European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 18, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday october 18, 1977 the stars and stripes Page 19 Saa Brucken Paris trip is something different multicoloured spheres on the French superhighway Are they really hidden radar traps conducted by j. King Cruger travel writer w Hen you first see them you ask yourself where am i is this a really a superhighway or a new kind of playground then suspicion comes into it. Are those colourful spherical objects along the Side of the Road cleverly disguised new radar surveillance contraptions preying on unsuspecting motorists is it some ingenious device of the French police not really. It s a Section of the superhighway called an autoroute by the French that runs from the German Border near Saar Brincken to Paris. The strange objects Are aimed at jolting the Driver from the lethargy that comes from Long hours on the Road. The French have painted Rainbow colors on their Bridges and placed Geometric objects along the Road and in embankments on the animated autoroute near Chalons sur Marne. Besides multicoloured spheres there Are pyramids and cubes along the Highway in some places and in others Bright coloured Concrete slabs of various shapes Are placed in embankments on curves. They bring a Welcome Relief to Road weary Drivers using the autoroute which has been open for about a year. In the past if you lived almost anywhere in Ger Many you almost always had to figure on at least an eight hour drive to Paris. It was t that far about 200 Miles As the Crow flies from the German Border near Saar Brincken but you drove Over Hilly often winding roads which made it difficult to travel even at the 90km Speed limit. A weekend drive to Paris meant a lot of time on the Road. And that Road took you through Bleak Litile French farm villages. But it was t All bad the Countryside often was Scenic enough. On both sides of the Road on Many sections yellow Mustard Fields spread to the horizon. The new autoroute Over a direct route by Way of Metz and reims is a toll Highway that costs a Driver 61.50 francs about $12.50 from the German Border to Paris. It has a Speed limit of 130 Kilometres per hour 80  phones Are every two Kilometres is photo by Pete Milia the tolls Are Steep on the animated autoroute about $12.50 Between the German Border and the French capital. Along the route restaurants and picnic areas every 10 Kilometres and Gas stations every 30 to 40 Kilometres the drive now takes about four hours from the German Border and makes a weekend in pans a Little longer mikes Peak a by Tom Jory associated press Lenn Miller probably got the first one in 1942 for Chattanooga Choo  but Perry Como s catch a falling Star was the first certified March 14,1958. It s the Gold record that Ever More common measure of achievement in the record business. And today there s even a Platinum record for doubling ales needed to win the Golden variety. Some say it s not hard enough to get a Gold record says Henry Brief the Man who measures the Best sell ers. We awarded 204 Gold and Platinum record awards last year an All time High. That s out of 10,000 records re leased 10,000and that s too High Brief is executive director of the recording Industry association of America the Only source of the official certified Gold or Platinum record. To a Point the Rita is the Industry s gauge of Success at the sales counter. There s a difference Between Gold recent awards Art awards like the grammy Brief says a a that s the fact there is nothing subjective about the old record. In effect it s a consumer award. It comes when the Public punks Down cold hard Cash for a record. If there s no Sale there s no  essentially Gold records Are awarded when a single Sells a million copies and when sales of an album or Long playing tape exceed 500,800. Double those figures and win a Platinum  50 record companies belong to the Rita but anyone who makes and Sells recordings says Brief can apply for a Gold record. The association hires accountants to Check the sales not the giveaways or promos and awards the winners. The association Between 1958 and the end of last year had awarded 1,915 Gold records Well Over half of them to albums. The Platinum record award begun last year has 41 winners. The list of winners is a recent history of the recording Industry. Elvis Presley Johnny Mathis the Kingston Trio Mitch Miller and Henry Mancini won several in the first five years. Then came the beatles with nine win ners in 1964 alone. And so on through Rock hard Rock and soul. Johnnie Taylor s disco lady was the first certified Platinum single april 22,1976. The association does t keep track of individual win ners but a Quick Check of the Long list since 1958 shows 38 for the beatles 28 for Presley 24 for the rolling stones 21 for aretha Franklin and so on. Barbra Streisand has 18, Sinatra 14. It s All in the name of Good Public relations. Re cording artists count them record companies Dis play them. And says Brief the system has been of inestimable value in the last few years with everyone interested in nostalgia. More and More record companies Are going Back to re release their Golden hits of the 50s and 60s." a Gold record s immediate effect on sales he says is questionable. Generally a single s life is measured in an eight to 12 week Span. It s sold most of what it s going to sell by then. For albums that s not necessarily so. There s really no time limit some of the big ones of years ago like my fair lady Are still Selling. Of course we Stop counting after the Platinum  the Gold record yardstick is particularly striking in Light of some research done for the association on 1972 sales. Independent researchers determined a single would have to sell 46,000 copies to break even a pop album 61,000. Only 19 per cent of the singles released that year sold More than 46,000 copies. Just 23 per cent of the pop albums released that year sold More than 61,000. Trie Rita took Over the Gold record Brief says to put some meaning into the award. Brief says he traced the first Gold record to Cha s commemoration of Miller s big hit of 42. People in the Industry began then to realize the in emotional Public relations ego building value of the Gold record. It was t Long before they were handing them out so frequently that it began to lose its  the association s decided to initiate a system for verifying record sales claims starting ii 1958, Brief says. The million seller requirement for Golden sin Gles that exists today was set the. For albums it was different. Dollar sales were the first measure and the formula was changed within that framework several times. The unit sales Standard went into effect Jan. 1,1975. The Rita in addition to awarding the Gold record serves As the Public relations Arm of the Industry sets technical standards and fights the Multi Bullion Dollar record piracy problem. And today says Brief we re directing our efforts at How to extend and expand our Market to people Over 25. Our primary Market now and has been people under 25, and with pretty near Zero population growth you can see our