THE THORNY ISSUES OF INTERNATIONAL ROYALTIES that gave them a raw deal in the US "It the old remane you don't get what venu denerve, you get what you ne gouate Many of the early art did not have very good negotiating strength and suffered as a result of that for the rest of their lives." Few nider R&B artists actually Ternight to either the recordings of their work or the publishing in the US at could lay to claim to international notice Navs Ned Slaven, music historian writer "In mam instances the artists wewe skeet after and got cars or payments phex in kinat Mans of Uwe were unturt and were unaware of the fact they were It now standard practice for artists to initiate royalty aurits if they feel their labels are not handing over their fair share of sales But audits are experave and many older artista belærve it would not be worth the effort Says AC Lichtenstein, who man agen Martha Reeves. Martha & the When artists or their here cannot he found EMI hold onto the fans "The money is put into accrual while we make attempts to find these artists.” Hughes savs Many of them make themselves known to us, anvi most have been easy to find Hughes says the new rovalty rates-which he will not specify-incture the money the major label deres from bensing those max. wer to third parties EMI has put out some "best-of rum palations from the Roulette vaults, but the majority of the ratalog in hrensed for Europe to UK based Sequel Records label owned by Castle Com munications Sequel managing director Bob Fisher says. "We re selling records to col lectors We're specialists and there aren't many specialists around What we can do with some of these tities. EMI un interested in. Nevertheless, we are talking about putting out a few thousand copies of most uties, so the b cense fees are not huge" EDITORIAL coupe balances at recurd evmpanies, it appears that licensing income from third parties has, in some instances. gane directly in the lates ruflon and has not been directh subtracted (893 what the artist owed to the recorti company This stems from the haxır inquity of the contracts that most artists segment. negotiated long before maxaciano began to hire manager and the internati marketplace was thought of as a megtal icant revenue source Tales still abound of artists being ven cars or gifts in return for their rovalties on domestic sales or being told "If you want royalties, go see the queen In his autobiography. Little Rachard recalls how, when the wave of royalties was rained. Duke Peacock chael Don Robey punched him so hard that he developed a herna Not all indie labels were the same. says Roger Armstrong managing director of Ace The people running these labels ran from the criminal to the All Must Address Past Moral Failures This is indeed an ars in which one form of recognition has flowered for the gr R&B and blame artists of the past In a startling revelation of the sea in of Robert Jabraon, his Cə humbin recordings dating back more than 50 youre becuese a big chart sur com in 1990, and, more recently, the best-selling "Forrest Gump" soundtrack featured, as befits its subject matter, a chrensalogneni serving of RAB masters. In addition, CD bos retrospectives, assembled with loving are permanent doe aments of a cruce reserably for the creative ers in American rate. And readers of Billboard's Commentary page may recall a pinze by BM) pr dent/CEO Fran Preston in the May 2, 1945. m, when, calling attention to the industry's charitable endeavors, abe pointed to the Rhythm & Blues Foundation's mission to help RAB artista is need, especiality through the Dor Pam Pancial Ambtance Pro gram. She also noted how the found tion's Pioneer Awards "have brought the world's attention to artists whose Varillas and Billy J Kramer, "Sure. you can hire a lawyer, if you have the money to do that, and track everything around the world How many cider artists can do that? It's umane." LABOR LABELS CAN HELP Complaints still abound that it is im prouble to surt al museide the US However the accuinition of some cata logs by larger labels can have a benefi cial effect. And provided that owner. shup of master rychice in nok in dispute, it a relatively straightforward matter to pay artats EMI which bought the Roulette catalog in 1989 says the major label takeover har undoubtedly benefited erusts David Hughes now EMT rector of communicatione, used to head the company strategic marketing & in the X and was involved in the Roulette purchase -There was very little dorumenta tion, so we put in place our own rovaite rate for those artists who didn't have a written contracts Hughes These contracts were more generous than the ones they hart to say the int memic has been