L.A. Reid’s tenure as the head of Sony Music’s Epic Records has involved a lot of spending — but few hits.
In the year’s first half, Epic didn’t have enough market share to make it into the top 10 of labels, and didn’t have a top 10 album or digital track.
No wonder he announced last December that after two seasons as a judge on “X-Factor” he wouldn’t return, saying, “I’ve a company to run that I’ve kind of neglected.”
So far, the re-focused 57-year-old executive, who came to Epic after running Universal’s Island Def Jam Music Group, is giving Sony executives reason to hope a turnaround isn’t far off.
In July, two releases, Ciara’s self-titled CD and Sara Bareilles’ “The Blessed Unrest,” reached No. 2 in consecutive weeks.
Now, Reid is pinning his hopes on third success story: Bonnie McKee, a flame-haired 29-year-old songwriter-turned-artist who has written eight No. 1 singles, as well as “Roar,” pop star Katy Perry’s hit single.
McKee’s own single, “American Girl,” hit 100th place on Billboard’s Top 100 and her video has been clicked 2.7 million times on YouTube.
“A lot is riding on Bonnie McKee,” said a veteran music source, as Reid desperately seeks traction for the label that also houses Avril Lavigne, sultry singer Sade, and The Fray.
While he helped launch the careers of Justin Bieber and Rhianna at Universal, Reid’s “X-Factor” artists, such as Melanie Amaro, are yet to find a mainstream audience.
“He’s Teflon Reid,” said one source. “The overhead is insane, he’s spent a lot of money, but he hasn’t struck oil yet.”
Reid is described as a supreme artists and repertoire guy, but one critic questioned “how many losses can he endure before he starts getting criticism from Japan?”
Epic declined to comment.