08120 BB049GREENLYMONTOO MAR84 NEWSPAPER MONTY GREENLY 03 10 U C Y 3740 ELM ONG BEACH CA 9C807 i IIIbU88tp A Billboard Publication The International Newsweekly Of Music & Home Entertainment Jan. 22, 1983 $3 (U.S.) Japan CD Demand Leaders Flock Computer Software Outstripping Supply To Billboard's Lures Vidgame Firms By SHIG FUJITA Program Meet By LAURA FOTI TOKYO -Sony and Nippon Co- duction capacity to 10,000 players a LAS VEGAS -As consumers of tential for even more rapid growth. PASADENA lumbia (Denon) are feverishly work- month. A further 50% increase is -As radio pro- video games step up to home com- Frank Mainero, vice president of ing to meet the demand by Japanese planned for later this year. Both grammers and other leaders of puters, software suppliers are swiftly marketing for Activision, speaks of the broadcast consumers for Compact Disc players companies are too busy filling soft- industry prepare to expanding their product horizons. 1983 sales of computer software attend the Billboard Radio and software. The system was ware orders to accept any outside Pro- At least six video games firms - units in excess of 20 million. launched here last October. requests for custom pressing. gramming Conference here Activision, Coleco, Imagic, Parker This branching out by games Thursday through Retailers are asking customers to According to Sony's Yasuhiko Saturday (20- Bros., U.S. Games and Starpath- firms means that most will begin to 22), panelists wait up to four weeks for hardware Kuroda, his company has produced and participants announced their intentions to de- offer software in areas other than are delivery, and Sony has doubled pro- and sold 20,000 CD players in just still signing on. Venue is the velop computer software at the Con- games -such as educational and per- Huntington over two months. Sony, which was -Sheraton Hotel. sumer Electronics show here Jan. 6- sonal productivity titles. "Program- Barry Mayo, outspoken p.d. first on the market, together with Hi- of 9. All plan to have product at the mable game machines led the way New Chiefs In tachi and Columbia's Hitachi -made urban contemporary WRKS New York, will come to grips E/A N.Y. Move players, has scored an early lead Pickwick links with Softsel Computer Products, page 3. with the lowest -priced machine with the black vs. white issue in By PAUL GREIN the music /radio business at a ($683). CES, 5 -8, in Chicago. And the computer," Mai - Saturday night (22) session. Beau next June for home says LOS ANGELES Elektra /Asy- Hitachi says it plans to double Walt Tele- now - Phillips, p.d. of KISW Seattle, one company, Disney nero. "We're just beginning to lum is shifting its headquarters to production this month, to 6,000 communications, which see dual ownership." But, he has been added to the home tap- never man- adds, New York in the wake of units monthly, in addition to manu- Joe Smith's ing /album tracking ufactured a video game, also is mov- "The game machine is here to stay. resignation as chairman and the ap- facturing a reported 500 players a hearing Thursday night. ing into computer software. Each CES brings new and more so- pointments of Bob Krasnow as chair- month for Columbia, which itself re- Steve Wozniak, chairman of Games manufacturers stress that phisticated technology. man and Bruce Lundvall as presi- ports being out of stock due to heavy their new area activity does not by "The market for computer soft- Unuson Corp., which put to- of dent. At its new base, the label will demand. any means portend the death of ware hardware been gether the US Festival, and a co- -and -has be utilizing financial and other Sony's research indicates most video games. But they point out that homogenous. Now it will be hetero- (Continued on page 76) (Continued on page 76) (Continued on page 56) the computer industry holds the po- (Continued on page 65) PROGRAMMING CONSULTANT John Sebastian is working on a new format to debut in June. He won't reveal specifics yet, but promises a depar- ture from AOR, with which he's usually associated. Radio, page 15. NARM IS ACTING swiftly to exploit the promotional value of the '82 Grammys, the nominations for which were announced last week. Retailers are to receive posters, stickers and other support materials for use during the pre - awards stretch. Details and all the nominations, pages 4, 67. AM STEREO didn't generate much excitement at last week's Consumer Electronics Show, but there were some developments of note, detailed in Ra- dio, page 15. Other reports from Winter CES appear on pages 3, 32, 34, 65. MIDEM OPENS in Cannes next Monday (24) with more exhibitors than last year, including 50 firms participating in the regenerated classical event. Talent showcases have also been upgraded. Pages 3, 9. RETAIL PREFERENCE in cassette packaging appears to be the 12 -inch spaghetti box, according to a newly released NARM survey. The results will be evaluated at the association's retail advisory committee next month. Retailing, BY Start the new year off on the right foot with Dexys Midnight Runners. BLINDED SCIENCE -SPECTACULAR MUSICAL VISIONS FROM THOMAS page 30. Their DOLBY! Thomas Dolby's new mini -LP, Blinded By Science (M LP-15007), is international smash, "Come On Eileen" (76189), is already one of the top a spectacle in sound and sight. Dolby delights the ears with five uniquely ROCK STATIONS have been instrumental in developing a buoyant tal- requested songs on AOR radio today.'Too-Rye -Ay" (SRM -1. 