overlooked or forgot ten, honoring them with a monetary Sadly, the male teskustry in nesly be ginning to exme to terms with breadand-butter is regarding the wel fare of these artats One of the music industry's bestkept secreta for decades centered on an ugly period of economic injustice of tee perpetrated by owners of masters and wong copyrights against artists and songwriters who mainly made their not much of a living in the R&B Arsing then were acknowledged in fluences on today's pop music, which gerate a major portion of multshillion-dollar ramie tevdustry in the US. and further bildum in other marketa. ership in their worka. Daried proper 6nancial recognition in the prime of their careers, they were also demand fu ture eronomie protection for Uhers elves and their families. With the CD er's penchant for band-est documen tation, Ensar companies of those who failed to do the right thing are making new dollars from the sale of theme retrospectives Through the efforts of individuals and organizations who have had the to dustry's outery against the sordid practices of the past, some of these artists or their hairs are beginning to enjoy royalties anne dered them by a greedy few who withheld proper remonarution However, there is yet to be univer mility of ecostal among those who You many sexmend to legal though continer to benefit from legendary morally questionable, contractual RAB and blues catalogs, many of obligacions. Others, through their own which ity under the banners of major garance, ineptitade, or corrupt reprouse comp The dins of t of the past resentation, accepted paltry fame in are no longer secrete that can be is signing away the product of their cre from trade scrutiny and emnern. Voi ativity, with the Issamlarigo that they antary address of them moral aald have retained a measure of care- is now a ciner obligation. Most of the time, the royalties from the licence are paid on the bar of an advance for the minimum number of copies the record company hopes to sell, and on a percentage basis after that Often, the arqumation of a catalog can bring about significant changes in artant royallas Japanese independent Nippon Co lumbia bought the entire Savoy Records calaing in early 1991, and it inputs out R&B reissues mainly out sade Japan. through its Denon substary A&R staffer Atsushi Hashizume says "One problem with the Savoy deal was that sometime: Savoy didn't pay royal to artists. For example Dester Gordon • wwiow saw the story Un Bullboard about our Savoy rebours and STOL to wanking that she be pearl the royalties Hashazume says Nippon Columbia now paying Gorrion's wilow the requise rovals for sale in Japan. Yet much moves often hring too little to late for artonta Dempite the fact that many artisu ran up significant unre very metrulonas." he says "I met some real t-crossers and --dotters in my tame who always attended to paying their royalties Armstrong wrists it would be foolish to asume that all label hard the same attitudes toward international sales Many were actively engaged in com pies and widespregil international licensing "If you look at someone like the American Deers label they were sending things all around the world." he says "Sometimes the only remaining Lape can be in an EMI vault in Branl Yet for some labels, the concept of royalties was abstract enough without introduring an international dimension SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OWED Howel Bege founding expcutive di rector of the Rhythm & Blue Founda tion and attorney at Verner Landert Bernhard McPherson and Hand in Washington, DC. adimits that there may be substantial amount owed to artists as a result of the insquities of the original deals. "I'm sure over the years the lensing situation has been no mare just than in the attitude and domestic sa sat While representing the Unfurn Begle as he has encountered staff) culum in determining the anwent në le versing income that is due to the b The deal-Lite that all ing shirl be spät eveniv between the and Atlantic However it proved al most impership in arme at an absolute figure because of the city of we counting between one divion of Warn er Music • operations and another " just get tired of arking, and I'm sure that happens a lot to others Licering aver important aspect of this beas trut fera prople have the time to try and unverstand it Quite simply. I just don't have another 10 years to g after thas incume" Despite the foundation's suree<3. sources there say that an international quest for better royalties is not at the Lop of the agenda Instead. Its long. term is more in the direction of campaigning for artists who have expe menced success more recently. Having spored some