L.A. Reid is between a rock and a hard-rock place. The Arista chief put the label into the rock business big-time after winning the bidding war to sign Adema. The band’s splashy 48k debut this week marks a milestone in the label’s history.

"Our philosophy at Arista is to identify and develop artists who I feel have the potential to impact youth culture with both great music and a unique point of view," says Reid. "Adema is that and more. With frontman Mark Chavez, the smash single ‘Giving In’ and the support they’ve received from radio and fans, Adema is poised for greatness."

Sr VP Steve Bartels adds: "Arista is re-entering the rock market wth a vengeance, and L.A. Reid’s A&R instincts were dead-on with Adema. Jeff Sodikoff, Shannah Miller and the Arista promo team have been passionately spreading our enthusiasm about this band, and radio has been a believer from day one. "

Says Exec. VP Jerry Blair: "Incredible music, the dedication of our staff, having music embraced by radio, video outlets and, most importantly, the fans equals success. It’s not just about rock music, but about great music, and having a plan to get it to the consumer."

The band signed to the label, said Chavez in a recent HITS interview, partly because Reid is "more of a music man than a corporate fuck."

Says Sodikoff, Sr. Director Alternative and Rock Promotion: "It’s an unbelievable accomplishment, and I have to attribute it to the radio marketing campaign that we put together—that and the band’s exclusive interview with Connie Chung."

Lead single "Giving In" is Top 10 at Active Rock, has closed the PoMo panel and is a huge phone record. MTV and MTV2 are also spinning the video.

Last fall, Sodikoff went on the road for four months, playing demos of the band for major-market PDs.

Says Arista VP Marketing (and Real World star) Adam Lowenberg: "We challenged every department to step up and be non-traditional in their thinking, to be a part of something historic at Arista Records. And we offered a shopping trip to Gucci as an incentive."

The label created customized samples for each city. With "Giving In" and a non-album B-side, the disc’s package had Adema artwork on one side with the participating station’s logo on the other. The samplers were handed out at Ozzfest and other hard-rock concerts during the summer.

In July, Arista ran an on-air/online ad campaign using testimonials from DJs like WXRK N.Y.’s Booker running during their shifts. The spots included 30 seconds of "Giving In" and sent listeners to each station’s website for more music.

The label priced the disc at a developing-artist price up to the 200k mark. Once pre-orders hit that number, the disc was upped to full-price, something that inspired retailers to buy in early.

After some European dates with Linkin Park, Adema will tour the U.S. with Disturbed. The band will finish out the year with radio dates.