BBC Radio 1 London, To Be Wild by INXS recorded Preiser, Frank Staebe and Egbert Fischer (Germany). specially for the station's launch, and The Cure's interpretation of Hendrix'sPurple Haze -pre- National Shares Drop sentedbyjointprogramme Larsen Drives MCA director Richard Skinner. UNITED KINGDOM 21.0%, shown in the latest sweep. Branson says the launch of by Mike McGeever News/talk BBC Radio 4 enjoyed Virgin has ushered in a new era Internat'l Expansion a gain in national share to 11.6% in UK radio. "For the first time The results of the RAJAR survey from 10.8% for the same period. in 25 years on a national basis, EUROPE presidentofits MCA Music for the first quarter of this year BBCNetworkRadio'stotal (continues on page25) by Machgiel Bakker Entertainment International show little overall change in lis- nationalshareremainedun- division. Larsen, currently man- tening compared to RAJAR's first changed at 48.9%. MCA is heading for an ambitious agingpartnerofBerlin -based survey for the fourth quarter of On the national commercial No. 1in EUROPE and expansionist strategy with the DSB, and formerlySonyMusic 1992. On a national basis the scene, Dublin -based ACE Long appointment of Jorgen Larsen as Europe president, will be over- most significant changes are the Wave Atlantic 252, which until European Hit Radio seeing MCA's loss in share suffered by EHR thelatest survey realised gains G. MICHAEL & QUEEN existingopera- BBC Radio 1 FM from 22.4% across the board, dropped in share Somebody To Love First Quarter tions outside for the fourth quarter1992to (continues on page25) (Parlophone) the US and will German Sales beresponsible Eurochart Hot 100 for launching Top Five UK National Stations Top Five London IR Stations SNOW Up 3.2% new MCA sub- (% audience share) (%audience share) Informer sidiaries. He Station (format) Oct/ Jan/ Station (format) Oct/ Jan/ (East West) will be based at Dec '92Mar '93 Dec '92 Mar '93 First quarter figures just issued Larsen by German music industry body MCA's new BBC Radio 1( ERR) 22.4 21.0 Cap. FM (EHR) 16.9 17.1 European Top 100 Albums BPW show a 3.2% increase in headquarters inLondonand BBC Radio 2 (MOR) 13.0 12.9 BBC Radio 4 (N/T) 13.3 13.6 OST - THE BODYGUARD trade shipments by BPW mem- report to MCA Music Entertain- BBC Radio 4 (NIT) 10.8 11.6 BBC Radio 2 (MOR) 11.6 12.5 The Bodyguard ment Group chairman Al Teller. Classic FM (Class) 2.8 2.8 BBC Radio 1 (EHR) 12.5 10.6 (Arista) ber companies (including club Atlantic 252 (EHR) 5.4 2.7 Capital Gold (Gold) 9.4 9.4 (continues on page25) (continues on page25) + AO -401 111.- 111.- -r ag -41 Ow - 1 110 jr/ AIMOEILSillielVE'rINEEnew album PIP" AmericanRadioHistory.Com 3RA\D \EW SI\GLE 7 7 7 OUT \OW )11 Padophone EMI AmericanRadioHistory.Com France Stops Selling Vinyl Singles,EUROPE A T A GLANCE BELGIUM: Donna Goes "On The Night" CDs Up 15%; Rise Continues To promote the release of the Dire Straits live album On The FRANCE od of 1992, following a steady 2.238 and 3.235 units respectively Night, Phonogram Belgium has teamed up with Flemish EHR sta- byEmmanuel Legrand drop over the last years, with a for the first three months of 1993. tion Radio Donna and newspaper Le Soir to organise an exclusive jump of 17% to 4.2 million units During the first quarter, album listening party May 7 in Brussels. Both mediums have scheduled Following a long decline of vinyl from 3.5 million. However, vinyl sales jumped to 25.1 million from competitions offering the full Dire Straits back catalogue, five On singlessales, the French music singles fell from 1.8 million to 23.6 million (+6.2%). In value, the the Night videos and 50 double invitations for the preview listening industry has decided to stop ser- 147.000units,whiletwo -track increase was 25.4% at Ffr76 mil- party. Radio Donna was also given exclusive rights to air album - vicing the format to stores as of CDs surged 230% to 2.6 million lion(app. US$14 million) and tracks for two weeks starting April 26. Marc Maes May 1. The decision was made by from 793.000. By the end of the 3.99% at Ffr1.27 billionrespec- tively. Total industry turnover rose SNEP industry organisation mem- year, Paire forecasts that 26-30 BELGIUM: KeepingContact With Home Forces million singleswill be sold in 5.5% during the first quarter on bers to limit the number of carriers EHR net Radio Contact has decided to support the Belgian forces France, most of them CDs, while the same periodlastyear,at available and boost sales of two - in Somalia by transmitting programmes from home. The weekly tracks CDs. the remaining will be two -track Ffr1.38 billion against Ffr 1.31 bil- total of 12 hours Dutch -language and 12 French-launguage broad- SNEP president Gilles Paire cassettes. Sony Music president lion. casts will include RTL-TV1's "Super 30" chart show and VTM's attributes the decision to a lack of Henri de Bodinat is also confi- interest from consumers in the for- dent that two -track CD sales can French Record Sales "Super 50," along with personal messages. JS mat. "We didn't push the vinyl sin- only rise, as more and more retail- (thousands of units) gle into the coffin, there is simply ers present the product. He be- FormatJan/ Jan/ % FRANCE: Radio France Back In The Red no more demand for it. We need lieves the suppression of short for- Mar '92 Mar '93chg. French pubcaster Radio France made a profit of Ffr600.000 (app. the room on retailers racks for mats would be a disaster for the Singles 3.5 4.2 + 17.6 US$104.000) in 1992. This follows losses of Ffr34 million in other formats." He adds, however, industry, as they help sell long for- Cassettes 7.4 6.5 -13.2 1991. President Jean Maheu reports that the broadcaster expects that this is not a move to put an mats. CDs 16.1 18.5 +14.9 to maintain this success in the coming year. David Roe end to the single in general. The surge of the short format Video 0.3 0.4 +7.5 Retailers had already begun was one of the main highlights of Total 27.3 29.6 +7.6 GERMANY: Edel Acquires Berlin Classics From DSB cutting down stocks of the format, the French market for thefirst Edel Company Music has acquired DSB's classical repertoire (thousandsof francs) andduringthefirstquarter. quarter of the year, according to "Berlin Classics." The deal includes around 2.000 classical albums Record companies were receiving the figures supplied by SNEP. The FormatJan/ Jan/ % which were recorded by the former East German state-owned com- large numbers of single returns, CD now represents in value over Mar '92Mar '93chg. pany VEB Deutsche Schallplatten over the last 40 years and dis- while the boom in two -track CDs 80% of the industry's total turn- Singles 61.0 76.6 +25.4 tributed under the name of Eterna until mid -'91 when it was taken also helped push vinyl out. over, compared to 75% one year Cassettes 278.9 241.4 -13.5 Figures for thefirstquarter ago, as vinyl albums hardly exist CDs 941.81,028.7 +9.2 over by DSB and renamed Berlin Classics.