success with royalty re of artists from the 40% to the TDK, the foundation likely to try to help black main from the 70% and YOK, whome plight often has been just a dare When the music of mans R&B artets was repopulartand by CD con tracts were rarely upriated "There was never a reference to licensing income in the contracts ́ve seen," says Begle "There was only ever reference to making phonograph records, but they clear I dan 1 cover future technolognes urb CDs. All the name these contracts were used as the base when the mater sal was regased on on CD: Und the recent reforms were insti tutet by labels artants probed up being pear on the bar of inghes or The en with carnage and breakage costs subtrarted from the royalties Rovalues overness sales could sometimes b low as I cent per record "That's e tainly not fair but that's the reality." says Lichtenstein "Some labels had provision for 25 year contracts with these arts, and after that they could stop payment The •question of beerwing income w still far down the list of prontas when contracts were drawn Meanwhile. kome independent labels were not above heenging the same record to sev eral different labels overseas simulta neously E Even when the larger relaks fell into the hands of major labels in the 70 and NOx it was not unheard of for them to acerse R&B classes more than once on an exclusive or none triusive bass for overseas Lerricones At the tom labels were more concerned wit the revenue potential of current repertere As a result outside the US it not alww simple to petablh who ower night to what material it alone w esert moral or legal pressure on those parts to change their attitudes toward revalties E Efforts to establish a chain of ownership almost inevitably become bogged down in a legal quagmare When canes do come before Uhe courts, it is not uncommon to find both the plaintiff and defendant claiming ownership from brense drain made decades ago Sometimes courte provide clear in cation of whom they believe to be the rightful owners Last year Chubby Checker and Kuel in the US won a nig frant court on which naked that they hart the rights to explent some 73 titles from the Dominion catalog in a Judgment in the Texas court Jun Checker and K-tel were awar $611.000 in damages, as well as the 352 THE THORNY ISSUES OF INTERNATIONAL ROYALTIES Contraued from preceding page; right to prohibit unauthorized use of the masters (Billboard. Feb. 25, 1994) When there is even the slightest question over the ownership of a culalog, it can cause problems. Almost every month, at least one fresh lawsuit appears in the High Court here, with one party claiming that it right to catalog masters have been infringed One of the mast bitter disputes has been waged over the international right to the Chess catalog. Resur sparcia (Chart Records claims it har munexclusne rights to explant (hea repertoire in the UK and in October 1992 brought proceedings against MCA because of statements that ap peared in the trade pre MCA Records In and the major's UK subsidiary. MCA Records Lil.. filed a yount action agant Charly Records Lut in Febru any 19583, alleging infringement of copynight on 20 recordings, including works by Ch Chuck Berry, bonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters, and Buddy Guy. It is es pected that the trials will take place next April. There is also trademark action re garding the Chess name and logo in France and the Benelux The increase in such cases does not necessarily represent an increase in infringement of rights. It is more a sign that the money to be made from catalog resues the international marketplace is seen as worth defending, even when it involves costly and protracted lawsuite MCA, for example, says it sold some 8.000 copies in the UK of a Howin' Walf compilation. The Genuine Article which sold for more than 12 pounds ($19.201 THE BUDGET MARKET Many of the disputes in the R&B budget market stem from the pioneer ing spirit of the US record industry before major labels tightened their hold on the business In instances where labels have attended to the rights and needs of artists, the international income stream can still be slowed to a trickle by those just within and those outside the law The CD boom of the 80s and 90s produced huge demand for catalog material, especially among aider buyers. The market a essentially split into two distinct parts. First, there are the highpriced, well-presented titles that come complete with extensive liner notes. are aimed at collectors, and retail for $20-$40 By contrast, the budget mar ket is characterised by "cheap and cheerful packaging and single diacs retail for $4-$5 and four-CD sela at about $14.50 Ace's