In news that already has the industry abuzz, it is being reported by by several reputable outlets that music mogul LA Reid is the first judge to sign on to the US version of the X Factor.
Full story below…
Via Billboard:
Antonio “L.A.” Reid will leave his job as chairman of Island Def Jam to become a judge on Simon Cowell’s upcoming show “The X Factor,” a source familiar with Cowell’s offer confirmed to Billboard Wednesday.
Reid accepted an offer from Simon Cowell this week to join the Fox television show, which will begin airing in September, the source said. Reid’s contract was due to expire in December.
Island Def Jam will continue to be run by Steve Bartels. Barry Weiss, the former Sony Music executive joining Universal Music Group this month, is expected to add oversight of Island Def Jam to his duties.
The question remains, however, whether Reid will eventually join his former Universal boss Doug Morris, who becomes CEO of Sony Music on July 1.
Sony Music has vested interest in the competition: Recordings of the show’s contestants will be controlled by Simon Cowell’s Syco and Sony Music and the winner will receive a $5 million contract with Sony Music.
Auditions begin March 27 in Los Angeles.
Anyone who follows the industry will know that landing Reid is a huge coup for Cowell and the X Factor USA. For, not only is Reid a celebrated figure (one renown for launching the careers of Toni Braxton, Pink and Justin Bieber – as well as re-launching Mariah Carey’s in 2005), he’s also no stranger to controversy (see: Janet Jackson’s ‘Discipline’, Mariah’s career since 2008). Nonetheless; notoriously no-nonsense, Reid should have no difficulty shifting into the role of TV personality.
Some may scratch their heads at the importance of this; yet – as an industry geek myself – this is exciting on many a front. For, not only does it heighten anticipation for the announcement of the rest of the judging panel (both Simon and LA are ‘industry’ figures, hence it’s wildly likely that the remaining two slots will be female performers), it also begs the question of whether he’s set to take up a boardroom role over at Sony.
To briefly educate, Simon Cowell’s music empire is housed at Sony Music, which looks after X Factor (and to which the winner will eventually be signed). Rival show, American Idol is looked after by Universal Music – Sony’s rivals; hence why Reid had to leave (or have his leave brought forward) in order to take part in Cowell’s show. With open CEO slots at Sony labels RCA (Christina Aguilera) and J Records (Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson), it will be interesting to see where Reid ends up and what that means for the label’s roster. What’s more, while at Universal, acts such as Mariah Carey (for all their ups and downs) have come to depend on Reid; what will that mean for her moving forward? Will she make a return to Sony (her label for much of her glory days)?
What ever the case, interesting times lay ahead!
{Source 1 / Source 2 / Source 3 }
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For my girl Monica’s sake, im really hoping LA Reid ends up at Sony…
This is a judge that makes sense, and he might get some new artists.
Here’s hoping mimi stays with ?la reid and joins the panel!!
And even if she’s not chosen, shewill have a new boss that picks BETTER SINGLE CHOICES
Ewwwwwww, does this means he becomes Beyonce boss. Gtfoh
😛 Life is so beautiful. You need someone to share it
——- Bla c k’w h it e’F li rts. C” 0- M——-
a nice pla ce for seeking interr-acial lo-ve. which gives you a chance to make your life better and open oppor-tunities //for you to meet the at-tractive sing-les and trea-t you like a king or Q-ueen.
Go for it, you will have a d-a t-e soon !!!
Well, J.lo just wnet to Island Def Jam to just discover that the boss man was leaving for Xfactor. That is messed up! I hope Xfactor doesn’t give me more reasons to sit out.
PLEASE LET NICOLE BE ON THE PANEL TOOOOOOOOOOOOO
(so again I’ll ask, come July-1st …) Does this mean he’ll be Chris Brown’s boss?
And I ask this AFTER seeing L.A. Reid be intricately involved in/with ‘Rated R’ and the “Atmosphere” surrounding it’s creation/marketing/promotion.
After F.A.M.E drops, and ‘quickly sprints’ to Platinum Status, I’ll THEN be all-in-favor of D/L’ing of music – F*** THE INDUSTRY..!!
