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Source: TDK/Rolling Stone http://www.tdk.com
Company Press Release
-- RollingStone.com Puts Resources of Magazine Online to Aid Net Surfers in Making a Mix CD of the Decade's Best Music --
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 23, 1999-- Musically, the 1990s will be remembered for everything from Nirvana and Pearl Jam to the Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys to
Jay Z and Puff Daddy to Alanis Morisette and Jewel. To help music fans create the ultimate '90s music compilation, RollingStone.com and TDK have created a new site that showcases the best music
of the decade. The '90s Music Time Capsule is accessible through
RollingStone.com and through TDK.com.
``Rolling Stone magazine has covered music for 30 years and there's no better source for the kind of information available in the '90s Music Time Capsule,'' says Chris Corteen, TDK marketing communications manager. ``And TDK is the leader in digital audio recording media, so it only makes sense for us to team up for this site which champions the idea of making a music time capsule on TDK
recordable CDs.''
The '90s Music Time Capsule includes a year-by-year look at Rolling Stone magazine's prestigious Readers' Poll and Critics' Poll as well as a reminder of significant cultural events from each year and some trivia. The site also takes poll information to the next level by providing in-depth information about each artist, including audio and video clips, photos, biography and discography.
Visitors are encouraged to make a list of the songs they would choose for the ultimate '90s time capsule. A sweepstakes available on the site asks visitors to register the 10 songs they would choose
for the time capsule. Registering their opinions makes visitors eligible to win a 10-pack of TDK CD-TWIN-R blank CDs, a Harman Kardon CDR 2 consumer audio CD recorder and a $150 shopping
spree at Tunes.com so the winner can buy some of their favorite '90s music. The prize package has a retail value of approximately $1,000. In addition, two runner-ups will receive $150 shopping sprees at Tunes.com. The sweepstakes closes November 15.
As visitors enter the sweepstakes, they also will be asked to enter their opinion on who the artist of the decade is. On December 1, the results of that poll will be available at TDK.COM.
``This prize package is top-of-the-line and includes everything you need to get started in CD recording,'' says Brad Schrepferman, RollingStone.com's sales manager. ``The Harman Kardon CDR 2 is a state-of-the-art dual-deck CD recorder that lets you dub a CD at 4 times faster than normal speed -- that's a 74 minute disc in less than 20 minutes. The TDK CD-TWIN-R discs are the best available for certified recording and playback compatibility. And with the $150 shopping spree, the
winner can buy the CDs needed to create the mix of the decade.''
The '90s Music Time Capsule is part of TDK's continuing multi-million dollar me dia campaign designed to educate consumers about what's possible with TDK digital audio technology. As such, the '90s Music Time Capsule will feature links to Digital Audio: A TDK Guide, TDK's website devoted to
CD recording and other digital recording methods.
``By visiting Digital Audio, consumers can find out how to make their own musical time capsules, whether it be for the music of the '90s or the entire millennium,'' says Corteen. ``With a CD recorder and TDK Certified Plus CD-R discs, music fans can create a mix from any source -- CD, tape, vinyl, even 8-track.''
ABOUT THE GRAND PRIZE PACKAGE
TDK CD-TWIN-R
TDK CD-TWIN-R discs incorporate the company's latest third-generation technologies for superior recording performance and total playback compatibility in all home, personal and car CD
players. TDK's new Reflex Mirror Tuning Technology uses the superior reflectivity and hardness of pure silver to achieve
higher reflectivity than previous CD-R media. This layer and TDK's ISOPURE recording dye technology utilizing a re-tuned MSi (metal-stabilized cyanine) recording material provides higher
sensitivity than other CD-R media, for enhanced recording and playback performance. In addition, a new double layer protective system featuring a HardHat protective coating provides a tough,
high-impact shield that is greater than 50 percent more resistant to physical damage than previous CD-R media and assures dependable, consistent performance even in the toughest portable
applications. TDK CD-TWIN-R discs are available in 74-minute and 80-minute lengths and retail for $6.50 and $7.50 respectively.
