» FOR EVERYOHE IN THE BUSINESS OF MUSIC IWV • % ^ îiiusic week Morris opens the door to US Virgin set to Inke Smiths stake m- fono The best data European radio monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. fono is Europe's new weekly For programmers magazine dedicated to highlighting The only accurate guide to radio's up-and-coming hits. and promoting hit records, fono offers accurate airplay data The best music from Music Control monitoring Hits, tips and ail the news on Europe's breaking music. 500 stations 24 hours a day, seven days a week - a new single currency For retailers for the European music industry. The compétitive edge to put you ahead of the pack. fono means no more relying on playlists, rumour or secondhand In 15 coun tries From the Atlantic to the Oder, information, fono gets inside the from Finland to the Mediterranean. charts to bring you the real story of what's happening in European For record labels We speak to the people music. who turn A&R into sales. "ig hits \v\ from the publishers of Music Week FONO, MILLER FREEMAN UK LTD, 4TH FLOOR, 8 MONTAGUE CLOSE, LONDON BRIDGE, LONDON SE1 9UR TEL + 171 620 3636 FAX: +44 (0) 171 921 5984 US OFFICE; FONO, MILLER FREEMAN ENT. LTD, 460 PARK AVENUE SOUTH, 9TH FLOOR, NEW YORK NY 10016 7T1 A ' USA' TEL: +212 "8 0406 FAX: f 212 378 2160 news file FIVE SCORE ALBUM SUCCESS Labels challenge their rivais Five's career was set to hit new Atlantichighs on this both week sides wlth of anthe andexpected their firstUK number US top one30 hit.album The te eut CD single dealer price betterself-titled than début Take album,That with going their one Recordby Robert companies Ashton are challenging firstUS, whereRCA album the band in 1992. are on In athe singlestheir competitors dealer price to inadopt a bid a tolower put VAT£1.79 on DEALER£2.99 retail PRICE price = 45p Whenpromotional The Lights visit, Gotheir Out single moves an end to 'harmful" discounts and £2.99£1.79 -ppd £2.24 + 45p = 75pVAT =profit £2.24 for thisBilIboarcTs week from Mot 44100 to chart, 29 on £2.43retailer DEALER PRICE PLUS will be directorwaiting atto onesee whatmajor happens says he ORGÂHISEBS POSTPOHE PRIDE '98 CD6), singlethe minimum to qualify dealer for the price charts fo is WlthTWO-FOR-ONE a two-for-one DEAL deal, unit cost beforehe adds making he will anysupport décision, the movethough if Theplan organiserato run the offestival Ptide on'98 now reducedAlthough from labels £2.43 cannotto £1.79. dictate VAT= £1.62p on £2.99 retail price = 45p it helpsAnother eliminate industry deals. insider, who Augustpostponed 15. lastThe week,event, was which was vatelythe retail concédé price of thatsingles, the many current pri- £2.99£1.62 -ppd £2.07 + 45p = 92pVAT =profit £2.07 for hasissue, canvassed believes fewmajors are "jumpingon the Julyoriginaliy 4 and due had to run take into place criticlsm on countspractice and of freeoffering product retailers to enable dis- retailer Roberts: deals are Inévitablem inright the in firstweek". with the new price, at least firstfor charging time to coveradmission the estlmatedfor the singlesincreasing to record sell companies'for £1.99 costs are enersretailers are complain demanded their margins because are Johnbe adopting Pearson the says new his price company in a willbid misticAlthough the lowermost dealerlabels priceare opti-will £440,000show. A spokesman cost of putting for organiser on the they would like to see the price buyingsqueezed at £2.43or non-existent (plus VAT) if andthey sell- are toneed bring to stabilityget some to thesort market. of sanity. "We I heipput an reduce end todeals, them, they Nude doubt Records it will thePride 19 Events acts lined UK says up for some the of peggedBy setting at £2.99 the £1.79 or even dealer £3.99. price ing at £2.99 or £1.99. The £1.79 step,"thoroughly he adds. approve Universal of this managing positive says it will maintainmager Daveits dealer Roberts price originalB*witched, event, Kavana, Including Kim 911,Mazelle, oneit is dealshoped willone-for-one be reduced: and two-for-sweet- gin (see box). Committee member1 Chart NickSupervisory Phillips these deals43, adding, happening". 'you can't stop marchmay move which to traditionallythe later date. takes The BMG Entertainment International has continueplace before to go the ahead muslc as event planned will Decon staff fall victim signedmarketing a manufacturing, deal with The distributionArtist, which and fo BMG restructuring ofbears the fruitMinneapolis-based today (June 30) singer's with the new release 11- BPI BMG's recent restructuring has track album New Power Soul. Christoph TheBRI standregistration at Popkomm deadline has for been the produced its first casualties. hopesRuecker, the BMG deal vpwill International lead to a long-term marketing, extended untll July 3. For further Deconstruction'sIsabelle Traclet head leftof pressas reiationshlp. "It's no secret he has been Thomasinformation on 0171-287and costs 4222.call Viveka last Friday after her rôle dlsap- making long-term