Music/vid Industry Vet Bill Gallagher Dies

NEW YORK‹Bill Gallagher, who helped shape the modern music and home video industries with deft distribution, sales, and marketing strategies over an almost-50-year career, died Nov. 14 of congestive heart failure at the VMA Hospice Unit of the Community General Hospital Center in Scranton, Pa. He was 77.
While at Columbia Records, Gallagher established the concept of major-label branch distribution to replace a network of independent distributors. He also played an important role in the creation of the Columbia Record Club, now known as Columbia House.
Regarded as a master salesman, Gallagher spent 18 years with Columbia Records, starting in 1950, in regional sales and national sales training, and held the posts of national sales manager and director of marketing; in 1957, he became VP of sales and marketing, and in 1965 he assumed full responsibility for the U.S. division of the label as VP/GM. At Columbia, his work included crafting sales and marketing plans for such artists as Andy Williams, Barbra Streisand, Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, and Johnny Cash.
In the early part of his career as a regional salesman, Gallagher was known for his keen and enthusiastic salesmanship, a skill he would later use to motivate his large Columbia sales and marketing force to put over a new strategy or a new album by a new or established artist.
In 1968, Gallagher joined MCA as president of a new division that consolidated the Decca, Kapp, and Uni labels. "Jesus Christ Superstar" and the Who's "Tommy" were among the major releases he helped supervise for their debuts in the U.S.
In the early '70s, he shifted to Gulf & Western Industries as head of its Paramount label and Famous Music music publishing divisions. For several years in the '70s, Gallagher headed up New York independent Audiofidelity Records, attempting with some success to gain pop recognition for a label that largely earned its revenue from catalog sales.
Gallagher moved into the then fledgling home video business in 1981 as VP of sales and marketing at MGM/UA Home Entertainment Group. He was named VP of worldwide marketing at the company in 1982 and was later named president. At MGM/UA, he developed methods to simultaneously release product in the U.S. and major markets abroad with a common packaging image. Among his major projects at MGM/UA were a 50th-anniversary video of "Gone With The Wind" and "The Compleat Beatles."
"I was using a record industry model for distribution and marketing," says industry veteran Cy Leslie, former chairman of MGM/UA Home Entertainment. "Bill was the ideal choice to come aboard. I had known him from the days when I had the rackjobbing company Pickwick, and Columbia was our biggest account.
"When he appeared at MGM/UA company meetings, he came off as a performing personality or coach, inspiring everyone to work with him. He was very wise. I was extraordinarily fond of him."
Gallagher served on a number of industry organizations and was the recipient of several industry honors. As head of Famous Music, Gallagher was a board member of performance right society ASCAP. He also served on the boards of the Recording Industry Assn. of America and the Country Music Assn.
He also was on the advisory committee of the Video Software Dealers Assn.
His honors included "Music Man of the Decade" from the National Assn. of Recording Merchandisers and the Ed Wynn Humanitarian Award, named for the vaudeville/radio/TV star.
Gallagher, who was born in Scranton, is survived by two sons, William P. and Martin P.; two daughters, Mary Kevin and Catherine; and five grandchildren. His wife, Mary, died in 1988. A funeral service was to be held Nov. 19 at St. Gregory's Church in Clarks Green, Pa.
In lieu of flowers, the Gallagher family has requested that donations be made to the T.J. Martell Foundation, 6 W. 57th St., New York, N.Y. 10019.