The Sounds Of Summer : CDs: janet. U2. Babs. Sales?

U2 or Billy Ray Cyrus?

Barbra Streisand or Janet Jackson?

Snoop Dog or Arnold Schwarzenegger?

Those are just a few of the choices music fans will be confronted with this summer--and it’s such diversity that the nation’s record retailers are counting on to help avoid a repeat of last summer’s dismal sales.

Among the other high-profile artists who either have just released albums or are about to: veterans Natalie Cole, Tina Turner, Rod Stewart and Luther Vandross, as well as such hot newcomers as Oakland R&B; crew Tony! Toni! Tone!

“We’ve got potential blockbusters on tap featuring everything from Broadway show tunes to experimental rock,” said Arnie Bernstein, president of the music division of the Minneapolis-based, 860-outlet Musicland Group.

During the summer, record store owners have traditionally counted on mall-roving students to spend their summer vacation allowances on pop music. The record industry hopes to hawk more than $2 billion in record sales between June and September.

Geoff Mayfield, associate director of retail charts at Billboard magazine, the music industry’s leading trade publication, echoed Bernstein’s optimistic outlook.

“The fan who dashes out to buy a Streisand record is not typically the same person who rushes out to purchase a U2 or a Janet album,” Mayfield said. “The fact that these releases will attract three distinctly different kinds of consumers should help expand the potential customer base for merchants and pay off well at the cash register.”

Jackson’s “janet.,” Streisand’s “Back to Broadway” and U2’s “Zooropa” are the artists’ first albums since signing multimillion-dollar recording pacts--and the firms that employ them are socking big bucks into promoting each record.

Virgin Records, the label that releases Jackson’s music, rolled out the red carpet last month for “janet.,” investing about $1 million in television, radio and print advertising and offering retailers hefty discounts that spurred nearly 2 million units in orders.

Jackson’s sultry collection has already sold almost 1 million copies and has dominated the nation’s pop album chart since its May 18 release.

Sony’s Columbia Records has launched a lavish six-figure television and radio ad campaign for Streisand’s “Back to Broadway” album that has already netted more than a million orders. Due June 29, the 13-song collection features Streisand singing show tune duets with Johnny Mathis and Michael Crawford.

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PolyGram’s Island Records will eventually kick in with a major promotional push for U2, but the label is initially relying on the “word-of-mouth” street buzz surrounding any new U2 release to pull customers into the store. The new 10-song collection, which was recorded recently in Dublin during a break in the Irish band’s world tour, goes on sale at midnight on July 6 in thousands of stores across the nation.

Another album that will be closely monitored is the second collection from ’92 country sensation Billy Ray Cyrus. Can the new “It Won’t Be the Last” (out June 22 from Mercury) deliver the sales punch of his 7-million-selling “Some Gave All”? That debut dominated the nation’s pop and country charts all last summer and is still in the Top 40.

These four albums will face competition from a variety of best-selling veterans: Rod Stewart’s “Unplugged . . . and Seated” (Warner Bros.), Luther Vandross’ “Never Let Me Go” (Epic), Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do With It” (Virgin) and Natalie Cole’s “Take a Look” (Elektra).

In addition, retailers are optimistic about the sales punch of Oakland R&B; group Tony! Toni! Tone!’s “Sons of Soul” on Mercury and, especially in Los Angeles, Long Beach rapper Snoop Dog’s “Doggy Style” on Interscope Records. As a performer with Dr. Dre on “The Chronic,” Snoop Dog’s laid-back rap style contributed heavily to the national success of the Los Angeles rap superstar’s 2-million-selling album.

Among the soundtracks, retailers hope the hype surrounding Schwarzenegger’s new film, “Last Action Hero,” will result in big sales for the Columbia album package that includes tracks by such hard-rock entries as AC/DC, Megadeth, Alice in Chains and Def Leppard.

Retailers also expect strong showings from acts scheduled to appear at this year’s “Lollapalooza” tour, including Dinosaur Jr., Primus, Alice in Chains and Fishbone.

U.S. album sales since Jan. 1 have totaled 214 million units, a gross of about $2.7 billion--barely 1.9% above the same period last year. Most of that increase came directly after Christmas, with purchases declining significantly since March.

One reason sales may be on the wane is that record companies charge more for music than they used to. The standard price for superstar CDs is currently $16.98--one dollar higher than a year ago. More than half of the albums sold are CDs.

Bruce Jesse, vice president of marketing at the Torrance-based 315-outlet Wherehouse Entertainment, which recently started selling used CDs to supplement dwindling new product revenues, agreed.

“Records cost a lot more than they used to and retailers have been scratching and digging just to hold our own lately,” Jesse said “It’s been a tough year so far, but there are so many good albums coming out this summer, I feel optimistic.”