Ticketmaster Online Site To Sell CDs, Videos, DVDs

Ticketmaster Online--City Search is launching an online store today that will sell CDs, music videos, DVDs, and other merchandise, in addition to sports and entertainment tickets.

Called the Ticketmaster Store, the site (www.store.ticketmaster.com) will offer at its outset about 150,000 items for sale. Fulfillment of music and video will be by Alliance Entertainment. Tim Sullivan, VP of e-commerce for Ticketmaster Online--City Search, says only a "handful" of classical recordings will be listed at first but that, over time, all available product is expected to be sold. He adds that pricing will be competitive with other Internet music stores.

Customers buying tickets online will be directed to the store to purchase CDs from the touring artists. After the launch, the site will seek to build "relationships" with consumers by sending them e-mails with information about the artists and tours. Marketing and promotional deals with labels will also be sought.

--Don Jeffrey, N.Y.


Source Says GetMusic In Talks With ARTISTdirect

Representatives of BMG Entertainment and Universal Music Group would not comment Friday on published reports that the companies are considering investing as much as $30 million to $60 million each in ARTISTdirect. However, a source does confirm that preliminary talks are under way that would potentially "build cooperation" between ARTISTdirect--which operates artist-specific Web sites--and GetMusic, the e-commerce partnership between BMG and Universal.

Encino, Calif.-based ARTISTdirect is in a quiet period following its filing in September for an initial public offering.

--Carolyn Horwitz, N.Y.


Kid Rock, Hill Top Billboard Video Awards

Kid Rock and Lauryn Hill topped the 1999 Billboard Music Video Awards, held Friday at the Loews Santa Monica Beach (Calif.) Hotel. Kid Rock's "Bawitdaba" video won for best new artist clip in the pop, hard rock, and modern rock categories. Lauryn Hill's video for "Ex- Factor" swept the R&B category, winning best clip and best new artist clip, and her video for "Everything Is Everything" won for best rap/hip-hop clip.

Limp Bizkit's "Nookie" won the Maximum Vision Award (the clip that best advances an act's career), and Hype Williams was named director of the year.

--Carla Hay, L.A.


News Corp. Merges Festival, Mushroom

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. has merged the music operations of its Festival and Mushroom companies, resulting in the loss of 25 jobs. Mushroom CEO Paul Dickson will head the merged group; Mushroom GM Janet Dawes is now group director of marketing; and Michael Parisi, who runs Mushroom imprint Sputnik, becomes head of A&R. Mushroom's longtime GM of promotions and marketing, Sue McAullay, is a consultant, as is Festival group managing director Warren Fahey. Roger Grierson, chairman of the Festival/Mushroom Group, told Bulletin on Friday, "We took the best elements of both labels so we could become more efficient and focused in breaking Australian talent both here and internationally."

--Christie Eliezer, Melbourne


BMG Acts Get Showcase On Microsoft Windows Portal

BMG Entertainment and Microsoft are to announce today the launch of the "BMG Artist Showcase" at the software giant's WindowsMedia.com portal. The site will feature downloads, streaming audio, and videos from two BMG acts each month. The showcase launches with a download and streamed video of songs from the Artist's album "Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic." Material from Foo Fighters' "There Is Nothing Left To Lose" will be added Nov. 22.

--Carolyn Horwitz, N.Y.


EMI New Zealand Chief Takes New Post

Kerry Byrne, who has been managing director of EMI New Zealand since 1993, has been named director of catalog marketing for EMI U.K.'s commercial marketing operation. He takes up the post in January, reporting to Steve Pritchard and Tony Duckworth, the division's co-managing directors.

--Dominic Pride, London


Elton To Be Honored

Elton John will receive the Legend Award during the 42 annual Grammy Awards, to be presented Feb. 23 in Los Angeles. The award recognizes "extraordinary accomplishments," according to the Recording Academy.


EMusic Gets Pokemon

EMusic has acquired exclusive digital rights to music from the Pokemon TV series. Songs from the album "Pokemon 2 B.A. Master" can be downloaded for 99 cents per song or $8.99 for the album.

