J Records' First Release Soundscan Charts at No. 1
NEW YORK - J-RECORDS – PRESS RELEASE -- December 13, 2000

J Records makes Soundscan history as the first label to have its first release debut at No. 1; meanwhile O-Town's "Liquid Dreams" becomes the first new artist to land at No. 1

Only 14 weeks in business and Clive Davis' J Records is already making waves. This week, "Liquid Dreams," the debut single from Making the Band stars O-Town and the label's first release, crowns the Soundscan singles chart at No. 1, selling over 42,000 units in one week. The single's chart topping debut can be attributed to a flourishing Top 40 radio crusade, a groundbreaking music video that premiered and has been added to MTV, plus concert appearances around the country attended by droves of passionate fans.

In addition, J Records has made musical history as the first label in Soundscan history (1991 and on) to have its first single release debut at No. 1 on the sales charts. Furthermore, O-Town is the first artist in Soundscan history to have its debut single come in at No. 1 on the sales charts. "O-Town's `Liquid Dreams' is feeling like a huge hit record. First week sales at Coconuts, Record Town, and Specs are tremendous," validates Vinnie Birbiglia of retail franchise Trans World Entertainment Corp.

"Liquid Dreams," which impacted Top 40 radio last month, has been a consistently most added, most requested record. The song is now on over 150 radio stations and is getting major play in over 50 markets, debuting this week on the Billboard Monitor Top 40 Mainstream chart at No. 39 with a bullet Liquid Dreams Will Be The Hot Shot Debut On Billboards Hot 100 This Week. The groundbreaking music video for "Liquid Dreams," directed by the acclaimed Dave Meyers, also made a grand entrance with an unprecedented debut on three major outlets -- MTV's TRL, ABC's network primetime and AOL's Teen channel.

Over the course of the last few weeks, O-Town has been on the road performing at major holiday radio events across America. At each appearance, the band has been met in superstar fashion with screaming fans outfitted with posters and O-Town gear and singing every word to "Liquid Dreams." On O-Town's performance at the Z100 radio event in New York last week, Sharon Dasteaur APD of Z100 comments, "It was complete mayhem! I was pleasantly surprised how much every fan knew about O-Town...each fan had a little O-Town story they could share ... I was so happy with the sold-out performance." Jordan Walsh (PD) WLDI/West Palm Beach adds, "They already have a bigger following than every other boy band!"

Upcoming television appearances for O-Town include Fox Family Channel Holiday Frost Fest Countdown on December 16th and 23rd, Dick Clark's New Year’s Rockin' Eve on December 31st, Nickelodeon's Slime Time Live on January 4th, American Music Awards on January 8th, Disney Presents Michelle Kwan-Princess on Ice on January 20th, among many others. Additionally, the group will grace the covers of major teen magazines throughout the spring and summer.

O-Town's sizzling debut album is set for release on January 23rd. On the album, O-Town recorded with music's hottest pop writers and producers including: Warryn Campbell (Brandy, Dru Hill), Steve Kipner (Christina Aguilera, 98 Degrees), and Desmond Child (Ricky Martin).

O-Town's signing with J Records provided a climactic grand finale to their first season as stars of ABC's "Making the Band." Millions of young music fans tuned into the reality TV show to watch the rising pop quintet O-Town unite and evolve piece by piece. A breakthrough concept in music and television, the show allowed the public to witness the careers of five young musicians come to life. The talented bunch -- made up of Ashley Parker Angel, Erik-Michael Estrada, Dan Miller, Trevor Penick, and Jacob Underwood -- endured months of sharpening their skills to become the most anticipated, most watched new musical group. "Making the Band", which first premiered in March 2000, has been renewed for a new season to begin in 2001. It is executive produced by Ken Mok at MTV Productions and Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray at Bunim/Murray Productions ("The Real World," "Road Rules"), in conjunction with Lou Pearlman.

J Records, a private joint venture between Clive Davis and BMG Entertainment, recently became the largest new label ever launched in music industry history. Clive Davis, Chairman and CEO of J Records is the legendary executive who founded Arista Records in 1975 and nurtured many of today's top musical artists including Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Santana, Patti Smith, Sarah McLachlan and the Eurythmics. Most recently, J Records announced the signing of superstar Luther Vandross as well as its first joint venture with Wyclef Jean's brand new label, Clef Records.