ICD 08120 ;::: :: W=`M;=*;:::* ** ******3-D IG I T 908 á 01066041504B3 MAR86 aMONTY GREENLY 03 10 3740 ELY UCv LONG 9F t C:T CA 90807 i VOLUME 97 NO. 40 THE INTERNATIONAL NEWSWEEKLY OF MUSIC AND HOME ENTERTAINMENT OCTOBER 5, 1985/$3.50 (U.S.) Jfq¡u fy Ann Cutbacks at Record Bar: NO BOARD? Musical Two Labels Seen EIGHT LABELS TAKE Layoffs, Store Closings Abandoning New of 18 employees, the reassignment BY FRED GOODMAN of 12 others, and the erasure of 10 CD Packaging ANTIRATINGS NEW YORK Flat sales are being currently vacant slots. STANCE portrayed as the culprit in a series Ron Cruickshank, president of their support to the fledgling of major cutbacks by record retail Record Bar, says the company's BY IS HOROWITZ BY SAM SUTHERLAND group's own stance. giant Record Bar of Durham, N.C. original pr)jections for 1985 proved NEW YORK Warner Bros. and LOS ANGELES Eight U.S. record Of those companies, only A &M Approximately 40 administrative far too optimistic. "We were geared Elektra Records have apparently companies have taken public stands has reversed a formal approval of positions- representing as much as up for a 20% growth, and sales have given up attempts to seek early ac- against proposed ratings measures the RIAA position, which held that 30% of Record Bar's home office been flat," he says. "That's the big- ceptance for all -board Compact Disc for sound recordings, including the 24 signatory member firms would staff-were cut on Sept. 19. Five of gest single thing, and we've had to packaging that bypasses the jewel Recording Industry Assn. of Ameri- voluntarily apply a generic warning the chain's 193 stores have been program ourselves to gear back. box. ca (RIAA) recommendation of an in- sticker to product deemed potential- closed in the last month, with more We 've had too much money going Their packaging experiments dustrywide generic sticker. ly offensive. An RIAA spokesper- to come, and the fate of several oth- out " with two top acts, which generated The move, which marks the first son confirmed that the other seven er Record Bar ventures is unclear. Computer problems in Record a firestorm of protest from retailers significant shif in label postures had not signed the RIAA statement The layoffs, the first in the com- Bar's new warehouse have been and consumers beginning last since the RIAA framed its position on ratings, and are thus making pany's 25 -year history, came just a conpounling the chain's cash spring, have been shelved indefi- earlier this summer, was signaled their first public statement on the week after Record Bar's annual crunch, leaving many outlets with- nitely, according to a highly placed Thursday (26) with an announce- issue. chainwide convention at Hilton out the proper product mix going source. ment from the Musical Majority, a Geffen Records founder David Head, S.C. They include the release into the all- important holiday shop- While comment cou' I not be ob- recently formed anti- censorship (Continued on page 68) ping- season. "We're not getting the tained directly from t reative ser- group, that the A &M, Geffen, Is- product out there fast enough," vices executives at the labels, fur - land, IRS, Tommy Boy, Modern and Farm Aid Concert (Continued on page 70) (Continued on page 70) Gold Mountain labels have added Griffey, Zappa ADVERTISEMENTS Raises $10 Million Begin Seminar In Sales, Pledges This story prepared by Paul Grein On Political Note and Kip Kirby. NEW YORK The sixth New Music Seminar began here at the new Mar- CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Last week's all - riott Marquis Hotel last Thursday star Farm Aid benefit at the Univ. (26) on a decidedly political note, of Illinois here raised approximately with keynote speakers Dick Griffey $10 million in ticket sales, merchan- and Frank Zappa urging grass- dising and pledges. That's one -fifth roots involvement in the issues of of the total event organizer Willie apartheid and record rating respec- Nelson hopes ultimately to reach, tively. counting mail -in pledges and retail Griffey, chairman of Solar Rec- sales of Farm Aid merchandise. In ords and president of the Black Mu- addition, Nelson notes that the toll - sic Assn. (BMA), urged the record free 1- 800 -FARMAID phone lines industry to act as "a communica- will remain in operation for one tor" on the issue of apartheid in year. South Africa. "Most young people Additional revenue could be gen- here don't know what institutional- erated by a possible Farm Aid al- ized racism is," Griffey said during bum and videocassette. But Nel- his convention opening remarks. son's manager Mark Rothbaum Move over Bing Crosby. Its time to get rockin' to the RAS The intersection of instinct and imagination. WHAT IF (SP-5097). "Our responsibility is to make them notes that