--Eileen Fitzpatrick, L.A.


Gary Glitter Gets 4 Months Jail On Child-Porn Charges

A court in Bristol, England, on Friday jailed glam rock icon Gary Glitter for four months on child pornography charges. The court heard that Glitter, charged under his real name Paul Gadd, had been found in possession of 54 indecent pictures of children after he gave his home computer to a local store for repair. Further material, which the prosecution said represented hundreds of hours of downloading, was found at his home.

Glitter was cleared of separate charges brought by an unnamed woman who claimed that he sexually assaulted her in the '80s when she was 14.

--Mark Solomons, London


Fan Fair Seeks New Home
Next year's Fan Fair, scheduled for June 12-16, is expected to be the last such event at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds in Nashville, its longtime home. Ed Benson, executive director of Fan Fair co-sponsor the Country Music Assn., says the organization is looking at "multiple venues in the downtown [Nashville] area as well as following up on interest from a number of cities outside Nashville."

--Phyllis Stark, Airplay Monitor


NetRadio Loss Rises In Quarter
Net loss at NetRadio.com grew by more than five times in the third quarter, which ended Sept. 30. Loss was $4.2 million, or $.71 per share, vs. loss of $773,000, or 13 cents per share, in the same period in 1998. Net revenues rose 633% to $374,000. For the nine months to Sept. 30, net loss was $9.4 million, vs. loss of $2 million; revenues rose 379% to $780,000. Stock in NetRadio, a division of distributor Navarre Corp., closed Friday down 1.28% to $9.62.


Lester Bowie Dead At 58

Trumpeter Lester Bowie, a founder of the Art Ensemble of Chicago and, more recently, Brass Fantasy, died Nov. 8 at his home in New York, from liver cancer. He was 58.

Bowie, who also played flugelhorn, thrived on a musical gumbo of traditional and avant-garde jazz and R&B. He often appropriated seemingly unlikely pop melodies--such as the Platters' "The Great Pretender" and the theme song for "The Howdy Doody Show"--into his theatrical performances.

--Bill Holland, Washington, D.C.


U.S. Releases This Week

"It's the quintessential Will Smith album," says the rapper of "Willennium" (Columbia). "I wanted to cover the last 15 years of my career. I essentially wanted to make an album that covered the gamut of the lifestyle I've led and am leading. The album has real old-school on it, including the way me and [Jazzy] Jeff used to rock, and then it has songs that come into my new flavor."

"Dr. Dre 2001" (Aftermath/Interscope) features Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kurupt, and others.

Korn's "Issues" (Immortal/Epic) was produced by Brendan O'Brien. "Falling Away From Me" is No. 14 on Modern Rock Tracks.

Other key titles: Marilyn Manson, "The Last Tour On Earth" (nothing/Interscope); Celine Dion, "All The Way ... A Decade Of Song" (Epic/550); Mint Condition, "Life's Aquarium" (Elektra); "Charlotte Church" (Sony Classical); Ani DiFranco, "To The Teeth" (Righteous Babe); Gov't Mule, "Live With A Little Help From Our Friends" (Capricorn); Raekwon "Immobilarity" (Loud).


Boys Get New Deal

Backstreet Boys have renegotiated their deal with Jive Records. According to sources, the group has been guaranteed $50 million-$60 million for its next two albums, the first of which is due in the fall of 2000. The deal also includes an option for another three records, for which they would receive $30 million. The group's royalty rate also has been increased to more than 20%. The act's management declined comment; Jive Records could not be reached at deadline.

--Melinda Newman, L.A.


Myplay Turns It Up

Digital music storage company myplay is making its "add to myplay locker" technology available to other Web sites. The technology, currently available on Emusic.com, allows consumers to acquire and manage digital music files.

--Eileen Fitzpatrick, L.A.


What's On

Late-night tonight: Chris Cornell (on Letterman), Reba McEntire (Leno), Deborah Gibson (Politically Incorrect).