BMG Interactive Entertainment names Don Traeger to new position of vice president, A&R.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 1, 1995--BMG Interactive Entertainment Tuesday announced the appointment of Don Traeger to vice president, artists and repertoire.

In his new position, Traeger will draw upon more than a decade of experience creating top-selling interactive titles to oversee software development for BMG Interactive Entertainment's current roster of U.S.-based third-party developers, including Boss Games Studios and Lobotomy.

In addition, Traeger will be responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with a number of new software companies that BMG will be adding to its growing list of third-party game developers over the next few months.

Traeger also will head up BMG's newly established office in the San Francisco Bay Area, which will serve as the software development hub for all U.S.-based game titles for PC and next-generation gaming platforms.

"We're really excited about Don joining our team in the U.S.," said Jay Moses, BMG Interactive Entertainment senior vice president and general manager. "Don is one of the premier game producers in the world, and his experience in creating hit games will serve us well in attracting and working with the best developers in the industry."

In addition to his U.S.-based duties, Traeger will work closely with Ian Mathias, who heads up the London office. Both will be working on the 10 titles currently in development, which will translate into 32 different products to be distributed worldwide over the next year.

Traeger has a long and proven track record in the development community. Before joining BMG, Traeger was vice president of creative development for Electronic Arts (EA). During his 10-year tenure with EA, Traeger helped the company successfully enter the cartridge-based video game market and was the creative force behind the EA Sports brand, which became one of the company's most profitable subbrands and the leader in sports-related video games.

"I was attracted to BMG because the company is very serious about the game business, and it has a wealth of experience fostering creative talent," said Traeger. "BMG has the ability to think regionally and act globally, as evidenced by the reach of its enormous sales and distribution force as well as its international roster of third-party developers."

Under Traeger's and Mathias' direction, BMG Interactive Entertainment currently has agreements with numerous third-party developers, including: Boss Game Studios, DMA Design, Lobotomy, NMS Software, Interactive Studios, Montparnasse Multi-Media, Morgan Interactive, Crystal Dynamics, Music Pen Inc. and Rocket Science Games.

Traeger received both his bachelor's and MBA degrees from the University of Southern California and currently lives with his wife and three children in Woodside, Calif.

BMG Interactive Entertainment is the multimedia and new technologies division of BMG Entertainment, the $5.1 billion entertainment arm of Bertelsmann AG, the $13.6 billion worldwide media enterprise. Operating in 42 countries, BMG Entertainment also owns numerous record labels, including Arista, Ariola and RCA Records, and has significant European television interests.

CONTACT: Manning, Selvage & Lee, Universal City, Calif.

Christopher Kingry, 818/509-1840