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* BMG BENELUXBest selling local: Volumia - Volumia (280,000), Wakker (55,000)Best selling international: Whitney Houston - My Love Is Your Love (225,000), TLC - Fanmail (125,000)After a mediocre 1998, BMG has stepped back into the limelight again this year. With a string of top selling international singles from the likes of Lou Bega, Eifel 65 and Christina Aguilera and hit albums from Whitney Houston, Dutch pop group Volumia and new Flemish language girl trio K3, the company has found its feet again, especially in Belgium. The company's numbers have also been boosted by a cost-cutting programme which began in 1998. "We had to lay off 14 people because currently the market will not grow," says BMG Benelux managing director Maarten Steinkamp (pictured). "We are in much better position now."Meanwhile, BMG Belgium now has 28 staff compared with 40 five years ago. The joint venture with dance independent Dynamics Records in Holland was closed down due to a lack of hits, but BMG's 49% stake in the Belgian dance imprint NEWS and 50% stake in Holland's Dino Music continue to prove successful. Urban Solitude, the new album from Dino signing Anouk, recently entered the Dutch chart at Number One and has sold 100,000 units. The company was singled out for praise at the BMG International managing directors convention held in Montreux earlier this year for its work with the Elvis Presley, Artist Of The Century box set, whose 30,000 local sales were the best pro-rata achievement of any BMG affiliate.* EMI BENELUXBest selling local: Blof - Boven (150,000), Rob de Nijs - Ballades (70,000), Clouseau - In Stereo (50,000)Best selling international: Emma Shapplin - Carmine Meo (200,000), Tina Turner - Twenty Four Seven (25,000), Joe Cocker - Ordinary World (25,000)EMI Holland scored its first Number One hit single in three years in September with City To City's Road Ahead, a song originally written for a Mitsubishi cars TV campaign, which has now sold more than 100,000 copies. Meanwhile, in Belgium, the company's strong singles chart showing has been helped by its 80% stake - due to rise to 100% in two years - in dance imprint Antler- Subway, which has scored hits with local acts including Fiocco, Milk Inc and Da Rick.* SONY MUSIC BENELUXBest selling local: Acda & De Munnik - Op Voorraad Live (80,000), Matilde Santing - To Others To One (75,000)Best selling international: Celine Dion - All The Way (190,000), George Michael - Ladies And Gentlemen (116,000), Francis Cabrel - Hors Saison (80,000)Following his promotion from Sony Music Benelux VP to senior VP in February, Patrick Decam (pictured) has set about revamping the company, starting with the local Columbia label. "Columbia is a hot label now, able to sell The Offspring and Streisand at the same time and remain credible," he says. Epic Holland's A&R strategy was given new impetus by the appointment in November of new A&R manager Wilbert Mutsaers, previously manager of dance/pop duo Total Touch. Decam also struck a compilation joint venture, as well as a talent scouting and distribution deal with dance imprint ID&T. Talks of another joint venture continue with Koch, home of the king of Dutch schlager, Frans Bauer.* WARNER MUSIC BENELUXBest selling local: Zita Swoon - I Paint Pictures On A Wedding Dress (38,000), Ilse DeLange - World Of Hurt (385,000)Best selling international: Madonna - Ray Of Light (285,000), Alanis Morissette - Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (190,000), Cher - Believe (155,000)Nearly three years into his tenure, managing director Albert Slendebroek (pictured) has implemented a number of dramatic changes to the Benelux operation. The company has developed from being an administrative 'serving hatch' for international product into what Slendebroek describes a "real record company with the focus on music". Unlike his predecessor, Slendebroek firmly believes in developing local repertoire and five local artists have been signed in Holland and four in Belgium. In addition to Zita Swoon, Ilse DeLange and Trio Bier domestic signings include Novastar, An Pierle, and Starflam.* UNIVERSAL MUSIC BENELUXBest selling local: Marco Borsato - De Bestemming (600,000), Andrea Bocelli - Sogno (190,000), Helmut Lotti - Out of Africa (100,000)Best selling international: ABBA - 25 Jaar Na Waterloo I & II (450,000), Shania Twain - Come On Over (350,000)Universal has enjoyed a good year thanks to both local and international hit albums. "Because of the [PolyGram-Universal] merger there is no fat in this organisation," says Mercury managing director Kees Van Weijen (pictured). "Everyone is really focused to get all the sales we can. Universal's market share is around 30%, more than the two separate company shares from last year added together."Inevitably, the company has undergone some senior changes in the wake of last year's merger. Long-serving Universal/Polydor Holland managing director Niel Van Hoff, who left in May 1999 after a five-year tenure, becomes managing director at EMI Benelux on January 1, 2000. However, overall the integration has been remarkably smooth. Since then, the company has also been overhauling all its business practices, announcing at the beginning of October that it would sell its product to stores beyond the traditional music retail sector (see retail, p41).