X,Y,”and Z” — OUT…!!
…(still..) Better Yet — I WON’T watch ‘X-Factor’. And I say this, as I’ve said, after seeing L.A. Reid try to assassinate(character) CBreezy. (Jay Z/Harvey Levin, Oprah Winfrey I’ll soon get to)
To all my Beloved ‘Team-Breezy Family’ – Do Y’ALL think, after seeing what L.A. Reid tried to do to CBreezy, that we should reward him with OUR $upport…??? I don’t…I won’t…!!!!
X,Y,”and Z” — OUT..!
Sam just found a good excuse to turn this post into a Mariah Post, Smh. Amercan Idol should hand it up, X Factor will slay!!!
PLEASE LET NICOLE BE ON THE PANEL TOOOOOOOOOOOOO [2]
@X,Y,”and Z
You better withhold that support of yours because L.A and everybody else who matters is not checking out your fave!
Mariah carey should be a Judge!!
It’s funny how ALL execs in the music industry just get juggled around. They just jump from one label and/ or music group to another. Same people in control all the time.
I knew l.a’s time at Def Jam was ending ( probably a forced resignation/ non renewal of contract) and I knew he potentially could just move on to another label. Now we know he’s leaving, this is a big score for x factor. It is interesting to speculate where some of his artists from Def Jam go. Can they get out of contracts or not? It must be a little scary when your boss leaves or you get a new one because as an artist, your position could be up in the air.
I’ll wait and see about x factor because… I’ll just wait.
I actually think Mariah would make a great judge and mentor because after watching her show on American Idol it is evident that the woman has an ear for music and I think she will be teho ne with more advice that criticism.
I think jlo has suprisingly been ok on amrican idol although the last 13 people chosen are totally incorrect as far as im concerned….quite a cookie and eccentric bunch but maybe thats what they are going for this year.
Lets hope Mariah signes on….shes due next month which gives her lots of time to recover
Interesting!
But don´t worry for Mariah. She will be fine. Even if she retires… she has it all. Although the money ever made by the songs Hero and One Sweet Day went for charity since the beggining, she still has monster songs she has written herself to live the rest of her life like a Queen. That´s what being a real artist brings to you!
Poor XY and Zip…. lolololol Chris pencil d*** Brown better sell alot otherwise you will commit s******… so much pressure on him with a fan like you.
Looking forward to X factor
@OLE SKOOL re: 3:50 pm March 17th —
NOT AT ALL…!! “You haters” have ALREADY “set the mark/margin of success” for ‘F.A.M.E’ – “anything-more-than Graffiti”. (isn’t THAT what y’all haters are forever referencing?)
You, ‘haters’, say that it’ll be a “Flop” like ‘Graffiti’ was. Graffiti sold 106K its first week. (subsequently some 300k there-months-after..). So, with that in mind, if Chris does ANYTHING over 106k (his first week), then ‘F.A.M.E’ will be… a “success”…(y’all, haters, logic/reasoning, not mine!)
But the “intent” behind your logic has now convinced me..(where I was unsure and before undecided..) TeamBreezy should NOT SUPPORT ‘X Factor’. To support ‘X Factor’ is to support the hate/hater who was a part of the ‘Chrianna 9th, 2009’ hysteria, lies, charade…!!
@my much-loved Team Breezy Family — If you watch ‘X Factor’ you support Rihanna. If you watch ‘X Factor’ you support those who tried to destroy OUR BOY, and Our Family..!!
(how’s THAT for “pressure”, Ole Skool..?) ; – 9 (wink)
X,Y,”and Z” — OUT…!!
@XYZ…boy hush! Your posts are always so cringe worthy. Get a grip my dear, it really isn’t that serious.
@Who’s cedric? —
1.)”Cringe worthy enough” for you to feel threatened/keep on reading! ; – 9 (WINK)
2.)”Serious enough” for you to acknowledge them.
… So, let us NOW see if I can call for, and mobilize, A FULL-BOYCOTT for/of L.A. Reid/X-Factor..
