PHIL QUARTARARO CHECKS OUT OF THE BURBANK SKI LODGE

Action out of Burbank—usually a quiet ’burb once praised by Johnny Carson for its “beautiful downtown”—hit late Wednesday as news broke that Warner Bros. Records, Inc. President Phil Quartararo will be departing the position he's held for the last four-and-a-half years.

Phil Q's contract was set to expire in December, and while negotiations were reportedly ongoing to have him continue with the company, those negotiations have broken down, and sources inside the Bunny confirm that he has decided to move on.

While the move will come as little surprise to most—it has been rumored for some time that a new deal for Q following the arrival of new Chairman Tom Whalley would likely not jell—the well-liked exec will be leaving a company much improved since his arrival in 1997.

Q is credited with steering and helping to right the Warner/Reprise ship, which has seen more than its share of stormy seas in the wake of venerable Chairman Russ Thyret's departure in February 2001. He is also responsible for the rebuilding of two respected promotion departments: that of Warner Bros., headed by Tom “Grover” Biery, and that of Reprise, headed by Phil Costello. Both Costello and Biery recently renewed their deals.

While Q’s future plans aren’t immediately known, the move does mean that Q’s recent reunion with former Virgin cohort/current WB Records, Inc. Creative Director Jeff Ayeroff will be short-lived. Ayeroff returned to Burbank with Whalley in August ’01.