Armstrong says that the com pany has some 900 utles, most of them selling at a wholesale price of 7 20 pounds ($11.601, making them a fullprice product. The most we can expect to sell in the UK is in tens of thou sands, and if we were to sell any less than 1,400, we'd be disappointed It would be wrong to suggest that the budget market is one in which roy. alues are avoided as a matter of course, but it is a complicated and impenetra ble business, and one in which artists and their heirs may be losing signifi cant sur In the the UK alone, the budget sector. which is mostly based on older cala bast year was worth 90.9 million pounda ($145 million) or 11.14 of the market value, and 18.9% of UK trade deliver ies at 23.5 million unita, according to the British Phonographic Industry In four years, the market has more than doubled. In 1990, the burlar market represented 8.1% of units and 2.9% of sales value The BPI does not keep details of what proportion of these asies are R&B reissues, but a brief survey of titles in Lendon discount and clearance stores suggests that 40%-50% of budget repertoire on sale in by R&B and jazz artists. The most common names in the racks are Jackie Wilson, the isley Brothers. Ella Fitzgerald, Fats Domi no. Lonnie Johnson. Muddy Waters. Lear Belly, and John Lee Hooker. place. In must instances, the appropriate nights are pad to the right holders though par undermines a great desi of the market, and there is a gnificant [ of "gray′′ product in the marketwhere the rights may not be clear Estimates of the annual kuses to the record industry through catalog piracy vary from a conservative $100 million to 8500 malion, and a significant propor tion of thesis R&B repertoire from the 30% 10% or 70%. At first sight it wa most impossible to determine what is pirated material and what is legitimate. hence the expression "gray" There a huge market in licenses for compila Dona, in which the unsuspecting as well as the unscrupulous can end up buying something is than the genuine article. Master suppliers provide licenses for versions of of songs that they claim have been rerecorded by one or more of the original artists. The DAT that i censees receive may contain adme rere cordings. but they are compiled with tampered originals, which may include bootlegged live performances or TV or radio broadcasts It is not uncommon to mix in some sound-alikes to round out the number of songs to produce a package that can be sold on the open market Distributors who want to avoid buying such tam pered material need to have access to the source material to know that they are not being inadvertently lured into piracy Those who are not interested are unlikely to scrutinize the paperwork. TAX LOOPHOLES AND PIRACY The problem became significantly worse after the Reagan administration created a tax loophole for "cultural investments in the early 80s. This defi nition could include the sequsition of a sound recording master irrespective of whether it was actually turned into a manufactured product. Because of the lax advantages, many artista acild their master right to shelter comparues and were able to realize significant suma Many of these companies changed hands rapidly, with each sale герге senting a 10% tax break The paper. work created at the time of sale in now used to dupe foreign companies that wish to enter the budget market. While the DAT the lensee receives may cor relate to the track listing on the paperwork, the masters can be a combination of bootlegs and rerecordings This paperwork can also be used as the basis for supposedly legitimate title documents that accompany the DAT When the masters were put into tas shelters, the new compares were asle to grant licenses to exploit a certain number of tracka in a certain order for • given territory Thousands of such nonexclusive licenses were granted, of ten using the same tracks for the same territory, but in a different order. The licenses issued by the shelter compaforbade altering the nies expressly running order and also prevented the selection of one or two choice songs from the compilation In reality, these restrictions are fre quently ignored, and many licensing compares use documents from these compilations as proof of chain of title. To unsuspecting international operalors all appears to be in order. The tax loophole was closed by 1996, but not be fore the same 100-plus masters had been licensed several thousand times. When CDs repopulare the reper toure, many of the rights to manufarture this material were based on these licenses, although the sheer number of licenses in existence meant that wa possible to flout the original terms without much fear of apprehension This