4069), the de- astounding tracks and amazes the eyes as well with "She Blinded Me With ent market in Canada, including such outlets as Toronto's CHUM -FM and but American album from Dexys Midnight Runners. You'll hum these tunes Science," already among MTV's most requested new videos. On records Q -107, and "free- formatted" CFNY -FM. Broadcasting updates are part of forever. On Mercury. Marketed by PolyGram Records. (Advertisement) and new high quality XDR cassettes from Harvest, distributed by Capitol. Billboard's market profile on Canada, opposite page 40. (Advertisement) (Advertisement) î/ü. I: .1:.l, 1.4.0 _ -r ;lrl:' MALCOLM McLAREN & BLANCMANGE THE WORLD'S FAMOUS SUPREME TEAM r NY CITI PEECH BOYS "LIFE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL" ,; t D ,,¡t 't :t 7 I'-'11 R . I , . 'A, `vi--.. rpromil . -. t+ .,:r;rri www.americanradiohistory.com The imagination drives forward to discover the hidden connections betweer the conscious and the unconscious .. r E R U D /1 Inspired by the most original poet of our day, created by the band who riveted radio with the AOR smash "Lunatic Fringe; ' now comes a bold new album. bristling with rare energy and uncommon imagery. 1 R E D R I D E R www.americanradiohistory.com News_ 3 REPORTS FROM WINTER CES. oftsel, Pickwick In Rack Pact Mood Is Upbeat; N ajor Step In Home Computer Mass Merchandising Attend By SAM SUTHERLAND sonal computer field, itself a focal utor for personal c mputer software, 75,000 point at this year's show (separate has introduced t e first extensive By LAURA FO II .AS VEGAS -The rapid pene- story, page one). The growing num- dealer co-op ad rogram to be of- tr< ion of mass merchandised stores ber of upscale department stores, fered for compute products. LAS VEGAS -Although the emphasis at the Winter Consumer Elec- 133 home computer hardware and catalogue showrooms and other As for the Pic wick linkup, the tronics Show was undeniably on computers (separate story, page one), a so tware is dramatically under - mass merchandised businesses al- partnership wil see the Min- generally positive -if not exuberant -mood among all exhibitors and at- sc red by a new agreement between ready carrying computer products, neapolis -based r ck services giant tendees was based on exciting developments in virtually every area. Pi kwick and Softsel Computer or expected to enter the field providing merch ndising and in- With a record- breaking attendance of 75,000, this CES was Winter Pr 'ducts unveiled last week during quickly, is apparently drawing rec- store support, inc uding training of the most crowded to date. The Compact Disc was widely visible and th Winter CES here. ord /tape rackjobbers into that sector store personnel nd management, Jews of the Pickwick /Softsel al- in search of new revenues to help while Softsel is to develop products, Additional reports from Winter CES appear on pages I, 32, 34, 65. lit ice, rumored in the weeks prior to offset soft music sales. determine invent ry selection Photos. page 64. and th home electronics gathering, Possible parallels between the two size, and generat marketing strate- much talked about, and a new interest in improved audio- for -video was ca ne as virtually every major rack - product areas are also suggested by a gies. evidenced by Beta Hi -Fi demonstrations, which generated constant jo bing firm was attending CES to separate Softsel CES move, in which Unlike record/ape rack jobbing, lines of curious attendees. Video game companies offered celebrities kt :p tabs on the fast -moving per- the firm, deemed the largest distrib- (Continued on page 76) and upbeat opinions. while virtually all of them announced their new involvement in the computer software field. Video software pricing ex- periments, including "An Officer And A Gentleman" at $29.95 in the A (Continued on page 65) TTENDANCE UP FROM '82 Disc Demos :!00 Firms Set For 17th MIDEM Compact By MICHAEL WAY Organizer Bernard Chevry cites a which are being Filmed in their en- substantial sales and marketing ef- tirety for the first 'me by independ- Put Spotlight On Audio ANNES- Despite early predict - fort as the prime reason for the ent American t evision producer ic is that MIDEM '83 would be so heavy participation of an industry Marty Pasetta's P L company.