ARTISTdirect Records Expands Marketing Department; Names Jason Whittington and Jeff Grabow Vice Presidents.

Business/Entertainment Editors

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 28, 2002

In an ongoing endeavor to build its marketing department, ARTISTdirect Records has named two veteran sales executives -- Jason Whittington as Vice President, Sales, and Jeff Grabow as Vice President, Field Marketing, it was announced today by Jim Swindel, Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing for the label. Both appointments are effective immediately, and both executives will report directly to Swindel.

"Both Jason and Jeff are total pros at what they do," commented Swindel. "They know the areas of sales, marketing and distribution inside-out, and are already well-connected with the BMG system and staff. I'm thrilled to have them join the ARTISTdirect Records team."

Whittington's new post will see him as the primary liaison between ARTISTdirect Records, the BMG sales force, and national retail outlets. His solid record industry experience began with ten years (1979-1989) in the WEA system as an FMR, Singles Specialist, and then Sales Rep. He then spent an additional ten years (1989-1999) in sales at Geffen Records where he rose from a regional sales manager to Head of Sales. While at Geffen, he was closely involved in multi-million-selling campaigns for artists such as Nirvana, Peter Gabriel, Guns N' Roses, Whitesnake, and Enya. Most recently, Whittington was Head of Sales at Beyond Music.

"Joining the ARTISTdirect staff was a 'no brainer,'" commented Whittington. "My respect for Jim Swindel goes back to my WEA days, and I am so impressed by the innate passion that both Ted Field and Marc Geiger have for their artists and music."

Grabow began his record company career in 1984 at WEA spending six years as a National Singles Coordinator/Marketing. From 1990 to 1998, he was National Director, Single Sales/Urban Marketing at Virgin Records, sharing in the responsibility for attaining No. 1 singles by Janet Jackson, UB40, and Paula Abdul, among others; his efforts in hip-hop yielded successes with artists such as Scarface, the Geto Boys, and Shaggy. Most recently, he was Vice President, Sales and Field Marketing at Red Ant Entertainment, and Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Production at Restless Records. At ARTISTdirect Records, he will work closely with the BMG retail field staff directing all national field marketing efforts for the label's releases.

"I've previously worked with Jim Swindel and many of the staff here at ARTISTdirect, so I know what a dynamite team this is," said Grabow. "Combine Ted Field's ability and track record to discover exciting and original artists with the innovative online marketing vision of Marc Geiger, and there's nothing but success ahead."

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, Smilez & Northstar, No Good, and Pokafase. 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.