(Is that “cringe worthy enough” for you?)
The FACTS remain, L.A. Reid was ‘instrumental and figured significantly into’ the drama/hysteria/pantomime/charade/lies that was ‘Feb 8th, 2009 Chrianna’…!! (Your now “shouting me down” only validates my argument, and hardens my resolve..!!)
(I smell your fear. Give me your face… I RISE, YOU FALL….)
X,Y,”and Z” — OUT..!!
@XYZ
Dude I’m not here for what happened that night, I’m over it and so is Chris Brown. So why do you feel the need to keep rehashing it? Sit down.
Are you that crazy broad that got that big ass ugly tattoo of Chris’ face on her back and posted it on twitter like that s*** is cute?
About time Simon hired a proper black judge and no that self hating c*** Randy does not count.I think the two females judges will be Paula Abdul and Mariah if she cannot do it Nicole.I think Simon knows he cannot hire that racist cow Cheryl Cole for America.
(Heavy falls the veil of ignorance…)
@Who’s Cedric? re: 5:41pm —
I’m a ‘Dude’, then you ‘throw shade’ and THEN ask if I’m some “crazy broad?” (sigh.. I’m crushed!)
“So why do you feel the need to keep rehashing it?” <— Wasn't it Camp-Fenty/Def Jam who just leaked those 2-year-old Pity-Party Pictures? Isn't Rihanna, in her most-recent Vogue interview, STILL "talking" bout it? (So WHOSE rehashing what again….?!?")
(And where were YOU for 2-years?…) I KNOW where you were – you were watching Oprah, Tyra, TMZ and agreeing just how much of a "bad seed" Chris Brown was!
But it's a fact that, even YOU, can't refute:
L.A. Reid was instrumental at the creating/marketing/promotion of 'Rated R'. And why not? Def Jam saw 'Feb 8th, 2009 Chrianna' as a "water$hed moment", and thus poured vast sums into the 'Rated R' creation/promotion (…20/20 Diane Sawyer "he had no soul in his eyes" withstanding!)
I FIRMLY believe that the wicked MUST be exposed. In YOUR silence, you're facilitating hate!
You are weak. You will always lose. You will always be bullied, picked-on, scorned, turned-away, and ridiculed BECAUSE "THEY" KNOW THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH IT..!!
I am righteous and pure of heart! (concepts and ideas you, given the meager responses/comments you've made, certainly know NOTHING OF!)
If "The Haters" will now see the "concentrated purchasing power" of 'The Team Breezy Family,' they'll NEVER AGAIN pick-on nor belittle Our Boy. They'll THEN know there'll be a terrible-price to pay for THEIR truculence..!!
"PEACE THROUGH TYRANNY" I guess is what YOU'LL call it. But it's been this way..for forever..!!
X,Y,"and Z" — OUT…!!
Great choice. for the contestants and for him.
Z ,Y, X
I see you stay thinking about Princess Rihanna I don’t blame you. She stays on all of our minds fans and haters
*Sips M***** Juice*
This is great for XFactor. Personally, I think the top 12 contestants on Idol are subpar and many are 5th rate copies previous contestants that were truly great and original. I have no interest in the rest of Idol this season and think Jimmy Iovine’s self-promotion is sickening, heartbeat headphones, videos, narrations, pure BS. And Steven Tyler is not criticizing some of the bad-singing the way he should. Lopez is just there to promote her music. Randy knows these kids ain’t the most talented bunch ever be has to keep the hype up. None of the contestants have shown any real artistry and are still doing karoke/copycat. You need to have your own sound post-Idol..not seeing it with this years crop.
Why don’t he just start his own label and make it a division of Sony??
I 100% agree with @SCOTT
AS USUAL SAM HAS IT WRONG FOR A SO-CALLED INDUSTRY GEEK. WHITNEY AND JHUD ARE AT ARISTA NOT JIVE RECORDS. ALICIA KEYS IS AT JIVE. WE KNOW CLIVE DAVIS BABY IS ARISTA. GET IT RIGHT!!!!
Hes the man he made my favs the biggest girl group ever TLC..