COUNTRY COUNTDOWN: Randy Travis recently became the...

COUNTRY COUNTDOWN: Randy Travis recently became the first country artist to follow Guns N’ Roses’ and Bruce Springsteen’s lead in releasing two albums simultaneously. But why, we ask. Both Travis’ “Greatest Hits, Vol. 1” and “Greatest Hits, Vol. 2” could easily have fit on one CD or cassette--the 22 songs on the two collections clock in at a total of just 73 minutes.

By comparison, Springsteen’s “Lucky Town” and “Human Touch” albums totaled 98 minutes, while Guns N’ Roses “Use Your Illusion I” and “II” contain a whopping 152 minutes.

So what’s with Travis?

It’s the number of songs, not the total playing time, that counts, his record company says. The publishing royalties on his 22 songs (including two CD bonus tracks) would force the list price of a single disc or cassette up dramatically, said Vic Faraci, Warner Bros. Records vice president of marketing, Nashville.

“We want our greatest-hits packages to be available for $9.98 list for cassettes and $15.98 for CDs,” Faraci said. “(By) doubling the number of songs on the CD, that would create a doubling of the retail price.

“So far,” Faraci said, “the retail community has accepted it, and the initial (public) response has been very, very strong. At this point, we are very, very happy with it.”