HARMAN KARDON CDR 2
The Harman Kardon CDR 2 CD Recorder is a consumer audio deck with both CD-R and
CD-RW recording capability. The first consumer CD recorder to offer 4X-speed CD-R recording capability, the CDR 2 features exclusive audiophile-grade AKM D/A converters for exceptional sonic performance, along with a host of advanced performance and convenience features such as dual-disc tray operation for complete recording flexibility and unmatched ease of use. The CDR 2, which records on both write-once audio CD-R discs and rewritable audio CD-RW discs, facilitates effortless CD-to-CD dubbing, thanks to its high-speed dubbing and disc-finalization capabilities -- features exclusive to the Harman Kardon CDR 2. The CDR 2 performs CD-to-CD-R dubbing at 4X-speed -- twice as fast as any other CD-R deck available. The CDR 2 also dubs CD-RW discs at 2X normal speed. The CDR 2 debuts at retail in late Fall 1999 and has a suggested retail price of $799.
TUNES.COM SHOPPING SPREE
The winner will receive a $150 shopping spree at Tunes.com so they can purchase their favorite
music. Two runners-up also will receive a $150 shopping spree at Tunes.com.
Visit us on the web at www.tdk.com
Contact:
Dobbin/Bolgla Associates
Sarah Ethridge, 212/388-1400
sarah_ethridge@dba-pr.com
Source: The Boston Herald http://www.bostonherald.com Boys are back in town: Backstreet Boys take back seat to no one
by Dean Johnson
Wednesday, September 22, 1999
Nearly 500 fans of the Backsteet Boys had a dream come true last night.
They gave the multiplatinum quintet a personal message and photo attached to a giant postcard
provided by Sears and Polaroid.
A small group of shrieking fans lined up shortly after 4 p.m. to sign the promotional card, which only had been done previously in Orlando, Fla., one stop of the sold-out 39-date tour.
Lauren Mazzuchelli of Uxbridge, a 19-year-old Emerson College student, was at the beginning of the line. She read about the giant greeting card in Monday's papers and dragged her roommates along
with her to sign it. One of them, 19-year-old Liz Krott, was mortified to be there. But she came along out of friendship.
Two other fans in line - 12-year-old Caroline E Silva and 13-year-old Diana Maia - recently moved to Cambridge from Brazil and had no problem communicating their love of the Backstreet
Boys.
E Silva had ``Nick,'' a reference to singer Nick Carter, written on one cheek, ``Brian,'' for bandmate Brian Littrell, on the other. Maia had ``I (heart) Nick'' scrawled across her forehead in black felt ink. Neither had a ticket to last night's show but hoped somehow to see the Boys and get inside for the concert.
How big are the two sold-out Backstreet Boys shows at the FleetCenter last night and tonight?
Big enough for scalpers to show up outside the venue for four hours before the start of last night's gig.
An adult couldn't walk 50 yards along the west side of the FleetCenter yesterday at 3 p.m. without a half-dozen scalpers descending like yellow jackets, looking to buy more tickets for the two shows that sold out in a record time of 13 minutes.
And just how much could they get for tickets? ``Aw, I dunno,'' said one. ``They're little girls. Maybe $100, $150?''
Most of the hustle and bustle around the FleetCenter early yesterday afternoon focused on the business of the Backstreet Boys.
These days, few businesses are bigger. The supergroup responsible for hits such as ``As Long As
You Love Me'' and ``Quit Playing Games With My Heart'' has sold nearly 29 million albums worldwide and is a legitimate pop music phenomenon.
The Backsteet Boys' entire North American tour sold out in one hour, thanks to the multiplatinum sales of their most recent album, ``Millennium.'' That's 750,000 tickets.
So concession stands were being opened, scalpers were stalking and radio personalities were staking out their turf for one of the Hub's biggest pop music events of the year.
WBMX-FM (98.5) morning minx Lynn Hoffman, for example, hustled through North Station, surrounded by station staffers and planning a strategy to get the most exposure out of the top 40
station's presence at last night's show.
But there were die-hard fans around, too. Jennifer and Danielle Fredette of Brockton camped out near the Family Meeting Area outside the west entrance of the FleetCenter, an area set up especially for the Backstreet Boys' audience.
