KLEIN TO STEP DOWN

In a move we’ve been anticipating since Russ Thyret announced he was leaving Warner Bros. Records (hitsdailydouble.com, 2/28), Reprise Records President Howie Klein will step down by the end of June, reports The Los Angeles Times.

Speculation began to swirl concurrent with Thyret’s departure that Klein would exit the label, despite the two years remaining on his contract. That talk heated up when WB President Phil Quartararo was put in charge of the Warner and Reprise labels—at least until the 2002 arrival of incoming chief Tom Whalley (hitsdailydouble.com, 2/28). Klein, a Thyret loyalist, had told anyone willing to listen that he thought Quartararo had the wrong skills for running the company.

Specifics of Klein’s departure were not available at press time.