Sony Asks Web Retailers To Hold Jamiroquai Album

A number of online retailers are resisting a request by Sony Music Distribution to delay shipments of the forthcoming Jamiroquai album, "Synkronized," which is due out in the U.S. one week before its international release. Sony Music Distribution is apparently concerned that Internet sales of the new album--available in the U.S. on June 8 and worldwide on June 14--will hurt international brick-and-mortar stores and is strongly urging online retailers to hold back shipments until after the latter date. Several e-commerce sites, including Amazon.com and Virginmega.com, and Valley Media, which fulfills orders for many online retailers, confirmed they had received calls from Sony, but most say they won't comply. "We'll continue to offer our customers every title available," says a source at Virginmega.com. "We don't want to screen titles."

Sony Music Distribution chairman Danny Yarbrough says the company has a policy against exporting product outside the U.S. prior to its international release date, and stresses the Jamiroquai album is especially vulnerable. "His last album sold 6.5 million units outside of the U.S., so he's a big international artist," says Yarbrough. U.S. sales of that album, "Travelling Without Moving," were 1.2 million units, according to SoundScan.

Any retailer that sells product before its official release date is subject to late shipments on future product, according to Sony policy.

--Eileen Fitzpatrick, L.A.


JASRAC Annual Collections Fueled By Karaoke Fees

Copyright fee collections by the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC) for the year ending March 31 were 98.5 billion yen ($826.8 million), 4.5% higher than in the previous year. Performance right royalty collections were up 13.6% to 33.9 billion yen ($284.6 million), due mainly to aggressive enforcement of new regulations requiring smaller karaoke establishments to pay performance fees. Mechanical fees rose just 2.7% to 51.9 billion yen ($435.6 million), reflecting the sluggish state of the Japanese record industry.

For the first time in four years, producer Tetsuya Komuro was not among the winners of the JASRAC Prizes, which go to the writers whose songs garnered the most royalties during the year. The Gold prize went to Mitsuru Igarashi for his song "Time Goes By." Hiromasa Ijichi won the Silver prize for his song "White Love." The Bronze prize went to Jou Hisashi for the background music for the film "Mononoke Hime."

--Steve McClure, Tokyo


'Martin' Logs Best Sales Week Of '99

Latin music sensation Ricky Martin logs the biggest sales week for any album this year, as his self-titled C2/Columbia opus enters The Billboard 200 at No. 1, with 661,000 units sold, according to SoundScan.


The Boss To Begin U.S. Dates In New Jersey

North American dates for Bruce Springsteen's reunion tour with the E Street Band will begin with a spate of shows in Springsteen's home state of New Jersey, July 15, 18, 20, 24, and 26, at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford. Tickets, priced at $37.50 and $67.50, go on sale Saturday. It is expected Springsteen will follow the Jersey shows with similar extended stays in major Northeastern cities such as Boston and Philadelphia, before hitting other major U.S. markets this fall. There also may be additional shows in East Rutherford. "We're starting with five, but with the E Street Band coming back to Jersey, we'll try to do more," says Continental Airlines Arena VP/GM Bob Castronovo. Springsteen and his E Street cohorts are currently on tour in Europe.

--Ray Waddell, Amusement Business


New BMG Marketing Head In Asia/Pacific

Frances Georgeson is joining BMG Entertainment International to head the company's Asia/Pacific marketing unit, based in Hong Kong. She will succeed VP Stuart Rubin, who relocates to New Zealand next month as managing director of the BMG affiliate there.
Georgeson has held marketing and promotion posts at BMG and PolyGram in Australia, and just last month was promoted to marketing director of Universal Music Australia's Interscope/MCA/Polydor label group. In her new post, she is expected to report to Michael Smellie, senior VP of BMG's Asia/Pacific operations.

--Adam White, Hong Kong


McPartland To Exit

Tom McPartland, president/CEO/director of TCI Music, has resigned; he will officially exit June 1. McPartland's resignation coincides with reports that MTV Networks parent Viacom Inc. is in negotiations to purchase TCI Music's SonicNet and the Box music video network (Bulletin, May 19). McPartland was named head of TCI Music in January 1998, after TCI Music acquired Paradigm Music Entertainment, a company founded by McPartland.

