VSDA MEETING CREATES STREET DATES TASK FORCE

LOS ANGELES -- The Video Software Dealers Association has formed a task force to recommend ways the street date concept can remain a viable marketing policy.

iations to discuss the implications of the blatant breaking of the Oct. 4 street date of MCA/ Universal's "Jurassic Park" by many retailers, including mass merchandisers and supermarkets.

The meeting drew representatives from some 45 organizations that included nearly all the major studios, distributors and retailers. Participating retailers included Wal-Mart and Blockbuster. However, no super- markets were represented at the meeting.

Bob Finlayson, VSDA's director of marketing and public relations, said the group was unanimous in its commitment to the concept of street dates.

The purpose of a street date, the date the video is made available for sale to the public, is to maintain a fair and competitive retail environment and to give manufacturers the ability to promote and market their products.

Among ideas discussed at the meeting to instill voluntary compliance of street dates were better education, especially among mass merchandisers; shorter lead times on product delivery; better enforcement of street dates by studios, and treating the release of mega titles like "Jurassic Park" differently, including individually selected street dates for these tiles.

The task force will be made up of members of VSDA, the National Association of Video Distributors and the National Association of Recording Mer- chandisers. VSDA President Jeffrey Eves will chair the group, which plans to meet on November 2 in Los Angeles. Mark Engle of NAVD, Pam Horovitz of NARM, Larry DeVuono of Sight & Sound, Dave Steves of Handlemen, John Thrasher of Tower Records and Scott Young of Wherehouse have agreed to service on the task force. Additional representatives are expected to be appointed, including representatives from supermarkets, mass merchants and video specialty stores.

"There will be no studio representation on the task force because of antitrust considerations," Eves said, noting that the task force will meet individually with the studios to gather information about their current street date policies.

"The goal of the task force will be to create a street date policy that can be supported by both retailers and distributors, and subsequently, adopted on an individual basis by the studios," Eves added.