BBC 49GREENLYMONTOO MONTY GREENLY 3740 ELM LONG BEACH CA 90807 r A Billboard PublicationBill The Radio Programming, Music /Record International Newsweekly Aug. 16 1980 $3.00 (U.S.) Stores Defy Tape Ban SINGLES AFFECTED TOO By ROMAN KOZAK U.S. Chains Raising NEW YORK -Some of this city's biggest re- promising 25% off on all WEA product, and tailers appear to be challenging the record individual discounts on CBS' Billy Joel and manufacturers' campaign against blank tape Paul McCartney LPs and RSO's "Empire Disk & Tape Prices ads running together with recorded product Strikes Back" and "Grease" soundtracks. Be- ads. low these ads Goody promises 30% off on By JOHN SIPPEL Korvettes, Sang Goody and Alexander's. the Maxell cassettes, cartridges and open reels. LOS ANGELES -J.S. record /tape /acces- three most aggressive newspaper advertisers in The half-page Korvettes ad offers a sale on U.K. Row Developing sories retail chains ar_ roosting album prices this market all ran ads in Thursday's (7) New new releases from Arista, A &M, Motown, to an average $5.69 for specials and $7.07 for York Daily News that fly in the face of recent Tamla, Gordy, Salsoul, 20th Century -Fox, So- shelf price titles on ST.98 list albums. efforts by CBS, PolyGram. Chrysalis and lar and Grunt. and a $3.69 offering on select Over List Price Exit In the $8.98 list caieEory the hike averages Arista to cut down on blank tape ads by with- $5.98 WEA and CBS catalog product. By PETER JONES out to $6.30 on speaa s and $7.67 on shelf holding co -op monies for any ads that include The ad also offers 25% off on accessories in- LONDON -A major industry row is break- priced titles. plugs for blank tapes. cluding "every blank cassette and 8 -track car- ing out here in the wake of the abandonment The recent 3%-4% wholesale price hike from Ads for all three of the chains are multi- tridge tape in our huge stock." of recommended retail prices by three major branch distribution and independents like product ads, with the 3/4-page Goody copy (Continued on page 17) record companies -EMI, PolyGram and CBS. Arista and Chrysalis is forcing chains to ele- And it principally involves music publishers, vate sticker prices, toe_ on singles. where $ 1.29 who say that they're prepared to hold up re- is the going rate. acccTding to a spot check. Jacket Makers Fight Counterfeiters lease schedules unless royalty payments are "We were paving °.3 88, then $3.98, $4.08, satisfactorily settled. $4.21 and now around $4.35 for $7.98 since the By IRV LICHTMAN The initiative comes from the Mechanical album suggested price was introduced over NEW YORK -Most major U.S. album fab- grees of confidentiality among fabricators and Rights Society, clearly infuriated by the action two years ago," says J n- Grimes of the 55 Na- ricators are supplying label clients with jackets their label clients as to how knowledgeable of the three majors being taken without talks tional Record Mart /Casis chain in Pittsburgh. incorporating a variety of anti -counterfeiting they want segments of the industry to be on the with the publishers over future royalty calcu- Like most of his peers, he did not raise store devices. And they look upon this diversity of mechanics of the systems. Whatever the sys- lations. prices when the last rwo raises occurred over approach as a means to keep counterfeiters off tems adopted, they are adding from "under a The Society is now advising its publisher the past IO months. But like all of the chain balance. penny" to "between one to five cents" to the members to refuse to accept statutory notices bosses canvassed, the' either have or will esca- "It's a way of keeping counterfeiters on their cost of each jacket. for records proposed for release where no rec- late retail prices withal the next four weeks. toes," maintains Floyd Glinert of Shorewood The most "public" of the three systems in ommended retail price is stated. Dave Burke of the Eecordland chain. Cleve- P:.ekaging, one of at least four fabricators terms of ready detection is one developed by In a letter to the British Phonographic In- land, and Lou =ogelnaen of Music Plus here, known involved in their own systems. The Album Graphics Inc. with the Continental dustry's copyright committee, Bob Montgom- point out that more sophisticated electronic others include Album Graphics. Ivy Hill and Group. formerly Continental Can. This ap- ery, general administrator of the Mechanical data processing equipment today makes it im- Queens Litho. proach relies on the viewing. by naked eye or Rights Society, says categorically. "We don't perative daily to diss2c. business statistically. Another emerging factor is the varying de- (Continued on page 64) (Continued on page 60) (Continued on page 