INDUSTRY CHATTER: Although they’re quick to plan...

INDUSTRY CHATTER: Although they’re quick to plan a visit in mid-winter, executives at New York-based record labels have traditionally viewed their West Coast offices as frontier outposts. Not so Atlantic Records, which last week confirmed its commitment to Los Angeles by naming veteran industry publicist Ron Shapiro as its media point man.

Shapiro, who will join Atlantic at the vice presidential level, is part of an ongoing series of additions and consolidations at Atlantic, which has been making waves in the last two years by adding such hot new labels as Interscope, EastWest, Mammoth, Matador, Big Beat and catalogue giant Rhino to its umbrella organization, the Atlantic Music Group.

Senior vice president and West Coast head Danny Goldberg, whom observers tout as one of the masterminds of Atlantic’s acquisitions and a rumored candidate for the label’s presidency in the not-too-distant future, said Shapiro’s nomination “completes a process that started a couple of years ago of really upgrading Atlantic’s presence in California.”

While Goldberg refused to discuss his situation, sources at Atlantic say a major realignment of the chain of command is under way, with Shapiro’s presence only the tip of the iceberg.