The sisters arrived at 1 p.m. after taking a train from Brockton. They had no tickets, no money
for tickets and little chance of getting in last night.
But they were hoping for a miracle. Jennifer, 20, said they'd been fans of the band ``since they started.''
Her sister, Danielle, 19, wore a Backstreet Boys T-shirt and bucket hat and was hoping, as Jennifer said, ``that we might be able to at least get a glimpse of them tonight.''
Scalpers, though, weren't as obsessed with the platinum-selling quintet.
When told his prey didn't have or need Backsteet Boys tickets, one scalper didn't miss a beat.
``How about Ryder Cup tickets, then?''
Source: MTV http://www.mtv.com
"It's, like, the biggest day of my life," is how one ecstatic fan in Charlotte, North Carolina described the arrival of September 17, 1999.
Hmm, September 17. That day wasn't all that special, you say? Try telling that to the skajillions of fans who crammed themselves into the Charlotte Coliseum to witness the first night of the Backstreet Boys' "Into The Millennium" tour. They'd prove you wrong but quick, buddy.
Now for all you true fans out there, MTV News has got your back. Being quite crafty when it
comes to matters such as these, we snagged an all-access backstage pass and sneaked out some intimate details of what you can expect when the Boys come crooning back to your town this fall.
Step right up, kids, and preview the new stage costumes. Check out A.J.'s new blond highlights. Watch Nick wipe a drop of sweat from his precious face. Catch a glimpse of Kevin in his "chillin' backstage" robe. Hear Howie talk about how he wants to get oh-so-close to you. Witness Brian being as Brian as he can be. Yes, we've got it all here in words, pictures, and living, breathing RealVideo, just for you.
How much pretty green did some of these fans have to spend? Did they get their money's worth? Most importantly, were the BSBs happy to give it to them? Find out the answers to all these questions
and more when MTV News' Chris Connelly asks the probing questions one just can't help but ask now that Backstreet's back.
Pre-Show Jitters with your host, Chris Connelly
Connelly: How much money did you spend for a ticket?
Brunette Fan: Five hundred dollars.
Connelly: Five hundred dollars?
Fan with Braces: Yes.
Connelly: Is it particularly exciting to go the first show of the tour?
Redheaded Fan: Oh, yeah! Especially since the hurricane thing happened in Florida. We thought ours was gonna be cancelled too.
Backstreet Backstage (All Right!)
Connelly: Now, is the hurricane interfering with your plans at all? Did it mess up your rehearsal or anything like that?
Brian: Well, it shut down two shows in Fort Lauderdale. But we're gonna put those on the back end of the tour. Can't disappoint any fans.
Connelly: What's it feel like right now to hear that crowd ready for you to hit that stage?
Nick: It's pumped. We're pumped. As you can see, Kevin's got his robe on. I feel like we're stepping into the ring.
A.J. Ready to box, ready to go. It's gonna be a good show.
With Hurricane Floyd forcing a postponement of the first scheduled dates on this tour, the Backstreet Boys got to kick off their "Into The Millennium" tour right where they began the last two: here in Charlotte, North Carolina. With their 19-song set, the boys gave their fans everything that they could have hoped for: rockin' the hits, plenty of pyro and costume changes, and a chance to get
up-close and personal with the boys in the band.
Chris Connelly did all that talkin' with his back to the stage the ENTIRE TIME. Can you BELIEVE that?!
Connelly: What do you hope to accomplish with this tour?
Howie: One of the things is that we really wanted to get close to the whole audience. Here, in the round now, everybody has a great seat. Everybody can see us very well, not just those on the ground.
Sometimes it's even a little bit better to be a little bit higher. We're just trying to constantly upgrade our
show. To prove to everybody that we're not just another quote-unquote boy band.
Post-Show Perspective with your host, Chris Connelly
Connelly: How was the show? What did you think?
Big-Eyed Fan: I thought it was so awesome! Oh my God... A.J. looked so good.
Connelly: They should do, like, a PG-13 show, where their pants fall down a little more.
Fans En Masse: Yeah!
