MEET THE NEW WMG EAST COAST

The newly established Atlantic Records Group, consisting of Atlantic, Elektra and Lava Records, announced its senior management structure.

As expected, Jason Flom, Lava Records' President and Founder, has been named Chairman/CEO with Atlantic President Craig Kallman tapped as Co-Chairman/COO, and former Island Records President Julie Greenwald named President, reporting to Flom and Kallman.

The legendary Ahmet Ertegun will remain as Founding Chairman of Atlantic Records. Flom and Kallman will report to WMG U.S. Chairman/CEO Lyor Cohen, in English, Yiddish and Ebonics.

In all, it is expected that the restructured label group will number 229 staffers, down from the 410 at Atlantic and Elektra combined. According to an internal memo, 50% of the new company will be made up of Atlantic employees, 35% from Elektra and 15% from outside.

Commented Cohen: "A great music company always needs a central heartbeat to guide the careers of both artists and executives and to nourish the creative process. Jason has proven himself from the outset as an exceptional music man. His A&R resume alone chronicles a remarkable history of contemporary music, and the extraordinary success he’s enjoyed with Lava Records is evidence of a natural leader with uncommon business instincts. Craig, right out of college, created a pioneering independent label from scratch and went on to build an outstanding career distinguished by unerring leadership in both the indie and major company arenas. He has a brilliant track record in discovering and breaking talent in a diversity of musical genres. With Julie Greenwald having demonstrated consummate skills in management, operations and marketing, we now have the ideal team in place. Along with Ahmet Ertegun, whose wisdom and musical sensibility have sustained Atlantic—if not American popular music culture—for decades, we have an unparalleled depth and breadth of executive talent. The thorough grasp of the nuances of our business these executives have demonstrated and their aggressive entrepreneurial spirit is exactly what our newly energized Warner Music Group needs to meet the challenges of a changing marketplace."

Said Flom: "From the time I started as a trainee field merchandiser for Atlantic 25 years ago, I always dreamed that this moment would come. This will always be Ahmet's house and it's my goal to continue his vision by taking chances and breaking important new artists. Having grown up listening to bands such as Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and Queen, and to now be working side-by-side with Craig, leading the company that spawned these incredible artists, is both a great honor and an awesome responsibility. I want to thank Ahmet for showing the way, and Lyor for opening a new door. With the benefit of Julie's enthusiasm and experience, we promise to deliver great artists and great records, marketed and promoted by the best team in the business."

Added Kallman: "I'm very excited to be part of the team which has been charged with the mission of leading this company into the future. The histories of Atlantic and Elektra are sources of incredible inspiration, legacies of amazing music from groundbreaking artists who have reflected and shaped our contemporary culture. Both labels began life as innovative, grassroots-driven indies that ultimately transformed the music business, and Lava has become a worthy addition to that tradition. That entrepreneurial spirit will continue. I look forward to partnering with my colleague Jason as we strive to forge a great new company for a new era. It is an honor to continue to work with Ahmet, who has been a great mentor. And I am delighted to join forces with Lyor, my longtime friend, and to welcome our new friend Julie into the fold."

Said Greenwald: "As two of the most respected and important music companies in this business, Atlantic and Elektra have a combined roster of talent and a rich heritage that is second to none. Working together with Jason, Craig Ahmet and the incredibly talented staff that has been assembled, I am excited to be part of this great team as we create a forward-looking and innovative music company of the future—one that can easily adapt to the evolving industry and takes full advantage of change. Moving forward, we will work hard to make The Atlantic Records Group the most creative and supportive environment for new and existing talent, one that offers the most exciting opportunities for artistic development in the industry."

Said Ertegun: "When we started Atlantic Records nearly 57 years ago, we did it because we were first and foremost music fans. I am thrilled to say that as this company enters a new era, it will continue to be run by real music people. Lyor Cohen follows in the tradition of the great music men of our business, whose lives and careers have been driven solely by passion and creativity. Needless to say, I am immensely proud that two of Atlantic's own sons, Jason and Craig, are assuming the senior posts in our new label group. Jason literally grew up in this company, from his start as a field merchandiser 25 years ago to one of the industry's top A&R men and label heads. Craig is cut from the same entrepreneurial cloth out of which this label was created, and he has truly hit his stride as an exceptional, visionary record man. Along with Julie, they form a leadership team of extraordinary strength, depth, and above all, love for the music—one that is ideally suited to build upon the legacy of this great company."

Since 1995, Flom has served as President of Lava Records, the label he founded within Atlantic Records. At Lava, Flom continued to build on an exceptional A&R track record that includes a string of multimillion-selling rock bands such as Twisted Sister, Skid Row and White Lion. He then expanded the breadth and depth of his signings with such artists as Tori Amos, Clannad, Kid Rock, Uncle Kracker, matchbox twenty, Sugar Ray, Edwin McCain and The Corrs. He also brought Ireland's Celtic Heartbeat label to Atlantic and oversaw the signing of Stone Temple Pilots and Collective Soul. Since its inception, Lava has been responsible for breaking an incredible string of new artists whose albums have sold in excess of 100 million units worldwide.

Kallman began his music industry career as a DJ at many of the top clubs in New York City. In 1987, he founded the independent Big Beat label. When the label was acquired by Atlantic in 1991, Kallman joined Atlantic as Vice President/Assistant to the Co-Chairman and was later promoted to Executive Vice President. In that position, he oversaw Atlantic's entire A&R operation, working with such artists as Aaliyah, Brandy, Junior M.A.F.I.A, Lil' Kim, P.O.D. and Linda Eder and Frank Wildhorn. Since 2002, he has served as Co-President of Atlantic. That same year, Kallman forged an alliance with pioneering dancehall reggae label VP Records, whose first release by Sean Paul has sold over 5 million copies and earned three Grammy nominations. He is also responsible for bringing to the label such artists as Twista, T.I., The Donnas, Craig David, Nappy Roots, TapRoot, Trick Daddy and Trina.

Greenwald, who joined Def Jam Records in 1992, established the label's award-winning marketing department and helped shape the company into an urban powerhouse. Working with artists such as LL Cool J, Jay-Z, DMX and Ashanti, she and her team helped the label land dozens of platinum and gold records throughout the‘’90s. In 2002, she was simultaneously named President of Island Records and promoted to Executive Vice President of Island Def Jam. In these positions, she oversaw all aspects of the label that serves as the rock and pop division of The Island Def Jam Music Group and played an instrumental role in developing and promoting the careers of Sum 41, Mariah Carey and Bon Jovi.

The son of the former Turkish Ambassador to the United States, Ertegun was born in Istanbul and raised in Switzerland, Paris, London, and Washington, D.C. A passionate music fan and collector, Ertegun founded Atlantic Records in N.Y.C. in the fall of 1947, serving not only as an executive, but as a producer and a songwriter as well. Under Ertegun's direction, Atlantic evolved from a groundbreaking, independent R&B and jazz label into one of the world's preeminent music companies—and established a legacy that includes such icons as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, John Coltrane and Led Zeppelin. Ertegun is a founder and current Chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, to which he was elected in 1987, and the Museum's main exhibition hall in Cleveland bears his name. In 2000, he was honored as a "Living Legend" by the United States Library of Congress on the occasion of the Library's Bicentennial.