ARTISTdirect Records Launches Regional Urban Promotion and Marketing Team.

Entertainment Editors & Music Writers

LOS ANGELES--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Feb. 25, 2002

Greg Powell, Vice President of Urban Promotion for ARTISTdirect Records, announces the formation of the company's Urban Marketing/Promotion Regional Staff. The staff will consist of Junius Thomas, Southwest Urban Promotion Manager, based in Dallas; Denise Young, Southeast Urban Promotion Manager based in Atlanta; Dewayne Holmes, Midwest Urban Promotion Manager, based in Chicago; and, based in New York, Dwight Willacy, Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Urban Promotion Manager. All will report directly to Powell.

The new team will be responsible for every aspect of the regional promotion and marketing efforts on behalf of the label's urban artists, and will work closely with Michael Whited, VP Crossover Promotion, Brian Samson, Director of Crossover and Mix Show Promotion, and Chace Johnson, Urban Marketing Manager, as well as with BMG's product development force.

Commented Powell, "I wanted to assemble a group of individuals who were highly motivated and proactive, and who were committed to win. With this particular group of professionals, we got exactly that."

Junius Thomas brings more than 15 years of experience to his new position at ARTISTdirect Records. Most recently, he spent five years at Priority Records as the Southwest Regional. Thomas was very involved in breaking records by Ice Cube, Master P, Snoop Dogg, and JT Money, as well as Aaliyah's "I Don't Wanna," Priority's first #1 single (from "Next Friday, The Soundtrack" CD). Before Priority, he worked for GRP/Blue Thumb Records for three years, spent three years at Elektra Records ('92-'95), and eighteen months at EastWest Records in Chicago. He began his record industry career in l985 as the first Urban Marketing Specialist for SEMA, and spent several years in radio prior to that.

Denise Young comes to ARTISTdirect Records from Warner Bros. Records where she spent three years as the Southeast Regional Promotion Manager, working

artists such as Eric Benet, Jaheim, Boney James, and Something for the People. While at Warner Bros., she was awarded the 2001 Female Executive in the Entertainment Industry of the Year by Atlanta-USA Magazine, and named 2000 Promotion Person of the Year by WEA. Prior to Warners, she was the Urban Southwest Regional for Sony Music.

Prior to joining ARTISTdirect Records, Dewayne Holmes ran Jaguar Entertainment for five years, a highly successful street promotions/marketing company based in Chicago. During that time, he played an intrinsic role in the success of artists such as Master P, Nelly, Busta Rhymes, and Missy Elliott.

Dwight Willacy began his career in 1993 when he joined the promotion staff at EastWest Elektra Records. In 1995, he went to Capitol Records to handle college promotion, and then ran his own Brooklyn-based label, Beyond Real. He then oversaw college mix show promotion at Atlantic Records from 1996 to 1999, working with artists such as Brandy, Fat Joe, and Aaliyah, and just prior to joining ARTISTdirect Records, he was the Northeast Mid-Atlantic Promotion rep for Motown Records where he worked records by Erykah Badu, Brian McKnight, the Temptations, and Smokey Robinson.

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.