One day after Mariah Carey returned to the stage of the Billboard Music Awards for the first time in 15 years, her label boss L.A. Reid expressed skepticism about the chart-topping prospects for new single, “Infinity.”

Epic Records CEO L.A. Reid said in a far-ranging interview withBillboard published Monday: “To even be on the radio at this point in her career is a huge accomplishment, because radio doesn’t cater to veteran artists or legends. Radio caters to in-the-moment stars.”

Reid was quick to point out that Carey is not the only legacy artist to have trouble cracking the charts these days.

“Nobody that put out records 25 years ago is going to have a No. 1. Not Paul [McCartney], Stevie [Wonder], Bruce [Springsteen], Mick [Jagger] or Keith [Richards]. Not Prince, not anyone,” he said. So if she can get on the radio, we’ve done damn good. Would we like to have a No. 1? F– yeah, I’m greedy. But it’s not realistic.”

Maybe it’s that kind of honesty that brought Carey back to Reid, who signed the 45-year-old star to Epic in March and immediately packaged a greatest-hits collection, “#1s,” to accompany her Las Vegas c... residency. While at Universal’s Island Def Jam records, Carey felt she was languishing without Reid’s support.

“I felt really abandoned by him. I was lost. I really didn’t like being at a place without a family. You’ve gotta have people that actually care about you as an artist, that’s first and foremost, and as a person as well,” Carey recently told the L.A. Times.

“That’s what you get with him. I was kind of like floundering, doing some work that I’m still really proud of.”

Carey’s residency at Caesars Palace includes two more dates in May, with nine shows scheduled for July.

http://www.thewrap.com/l-a-reid-mariah-carey-no-1-song-not-realistic/

L.A. Reid is kinda full of doo doo. I don't want to bring up another artist but he has a lot of nerve to say this after how he screwed her over. I am not saying he is wrong but just saying.

No shit Albert Einstein

The same cat who dumped Patti LaBelle after one album on DefSoul

[Edited 5/18/15 22:33pm]

phunkdaddy said:

No shit Albert Einstein

The same cat who dumped Patti LaBelle after one album on DefSoul

..LOL...Patti's situation was a little different..She actually did 2 Albums (1 with Original Songs & another Album of "Covers")...Both were her highest charted Solo work since the 80's...Reid did ZERO promos for her, Patti said she had to do it ALL...They released her duet with Ron Isley "Gotta Go Solo" and it became a radio-hit but the dang-thang wasnt on ANYBODYS Album...LOL...Sad...Then the Label planned a Big Shin-dig for her 45th Anniversary in the Industry, then DUMPED her in the process putting Artists scheduled to perform in a Fucked-up situtation....The Special went on but they said Patti went on-stage on FIRE and BLASTED the label to bits...The best revenge she got is that her 45th Anniversary special was promoted heavilly (mainly radio promos) and was the Highest rated Special in UPN's history...Now that's probably not saying a whole lot for the Network but it is what it is....I think Reid is all about the bizness of making money and like most Moguls if you aint bringing in the Green you gots to go..I don't think it's a personal thing with him..It's just bizness...

Isn't he supposed to be the head of a major record label? Didn't record labels used to have radio promotions departments, specifically for making sure their artists got played? It's annoying how top industry executives these days are sitting on their hands and acting as helpless as stans, hoping that their releases catch on. Once upon a time when the head of a major label decided that their artist was GOING to be a hit, they used their power to make ensure it. L.A. Reid is just incompetent anyways. I don't understand how he keeps getting CEO jobs. He may as well hook back up with Babyface and relaunch that old production company they had, because it seems to me that he hasn't been consistantly successful since LaFace.

But her tits are only 15! So she should be able to get some airplay.

Radio is dead, a sad fact. The internet, so evil. lol

"Left Eye was like a daughter to me"

SoulAlive said:

well,duh we all know that radio doesn't play "older" artists.Veteran artists have to adapt to the new reality.

It. Happens. To. Everyone.

Things really have changed. How old was Marvin Gaye when he came out with "Sexual Healing" and won a Grammy? In his 40s... You heard that song everywhere way back when...

I have never taken LA Reid serious as a label head. The man is obviously clueless when it comes to running a record label. Yeah, yeah, yeah... before you retort with "Look what he did for Usher!" but also look at what he did to Toni Braxton, TLC, Corey Glover, and Patti LaBelle. I've lost count of how many artists he screwed over and he just comes across as a complete joke.

namepeace said:

SoulAlive said:

well,duh we all know that radio doesn't play "older" artists.Veteran artists have to adapt to the new reality.

