Sony Music has officially announced that L.A Reid is leaving Epic Records – with the tersest corporate statement we’ve ever seen.
So short is the missive confirming the exec’s departure, it contains just seven words. And two of them are ‘L.A Reid’.
Here it is in all its diminutive glory:
L.A. Reid will be leaving the company.
Linguistically, it’s a work of economical wonder.
But you’d be foolhardy not to note the lack of ‘we wish him well’ / ‘Sony thanks L.A for all of his hard work and dedication’-type garnish typically served alongside such valedictions.
Make of that what you will.
L.A Reid has been head of Los Angeles-based Epic for nearly six years.
His departure gives Rob Stringer a double-hiring problem to solve: in addition to Epic, Stringer has to find an exec to become CEO/President of Columbia Records – a role he himself vacated to replace Doug Morris as Sony Music CEO in April.
With two big jobs up for grabs, expect to see some music business merry-go-round action in the coming weeks and months.
Stringer was heavily rumored to have been courting Warner exec Max Lousada for the Columbia gig in New York, but that chatter was put to bed when Lousada was named Warner’s global recorded music boss last month.
According to MBW’s sources, Sony expects to keep Epic as an urban-leaning label, and will be consulting its artists about Reid’s eventual successor.
L.A Reid is due to speak at Midem in Cannes, France next month.
If he doesn’t cancel ‘due to unforseen events’… it surely promises to be the don’t-miss moment of the expo.Music Business Worldwide