makes the revues business a place where only experts can tread with confidence. Ken Naga, A&R director of Tokyobasquecity label JIMCO Recart which rein-ue» many jazz. R&B, and rock titles from outarde Japan, t ing clean masters is difficult. "Sometimes I have to go through five or six people, and it can take up to two years. With old master recording, sometimes nobody knows who holds the rights. Sometimes we give up, but if we really want a recording, we'll keep trying when you consider the possibility of it being available online Langford, perience with attempting to identify recurving led her to belarve that there is no substitute for getting the artists involved in the detective work. "We've encountered various verwony of know hite" she av "Sometimes we flat out that the different version is artanily • Lampered original with bet, added patch changed Often there are other version which we're located which cou red to the paperwork Langford believes a significant amount of product could be remove from the "grey" area of artists Intral to the material The artanks were ahir tu kirends the recordings unimedesteḥ, surban pertan ular TV shows, gigs, anslatio studio versiums. Like expert golfers who remember every shot, they re member the mastakes that were maste that there was no opportunity to car. rect, or the version that was electe for the album tecusase of ita louture» or highlights Says Andreas Heyn, staff lawyer at German label and distributor edel, "Great importance is attached to stat An added problem is that some ing the precise titles to be sold as well recordings are effectively in the public as an exclusion and indemnification some parte Europe Ger clause. We frequently turn down offers many, for example, only started probecause the ingni sitantion. tecting no-German recordings after we reprotumač clear or only nonexclusive rights are being offered this makes no sense be cause it makes it impossible to do any thing about pirate capnas. The International Federation of Phonogram and Videogram Producers (IFPI) previously indicated that it had a commitment to attacking catalog pracy. However, since the beginning of the year. It has been without a full-time official in that area. Margo Langford, who previously undertook catalog piracy work at IFPI, in now a partner with the London law firm Green David Conway & Co. "No one appreciated the value of this repertoire until CDs came along. I don't think it's going to get any less popular in the future, so it needs pro tecting. This is especially important fore that date are lachnically in the public domain and free of perfarmers copyrights fanld there. In practice, many recordings find their way into other European Union states and to most parts of the world where there in markant for them. Sequels Fisher says that is the main factor affecting his company's busi nea "It's really annoying when you pay for a license and put out a record, ani ameone else has got it for free In Japan, master rights protection does not apply to sound recordings #sued before 1908, and many small com panies release low priced CDs of (mainly non-Japanese) material recorded before that year and only have to pay songwriting meames. WORK GROUP'S MN8 AT "NEXT LEVEL (Continued from page 103 To develop a core audience. "I've Got A Little Something For You" will intially be serviced to R&is radio June 20, followed by crossover and pop stations. Work plans to service pop and RAB remixes to appropriate stations. Ayeroff admits that gaining R&B airplay will be the label's biggest challenge, but is confident the group will find a home Mainstream R&B programmers aren't automatically dismissing "I've Get A Little Something For You" be cause of its UK approach to R&B. Says WQUE New Orleans PD Gerod Stevens. Their profile doesn't neces sartly have to meet your sound. If inteners like them, we play " WEDR Miami PD James Thomas says MNB will not be automatically counted out just because it is UK. based "It won't be any more difficult for them than local artista, if the song there However, retailers in black comme nita say the group may have a difficult road Chicago independent retailer George Darela, owner of Myowner of George's sic Room, cites poor record sales of popular R&B/pop art All-4-One at his store as an example of MN's challenge shead "I thought their song 1 Swear was going to do well for us, but a didn't. The same thing happened with Color Me Radd." he says "Both groups did well in mainairesin communities, but had rough going here We'll pullin pop-ounding art every once in a while. but (MNB) gng the rema route the best way for them to do well with my customers Jeffery More, buyersco-owner of Lansing Mich