Off: The Year in Music

[BREVARD Adrian R.]

Some intresting numbers being reported for the music industry - All
info, qoutes from Washington Post (1/8/97) Pollstar and Performance.

Record sales totaled 616.6 million an increase of less than 1% over
1995.  Revenue was flat at $12 billion, same as last year.  <-----No
growth for this market is a bad sign. Compare to 1994 when the market
tripled from $4 billion in annual sales to $12 billion.

Three major music retailers filed bankruptcy during the year, Wherehouse
Entertainment, Peaches Entertainment and Camelot Music.  Blockbuster
shut down 50 stores and hundred of smaller chains went out of business.
MCI shut down its 1-800 Music service after one year of operation.

Over 20,000 new albums were released last year.  Of these releases only
0.05% sold more than 250,000 units, considered the breakeven point by
most labels.

Sony and WEA are the only two profitable labels.

REM - Signed an $80 million deal with Warner only to have its first
album sell a measley 800,000 copies.

Pearl Jam sold only 1.1 million copies of its latest compared to 8
million of the previous album.

Hootie/Blowfish 13 million copies of debut, 2 million of the follow-up.

Country Music which had the biggest growth over the last couple of years
was down by 10% in 1996.

Alannis Morissette - Outsold her boss, Madonna.

Qoute "And while country radio remains the nations most poular format,
its audience was down 20% compared with 1993.  Overall radio hasn't been
much help, due to tight playlists, lack of imagination and minimal
risk-taking that apply to almost all formats these days.  Its even worse
at MTV and folks are wondering if any artist will emerge to lift the
music business out of its doldrums."  <---No Kidding!

Qoute" If critics seem able to spot the burnouts - alternative rock,
gangsta rap - they're decidely less sure about what will light up the
new year."  <-----They could ask the people who buy the music or is that
too difficult a concept?

Qoute " MTV is putting its muscle behing techno, ambient, trip-hop
electronica."  <---What? Do you like this stuff Shipley? 8^)

Qoute" U2, however seems ready to jump on the dance music bandwagon with
the early March release of of "Pop".  The Irish band has shifted
directions before but this could cost it its hard core audience."

On the concert front -

Top Grossing show of 1996 was the Three Tenors at Giants Stadium, $13.4
million which was more than Smashing Pumpkins made for 55 arena events.

Kiss had the top tour at $43.6 million.

Qoute -"The summers other high profile rock reunion - The Sex Pistols -
fired a blank and didn't even register in those publications
[Performance and Pollstar] year end Top 50 tour lists.  The army of
other '70s acts on the road last ummer - Styx, Kansas, Steely Dan, Steve
Miller, Chicago and Crosby Stills and Nash - didn't do particualrly well
eithe, whcih may cause promoters and venues to rethink booking them next
year."  <---What no mention of BOC? 8^)  Actually we probably won't get
many geezer fests this year with BOC being a part of them.  Too bad
outside venues can be kewl.

Concert industry grossed $1.05 billion up from $950 million in 1995.

Qoute "The Billion-dollar tally is notable because this was the first
year in some time without a Grateful Dead tour, which consistently
contributed $30 million to $35 million to the annual total." <---Never
doubt the power of the Grateful Dead.

Qoute"There is also talk about Paul McCartney and Pink Floyd, and don't
bet against Kiss comming back on the great outdoor circuit this year."
<----Yawn, can't wait.

Qoute"If the 70's were over for some rock acts, the 90's seem to have
arrived for others.  Besides the Pumpkins, new arena level acts included
Dave Mathews, Stone Temple Pilots and Bush.  But with the exceptions of
Alanis Morissette and Hootie and the Blowfish, the top ten acts in both
Performance and Pollstar were industry mainstays who attract a
predominately older audience."  <----Took them long enough to figure out
that parents have more money to attend cconcerts and buy cd's than their
children do.

Theo still wondering why BOC has had trouble getting a record deal in
the US?

lil ab

Ob Cd - Triumph - Never Surrender