Source: The Boston Herald http://www.bostonherald.com by Sarah Rodman
Tuesday, September 21, 1999
There is a growing secret society in the United States.
Its members are fans of a popular vocal group, yet they don't shriek, faint or cry at the mention of the singers' names. Their bedroom walls aren't plastered with posters. They don't haunt chat rooms poring over the subtext of videos. They are AFOBSB: adult fans of the Backstreet Boys.
If you don't believe such people exist, consider this: To date, the Backstreet Boys have sold 8 million copies of their second album, ``Millennium.'' No matter how youth-centered the advertising market has become, it's impossible to sell that many records to teenagers alone. Some other group is lending a helping hand to the dreamy Orlando quintet and it's folks of legal drinking age.
They also have helped snap up tickets to the two shows the Backstreet Boys are performing
tonight and tomorrow at the FleetCenter, which sold out in a record time of 13 minutes.
``With all the complaint rock (out there), I find them refreshing,'' said Richard Wagner, 32. ``Not that I don't like Nirvana, but you can only hear so much of that before you become a moody, depressed person. The Backstreet Boys are entertainment.
``I don't have to see a Scorsese or Kurosawa film every day; I like things like `Lake Placid,' '' he said.
``My brother, who's a few years older than me, hates the stuff we play,'' said 34-year-old WXKS-FM (KISS-108) jock ``Kid'' David Corey. ``He's not a Top 40 guy and he loves the Backstreet Boys. That tells me they're more than a teeny-bopper group, because he doesn't like anybody.''
Part of the supergroup's appeal may lie in the way the heartthrob quintet of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell has perfected its act. The singers may seem as if they are overnight sensations, but they're not.
Formed in 1993 by friends who kept running into each other at auditions and at work at Walt Disney World, the group hooked up with managers Lou Perlman and former New Kids on the Block associate Jonny Wright. The Backstreet Boys' 1995 debut stiffed here in the face of the alt-rock revolution but was met with multiplatinum success on the more pop-friendly European shores.
With the breakthrough of the Spice Girls and Hanson and a more welcoming climate, the video-genic boys returned triumphantly in 1997 with hits such as ``As Long as You Love Me'' and ``Quit Playing Games with My Heart.''
In June, they rained on Garth Brooks' parade by shattering his first-week sales record by selling 1.7 million copies of ``Millennium.'' They've resided in the top five on the record charts ever since.
`` 'N Sync is very dancey, everything's happy, everything's good,'' said Jason Tanner, 21, a
choreographer from Concord. ``I think the oldest one of the Backstreet Boys is 28, so they can talk about more adult stuff; I enjoy them more for that reason. It's not just `girl, you're so groovy.' ''
``The Backstreet Boys are perfect summer driving music,'' said Wagner. ``They're totally weather-appropriate. If it's a beautiful, sunny, breezy day and `I Want It That Way' comes on the radio, it sounds nice.''
Wagner, a mental health counselor from Natick, believes the group's older skewing appeal can be attributed to the songwriting. ``The actual sound of the music is a little bit different. It's not so cheesy and '80s,'' he said, unlike the fluffier sounds of 'N Sync. ``It sounds more mature, more learned.''
``It's definitely the songwriting and I think it also has a lot to do with the attitude,'' said Traci
DiSalvatore, 31, of Malden.
``It's really good bubble gum pop, and I can appreciate a bunch of little kids liking it and listening to it because it's fun, and I can remember being that age and my walls were plastered with Andy Gibb.''
Indeed, songs such as ``I Want It That Way'' and the Littrell-penned tribute to his mom, ``The Perfect Fan,'' are nicely packaged, ultra-melodic pop tunes that are sweetly rendered in the BSB's
more elegant-than-necessary harmonies. It is prefab, but as Wagner points out, the Temptations had Holand-Dozier-Holland and ``Berry Gordy behind them.''
Everyone seems to agree that no band of this ilk lasts forever. But recent comebacks by ex-New
Kids Jordan Knight and Joey McIntyre and former Menudo member Ricky Martin bode well for the future.