bent 10-store Where House Reds has a broader p Uve and says domestic R&B farı don't expect UK. acts to sound like US. based arta Says Morse, "TU K ) bands have more polyrhythm and overall contanRTYtal favor, although this kind of group will probably appeal more to younger folks and women in their 20%, as op posed to men Despite the challenge. Dee Tails re mains optimistic MN8 will appeal to US recurd buyers. He describes the group's "the funk emanating out of the mint to dumunate the blend between one's ears." The arts anys the group's vocals are strong and clean and project an authen u atutude that lateners pick up un we stacked our harmonies Originally before we went into the studio," he any's. "But once we got in and the imbal wanted a softer R&B wound, we didn' overlay a whole lot of parta" To The Next Level,” reissued an lat FOUNDATION On Feb. 21 Sum from execu Drager chairman of the Rhythm & Be Foundation outlining plan to eated the reforms to more than 60 The new reforms are the result of months of behind-the-semes decussi aming industry executives and board members of the R&B Fouration Insiders say a segment of ABC TV "Nightline program on R&B rovalties, to be aired during Grammy week may have helped precipitate ac Lien un the reforma We are sensitive to the rights of Hill On The Hill Wamer/Reprise antal Faith Hill center talks with RIAA (Continued on page 201 with members of Congress on the issue of performance nights Berman and Whelan Song Does Unusual 'Dance' To Top R&D performers whose work orginal Irish Indie Son Records Seeks Alternate Promo Routes by appeared on such labels Colum Ep. OKeh, Brunswick, and Vo-BY KEN STEWART eslam The reforms include an updated vity fee of 10% of full retail price for the former reeneding artists ar DUBLIN-The perseverance of Irish indie Son Records helped to bring Bill Whelan's composition The song, which topped the Irish Its UK K presence was boosted by Jean Butler The single, which Son says has sold 20.000 units so far, was followed by a vale angle. "Riverdance For Kwanda with proceeds of its R0.000 soll es guing to add famine rebef Although a runaway hit in Ireland. "Kiserance initially failed to can talize on its Eurovision exposure in the UK But Son Records pushed on "Our whole strategy was based on was most satisfying The label also sought a variety of The "Riverdance" alloum was re SECUTIVE ords and U2 manager Paul McGuin- has evolved into Riverdance-The Meanwhile, in Ireland, the single Show" which opened at the Pont The Riverdance-The Show" pro- Part I takes an elemental look at A lansimark in (el music "River TURNTABLE Denny Corde" BY PETER CRONIN 10 Artists & Music SONY, RHINO PLAN ROYALTY REFORMS Continued from page 10) program, or their heirs or payees, will be notified by letter as soon as possible" Cataneo terms the decuson an "initial response" and adds that plans to extend the reforms to a larger number of artists "are being evaluated" being The names of the individual artists af fected are withheld for the present. "because we're still compiling the lust" she says A sample roster of well-known, earty. blum performers on the Vocabon, Brun wick Columbia, and OKeh labels incharles Bessie Smith Robert Johnson, Jor Turner, Champion Jack Dupree. Bill Broonzy, and Memphis Mannar R&B artaste from the 50s and 80s un Epic and Okeh include Ray Hamilton. Major Lance Big Maybelle, the Ravena. Screamin' Jay Hawkins. Little Joe & the Thrillers, and the Schoolboys A quack check of the roster of the Rhi no-owned labela includes R&B and rock'n'roll artists such as the Crows, the Heartbeats, and Ronnie Hawkins; jazz greats Count Basse, Joe Williams, Sarah Vaughan and pop stars like Jeri Southern and June Rodgers Some early-blues pioneers may have no clear heirs or estates, according to several mua historians Old recording contracts often arred unrepresented artists, most of them African-Americana, with royalty rates as low as 34% of wholesale or 1% of reta price. Sul other artista accepted no-rayalty "buyouts" of between $50 and $200 per record. Atlantic was the first label to inutise the royalty reforma in 19898 followed by MCA in 1989, EMI in 1992, and De non the Nippon Columbia Co in 1990. Atlantic initially eliminated unrecouped balances for 25 of ita semanal for mer artists in 1988 (resulting in firsttime lump-sum payments to many of the artists) and later extended the reform to other artists. Those actions, however. were not coupled with an increase in royalty rates. A year later, MCA eliminated unre couper royalty balances for artists who recurred for Chess and the Checker la bels and increased their royalty rate to 10% However, MCA has not yet extended those reforms to