ARTISTdirect Records Establishes International Presence; Rob Markus Appointed VP of Int'l; Dave Cronen Named Director of Int'l.

Entertainment Editors/Music Writers

LOS ANGELES--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--March 11, 2002

ARTISTdirect Records has established an international presence headquartered in London, it was announced today by company Vice-Chairman Marc Geiger.

Overseeing ARTISTdirect's European operations and reporting to Geiger are recently appointed Vice-President of International Rob Markus, Director of International Dave Cronen, and Paddy Spinks, who will guide ARTISTdirect's worldwide strategies out of his Malibu, California-based independent consultancy firm, GlobalSpins.

"Establishing an office in London is just the first step toward our international expansion," said Geiger. "With 65% of the industry's music sales coming from outside North America, an international presence is crucial to the global development of our artists. With Rob Markus, Dave Cronen and Paddy Spinks, we've assembled a team with a deep and broad knowledge of the international marketplace. Combined with the invaluable efforts of our distribution partner, BMG, we are confident they will be a tremendous asset to ARTISTdirect as we continue to build our worldwide businesses."

Markus joins ARTISTdirect from DX3, where he served as Managing Director of the digital music provider's U.K. operations. Previous to that, he was U.K. Country Manager for Boxman, a Pan European CD e-tailer. From 1995-1999, he was Managing Director for EMI and Virgin Records in Hungary.

Commenting on his appointment, Markus said, "Under the leadership of Ted Field and Marc Geiger, ARTISTdirect has become a unique and incredibly forward-thinking music company. I look forward to working with them in shaping the global success of ARTISTdirect Records."

Cronen comes to ARTISTdirect from Grand Royal, where he served as Director of International Marketing, and worked with artists such as the Beastie Boys and At The Drive In. In addition to his management role at independent distributor/label Play It Again Sam, Cronen spent seven years as Director of Rough Trade Distribution.

Said Cronen, "This is an exciting new step for ARTISTdirect and I am thrilled at the opportunity to work with Rob and Marc in maximizing the company's worldwide potential."

A 20-year music industry veteran, Paddy Spinks is the founder of GlobalSpins, a strategic consulting and management company with a client list that includes EMI Records UK/Europe, 5.1 Entertainment Group, Richard Marx, GUT Records and publisher Rive Droite Music. Prior to the formation of GlobalSpins, Spinks served as Capitol Records' Vice-President of International, where he played a key role in the success of artists such as the Beastie Boys, Meredith Brooks, Crowded House and Shivaree, as well as the "Romeo and Juliet" soundtrack and the Dean Martin catalog. He began his career with London's EG Management, where he worked with acts such as Roxy Music, King Crimson, Brian Eno and Killing Joke, before moving to New York to head up the company's North America office. While in New York he joined Tony Smith's Hit&Run Music to become President of the Hit&Run US Management Company, working with a diverse roster of artists that included Genesis, Phil Collins, Julian Lennon, Mike and The Mechanics, Right Said Fred and The Escape Club.

"I am proud to have the opportunity to work with Ted Field, Marc Geiger and the ARTISTdirect team in planning, setting up and implementing the company's international strategies," said Spinks. "I am delighted to be able to bring my experience and knowledge to ARTISTdirect in this increasingly important and complex area of the business."

About ARTISTdirect Records:

ARTISTdirect Records is a co-venture between ARTISTdirect, Inc. and Ted Field, one of the most successful executives in the entertainment industry. Launched in the summer of 2001, ARTISTdirect Records' talent roster includes a diverse range of hip-hop, rap, alternative, and rock artists such as Custom, NAAM Brigade, The Blood Brothers, Mad at Gravity, No Good, Pokafase, and Phats Bossi. ARTISTdirect Records has a distribution agreement in North America with BMG, who also has a license for territories around the globe. ARTISTdirect Records is affiliated with ARTISTdirect, Inc. (Nasdaq:ARTD), a music and media company that combines an online music network with integrated offline assets to provide a single-stop solution for music fans, artists, labels, and advertisers.