``When I talked to them a few months back at the Grammys,'' says WXKS' Corey, ``they were very aware of the fact that they could fall into that `here today, gone tomorrow' category.'' But he thinks that limiting their exposure in teen magazines, appearing with artists such as Shania Twain and giving adults something to enjoy will help the Backstreet Boys make the transition to Backstreet Men.
The Backstreet Boys play the FleetCenter today and tomorrow. Both shows are sold out.
Source: Boston Globe
This story ran on page A01 of the Boston Globe on 09/21/99.
By Joan Anderman, Globe Correspondent, 09/21/99
When the Backstreet Boys take the stage at the FleetCenter tonight, 18,000 fans will bear
shrieking, swooning witness to the fastest-selling event in that venue's history. The concert sold out in 8 minutes. Seats for tomorrow night's Backstreet Boys show were snapped up in 12 minutes. All 750,000 tickets for the group's 11-week, 39-city US tour sold in under an hour - about as fast as they can be
printed.
The Backstreet Boys do, in fact, rule - and not just in the hearts of pre-teen girls. The wholesome, harmonizing dance-pop quintet and a tidal wave of like-minded, like-sounding young stars who've arrived in the Backstreet Boys' wake dominate
the music industry. Along with 'N Sync, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, among others, they're moving product in staggering numbers, with striking speed, thanks to a new generation of starmaker machinery.
While traditional career-driving forces - radio, press, and MTV - are still prerequisite to
mega-success, the increasing use of new electronic media is pumping up the pace and sheer breadth of these young artists' careers. The Internet, with its MP3 technology, is widely hailed as a revolution in music delivery. But record industry strategists are now recognizing the potential of the Internet not just as a commerce opportunity, but as a powerful promotional tool, especially with computer-savvy youngsters.
''It's allowed us to reach many more people at once, and in a completely new dimension, than print media,'' says Janet Kleinbaum, vice president of artist marketing at Jive Records, home to Spears, the Backstreet Boys, and now 'N Sync, which left RCA this month to join fellow teen sensations at Jive. ''The kids are on line.''
Case in point: Peeps.com, a Web site developed by the entertainment company BMG - which distributes Jive's music - offered song samples of 17-year-old Spears eight months before her debut album was released in January. During that time it collected the names of 100,000 people who said they were interested in her music; more than 80 percent of them bought the CD when it came out, and Spears has since sold 6 million copies of ''... Baby, One More Time.''
Britney Spears is the fifth most popular search term on the Web, according to Searchterms.com - ranked above Yahoo!, chat, eBay, and porn - and on Aug. 30, the singer launched The Official Britney Spears Web site, www.britneyspears.com, where fans can post photos they've taken at concerts and autograph signings, and send an e-mail on Spears' personalized stationery.
It's a far cry from the days when Tiger Beat magazine and television's ''American Bandstand'' were the primary outlets for marketing a generation of teen idols.
Direct connection
''The idea is to connect fans with a band in a way that has no filter,'' says Steve Rennie, president of UBL (Ult imate Band List), flagship site of the ARTISTdirect Network, one of the earliest and most
successful music sites on the Web. UBL hosted Backstreet Boys Direct, a worldwide event on the release day of ''Millennium,'' the Boys' second CD. The show, broadcast live over the Net from Studio 54 in New York, was hosted by a 12-year-old Canadian girl - the winner of UBL's contest for the best fan-built Web site dedicated to the Backstreet Boys. Twenty other contest winners, who wrote essays explaining why they were the biggest fans,
conducted mini-interviews with the band.
''We had a million-and-a-half page views that day,'' says Rennie, who was general manager of Epic Records before coming to UBL. ''That's a 30 to 40 percent increase in traffic on the UBL.'' ''Millennium'' sold 1,134,000 copies that week, shattering Garth Brooks's record for single-week sales, and has since sold more than 7 million copies.
''It was a living, breathing example of fans connecting with the band,'' Rennie said. ''When I was
at Epic, from 1994-1998, I told the marketing folks that there's nothing crazier than a bunch of 40-year-olds trying to think like a teen. `Go to a chat room. Let's listen and do what they want us to do.'''
