LA Reid is stepping down as chairman of Island Def Jam to become a judge on the American X Factor, as reported by Billboard.
There’s been much talk about who will join Simon Cowell on the judging panel, from former American Idol judge Paula Abdul, mum to be Mariah Carey and Nicole Scherzinger, but according to reports Reid is the only judge who has been locked down and the official statement will drop later in the week.
Auditions for American X Factor begin on March 27. Just like the UK version of X Factor, the contestants will be mentored and at the end of the contest the winner will receive a $5 million contract with Sony Music.
“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,” reports Billboard. “The question remains, however, whether Reid will eventually join his former Universal boss Doug Morris, who becomes CEO of Sony Music on July 1.”
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