commitments, but we addition,peared under Christian the new Wallis structure. recently In hope to persuade him," he says. One future ATRUST new BOOSISYOUTHYouth Muslc Trust MUSICSKILLS (YMT) left Deconstruction's international albumProject in Ruecker 1999 - hopesthe title to ofwork the onsinger's is an to help encourage and develop Under the June restructuring, 1983 hit - to celebrate the Millennium. weekmuslc byskllls the wasCulture launched Secretary, last backroom functlons at Decon- negotiatedSince splittlng a variety with Warner,of short-term The Artist deals, has Chris Smith. The YMT, whose struction,Boilerhouse areNorthwestside being folded inand to including EMI's agreement to distribute John,trustées Mlck will Hucknall include andSir EltonLesley an enlarged Arista. furtherEmancipation coopération in 1996. may Ruecker hinge on concédés how well Garrett, will alm to taise money lan Dickson, who is leaving BMG follows through The Artist's ideas, additionfrom the toprivate £10m sector of Lottery In ment overseelng the release of UK production,but it has already releasing managed New Power to speed Soul up just funding to help pay for repertoire overseas,iw team isthis due week. to 12 days after receiving the master tapes. Instruments and teaching. Trust snaps up Castle ITC seeks atmosphère despite Morgado bid howardjones. Castle Communications was final- of 'urban Glastonbury' lypreferred sold at auctionbidder, lastRutland week Trust,to its In The City Is adding a new élé- tomorrow is now tobut beat only offafter a thechallenge price was by formerraised ment,and expanding resurrecting four othersanother to section create Warner Muslc Group chalrman gatheringthe music since convention's it started in largest1992. speclallstThe London-based clinched the turnaroundback cata- addedITC toBlack the September Unsigned 12-16is being con- DancingAndrews ITC:at Blue Steve Records Smith and (£17m),logue specialistIt had originaliy for S28.5moffered férence in Manchester to promote Acousticity;Peter Orgill atColin Ear SinclairTo The Grountand " $27.5m at the first auction held In music, which has previously been Lee Donnelly at Castlefieldloter Phil JonesEvent toMay, those when from Its Snapperoffer was Muslc preferred and throughrepresented the event's almost club exclusively aspects. Californian-basedAt last Thursday's 411 Music. auction, droppedAcousticity, for the ITC'swhich held had in Dublinbeen Castlefieldinclude a large area. open-air event in the newsingle.6 july 1998 theRutland form facedof Maroley a sole Mediachallenger Group, in ducedand Glasgow, at 10 venues is also featuring being reintro- a mix- andITC Tony co-founders Wilson say Yvettethe convention Livesey the company formed by Morgado ture of established and unsigned will be centred around différent at- followingUnder the his auctionexit from rules, Warner. the los- spectrumsinger-songwriters of music. from a broad Glastonbury'areas to help atmosphère: create an 'urbanshow- <s? ing bidders had four weeks to beat In The City Live, In The City Live cases will predominantly centre on dtox.co.uk Rutland's offer but had to bid at Unsigned, Dancing In The City and Canal Street, the 54 bands on the dtoxcd4 présidentleast S2m more.of The Steve Blackstone Zelin, vice theenlarged showease with someelement 500 are bands, being venuesUnsigned in theprogramme Northern willQuarter play dis- at Group, which put the auction DJs and artists expected to per- trictin Castlefield. and Acousticity "ITC is will the belast staged festi- dlstributed via RMG Polygram Telesales 0990 310 310 together,had bid highersays, -"They the $2m[Maroleyj incré- the restaurant Mash & Air to the playing live ment - and had expressed a wlll- clubinclude Sankey's the Dandy Soap. Warhols Early bookings and the gettingGlastonbury towards we've wanted,"the urbansays July 8th: Jazz Cafe, Camden, NW1 couldIngness not to close go even qulckly." higher but they Levellers. The Dancing ITC may Wilson. MUSIC WEEK mm llï]N COMMENT Asda moves on-line AsA aSTEEP Journallst LEARNiNGit Is sometimes temptlngCURVE to t cynlcal,"business especially as usual" when at a executivestime of change. talk aboutBut trundlesas the merger on, "business of Universal as usual" and PolyGram really is the as muslc sales boom mostonly approach unusual timetheir Instaff muslc can Industry take during history. the process,Talklng to what some is ofmost those strlklng overseeing is what the a steep anof muslcon-line it shoppingsells with servicethe launch and ofa attemptedlearnlng curve such It ainvolves. task. It IsNo-one one thing has everto look at f digitalThe TVsupermarket home shopping revealed channel. the a company from the outside, but another 19%plans year-on-yearlast week after increase announcing in its a culturealtogether and to Its get people. to know how it works, its music and video sales to £144m, marrlage,Right now withthe situationsenior players is rather still llkecurlous an arranged yet ^ slightly embarrassed in one another's company.