Variety (July 1956)

Wediteflday, July 25, 1956 anisic 107 PIC TITLE TUNES IN NEW WHIRL + Kanaga Sees $300,000,000 Disk Gross; Rock V Rollers Now ‘On Way Down’ Hollywood, July 24. Record industry is heading for an unprecedented $300,000,000 gross this year, but rock ’n’ roll will account for a smaller share of the take than last year, according to Lawrence W. Kanaga, KCA Vic¬ tor veepee and general manager who was on a trip here last week. Figures for the first half of the year indicate the industry will top last year’s $250,000,000 gross by at least $50,000,000. Kanaga returned to New York over last weekend ( 21 ). Kanaga said that rock ’n* roll is “on the way down” and added there is a noticeable trend toward “simple, beautiful” music. In¬ creased sales thus far are attributed to an increasing teenage popula¬ tion, the hi-fi craze, new merchan¬ dising ideas and decreased prices on both singles and packages. Teenage population, now esti¬ mated at 21,000,000, is increasing at the rate of about 1,000,000 an¬ nually, he pointed out, and the teenagers are heavy purchasers of pop disks. Pops, he added, now account for about 75-80% of the total record sales. Television, Victor exec reported, has actually turned out to be a boon to the disk biz rather than a threat. It has helped create in¬ terest in music and is credited with boosting sales in the last few years. Kanaga, in listing the growth of package sales, commented on the increasing impact of “mood” al¬ bums. He was asked if the growth in this field might not eventually reach a point where repetitive ma¬ terial might limit sales. He turned (Continued on page 112) Schirmer Revival Kick Via Olman Abe Olman is swinging back into activity via a tieup with the G. Schirmer publishing house. The former veepee-topper of the Big Three (Robbins, Feist & Miller) finalized a deal with the Schirmer firm last week in which he’ll under¬ take an extensive revival campaign in the fields of records, tv, pix and radio of the standards in the pub- bery’s catalog. The tieup will not conflict with operation of his recently formed ASCAP publishing firm, Abe Ol- man Music. Current plug in the Olman firm is “Dreamer,” waxed by the Four Aces for Decca. The Schirmer revival push will be kicked off immediately. Al¬ ready earmarked for new disk ac¬ tion are “Allah’s Holiday,” “Sym- path,” “Auf Wiedersehn” and 'Perfect Day,” among others. The Schirmer catalog includes the works of such ASCAP composers as Sigmund Romberg, Rudolf Friml, Victor Herbert, Oley Speaks and Carrie Jacobs Bond. DGG WRAPS UP SESSION WITH LENINGRAD SYMPH Hanover, July 24. ' The Deutsche Grammophon Ge- sellschaft (DGG), German diskery major, recently wrapped up a recording session with the touring Leningrad Philharmonic orches- XI 'a. The orch, latest in the series ot recent Russian cultural imports, waxed the Rachmaninoff Sym¬ phony during the stopovers in ■Berlin, Hamburg and Vienna. +u U tS ca Records, which distributes the DGG line in the U. S., will fit inf L ? nin grad Philharmonic disk n to its releasing schedule in America. mgm buys indie side v Fort Worth, July 24. t n : vlar f ee Robinson, a local secre- ha s recorded “Hurt Me,” a T ne written by Jerry Freeman. S tvas waxed on the Lin label at Gainesville. oJr picl{:e d it up arid took an Ption on her recording contract. + --- Wax in Your Beer The Budweiser jingle is the latest to be turned Into a pop song un¬ der the title of “Where There’s Life” and has been cut by George Cates for Decca. Cates wrote the pop version in collaboration with Russ David and Northern Music, a Decca subsid, is publishing. RCA Spearheads Big Buildup For Stereo Tape Although RCA Victor is now the only disk major issuing prerecord¬ ed tapes, the other companies may be getting in shortly. The tape market has been growing steadily and sales of the prerecorded reels for Victor have been more than satisfactory. Victor has now geared its new plant in Cambridge, O., for the manufacture of machines to handle stereophonic tapes. Stereo tapes are remarkedly superior in sound to conventional disk recordings and have been appealing to the hi- fi fans despite their high prices, ranging up to $14 per work. The cost of the raw tape has been the chief factor in the high price structure. Victor recently began operating its Cambridge plant for the manu¬ facture of a tape machine of its de¬ sign. Previously, Victor machines were supplied by the Wilcox-Gay company. Tape machines fire handled through Victor’s radio- phonograph division under Jim Toney. Several Independent companies have also been active in marketing prerecorded tapes for the past few years, using catalogs of various longhair labels. Other majors, meantime, have been waiting, watching and experimenting with their own tape programs. ‘Love’ a Many-Subpoened Thing as Italian Cleffers Amass Plagiarism Suits Rome, July 17. • A complicating factor has en¬ tered the case of Nino Ravasini, who recently charged in court that $he pic title song, "Love Is A 'Many Splendored Thing’’ plagiar¬ ized her tune. A' second Italo tunesmith, Cos- tantino Ferri, has now in turn sued Ravasini, citing "priority of com¬ position,” and claiming that “Music in Venezia,” the song that Ravasini wrote in 1947, and which he claims was copied in “Many Splendored Thing,” was- actually a Ferri com¬ position titled "Titolo Affettuosc.” Ferri claims he merely agreed to let Ravasini use his material in the composition of “Music in Venezia,” but that he retains rights. Both Ferri and Ravasini are using the same lawyers. Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne are the U.S. writers of "Many Splendored Thing.” Versailles Cleffers Sign With B.F. Wood Co. Jane Douglas White, composer, and Syd Shaw, lyricist of the score for the Versailles, N.Y., nltery "Fashions in Rhythm” show, have signed up exclusively with B. F. Wood Music, a subsid of Mills Mu¬ sic. Show was their first collab¬ oration and they now plan to work together as a team. Shaw has also directed the nitery show, .which is expected to go on tour in the late fall. DEE JAY SPINS BOOST PIX 01 Fear that Hollywood’s romance with title theme songs would cool off hasn’t been borne out. The fact is that it’s blossomed to such proportions that pic producers are beginning to stretch a point to get that title song inserted somewhere in the film. Latest rash of the pic-song tie- ins was sparked by the themes for "Picnic” and "The Man With the Golden Arm,” which were turned into clicko wax properties. And in the current batch, the theme from “The Proud Ones” seems to be edging into the hit brackets via Nelson Riddle’s Capitol slicing. Film producers are hot for that disk plug because of its importance as an advertising and selling force. They’re willing to gamble on a tune even if it doesn’t develop into a hit, figuring that the spins it does rack up on the deejay turntables and jukeboxes are just so much more velvet for their overall pub¬ licity package. And since a lot of tall coin is marked down for the advertising and publicity budget, it’s become an easy way for the disk artists and in some instances, the artists & repertoire men,- to pick up extra change for putting the tune into the groove. In order to insure a record by a top artist, the companies are also shelling out coin for the disker to sing the title song on the pic’s soundtrack. Of recent vintage in this category fall Perry Como with “Somebody Up There Likes Me,” The Four Lads with "Bus Stop” (Continued on page 112) ‘Fair Lady Tops 300,000 In Store Sales; Club Extra At the present sales rate, Colum¬ bia's original cast version of the current Broadway legit musical, “My Fair Lady,” is bidding to be¬ come one of the top album best¬ sellers of all time. "Lady” has already topped 300,000 in sales through' regular retail channels and is still going strong. In addition, Columbia has moved a great quantity of “My Fair Lady” albums through its disk club op¬ eration. Col execs have refused to disclose any figures with respect to its club, but execs at the other major labels concede that with a hot album property, the club can move one specific platter at a tre¬ mendous pace. CLEFFER VS. BMI SUIT TO LAY OFF IN AUGUST The' examinations before trial, which have been going for about two years In the suit of the 33 ASCAP songwriters against Broad¬ cast Music Inc. and the broad¬ casters, will knock off during Au¬ gust. Both sides agreed to take a , vacation from the question-and-an- swer routine in which the plaintiffs’ attorney, John Schulman, has been currently grilling the disk and net¬ work execs. Suit is based upon the plaintiffs’ allegation that a conspiracy exists between BMI and the broadcasters to discriminate against ASCAP writers. The plaintiffs are asking for $150,000,000 in damages and divorcement of the broadcasters from their ownership of BMI. | Scopp to Coast Mickey Scopp, exec veepee of the Big Three Music Corp. (Robbins, Feist & Miller), heads for the Coast Saturday (28) to visit firm’s branch offices. He’ll be accompanied by Ed Slatterly, professional depart¬ ment coordinator. They’ll remain on the Coast un¬ til Aug. 8. Majors Sight ‘Flying Saucer Takeoff On Hit Platters; Cry ‘Pirates Ahoy Everybody’s Doing It Beverly Joan Cherner, former secretary to Decca publicity chief Mike Conner, Is now doing it her¬ self. She’s organized a new disk label, Beech Records, and has hit the market with a coupling of Eddy Thomas on "Hot Tears” and "Four Bare Walls.” She says: "We may be Johnny- come-latelys but we’re not babes in the woods.” Lou Levy Buys Late Bob Miller Music Catalog Lou Levy’s Leeds Music Corp. has acquired some 4,000 copyright¬ ed songs, plus rights to folios, from the late Bob Miller Music Corp. (ASCAP) and his BMI-af- filiated sister firm, Main Street Songs Inc. The prolific author of country & western and kindred folk tunes has an involved estate which embraced clearance with two former wives, Lisa Marino, an office exec, to whom the first wife left a share in the companies: brother Harold Miller; attorney Benn Starr, executor of the Bob Miller estate, five other law firms, which ranged from Memphis to Nyack, N. Y., in geographical lo¬ cation. Because of the complications, attorney Julian T. Abeles (& Bern¬ stein), who handled the deal for Levy .