9) German Court Halts Spanish Imports By WOLFGANG SPAHR HAMBURG -WEA Germany has scored a vital victory in the battle against parallel imports in this region, with a Frankfurt court banning a major im- porter from bringing in WEA product from Spain. Among other important aspects, the verdict rejects the pleas of KTV Koengener Record Distribution- backed by the other 30 -odd German import companies -that exclusive distribution license contracts violate U.S. and Ger- man cartel laws. In this case, it was reported that KTV Koengener was importing virtually the entire range of WEA's top artist titles. as pressed in Spain by Hispavox. (Continued on page 62) Discos Convert To Country This story prepared by Alan Penchansky in Chicago and Robyn Wells in Nashville. CHICAGO -A new country and western entertainment format craze is TRUE COLOURS is what you see when you look at the new SPLIT ENZ nudging out disco's glitter and finery at U.S. nightspots. CAUGHT, the new album by !Eh DLL/ t1( (who hit =1 with "Yes. I rn Featuring the first taser etched graphic on the surface of every Ready ") captures TERI at her rockin' best. CAUGHT offers generous serv- album.... The growing desire for a more casual dress code and lifestyle along with the album.... The new SPLIT ENZ album is TRUE COLOURS SP 4822.... ings of meaty rock and roll, with songs I ke "Caught," Time After Time," influence of such pictures as "Urban Cowboy" and "Coal Miner's Daughter" Another first from A RECORDS & TAPES. Listen to the single, "I GOT and a crash -bang send-up of the Beat e:' classic, "I Should Have Known &M are reasons most often cited for the switch in clubs in Chicago, Atlanta, Cleve- YOU." AM 2252. Produced and engineered by David Tickle. A Boomerang Better." Catch TERI on CAUGHT NBLP 1231. Produced by Bill Purse for land, Dallas, Houston and Nashville. (Continued on page 74) (Advertisement) - Production. (Advertisement) Casablanca Records. Executive Producer N.W. Casey. odverusernent) t ,- / I C H 1f L L \ .\ r 0 O /I l S O N 0 HIS LONG AWAITED SINGLE AND ALBUM YOU CAN CALL ME BLUE EMI .,tlI\ tit I. lit :RI.1!' AMERICA ON EMI -.AMERICA RECORDS PRODUCED BY BRENT MAUER AND STEVE. GIBSON c 1980 EMI AMERICA RECORDS INC. 1LL RIGNTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN U. S.11. www.americanradiohistory.com DIVE DEEP INTO ELSEN / PEARSON ... treasures to be found! The NIELSEN /PEARSON album contains the single "IF YOU SHOULD SAIL'-° Produced by Richard Landis .44900 CADI TOL RECORDS. INC www.americanradiohistory.com General News NMPA Asked To Submit Data On TRIBUNAL'S FINAL REQUEST Revenues, Expenses & Payments By JEAN CALLAHAN WASHINGTON -The Copyright Royalty Tribunal has re- AGAC contends that since the RIAA will not release base pendent radio promotion as well, Chappell enlplo\s one pro- quested the National Music Publishers Assn. submit financial data underlying Kiser's report. the authenticity of the report is motion person, Steinburg stated to illustrate his allegation that data detailing domestic and foreign revenues, expenses for me- in question. record companies do much more than music publishers to chanical performance. print license payments and other miscel- As the lengthy mechanical hearings approach completion. create hit songs. laneous income for the years 1977, 1978 and 1979. Irwin Steinburg, chairman of PolyGram U.S. Record Oper- Steinburg estimated the burden of an increased mechanical The Tribunal. which has a mandate from Congress to set a ations, described industry problems for the Tribunal. He stated royalty rate to 6% of list price at approximately $25 million a mechanical royalty rate by the end of this year, ruled Thursday that economic troubles have forced PolyGram to cut back its year for PolyGram. He predicted that increased mechanical (7) that this financial information about the music publishing artist roster from 275 in September 1979 to 150 today. As artists costs would increase the price of records and that a higher con- business is relevant to the proceedings. The publishers had ar- are cut, released or dwindle, PolyGram has "consolidated serv- sumer price could add to the industry's home taping problem. gued that the information was not. ices" in its efforts to cut back employment, Steinburg said. On Wednesday (6), Walter Dean. executive vice president of No deadline has been set for the publishers to submit the in- Testifying Tuesday (5), Steinburg said he knows of no com- the CBS Records Group. discussed charts prepared by CBS formation and. since the Tribunal lacks subpoena power. the parable cuts at Chappell, PolyGram's publishing house. "Bas- which monitored the effective mechanical royalty rates from publishers may choose to refuse the Tribunal's request.