Plugging Into ‘Unplugged’ : Musicians Tune Up as the Audience for Acoustic Sets Grows

T here is perhaps no more perfect venue for the artistry of Neil Young than MTV’s acclaimed acoustic showcase, “Unplugged.”

The remarkable thing about that boast is that it’s not from an MTV press release.

It’s from a Warner Bros. Records release plugging Young’s latest album--and it underscores the major role the “Unplugged” series plays in today’s record industry.

Ever since the acoustic showcase premiered in early 1990, more than 60 artists--from Paul McCartney to Arrested Development--have been given the opportunity to dump their amplifiers and display their musicianship in its raw, acoustic form.

The series--which this week offers four new segments--hasn’t just led to critical acclaim for the show itself, but has spawned a virtual cottage industry. The music from five past “Unplugged” shows has been turned into albums, most notably Eric Clapton’s “Unplugged,” which has sold more than 6 million copies and won six Grammy Awards this year.

The “Unplugged” albums collectively have sold almost 10 million copies in the United States alone, and many of the segments have been repackaged for sale as home videos. The sales figure will grow even more with last week’s release of a new Rod Stewart “Unplugged” collection and the Young package due June 15.

This week’s special “Unplugged” programming kicks off tonight by focusing on Uptown Records acts Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, Christopher Williams, Father MC and Heavy D. The rest of the lineup includes folk-rockers 10,000 Maniacs on Tuesday, spunky rockers Soul Asylum on Wednesday and the socially conscious Aussie rockers Midnight Oil on Thursday.

Alex Coletti, producer of the MTV show, believes the pop world’s infatuation with the “Unplugged” concept is a reaction to the music of the ‘80s, which he claims culminated with the lip-syncing of Milli Vanilli, a onetime MTV staple.

“By the end of the ‘80s, you just didn’t know what you were getting from the artists,” said Coletti. “When we came along and had the artists lay it on the line and say, ‘This is really us,’ I think people really responded.”

“It’s totally honest and that’s what people respond to,” echoed Warner Bros. Records senior vice president and director of A&R; Michael Ostin, whose company roster includes Clapton, Stewart and Young. “The show is valid for all artists because it puts them in a totally different context and places their music in its purest form.”

Natalie Merchant, leader of 10,000 Maniacs, agreed. “As a musician, it’s great to play an acoustic performance in such a sensitive environment,” she said.

So what does MTV gain from all of this? Besides viewers and credibility, the cable channel earns a healthy royalty on every “Unplugged” album sold--as much as 25% of the artist’s royalty, some sources say.

“The fact that so many people went out and bought these records is a shock,” said Van Toffler, MTV senior vice president of programming enterprises and business development.

Shock or not, some in the music industry have charged a conflict of interest between MTV and the “Unplugged” recordings. They say the channel could disproportionately air and promote “Unplugged” clips during its regular programming and repeat certain episodes to generate profit through the sales of recordings.

Toffler said royalty terms among MTV, the artist and the record label are confidential, but “as far as the business arrangements and MTV’s playing of clips, those decisions are made completely independent of one another.”

Toffler insists that “Unplugged” is a TV show first and foremost, and, despite MTV’s share of the profits from massive sales of “Unplugged” recordings, “MTV is in the television business and strictly wants to make great TV.”

Coletti, who has produced the show since its inception, has seen it go through major changes. “In the beginning it was rough,” he said. “For the pilot episode, Squeeze showed up with electric guitars. We had to explain to them what the show’s title meant.”

“Unplugged” originally paired two artists on one show, each performing predominantly hit material, with singer-songwriter Jules Shear serving as host. “It was a new show and we didn’t know if the concept was going to go over,” said Coletti, noting the decision to shift to the current single-artist format came in June, 1990, with the performance of Don Henley.

“The level of the artists we were getting changed,” he said, pointing to the 12 months following Henley’s performance where “Unplugged” shows featured Elton John, Aerosmith, R.E.M., Paul McCartney and Sting, among others.

Bruce Springsteen was the only artist to appear on the show with an electrical rock set. He subsequently released his performance, titled “Plugged,” on video.

The series is never regularly scheduled and, according to MTV’s Toffler, shows are only taped “when bands are right and ready and MTV is ready.”

“ ‘Unplugged’ shows vision on MTV’s part, something they often lack,” said Patrick Leonard, who produced Rod Stewart’s “Unplugged” album. “It’s important that there’s some sort of view into a pure musical world, especially for MTV which leans so heavily toward the antithesis of that.”