--Carla Hay, N.Y.


Chancellor Plans Entry Into Internet Radio Field

After courting such Internet giants as AOL, Chancellor Media has instead opted to reposition itself with a new name, AMFM Inc., matching the company's Nasdaq symbol, and is the first major traditional broadcasting company to announce specific plans to enter the growing field of Web-based radio services.

As part of the restructuring, AMFM will form three new business units aimed at leveraging the company's radio portfolio. One unit will develop informational, city-based Web sites paired with its 465 radio stations, another will exchange commercial time for equity in emerging new-media companies and Web sites, and another will provide audio and video programming via the Internet, some of the content culled from its radio stations.

Chancellor Media (AMFM) stock closed yesterday up 1.11% to $56.68.

--Frank Saxe, Airplay Monitor


Liquid Audio Inks Pacts With Tower, Del-Fi Records

TowerRecords.com has inked a deal with Liquid Audio for digital downloads. Under the deal, Liquid Audio will provide Tower with its entire catalog of 5,400 tracks from 250 labels, which includes the Beggars Banquet Group and Rounder. The new feature is now in beta form on Tower's site; tracks list for 99 cents each.

In addition, Liquid Audio has pacted with Del-Fi Records for digital distribution. Artists in the Del-Fi catalog include Ritchie Valens, Frank Zappa, and Barry White. One of the featured titles now available is "Delphic Sounds Today!," a compilation album to celebrate the label's 40th anniversary.

--Eileen Fitzpatrick, L.A.


Ernst Mosch Dead At 73

Ernst Mosch, Germany's "king of folk music," collapsed and died Saturday at his home in Germaringen. He was 73. Mosch founded an orchestra in 1955 that popularized the typical sound of Bohemian brass-band music and subsequently sold more than 40 million records on Teldec and Koch. He played with his orchestra in 1966 at Carnegie Hall in New York.

--Wolfgang Spahr, Hamburg


Stewart Inks Deal With DreamWorks

Songwriter-producer Chris "Tricky" Stewart is launching his own imprint, Red Zone, through a non-exclusive, multi-album pact with DreamWorks. Stewart co-wrote and produced J.T. Money's current multi-format hit on Priority Records, "Who Dat." Red Zone's first project will be the debut album by female hip-hop artist Sole, who also performs on "Who Dat." The first single is due in June.

--Gail Mitchell, L.A.


BMI Names 'Iris' Top Film Song

Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris" from the "City Of Angels" soundtrack, penned by band leader John Rzeznik, was named BMI's most performed song from a film at the rights organization's annual film and television awards, held last night at the Regent Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills. In addition, veteran soundtrack composer John Williams received the Richard Kirk award for outstanding career achievement.


Whitney Houston To Tour The U.S.

Arista artist Whitney Houston is embarking on her first U.S. concert tour in five years. The 16-city Whitney Houston World Tour '99 kicks off June 22 in Chicago and runs through August 1 in San Francisco.

--Gail Mitchell, L.A.


Ingebretsen To Get Post At BMG Norway

Cato Ingebretsen, Universal Music Norway's product manager for Interscope/Geffen/A&M/Motown, will be appointed marketing manager for local repertoire at BMG Norway in June or July, reporting to BMG Norway managing director Elly Joys. Ingebretsen will succeed Terje Pedersen, who, after a seven-year stint at BMG as product manager and marketing manager, is expected to explore new opportunities in the industry.

--Kai R. Lofthus, Oslo


For The Record

Comments by EMI Music Asia CFO Prescott Price about sales performance in yesterday's Bulletin were intended to refer to the region's record industry as a whole, not to EMI specifically.


What's On

Late-night tonight: Hole (on Letterman), Lyle Lovett (Leno).

Daytime tomorrow: The Charlie Daniels Band (Donny & Marie), Phil Collins (Rosie O'Donnell).