LA Reid Appointed As Head of Epic Records

Published: Thursday 16th Jun 2011 by David

X Factor USA judge LA Reid has made a move that will have the entire music industry stirring. For the former Island Def Jam executive, who is responsible for the likes of Pink and Rihanna, has been confirmed as the new chairman of the Sony Music subsidiary –Epic Records.

Find out more below…

The former president of Arista Records will begin work at Epic in July. The company is currently in the middle of a large restructure.

Once completed, Reid will combine artists from the re-built Epic with artists from Jive records which include Pink and Usher to complete the venture.

Expected to take the label into a more Urban direction, it’s still unsure if the winner of X Factor USA will sign to directly to Reid or to Simon Cowell whose own label SYCO is also the property of  Sony Music.

What is certain, however, is that this a major blow thrown in the on-going ‘battle’ between his old stomping ground Universal Music and Sony Music.

Randomness: One has to wonder if Mariah Carey – who has long touted Reid as her right hand man, will make the move to Epic herself. Speculation has indeed been rife for months.

Your thoughts?

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  1. Malibu Barbie June 16, 2011

    y’all are so late with the news. i hope ciara moves there too… i need Slay-Ara back in the game.. she brings out the best in your faves when it comes the stage and choreography

  2. Kavion June 16, 2011

    Ch….

    This is like Satan taking over Heaven. Let us all pray.

  3. Evangeline June 16, 2011

    Mariah is for sure on her way to Epic!!

  4. can’tbelieveit June 16, 2011

    Now that Reid is no longer with Def Jam, will Rhianna still get #1 treatment? I heard that Brandy has sign with Def Jam so where will she be on the team vs. Rhianna?

  5. tae June 16, 2011

    Yea rumor going around that ciara is going there also she met with him several times this year and last

  6. Christian June 16, 2011

    Hopefully Britney will remain where she is OR leave Jive and go elsewhere.

  7. the kiddz June 16, 2011

    @Kavion

    LMAO! I freaking love you.

  8. X,Y,”and Z” June 16, 2011

    *Meh…*

    L.A. Reid had a hand in that ATTEMPTED CBreezy career/character assassination. We ‘TeamBreezy’ will have to put forth a serious effort to discredit, boycott, and annoy everything X-Factor – just because of L.A. Reid!

    So with the failure that was/is ‘Rated-R’ and now ‘LOUD’, is THIS how he gets rewarded? This is what they call “Failing Upwards..!!” The only rational is that Def Jam is getting their monies back because she’s in that 360-contract with them. She’s not moving CDs, only singles, so “by hook or by crook,” they’ll get “theirs”..

    This dude is as sinister looking, as HIS reprehensible actions truly are! Those recent (Rihanna leaked) 2-year-old Pity Party Pictures are his, and Jay-Z’s doing. That 2009 20/20 Rihanna interview – also their doing… ‘TeamBreezy’ has to find a way to deal with this b******! Both he AND Drake should be placed high upon TeamBreezy’s “to-do list..!!”

    X,Y,”and Z”

  9. Chile Please!! June 16, 2011

    Yes Ms. Reid the pic is c***……Lip Gloss is popping…..arms folded with an attitude work darling! I see you girl!

  10. Speechless June 16, 2011

    Mariah aint puttin an album out anytime soon so who cares????

  11. Yellow Gorillah June 16, 2011

    LOOOL @Chile Please

    x y and z sit the F DOWN!

  12. Y’all are too fake June 16, 2011

    @Speechless

    Mariah’s next album “Release Me” comes out in October. So it is pretty soon. Lol.

  13. Beyonce and CB Fan June 16, 2011

    I love mariah,but I hope she is done with the whisper singing and goes back to her 2005 voice, please! For the sake of us fans

  14. SHESDUMB FINALLY PAID HER INTERNET BILL AND IS BACK TO SLAY DUN DUN DUNN June 16, 2011

    HOW IS REID STILL GETTING WORK AFTER THE CAREERS HE SIGNED AND FLOPPED??

  15. mindgames June 16, 2011

    glad none of my faves are on that label. good luck to his new victims. asshole.

