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<B>DIVERSIONS<i>bytes</i></B><P>
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<FONT SIZE=4><B>Compiled from wire reports</B></FONT>
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<font size = 4><b>U2 album hits stores soon</b></font><P>
The bubbling, electronic sound of U2's hotly anticipated new song, "Discotheque," has been all over the radio and video channel airwaves since its debut three weeks ago.But fans who want to buy the disc are out of luck - until Feb. 11.
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It's an odd marketing technique. (Imagine advertising a refreshing drink, but not stocking it in store coolers on a hot summer day.) However, it's not an unusual one in the hype-driven world of popular music.
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"What this is about is creating a bigness to it, trying to create a sort of event," says Stephen Dessau, president of Track Marketing Partners, a music marketing firm.
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After music sales remained essentially flat in 1996, the industry is looking to the Irish rock band to help lift the business out of the doldrums.
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Not only is U2 one of the few megastars with a loyal audience, but the upcoming Pop album is said to experiment with some of the hypnotic dance sounds that some in the industry believe could be the next big popular genre.
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Pop is scheduled to be in stores March 4.
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<font size = 4><b>'Singled Out' at Joseph-Beth</b></font>
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ACE Magazine and Joseph-Beth Booksellers will present their version of the MTV dating show, "Singled Out," on Valentine's Day. The members of the audience will be the contestants, and the lucky winners will have a limousine waiting to take them to an exclusive downtown restaurant.
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The game starts at 7 p.m. in the lower level of Joseph-Beth Booksellers. The event will feature drinks, hors d'oeuvres, music, giveaways and, most importantly, plenty of singles.
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