NEW ORLEANS — CBS Records sales are running ahead of last summer's predictions while product demand for the first time is outstripping supply, thus necessitating the building of a fourth pressing plant, delegates to the company's beginning of the year meeting here were told. The sessions ran from Wednesday (25) through Saturday (28).
At the same time, delegates at the Fairmont Hotel were told that after a period of expansion in the signing of both new acts and new labels, the company will be more selective and will concentrate on building the acts it has.
Theme of the marketing convention was "Developing Artists Is Our Most Important Product." It attracted about 900 from CBS headquarters and branches, and visiting artists and managers.
The meetings, described by participants as "informal." included private sessions on sales, promotions, merchandising, publicity and a&r as well as product presentations and performances by select new CBS artists.
The convention, held at the beginning of the Mardi Gras celebration, was more of a working session than the lavish superstar production CBS mounted as its convention in London last summer.
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Among the artists performing at the convention were Weather Report, Pockets, Karla Bonoff, Bobby Womack and Elvis Costello whose first encounter with CBS was at the London convention, where he was hauled off by the police for demonstrating in front of the hotel where CBS held its meeting.
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