  16. Truth June 16, 2011

    LMAOOOO @ YELLOW GORILLA TELLIN QXY TO TAKE A F’N SEAT!!!! LOLOLOL

  17. Kavion June 16, 2011

    @THE KIDDZ

    Lol, you know that man is known for his shady ass ways. Justin Bieber’s about to take over.

  18. SHESDUMB June 16, 2011

    HOW in the world IS REID STILL GETTING WORK AFTER THE CAREERS HE SIGNED AND FLOPPED??

  19. Kavion June 16, 2011

    @SHES DUMB

    Yes, because Pink, Usher, Justin Bieber etc. have flopped, right?

    Just, hush.

  20. t June 16, 2011

    @Kavion
    lmao shes dumb

  21. African( Senegal ) loooove breezy!!!!!! June 16, 2011

    LA Reid?!

  22. King B June 16, 2011

    @ Kavion:

    I regard most major label execs as being devils these days.

  23. Kavion June 16, 2011

    @T

    Obviously! Lmao

    @KING B

    NO. They’re all demons, but L.A Reid is Lucifer himself.

  24. S*** June 16, 2011

    Who Cares??

    All the LESSORS are on Epic records!

    Its all about Columbia/Roc Nation Where lies the Queen…

    http://tinyurl.com/3m43jkn

  25. wtf June 16, 2011

    I notice once L.A. Reid left Rihanna is not selling like she was in the begining. Maybe it’s because Def Jam & L.A. Reid were buying them all up. S&M, CKB & Man Down are having a hard time on the charts. But when Reid was there her singles were selling and getting that #1 spot. Roc Nation is not even doing much for Beyonce let alone Rihanna as far a managing is concern. Well I hope Chris is not going to Reid

  26. MISHKA June 17, 2011

    LA Reid is the business, kiddies, I don’t know what you’re talking about.

    He made the good days of Arista/Laface (Babyface, Toni Braxton, Avril Lavigne, Pink, Usher) then Def Jam (Outkast, Kanye West, Ne-Yo, Rihanna, Justin Bieber). Let’s see the wonders he’ll bring to Sony/Epic/Jive.

  27. VA STAND UP!! June 17, 2011

    Well this was quick. Regardless of what people say about him, he does have a lot of experience in the industry. He was bound to get a job somwehere. I don’t know how I feel about it just yet.. I mean he has been accused of doing a lot of shady business deals & mismanaging people’s career, but for him to have gotten so a high position in the first place & last so many years he must have been doing something right at some point. *shrugs*

    I just feel like people are jumpping the gun and assuming that he isn’t capable of doing any good. That’s not neccessrily true. As of right now, I really just don’t give a f***. *shrugs*

    I’m interested to see if this is going to affect Breezy…if so at all.

  28. VA STAND UP!! June 17, 2011

    Kavion
    June 16, 2011 at 10:02 pm
    @THE KIDDZ

    Lol, you know that man is known for his shady ass ways. Justin Bieber’s about to take over.

    ——————————————————————————

    Ugh! Don’t say that!! We already got enough of the Bieber! His lil ass is soo overrated!

  29. MISHKA June 17, 2011

    If LA Reid decides to handle Chris Brown’s career, Chris better listen to the man because his career is sleeping right now. F.A.M.E should have been certified platinum already but it’s not the case.

    There’s a reason why A&R people exist. Antonio LA Reid might be the best thing happening to Chris Brown’s career, but only if Reid decides to take care of it and if Chris Brown follows his advice.

  30. VA STAND UP!! June 17, 2011

    Kavion
    June 16, 2011 at 11:01 pm
    @SHES DUMB

    Yes, because Pink, Usher, Justin Bieber etc. have flopped, right?

    Just, hush.

    ————————————————————————————-

    I’m saying!! He has signed some really successful acts! Didn’t Chris say that LA wanted him at Def Jam in the beginning and that he even got Usher to call him and help convince him to sign with Def Jam. But Chris decided to go with JIVE instead. I wonder how things would have been if Chris had signed with Def Jam in the first place. I wonder what Chris thinks now and if he would mind being under LA Reid now. Hmm….

