Raising ticket prices wouldn't have helped the studio's season, though. Universal Studios ranked ninth out of the Hollywood distributors with financial disappointments in BASEketball, Primary Colors and Mercury Rising. Universal Concerts' market share, however, is untouchable. Once the Polygram deal is finalized, those mixing music for the boozemaker will include Luciano Pavarotti, KISS, Bush, U2, Reba McEntire, Aqua, Vince Gill, No Doubt, the Wallflowers, Dr. Dre, Beck and Ron Sexsmith. The music publishing division of MCA Music Publishing is strong as well, controlling 175,000 music copyrights, including songs by Alanis Morissette and Smashing Pumpkins.
Technology holds the promise of revolutionizing the distribution of recorded music.
We are now on the threshold of cutting some of those costs. Universal Interactive Studios is evidence of Seagram's technical prowess. It is inevitable the studio will make a major retail push in the image of the Disney Store and the Warner Bros. Studio Store. Universal Studios owns more than 17,000 television programs and 3,500 film titles, meaning there are a lot of T-shirts and action figures yet to be licensed. Universal al-ready operates the Spencer Gifts chain of retail outlets, including a store in the West Edmonton Mall.