The Disney factor
It's no surprise that the other significant new force driving the teen-pop genre is the Walt Disney Co., perhaps the most powerful purveyor of children's entertainment and commerce. In 1997, the Disney Channel began televising concert specials and music videos geared toward kids.
''The record labels were stuck in a pattern. There were about five program directors and one guy at MTV deciding everything,'' says Rich Ross, general manager and executive vice president of programming and production for the Disney Channel. ''Disney went out and said, `We're into young performers, we're into pop.' MTV wouldn't touch 'N Sync.'' Within two weeks of the Disney Channel's July 18, 1998, airing of '''N Sync In Concert,'' the group's self-titled debut rocketed into the Top 40 on the Billboard charts, and ultimately reached No. 1.
''That's when MTV and the radio stations circled around,'' Ross said. MTV now embraces the teen pop acts who were well represented at this month's MTV Video Music Awards.
The Disney magic is not limited to American bands. UK boy band Five jumped from No. 127 to 95 to 27 on the Billboard 200 during the two weeks following its appearance with Irish girl group B*Witched on a Disney concert special last year.
The Disney Channel airs four concert specials a year, and repeats each one an average of five to seven times during the first month it's televised. Fans, of course, tape them.
''If she watches that Disney special one more time ...'' groans Quincy resident Pascalina Valachi,
who was reduced to tears when she won concert tickets for her daughter, Juliana Iglesias, on MIX 98.5's morning show giveaway. ''You do so many things for your kids. And that song `The Perfect Fan,' it's the most beautiful song, about what their parents did for them. We all dance to it around the living room.''
Close attention
A massive youth generation with unprecedented purchasing power is being supported in their
choice of entertainment by their parents - an unusual cross-generational consumer opportunity that isn't
lost on the savvy folks at Disney.
''Parents are very concerned about what their kids are watching and listening to,'' Ross agrees. ''Grunge and rap have been sending hard messages. Parents look at this and support it. They're not shouting `Turn down that noise!'''
The network airs approximately 30 music videos each week - often custom-edited by labels to
meet the Disney Channel's rigorous standards for a pre-teen audience. ''We didn't play `Livin' La Vida Loca','' Ross explains, ''and you can imagine the pressure there. I thought it was electric, but you can't explain to kids about pouring wax on people.''
The Disney Channel, like the Internet movers and shakers, is keyed in to the fans' craving for connection with their musical heroes. The ''Backstreet Boys In Concert'' special, which had its world premiere on July 10, is like a fanzine come to life, chock full of documentary footage chronicling the
members' real lives: the Backstreet Boys go shopping, shoot hoops, ride horses, bowl. They reminisce about wearing hand-me-downs before selling 27 million albums afforded them a generous clothing allowance.
''At first, the label wanted to know why we cut the Backstreet Boys down to eight songs,'' Ross says. ''We understand their job. But ours is not to sell records; it's to create programming.'' The programming does, however, sell records.
''It is a powerful marketing tool,'' Ross concedes. ''The boys tell their stories, things like growing up as one of five kids. Other kids are dealing with these issues. It's reality programming. We're breaking this genre for this age group.''
Surveys conducted by radio stations, however, show just how broad the genre's appeal has become. ''The Backstreet Boys have gone through all the demographics,'' says John Ivey, program director for Boston radio station WXKS (KISS 108). ''It's got a 12- to 44-year-old demo, which is how
they can sell so many records.''
WBMX's (98.5) morning DJ, John Lander, concurs. ''This is New Kids On The Block to the 10th power,'' he says, referring to the phenomenally successful Boston boy band of the '80s. ''Adult men and women apologize for liking them, because they're a teen thing.''
Stephanie Powers of Fitchburg, who won a pair of tickets from MIX 98.5, discovered the Backstreet Boys while watching a video with her 3-year-old daughter. ''`That's them, Mama,' she shouted, pointing to the TV. So I bought her the CD, and we listen together. She and I both like Brian the best. Her second favorite is Nick, and mine is AJ. I'm trying to potty train her,'' Powers confesses. ''I told her if she did it, I'd take her to the Backstreet Boys concert.''
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