    Didn’t he sign JLo though? She flopped HARD!

  31. VA STAND UP!! June 17, 2011

    MISHKA
    June 17, 2011 at 12:34 am
    If LA Reid decides to handle Chris Brown’s career, Chris better listen to the man because his career is sleeping right now. F.A.M.E should have been certified platinum already but it’s not the case.

    There’s a reason why A&R people exist. Antonio LA Reid might be the best thing happening to Chris Brown’s career, but only if Reid decides to take care of it and if Chris Brown follows his advice.

    ——————————————————————————-

    Are you serious? How is his career ‘sleeping’ (did you really mean to say sleeping) cause FAME hasn’t been ‘certified’ platinum yet?? It’s only been out for two in a half months & it’s sales are over 600k in the US & 800k WW! CB’s career is in the best place it’s been in two years! Chris has been doing his part, he has produced quality material, has been performing his ASS off all over the damn place (radio concerts, tour, clubs, etc.)

    All of singles have been performing well on the charts and 3 of his four singles have gone platinum & LAMN is double platinum. I bet it was even Chris & his team that had the idea for the 5 different listening parties.

    A label & their artist have a partnership. Chris has done his part & has been pulling his weight. JIVE is the one who is letting him down! They are two stuck up Britney’s ass to do more for him! JIVE certified Britney’s album platinum but Chris has still sold more than hers stateside! There is NO reason for them to have certified her album platinum before his.

    How do you know CB isn’t listening to his A&R team? How do you figure LA Reid is someone that can give CB career advice? LA Reid has made some REALLY bad moves the past how ever many years. There is a reason why he ‘left’ Def Jam.

  32. S*** June 17, 2011

    Chris Brown might need to say Deuces to Ms. Reid cuz F.A.M.E. should have sold way more than some 600K by now with him being so POPULAR among the Young & Urban audiences & having all those Hit Singles. 😕 He should be selling WAY MORE than Rihanna in the States on these circumstances.

    Cant wait till Bey drops so she can show these b****** how to SELL, Seems like Adele’s Overrated Fat Ass is the only B**** Doing it right with their Album other than Bey 😕

  33. kyla June 17, 2011

    YES!!!! As a Ciara fan I am excited…. this is the man that put her in the studio with lil joh and came out with Goodies. He also picked a lot of Usher , Pink, Beiber and Rihanna hits and they are all ARENA artists now. Outkast could have been after 10 x platinum but they A3000 doesnt like t tour.

    Anyway, I love Ciara but she picks out HORRIBLE songs. Everyone has different gifts. Her gifts are performing, dancing, etc…. his gifts are picking out hits and creating ARENA artists. I hope she allows him to help her b/c she has what it takes to be a superstar.

    I mean if this guy can make boring arzzzz RiRi a star he can do it for Ciaa. If CiCi performed on x-factor uk, britian’s got talent, graham norton, et…. she would be a ig star in the UK too…. She needs Reid and Timbaland

  34. Fantasy Ride June 17, 2011

    Ci Ci needs to get signed by them!!! She deserves a label that cares

  35. Kavion June 17, 2011

    Where’s Edge of Glory? SAM?!

  36. aisha June 17, 2011

    wow, what a career leap!

  37. Cheers (Drink to That) June 17, 2011

    Ewww… WHY??? Seems like everything he touches nowadays find it’s way #f***** #kanyeshrug

  38. Mari (RIP Dwayne McDuffie) June 17, 2011

    “So with the failure that was/is ‘Rated-R’ and now ‘LOUD’, is THIS how he gets rewarded?”

    @XYZ

    HeHeHe. You’re funny. 29M off a so called “flop” (Rated R) era and 3M sold WW. SSS(tay) & MMM(ad)!

    LOUD 4.4M WW sold 7 mo., 3 #1’s, US plat in 3 mo. without the benefit of a huge, front loaded sales week, 4x UK plat, LOUD tour, already slaying. Box office score for her 2 shows in Montreal grossing over 2M. This bish is on FIYAH, and you will just have to deal.