reports of an album and Records Reggae Christmas LP. Featuring Jamaica's tcp The new album from TOMMY SHAW. Where his guitars, vocals, aware." video release are premature. recording artists, this is a delightful holiday treat everybody can keyboards and songs prove the power and possibilities are Within the industry itself, Griffey "All ancillary rights would have rejoice b. Retailers make sure you have plenty in stock. Contact endless. Starting from the first single "REMOS THEME (WHAT pro- RAS Records, 301 564 -1295. Also City Hall, Rounder, Action, IF)" (AM- 2773). Produced by Tommy Shaw and Richie Cannata. also proposed a three -pronged to be negotiated directly with the Kenyon Gemini, Big State, Richmond Bros., Western March. and Mixed by Greg Ladanyi. ON ABM RECORDS, COMPACT DISCS gram that includes recognizing a (Continued on page 68) Silo distibution. AND BASF CHROME CASSETTES. (Continued on page 68) PHANTOM, ROCKER FEATURES & SLICK W'., MEN WITHOUT SHAME i AVAILABLE ON EMI AMERICA RECORDS & HIGH QUALITY XDR. CASSETTES ST 17172 t 1985 EMI AMERICA RECORDS, a division of Capitol Records, Inc. www.americanradiohistory.com Which one of These is true about Jane Wiedlin? 1 A former member of the Go -Co's 2 A duet o-1 cark's hit "Cool Places" 3 Actress in the upccmilg film "Clue" 4 A solo ariEt 5 Performs the hit single "Blue Kiss" They -e all true Album, cassette, compact disc, including the single "Blue Kiss" This LP Produced ' and 12 by George'Masseñburç, Bill Payne, Ruse Kun- for F.LtIROt : Vince Ely www.americanradiohistory.com LYRIC ROW NOT ECHOED OVERSEAS IN THIS ISSUE Idea of Rating System Finds Few Foreign Proponents This story compiled by Nick oes in Britain or elsewhere. record business of late has been the Robertshaw Jones in Industry opinion in the U.K. holds sensitivity of the record companies VOLUME 98 NO. 40 OCTOBER 5, 1985 and Peter London, with assists from Jim that self -regulation has worked per- to the demands of the consumer. Sampson in Germany, Willem fectly well in the past and will con- Put simply, the customers are get- 1 NEWS Eight record companies have taken public stands Hoos in Holland, Glenn A. Baker tinue to do so. The notion of a lyric ting the music they want. records. for against the stickering of Flat sales are being blamed in Australia and Vittorio Castelli rating system is widely regarded as "The industry's output is in effect Record cutbacks by the Bar chain. Elektra and Warner Bros. ap- in Italy. being just short of absurd. a reflection of public taste," says pear to have abandoned their experiments with all -board CD pack- John Deacon, director general of Deacon, "and it makes no commer- aging. Keynote speakers Dick Griffey and Frank Zappa sounded LONDON Stateside controversy the British Phonographic Industry cial sense either to offend listeners a political note at the New Music Seminar. The Farm Aid benefit concerning explicit, violent or pro- (BPI), notes: "One of the main rea- or to place retailers in jeopardy by concert raised approximately $10 million in ticket sales, merchan- has found few sons with dubious lyrics. dising and pledges. 0-3 /The controversy over lyric content has not fane song lyrics ech- for the success of the British issuing records is by spread to the U.K. or Europe. Billboard and European Music Re- Self- regulation brought about normal commercial pressures." port have entered into a joint venture. 0" MGM/UA Home Video's Bill Gallagher praises his distributors. 4 /ZZ Top's new album He adds that if BPI members heads the list of October releases. 6 /Spec's Music's prospectus were ever to request guidelines, paints a rosy financial picture. P-72/Motown Records is using an they would be provided, but that no unusual audio /visual sales pitch for its fall and winter releases. such request has ever been re- ceived. U.K. companies voluntarily 4 Executive Turntable 56 Gospel sticker releases deemed likely to 52 Classical 64 Album & Singles Reviews give offense; CBS, for instance, has 52 Latin 72 Inside Track done so with recent Marvin Gaye 50 Dance Trax and Joan Rivers albums. 56 Jazz But even here, some retailers warn that any hint of censorship is 9 INTERNATIONAL EMI U.K. managing director Peter Jamie- more likely to attract some youthful son has warned that the company's product may be taken away record buyers than to deter them. from the group's distribution arm. Newsline: Australia. Nevertheless, controversy in this field is not unknown within the U.K. 10 COMMENTARY Guest Column: Songwriter Sheila Craft ex- marketplace. During the heyday of amines "hard -core lyrics." Letters. the British punk bands -whose cen- 12 RADIO P' Country music broadcasters at Radio '85 blamed a va- tral ambition was to be as offensive riety of factors for the format's ratings slump.