* INDEPENDENTSBYTE (BELGIUM)Best selling local: DJ Peter Project - 2 New York (25,000 singles)Best selling international: Phats & Small - Turn Around (50,000 singles)Jean-Paul de Coster (pictured) and Phil Wilde's Byte celebrated its 10th anniversary in 1999, commemorated with the release in April of Byte Dance Decade, featuring Byte's best-selling act, 2 Unlimited. The company has now reverted to the original 2 Unlimited line-up of Anita Doth and Ray Slijngaard, one of the most successful dance acts of the Nineties with global sales in excess of 1m units of their 1995 Hits Unlimited album. Now remix versions of the singles Twilight Zone, No Limits and Get Ready For This and one other track are being lined up for release with a new remix compilation album due in February. "We see a better chance to once again put the name 2 Unlimited back in the limelight," says Nii van den Eynde, Byte's marketing manager. In the Walloon region of Belgium, Byte successfully released two dance compilations this year in collaboration with NRJ radio which sold 10,000 copies each.CNR HOLLANDBest selling local: De Kast, Golden Earring and Rowwen Heze all achieved gold (50,000 copies) in 1999CNR/Arcade faces an uncertain short-term future as parent company and publisher Wegener looks increasingly likely to sell off its music business. There have also been staff changes. Former CNR A&R manager Ruud van Dulkenraad and CNR's ex-promotion manager Peter Wessels rejoined the company at the beginning of this year after an eight-month spell at Zomba's local company where they helped establish the short-lived Zon imprint. Then, in November, CNR marketing manager Hans de Boer left to start his own company, to be replaced by former Dino music general manager Rick Hartman. Despite the possible sell-off, it is "business as usual" with the focus being very much on sourcing local talent, according to CNR managing director Michiel Wolff. Domestic repertoire accounts for 60% of annual sales at CNR, which has licensed the new Alan Parsons Project for most countries.NEWS BELGIUMBelgium's largest dance distribution and compilation company has brands including Serious Beats - accumulated sales of more than 1m copies in Belgium alone - the more underground Solid Sounds, I Love Techno and club tie- ins such as with discotheque La Rocca. With turnover of BFr 500m ($13.6m) last year, News is 49% owned by BMG and also handles the company's CD distribution. News has been present in Holland since 1997, with a totally independent operation including marketing, promotion and distribution since July 1999. "We have boosted sales [in Holland] by 30%, compared with the same period last year," says managing director Lieven van den Broeck.PIAS BENELUXBest selling local: Soulwax - Much Against Everyone's Advice (40,000 across Benelux), The Postmen - Documents (60,000 units for this V2-signed album)Biggest selling international: albums from Tom Waits (50,000), Basement Jaxx, Underworld and MobyPias Benelux general manager Leo Van Schaick has good reason to be pleased with this year's performance from the companies under his control - during 1999 combined turnover from Holland and Belgium rose by more than 20% and the prospects for the year 2000 look even better. Contributing to the success was a mix of local and international acts, some of them signed or licensed to Pias Recordings and others, such as V2's The Postmen, distributed by Pias (Van Schaick also has high hopes for recently reformed local veterans Doamaar, who will release their first album for 15 years through V2 next year). Recent signings to Pias Recordings include Nits and UK alternative outfit Muse. And the company has also recruited Maria Jimenez from Byte to be dance A&R manager in Holland. "She's part of the European structure we're building so we have a dance label manager in every key territory - we want hits," says Van Schaick.ROADRUNNERBest selling local: Junkie XL - Big Sounds Of The Drags (20,000)Best selling international: Slipknot - Welcome To Our Neighbourhood (worldwide 500,000)With offices in the US, Australia, Brazil, Japan and key European territories, Roadrunner has traditionally been strong in the field of rock with acts such as Type-O-Negative and Sepultura. Since the arrival of new Benelux managing director/international A&R VP Charley Prick (pictured) in August 1998, the company has been on the lookout for pop acts. Prick has struck a licensing deal with UK label Echo for Europe excluding the UK, bringing in bands such as Jethro Tull, Moloko, Babybird and the recent UK number one single by Cliff Richard, The Millennium Prayer. Roadrunner also successfully licensed Phats & Small for Germany and Eastern Europe and rapper Ice T's new album, which it has the rights for outside the US. Another locally signed pop act is Keith Caputto (ex-Life Of Agony), whose first solo album will be released on Valentine's Day, 2000. Caputo's popularity is already building in Germany, where he was the support act during a recent tour by The Cranberries.R&SOne of Belgium's most respected independent record companies, R&S is home to acts including Norwegian soundscaper Biosphere, Japanese techno-duo Boom Boom Satellites and techno king Ken Ishii. It is continuing its strategy of broadening its roster beyond dance into other areas including rock. "We are very different from other Belgian record labels, they will sign local acts, have local hits and then try to export them. We sign good music and think of it for the world, which could include Belgium," says R&S's international/A&R manager Geert Mets (pictured), who joined R&S last year from Pias. Ken Ishii's new album, Sleeping Madness, was released earlier this year, while The Aphex Twin remains the company's best selling back catalogue act. R&S labels include the revived Apollo label, R&S, Maffia Music (house), Global Cuts (commercial trance), Cutty Shark (post rock, low-fi, pop/rock).ZOMBA BENELUXBest selling local: Vengaboys - The Party Album (400,000)Biggest selling international: Backstreet Boys - Millennium (250,000), Britney Spears - Baby One More Time (275,000), Steps - Steps (210,000)Zomba has enjoyed the most successful year in its history in 1999, with sales rising to NLG50m ($23.7m), up from NLG7m ($3.3m) just four years ago. On the downside, the company's successful distribution deal with Violent Records (Vengaboys, Alice Deejay) ends on January 1, when the Rotterdam indie starts a new deal with BMG Benelux. However, distribution deals with local cutting- edge labels Byte, High Fashion and BPM and a collaboration agreement with ABCD/Eddy Ouwens Special Products should soften this particular blow. Zomba's international profile is expected to be raised by the appointment of Swat Enterprises founder Stuart Watson earlier this year to a global co-ordination role. "With the incredible growth of the Zomba Group worldwide it was time somebody overseeing the global expansion was appointed," says Benelux MD and VP of Europe Bert Meyer (pictured).