NEW YORK—As part of its music premium promotion with McDonald’s, EMI Records Group is hoping to revive Roxette’s flagging career. However, the record company is incurring the wrath of already irritated record retailers by doing so.

Three of the artists offered in the national promotion, Garth Brooks, Elton John, and Tina Turner, are represented by collections of past works (Billboard, July 23). However, Roxette’s contribution is 10 cuts from its upcoming 15 -track studio album, “Crash!Boom!Bang!,” which hits stores Oct. 4. This means the bulk of the new album will be available for less than $6 from McDonald’s before retailers can sell the complete set at a much higher price.

Retailer reaction ranges from plans to boycott the new Roxette title to merely grumbling about the deal.

William Teitelbaum, CEO/president of the 126-store National Record Mart chain, says, “You need to draw the line, and I’m prepared not to buy the Roxette album.”

Jeff Abrams, VP of 175-store Best Buy, says he will limit his Roxette buy to two copies per store, noting, “I normally would have bought around 10,000 copies.”

David Lang, president of nine-store Compact Disc World, says, “We will give the Roxette title a low priority. We will display it, but it will get no emphasis, there will be no in-store play.” Other retailers interviewed by Billboard also were taking this approach.

The collections will be sold at 9,500 McDonald’s restaurants Sept. 2–22, at $5.99 for CD and $3.99 for cassette. One dollar from every purchase will go to Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities. Each of the 15 million records ordered by McDonald’s includes a discount coupon redeemable at Musicland, Sam Goody’s and OnCue, applicable for product by the participating artists.

Charles Koppelman, EMI Records Group North America chairman/CEO, sees the McDonald’s $15 million–$20 million marketing campaign as a way not only to bolster Roxette but to benefit music sales in general. “Every time you see a copy of the Roxette album through this promotion, I’m taking a calculated shot without any downside” to boost the band’s profile in the U.S., he says.

Koppelman says retailers’ opposition to the Roxette title–and the McDonald’s deal in general–is just “lip service … They have to take a stand against people selling elsewhere than retail.” But he adds that 80% of retailers are taking advantage of Cema’s offer to purchase catalog of the participating artists at a deep discount–sources say the discount is 15% with no minimal advertised price restrictions.

The North Canton, Ohio-based Camelot Music, a 355-store chain, did not buy any of the catalog material in protest. Still, many retailers did. Some are even creating special promotions around the McDonald’s deal, including honoring the discount coupon.