  39. X,Y,”and Z” June 17, 2011

    Wait..Wait..Wait..!!!

    Considering the promo/marketing that ‘F.A.M.E’ has gotten (despite the “self-inflected GMA drama”) it’s doing VERY well..!!

    Again, it’s all ROI (return on investment). Wasn’t it L.A. Reid who’d counseled Rihanna during ‘Rated-R’ and now ‘LOUD’? Talk about your “broken/failed investments” – why can’t Rihanna sell CDs? Why is SHE a “singles artist”..?? Where’s the “genius that is L.A. Reid” in THAT regard?

    He has Rihanna in a ‘360 contract,’ Def Jam has to be repaid somehow; (again) she’s NOT moving units, not enough so to cover the expense of creating and bringing to market(promoting), her CD.

    Rihanna isn’t/wasn’t smart enough to have orchestrated that entire ‘Feb 8th, 2009 Chrianna fiasco’. L.A. Reid had a hand in that ATTEMPTED ‘Breezy-career assassination’!

    L.A Reid’s recent now-reoccurring failures have now FAR-outdone/out-shown his now-near-two-decades-old successes: RIHANNA! When it’s all said and done; at day’s end – L.A. Reid will be remembered for that biblical failure that is ‘Rated-R’. Never before was an artist so-built-up to an ear-splitting crescendo, to then only fail so miserably. Long into the future, they’ll be studying the ‘Rated-R’ marketing/promo campaign to see went wrong. It’ll be all the talk at Wharton – TRUST!

    I’ll end with this question/though: With Rihanna now a “singles artist”, unable to move CDs; seeing her now entered into a ‘360 contract’, if you’re an up-and-coming artist, would YOU sign with him, or seek HIS council? (EXACTLY!)

    ..L.A. Reid is a fading, failing, floundering analog signal in a digital age.

    X,Y,”and Z” — OUT..!!

  40. Mari (RIP Dwayne McDuffie) June 17, 2011

    “He has Rihanna in a ‘360 contract,’ Def Jam has to be repaid somehow; (again) she’s NOT moving units, not enough so to cover the expense of creating and bringing to market(promoting), her CD”

    @xyz

    more lies that you can’t prove . . . as usual

  41. mobwife……(dirty billy goat…baa) June 17, 2011

    WAIT, MY HEAD HURTS….LOL!

    So Sony is the parent company of Jive and Epic? Hopefully Chris Brown can move his talents away from Jive and over to EPIC where I think he will be more appreciated! Ms. MC will probably be making that leap on over to EPIC as well. DefSCAM might be on its last leg!!

    Anyway, still think he’s a snake in the grass but he will work hard for the talent he supports! I guess one can’t be mad at that?!?!

  42. mobwife……(dirty billy goat…baa) June 17, 2011

    @S***

    WAIT……WHAT? Chris Brown is doing just fine! What are you talking about? He has performed on 3 television programs since F.A.M.E. dropped March 22…..count them THREE (3)! He has recently begun performing at various summer concerts but that’s it. He has not had the overexposure that Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Jessie J, Nicki Minaj, Jennifer Hudson (speaking of an utter failure regarding number of CDs sold to number of televised appearences), and many others have had. For example, Lupe Fiasco and Wiz Kalifia should have moved more units by now considering the positive media they get from TV to radio to magazine coverage! So again, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

    *AtThough I do feel that he has outgrown JIVE records and needs a change!!!

  43. NY-Superstar June 19, 2011

    So I see he gonna go to yet another label..and ruin ever more careers and sign even more horrible artists. He needs a partner to help him. Call Babyface back.

  44. lisa June 20, 2011

    LA Reid keep getting promoted and all of the Independent Record Labels do not exist in less than a Decade. Alot of bodies,lost jobs, jail time, altered sexuality, and snitching have followed with this massive plan to re control that animal Called Hip Hop. The new money maker of the music industry. People research the numbers that Hip Hop made in the late 90’s early 2000 before the break ups within the independent record labels.

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