L.A. Reid: the most powerful Black in the music business - Biography

Ebony, June, 2003 by Lynn Norment

FROM the moment he confidently strides into Arista's offices in Midtown Manhattan, Antonio (L.A.) Reid is the center of a whirlwind of activity. He exchanges greetings with employees, some dressed in suits, others in jeans and sweatshirts. Several follow him into his tastefully outfitted corner office to get his "ok" or signature on a document.

Before long, he is joined by top executives for a meeting on new music products. While on the surface the discussion appears to be informal, it is for real. Music blares in the background while compact discs are spread across the top of Reid's mahogany desk that is partially covered with a leather hide. At times he laughs and jokes with his staff. Then he turns serious, in deep thought as he ponders the decisions before him.

He looks, acts and is very much in control. After all, as president/CEO of Arista Records, which generates a half billion dollars annually, L.A. Reid, at age 45, is the most powerful Black man in the music industry.

While he commands a formidable music empire that includes some of the best-known and best-selling artists in the business, he also stays true to his producer roots by being intricately involved in the process.

"I love being in the middle of it," Reid says. "Exactly. I live for it. Over my entire career I have always identified talent, whether I was an artist at the beginning of my career, as a writer and producer, as label head. For the most part it has been the same thing. I live--and I have always lived--to identify with and associate with artists that I've found incredible."

Among those incredible artists is Canadian rocker Avril Lavigne, whose debut album spawned three No. 1 hits and sold more than 12 million. Heartthrob Usher, whom Reid groomed at LaFace Records before folding that label into Arista, sold 7 million of his latest album, while singer P!nk's second CD sold more than 10 million. Also on a roll is rap duo Outkast, whose Stankonia CD sold 5 million. Santana, Usher and Outkast all won 2003 Grammy Awards.

On the day that EBONY visits Reid at his offices and home, he is in the midst of juggling dozens of projects. "It gets crazy around here at times," he says. "We are literally working on 55 albums right now, one at a time," he adds, looking up from the CDs on his desk.

He acknowledges that 55 projects in development at one time is "a little bit" above average. "I'm committed to being an overachiever," Reid says. "I want to do more, more and more. Better, better and better. I like the idea of working with so many creative people, whether it is my artists or producers or executives. I really enjoy having huge challenges and figuring out ways to accomplish it all without ever sacrificing the quality of what we do."

Behind stylish glasses, Reid's eyes twinkle with excitement as he talks about his artists and music. It is clear that music is his life.

When Reid assumed the top post at Arista in July 2000, it was amid controversy. The powers at BMG, the multibillion-dollar German entertainment company that owns Arista, had asked the venerable Clive Davis to step aside as CEO at age 67. He was not ready to retire, and a public relations debacle followed. The company ended up giving Davis another label under the BMG banner.

Though at one time the relationship between Reid and Davis was described as "very tense," it is now "really, really good," Reid says. "We both have the responsibility of leading the creative charge at BMG. We have an incredible relationship."

There were also naysayers who questioned whether Reid, despite his reputation as a hit maker, could compete and grow a major record label that encompassed music and artists beyond his R&B roots. The elite club of major music CEOs consisted mainly of White men.

Reid acknowledges that it disturbed him that he had to prove himself, despite his track record of co-founding LaFace with longtime friend and partner Kenneth (Babyface) Edmonds in 1989 and building the label into a $100 million music powerhouse. Despite his phenomenal successes with Toni Braxton, TLC and Usher, and the fact he produced a number of songs on Whitney Houston's 24 million-selling The Bodyguard soundtrack. Despite demonstrating exceptional ability to spot and develop new talent.

By diligently working in the background while pushing his music and artists to the top of the charts, he has won the respect of nonbelievers by doing what he does best: cranking out the hits.

"I have meetings all day long in my office with creative people and business people, but I make sure I spend the majority of my time with creative people--the artists, the producers, the writers and marketing people. But I can handle the tough stuff too."

And these are tough times for the music industry, with constant threats from Internet piracy, bootlegging and CD burning or copying. "The music business will survive," Reid says of the challenges. "We just have to be very smart and forward-thinking in how we handle it. But at the end of the day, we really have to concentrate on great music and great artists. Because if you make a great record on a great artist, people want to own it."