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- BUSINESS, Page 71Business NotesRECORDING INDUSTRYDutch Treat for Herb and Jerry
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- Polygram Records, the Dutch-owned music giant, wants to
- turn up its volume in a big way. Polygram aims to increase its
- 8% market share in the U.S. by acquiring respected independent
- firms, which are becoming a rare breed. In August the company
- paid $300 million to purchase Britain's Island Records, a
- pioneer in reggae and progressive rock. Last week Polygram said
- it reached an agreement to swallow an even bigger target: A&M
- Records, the label founded by Tijuana Brassist Herb Alpert and
- promoter Jerry Moss. The price, which was not disclosed, was
- estimated at as much as $500 million.
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- Alpert and Moss started the company with a $200 investment
- 27 years ago in the garage of the trumpeter's home in suburban
- Los Angeles. A&M, with sales of $300 million last year, has a
- stable of recording stars that includes Janet Jackson, Suzanne
- Vega, Toni Childs and Sting. Says Alpert, 54, who will continue
- to help run A&M after the merger is completed: "We'll have more
- visibility and more muscle."
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