8 1967 SEVETY THIRD YAR The International Music -Record BiIIb"'oar Newsweekly Breakthrough Opens Undergrounders Fly High 2d CARtridge Front -AGAC in Writers Pitch By HANK FOX By MIKE GROSS By PAUL ACKERMAN NEW YORK -A major technological breakthrough may well NEW YORK -The so- called underground NEW YORK -Recorded product by the so- thrust the tape CARtridge industry into a second era and is expected songwriter has become the target of a recruiting called underground acts has become a substan- to have profound ramifications throughout the record and jukebox campaign being launched by the American Guild tial segment of album sales, according to Len industries. of Authors & Composers (AGAC). The campaign Sachs, Director of Merchandising and Album the develop- C, S and W Electronics Corp., a communications engineering will be keyed to the probability that lots of pub- Sales of Atlantic -Arco, key label in corporation, has developed a means for complete selectivity control lisher royalty moneys are not going to the young ment of this market. A hot album of this genre fully compatible with all available configurations of tape and tape writers because they don't have AGAC acting can sell several hundred thousand, said Sachs, cartridges. The device, according to company president and director as a watchdog over their affairs. who added: "It's a mystique among the buyers, who are teen -agers and young adults." John White, requires no redesign of existing tape cartridge equip- The campaign will also stress the fact that and will only mini- is and what is not an underground ment; is easily incorporated in all model designs; AGAC is not an ASCAP or BMI organization Just what in but there are several criteria mally alter the cost of equipment. With no reduction operational but solely a writers' organization. AGAC plans group is debatable, features, White said, the mechanism can be designed for inclusion in to reach these new underground writers with an upon which most tradesters are agreed. These it without the a $19 player as well as in a more sophisticated unit costing several advertising and promotion drive in the under- are: 1) The album product makes a hit single; 2) The material and hundred dollars. ground press, which is flourishing in many key impetus of The device, which at the touch of a button or the turn of a dial, country, and such New York arrangements are unconventional; 3) The pro- cities around the use of permits automatic selection or repetition of any number or numbers weeklies as the Village Voice and East Village motion and exploitation, while making on a 2 -, 4-, or 8 -track cartridge, cassette or open reel configuration, Other. some routine channels, leans heavily on such (Continued on page 61) unconventional media as the underground press bulletin, the writer - According to an AGAC (literally scores of publications), posters, buttons credits of the Top 100 singles and Top 100 and radio stations which are hip to the countless new writers are suc- certain LP's show that idiom. Record Companies Bust Out ceeding in the record business today. AGAC believes that many of these writers (on staff Bob Rolontz, Atlantic publicity and advertis- or self- employed) need its auditing facilities be- ing chief, has been studying the market for un- In Coastwide Studio Spree cause they sign inferior contracts giving away derground record groups since the trend got under way a year ago. The underground press, he By CLAUDE HALL many valuable rights. Says AGAC, "They sign contracts which permit publishers to hang onto says, constitutes a regular network "and it is very NEW YORK -This will be stage at the moment; Colum- their material till kingdom come." hip and informative." known as "The year of the stu- bia studio expansion in Nashville Affecting young writers today, the AGAC Lenny Sachs noted that the phenomenon dios" in the record business. will be looked into after the first bulletin pointed out, is the cluster of music whereby underground albums score big sales lack of a hit single in no way detracts Record companies, big and of the year. Musicor Records publishing - record - producing - artist -management despite the small, are building new studios just opened new studios on West complexes as well as the subdivisions of large from the general importance of Top 40 stations. and remodeling old ones. In ad- 55th Street in New York. movie companies which dominate many phases "But the phenomenon dom point up a new and dition, independent record pro- A few weeks ago A &R re- of the music business, from creation of material significant area of product and specialized ex- ducers and independent record- cording studios opened a second to exploitation of the talent which performs this posure." ing firms have opened several location in Manhattan. Chess material. Many of these firms hire staff writers Sachs added that personal appearances are an studios during the past few Records in Chicago just opened who are put on weekly salaries which are de- important facet of promotion of underground months and more are under (Continued on page 10) (Continued on page 10) (Continued on page 10) construction. There are two major factors that have set off this flurry of studio construction and remod- Oak Catalog eling. (1) Rock 'n' roll artists are spending a great deal of time in the studio, mostly in Purchased by experimenting for new sounds. (2) Engineers have advanced Music Sales the technical processes of re- cording to such a high degree By FRED KIRBY that more complicated equip- ment and controls are now NEW YORK -Music Sales, necessary. Inc., has entered the authentic field with the purchase of week, folk Last Decca Records the Oak Publications catalog unveiled its remodeled opera- from Irwin Silber and Moses tions on West 57th Street here Asch. The catalog includes (the same studio where Bing publications edited and com- Crosby recorded "White Christ- piled by such top names in the mas" many years ago). Mercury folk field as Pete Seeger, Records, the week before, an- Woody Guthrie, Torn Paxton, nounced that construction was Ewan MacColl, Alan Lomax under way for two studios in and Asch. new quarters its on West 57th has retained Street. Mercury also just opened Silber been by to and Diana Ross and the Supremes, Motown's sensational female new studios in San Francisco. Music Sales supervise The exciting Wilson Pickett does it again -this time with a control all Oak Publication ma- twosided smash, "I'm in Love" and "Stagger Lee," Atlantic vocal group. have a highly rhythmic new single headed for Columbia Records is building for the next five years. 2448. Wilson also has a new hit album, 'The Best of the top of the charts. "In and Out of Love, Motown 1116. new studios in Los Angeles; terial The newly acquired material Wilson Pickett," Atlantic 8151, which showcases the "Wicked Already No. 1 on the LP Charts is "Diana Ross and the studios for Columbia in San Pickett" in 12 of his biggest hits. (Advertisement) Supremes' Greatest Hits," Motown M /MS 2 -663. Francisco are in the talking (Continued on page 10) (Advertisement, (Advertisement ) m r Big boxoffice means -FABtIlÖlÈñir: N N big soundtrack sales on "More than a miracle' . 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OBBB _nTE 11E27' DSO EMI Pub Arm CDE, t]U1 000, twat UA Tie With Stays; KR CGE EYY RpE .. _ ..,. .. .,..,,.l RGF ,EW lO 0001 OtIU total 44' _ r On Own, Staffers Changed in U.K. NEW YORK - United Art- as managing director of the en- Jimmy Roselli. The company is ists Records, while going on its tire continental operation. In also adding to its production own in England Jan. 1, will order to sharpen the co- ordina- staff. Two producers, Chris maintain an affiliation with tion between its American and Blackwell and Jimmy Miller EMI. UA's new agreement puts British, Stewart said there will have been signed. Miller will the American company in com- be a constant exchange of per- also record. plete control of all its product. sonnel divisions between the Stewart concluded the nego- EMI, however, will continue to two. tiations with EMI on his re- distribute UA product and UA's initial artist roster for cent trip to England. He said broaden the UA London office's its London -based operation in- that UA, through its Transamer- promotion and sales activities. cludes Shirley Bassey, George ica Corp. parent, is in the mar- Basically, UA will no longer Martin, Spencer Davis Group, ket for several key European be a licensee. Under the new the Fortunes, the Easybeats and acquisitions. agreement, UA will choose its own product for release, main- tain its own sales force and conduct its own promotion to Gallagher to MCA any extent it desires.