Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen report: Southern rockers Widespread Panic recently found themselves, of all places, in the pages of the Wall Street Journal. Used as a case study to illustrate how successful grass-roots marketing can be, the group's six album covers were prominently boxed, each with its title, release date, number of albums sold ranging from 140,000 (Widespread Panic, 1991; Everyday, 1993) to 220,000 (Ain't Life Grand, 1994), and a fan's review under each album.

In its 11-year career, Widespread Panic has never had a music video on MTV or an album on Billboard's Top 200. It's success is soley based on a loyal fan base that has been, and still is in part, recruited by the band via its fan newsletter and more recently the Internet. What Widespread Panic does is get them involved in their activities. It contacts fans in cities and recruits them to hang posters helping to advertise upcoming shows. In return, they receive free tickets to the shows and backstage passes.

Widespread Panic even offers its fans free bootleg tapes of their concerts.All they are asked to do is send a blank tape and a self-addressed envelope; approximately 100 fans take advantage of this every month. ''Giving away music has always been a concern of mine and will always be,'' Phil Walden Jr., head of Capricorn Records, told the WSJ. ''If we stopped doing it now, we'd lose fans. You have to play the hand you're dealt.'' (To date, Widespread Panic's music cannot be downloaded directly from the Web.) The band's symbiotic relationship with its followers continues at its concerts where photos taken by fans at earlier shows are flashed on a large screen. One fan quipped it was like flipping through a family album.

And that's how the band views its relationship with its fans - like family. For example, last year Widespread Panic was asked by the Rolling Stones to open for them. The band turned down the offer because it felt it would cheat the fans by playing a shortened set; they normally play for three hours. Among its strong grass-roots fan base, they are naturally strong in their native Georgia. Last year, Widespread Panic sold out Atlanta's 4,700 Fox Theatre in 4 minutes. Said Edgar Neiss, the theater's general manager, ''R.E.M. can do that. Elton John can do that,[but] not many other people.''

The band is currently in the studio working on its 7th album, due out this summer. In the meantime, a spring tour is in the works with the following dates confirmed: April 8 (Hampden-Sydney College/VA), 16 (Mississippi State University), 30-May 1 (Jazzfest/New Orleans)