(Leeds), insisted on a part- cash and part-deferment deal, to protect his client if any other claims eventuated. The many months old negotiation was further complicated by bidding from other firms, which suddenly became aware of the Miller companies. Abeles also insisted on firming up the renewal rights to the works.' Levy paid $135,000 fpr the two Miller firms, $10,000 of which went for the BMI subsid, Main Stem. The ASCAP firm, which has 30 years of seniority, contains 4,000 tunes with numerous oldies of the type of “There’s a Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere,” “Someday You’ll Want Me to Want You,” “Seven Years With the Wrong Woman,” “When the White Azaleas Start to Bloom,” etc. The BMI firm, incidentally, is being ab¬ sorbed into Levy’s Duchess Music setup while the ASCAP firm will continue as Bob Miller Music. While not consistently active in the country & western field, Levy struck gold in this market several* times in the past since buying Jen¬ kins Musib, which also was pre¬ dominantly in the folk vein. More recently, he’s had a big hit in Stu¬ art Hamblen’s “It Is No Secret,” probably his firm’s alltime sheet bestseller. June Christy Labels It This Way: Disk Biz An Infested Jungle’ Honolulu, July 24. The recording industry is an “in¬ fested jungle” and a “real throat¬ cutting place,” singer June Christy told Advertiser columnist-inter¬ viewer Bob Krauss. "Somebody will come out with a tune called ‘Blue Suede Shoes.' Right away another company will put out a song like ‘Blue Suede Shoes with Bangles.’ Somebody else will have another gimmick,” ex- Stan Kenton warbler complained. "And the material they hand the young people who have good, fresh talent!”' Miss Christy, here with her hus¬ band, Bob Cooper, says that even talented composers “have to write such trash” because "the record¬ ing companies don’t want good songs these days.” -+ The Music Publishers Protective Assn., through its trustee, Harry Fox, has retained copyright expert Julian T. Abeles (& Bernstein) to proceed against Luniverse Records on a two-part "crazy novelty” (so billed on the label) which is called "The Flying Saucer.” It simulates excerpts from sundry platters in a man - from - outer - space approach but, alleges Abeles, there are in¬ fringements on songs and also in¬ fringements on recordings through allegedly unauthorized usages of these excerpts. Understood that the diskeries as an industry, are all interested In the economic out¬ come of this proposed action. Meantime "The Flying Saucer” has been getting wide national dis¬ play and sales. Buchanan & Good¬ man are the billed recording art¬ ists, also the accredited authors, and Luniverse Music is the copy¬ right owner of the “property” in¬ volved. Abeles says Alpha (which dis¬ tributes other independent labels) is the distributor and that the plat¬ ters are being pressed at several plants. Alleged infringement on some 19 items, culled from other record¬ ings and/or tunes utilized without royalty, is the basis of attorney Abeles’ proposed legal action. The record companies are also interested because of alleged sim¬ ulations, recreations or actual in¬ tegrations of their personalities, (Continued on page 112) 2 Webs Ground ‘Flying Saucer While the disk jockeys on the indie stations are spinning the "Flying Saucer” disk, the networks are not going for it. NBC and ABC have already banned it on two grounds: (1) that it is involved in a legal tangle which may affect its ASCAP and BMI clearances; and (2) because of its scare factor. Latter refers to the commentator’s break-in into the music "bn the disk'to announce that a flying saucer has reportedly been sighted as landing in the U. S. While an obvious gag that parodies the realism of the notorious pre¬ war Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds” broadcast, NBC still frowns on the use of the news broadcast format for the musical inserts. At CBS, the question hasn’t come up yet since no one has sub¬ mitted to continuity acceptance. Latter department is expected to follow NBC’s suit and also nix the disk. WOR, N. Y., and the Mutual web said it wouldn’t use that type of number. PLATTER ROW OVER PLAYING ‘THE FOOL’ Randy Wood, head of Dot Rec¬ ords, is burning at Jerry Blaine, his New York distributor, over an alleged dipsydoodle pulled on the new rock ’n’ roll tune, "The Fool,” which has been stirring up some noise. Dot Records bought the master of the number from MCI Records in Phoenix, an indie label owned by Sanford Clark, who also does the vocal on the tune. Blaine, who heads Cosnat Dis¬ tributing as well as Jubilee Rec¬ ords, issued his own version of "The Fool” on the latter label with the Gallahads. Blaine claims that he covered the tune before Dot picked up the indie master, but, nevertheless, Wood is known to be angry at the fact that Blaine was competing with his own record. Dot execs charge that Cosnat, which usually supplements . Dot’s deejay promotion, failed to follow through on "The Fool.” In fact, they say that the Jubilee version began" showing up on the deejay turn¬ tables before Cosnat began servic¬ ing the jockeys on the Dot version.