OIEN VEY! A NEW VU NET PREZ

VU Net USA CEO Robin Richards has tapped MP3.com President Derrick Oien for the Prexy spot. His duties will include overseeing initiatives for MP3.com and other VU Net music holdings, including RollingStone.com, GetMusic.com and EMusic.com, and helping Vivendi executives find the best French porn sites.

VU Net clearly believes that online music will play a key role in the multi-faceted advertising and sponsorship deals that are already becoming the hallmark of the digital-entertainment era (see story, 2/4).

"Since joining MP3.com two-and-a-half years ago, Derrick proved to be a key factor in the company's success through aggressiveness, business savvy and unwavering dedication," raved Richards. "He has a great sense of the new unit's vision and a clear understanding of the unique, compelling characteristics that each of our music brands possesses. And he never fails to hand me the correct iron for my approach shot."

"The online music industry continues to be a fascinating and ever-evolving entity," reads a quote generated for Oien. "VU Net USA's Music Group consists of the some of the Internet's most progressive and trusted properties, and I look forward to the challenge of preserving and expanding these individual brands while leveraging the added resources available through this consolidated organization. I also hope to increase our use of geeky buzzwords by 53%."

Oien came to MP3.com in 1999; he previously worked at UMG, Sony Pictures Studios, BDO Seidman, L.L.P. and Computer Sciences Corp.