Coburn Appointed President/CEO, Atlantic Nashville; Blackburn Named Chairman Emeritus.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--August 3, 1999--

Barry Coburn has been appointed President & CEO of Atlantic Nashville, the country music division of The Atlantic Group. The announcement was made today by Atlantic Group Co-Chairman/Co-CEO Val Azzoli. At the same time, it was announced that Rick Blackburn, who has served as President of Atlantic Nashville since 1993, has been named Chairman Emeritus of the division, a newly created position. Blackburn, who established Atlantic's first Nashville office in the summer of 1989, was also the first person to serve as President of the label's country music operations.

In making the announcement, Val Azzoli stated: "I am very pleased to welcome Barry Coburn into the Atlantic family. Barry's many accomplishments and rich, wide-ranging experience -- as an artist manager, a music publisher, and a concert promoter -- make him ideally suited to wear the many hats which this important post requires. The focus at Atlantic Nashville has always been on aggressive, grassroots artist development, and I am confident that Barry will carry on that tradition in grand style, while putting his unique personal stamp on the label. His appointment signals Atlantic's ongoing and enthusiastic commitment to the country music community of today and tomorrow.

"At the same time, I would like to thank Rick Blackburn for his enormous achievements over the past decade. If it weren't for Rick, Atlantic Records probably wouldn't even be in the country music business. He virtually single-handedly made us a legitimate force in the field, breaking a remarkable string of major artists and building a roster defined not by its size, but by its quality and its accomplishments. With Rick's new appointment as Chairman Emeritus of Atlantic Nashville, we will have the good fortune to continue to be blessed by his enormous knowledge and irreplaceable experience."

Barry Coburn commented: "I would like to thank Val Azzoli and Ahmet Ertegun for giving me this fantastic opportunity to work for a label with such an astonishing legacy. As a long-time fan of Atlantic Records, I watched with great admiration as Rick Blackburn wrote one of Nashville's true success stories, literally putting Atlantic on the country music map. I am looking forward eagerly to building on the great foundation established by Rick and his team, as we move Atlantic Nashville into the 21st century."

Rick Blackburn stated: "The past ten years have truly been the most rewarding of my career. To be given the opportunity to build a label from the ground up was a dream come true, and I am immensely proud of all that we have achieved. I would like to thank all the great artists for the wonderful music they've given Atlantic Nashville and my terrific staff for their incredible support. I am pleased to leave the reins of the division in the very capable hands of Barry Coburn, and I wish him good fortune and prosperity in the years to come."

Since moving to the U.S. from Australia in 1984, Barry Coburn has enjoyed great success in Nashville as a personal manager and music publisher. Through his company, Ten Ten Management, Coburn has been active in the careers of such top artists as Lacy J. Dalton, Holly Dunn, Alan Jackson, Suzy Bogguss, Diamond Rio, and BR5-49. Under Coburn's guidance from 1988 1994, Jackson was signed by Arista Nashville and scored 13 No.1 singles, album sales in excess of 13 million units, and countless country music honors. Coburn's music publishing arm, Ten Ten Music Group -- which has garnered over 220 major album cuts and 25 country single releases -- will continue to operate under the guidance of President Jewel Coburn.

Prior to his arrival in the States, Coburn had already established a highly successful music industry career as an independent music publisher, manager, and concert promoter in Australia and his native New Zealand. He managed the rock group Split Enz during the early '70s and produced many major concert tours among them Elton John, Neil Diamond, The Eagles, Led Zeppelin, and Duke Ellington.

Coburn is a founding member of the Nashville Association of Personal Managers; and a member of the Country Music Association's Board of Directors (including chairman of the CMA International Committee), the Academy of Country Music, and the Recording Academy (NARAS).

The opening of Atlantic Records' first Nashville office in August of 1989 marked the establishment of the company's first full-scale country division. The label quickly grew from a fledgling operation into a major player in the field, developing the platinum-plus careers of such top performers as John Michael Montgomery, Tracy Lawrence, Neal McCoy, and Confederate Railroad.

In 1998, Atlantic Records celebrated its 50th anniversary. Growing from literally a one-room operation into a global enterprise, the label has released a string of recordings which have had a profound impact on the course of modern music. The Atlantic Group is a Warner Music Group company. Warner Music Group is a division of Time Warner Inc.