Veteran American record label chief Antonio ‘LA’ Reid is set to leave his job overseeing Universal Music’s Island Def Jam division in order to become a judge on the all new US version of ‘X-Factor’. According to Billboard, although no official announcement has been made, sources have confirmed to them that Reid accepted an invite to appear on the new talent show earlier this week, and he intends to leave his IDJ job to do so.
This, of course, has led to speculation that Reid will subsequently join Sony Music, the major which owns half of the ‘X-Factor’ franchise through its business partnership with Simon Cowell. If he did so, he’d be part of an expected exchange of executives between the two major record companies.
Reid would join his former boss Doug Morris at Sony, and possibly fill the gap left by Barry Weiss, who recently made the opposite move, from Sony to Universal. It’s thought that after Reid’s departure, executive responsibility for IDJ will be included in Weiss’s new remit at Universal, although the division’s President Steve Bartels will continue to run it on a day to day basis.
Cowell himself wouldn’t reveal anything about the ‘X-USA’ judging panel when asked about it earlier this week, though he did tell MTV: “It’s gonna be a balance between guys and girls, and it should be a balance between people who have been singers and also, like me, have worked behind the scenes and know what they’re talking about. It will be the best judging panel so far. I promise you: If I get the people I want, I’m really happy”.
Sections: Media - Music Business - Top Stories | Tags: Island Def Jam, Universal Music, X-Factor USA
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