Now that Lucian Grainge has officially been promoted to CEO of Universal Music Group, Island Def Jam leader Antonio L.A. Reid is going to be under increasing pressure to score some hits and rein in his “me-first” attitude.
While Reid has enjoyed a level of security and autonomy under Morris' leadership, more than a half-dozen sources inside or close to UMG told The Post that Grainge wants to see more hits, better allocation of capital to artists, and less self-promotion from Reid.
“All of the divisions are going to be put under a microscope when Grainge arrives in New York,” said one UMG insider. “L.A. likes to flaunt himself — and since he's not doing that great lately, he's going to get looked at especially hard.”
Reid is in the middle of a cold streak, with a number of releases not living up to expectations, most notably the latest albums from Rihanna and Mariah Carey.
Rihanna's “Rated R” has sold just 2.5 million albums worldwide while her last album, “Good Girl Gone Bad,” sold 2.6 million in the US alone, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
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