other R&B artists who ance recorded for labels such as Decca. Coral. Peacock, and Duke, which MCA NEW CONTHE EMI followed with broader reforms. including a 10% royalty to all pre-1972 artists in all genres and the elimination of unrecouped royalty balances Denon/the Nippon Columbia Co.. which owns the jazz and R&B-rich cat alogs of Savox, National, and Reval Roost, also provides artists and heirs with a current 10% royalty and has tossed away old unrecouped balance provisions of old contracte Not all interis agree with the move ment to reform royalties for aider artasta. Among the comparses express ing reservations about the changes is PolyGram Holding Inc. which owns the Mercury Label and its affiliates and the Verve catalog and its predecessors. In addition, PolyGram Holding bought the Motown calakay several years agn Eric Kronfeld, COO for PolyGram Holding Inc., says the reforms requested by the R&B Foundation board mem bers are "the wrong way to go to say Kronfeld says uplating royalty rates and emanating unrecouped royalty bal ance is "a Band-Aid approach. Rather he supports a concurrent effort by foun dation board members to establish a comprehensive medical-insurance program for older artists. support the efforts of board m bare Bonnie Raitt and EMI Music icon CEO 01 Jan Fild to find and previde a means to allocate funds to alleviate the suffering of previous recording artists." says Kronfeld, "and that's what the basis of all these die canstorm we've had, really He also says that "even his compe By raised royalty rates and set aside un recouped balances, many former artists on labels now owned by PolyGram "would not sell well I enough to to make enough difference to help them." Furthermore, Kronfeld says he does not want to "ghettoiar” the mae of roy alty reform by restricting it to R&B artists. "That's distasteful to me." he says, while adding that "probably most of these affected are African-Americans He says he had determined would take at least three years to change the accounting procedures, during which tame a lot of ning veteran artists would not see any possible benefita." Super BMG, another of a statement saying the label " major supporter of the RAB F tion since its inception "Beyond that' the statemmer say's "wer founowle tionships with caur srčania – bent-are private matters on wharh would be inan Another label make only to digital charge. Until the Sony and Rhino dewate menta, slow progress on the reality r forma front as frustrated R&B Foundation board members, specialy in light of the record of graf cal support by the industry in other w ena such as cash the weed to underwrite the foundation anal Per Awards ceremony Industry go and demone ave taled more than $12 mln the RAB Foundation's unreptamm in 100 The fund's ath-annumi svarb presentation will be held March Hollywood Palun in Las a part of Gray W anka. "How better to do your shopping" The classical radio stations that once filled that role have been losing audience and changing format, he adds. The cost of Creating the database is considered manuscule compared to the potential Bourne, a musician and a com puter professional who began assem bling Clics World barely five months agu, estates the westment-to-launch at well below $100,000. "It's unbeliev ably efficient," he says. With an estimated 25 million-30 målion participants in 130 countries, the Net user base has been growing 10% a month. Among their destinations of mid-February 1.7 milhon domains. more than double the 700.000 parked in cyberspace in September when Bourne arted work on the project. The low cost of entry, about $35, and greater design Gexcitality has allowed the Net to "rom pletely eclipse services like Com pserve and America On-Line Clic World (reached at www.chan siemimus.com) exruista of seven directo re: Artist Arma Compeer Area Concert Hall, Beginner's Guide. Opera Vocal Area, Mail And Bulletin Board and CD Store. All feature CD-q dock and rear of text, in ad Concert Hall has Quirktume vites a Bourne has ruded BMG per formers and "the fore: 114 compare | thought were important.” Farty apara have been entered, with more on the way-Bourne beny explung er from "Madame Butterfly" and "Car men" the week before the lunch of Chames World. "Eventually, there will be subclips for every one" Bourn boasts of Chica World sound qušky "We got very clever about compres -W. Reaching domain caneity in't a ot cern I don't think we'll ever get mor "he says Looking for more yea promote BMG, BUT MORE ally would like to arid ive interven with artists and perhaps co-promet performances with venude auch in Carnegie Hall Even if that benefita non-B3C bab "it abro make us that much mure Vale 20 |