It. Happens. To. Everyone.

Chancellor said:

purplethunder3121 said:

Things really have changed. How old was Marvin Gaye when he came out with "Sexual Healing" and won a Grammy? In his 40s... You heard that song everywhere way back when...

>

Tina Turner made a comeback at 45!

LA Reid is just mad that today's market and structure of music business no longer allows him to
make a gazillion dollars a year anymore.

'Fuck outta here, Reid.

CynicKill said:

CynicKill said:

purplethunder3121 said:

Things really have changed. How old was Marvin Gaye when he came out with "Sexual Healing" and won a Grammy? In his 40s... You heard that song everywhere way back when...

>

Tina Turner made a comeback at 45!

I love this argument more than any other...but those were different times...and there is only one TT

badujunkie said:

CynicKill said:

>

Tina Turner made a comeback at 45!

I love this argument more than any other...but those were different times...and there is only one TT

>

But seriously you had people like Patti Labelle, The Pointer Sisters. Even Genesis and Aerosmith all were huge. And none were spring chickens.

CynicKill said:

purplethunder3121 said:

Things really have changed. How old was Marvin Gaye when he came out with "Sexual Healing" and won a Grammy? In his 40s... You heard that song everywhere way back when...

>

Tina Turner made a comeback at 45!

Yeah and old farts like Elton John and Meat Loaf were scoring #1s in the 1990s. It's crazy how it went from that to mostly rap artists to, now, female dance-pop divas. There are only a handful of male pop stars left. There's either girl poptarts, "rock"/pop bands, or rappers.

CharismaDove said:

CynicKill said:

>

Tina Turner made a comeback at 45!

Yeah and old farts like Elton John and Meat Loaf were scoring #1s in the 1990s. It's crazy how it went from that to mostly rap artists to, now, female dance-pop divas. There are only a handful of male pop stars left. There's either girl poptarts, "rock"/pop bands, or rappers.

Even Madonna's latest album flopped in the US, in terms of singles. Surprising, since she was pretty much the only successful '80s singles-artist left in the last few years, it had appeared

[Edited 5/19/15 15:07pm]

I'm not sure why, but lately social media hasn't been kind to Mariah Carey.. she's the butt of most jokes, and people genuinely seem to think Ariana Grande has left her irrelevant

badujunkie said:

CynicKill said:

>

Tina Turner made a comeback at 45!

I love this argument more than any other...but those were different times...and there is only one TT

The fact that older artists hit the charts, and sometimes top the charts, does not change the ebb and flow of radio play as artists age. Elite artists will always find some audience success. But Airplay, sales and marketability generally wane as artists age out of the key demographics in pop music (18-30/18-35). It happened to Sinatra. It happened to Elvis. It happened Michael Jackson. It happened to Prince. It happened to Madonna. It happens to everyone.

CharismaDove said:

I'm not sure why, but lately social media hasn't been kind to Mariah Carey.. she's the butt of most jokes, and people genuinely seem to think Ariana Grande has left her irrelevant

>

LOL that girl struggles so hard to be Mariah.

But she's had some good singles. If only you could understand what she was saying half the time...

namepeace said:

It happened to Sinatra.

Around 1984 Frank had a single called L.A. Is My Lady, and in the video there were then popular acts like Van Halen, Michael McDonald, & Michael Jackson in it. But I've never heard the song on the radio although I saw the video on Video Soul and I think Solid Gold played a clip of it too.

kitbradley said:

Annivesary special on UPN??? Wow! This is the first time I'm hearing about that! I'll have to try and find it on youtube.

I'm willing to bet you a Million Bucks you saw it but you probably forgot about it...Tracey Ellis Ross was the host...The Anniversary was taped @ a Beautiful resort somewhere...The entire Tribute to Patti is on Youtube (Boyz II Men, Ashanti, Yolonda, Nelly, Gerald Levert)...Ashford & Simpson were in the audience that night, they always supported fellow artists...

CharismaDove said:

CharismaDove said:

Yeah and old farts like Elton John and Meat Loaf were scoring #1s in the 1990s. It's crazy how it went from that to mostly rap artists to, now, female dance-pop divas. There are only a handful of male pop stars left. There's either girl poptarts, "rock"/pop bands, or rappers.

Even Madonna's latest album flopped in the US, in terms of singles. Surprising, since she was pretty much the only successful '80s singles-artist left in the last few years, it had appeared

The hit parade ends for everybody,at some point.If you look at the charts,you won't see hardly any artists over 40 years old on it.When you're a veteran artist,you should just focus on touring.It's a losing battle trying to compete with the "hot",young artists on the charts today.

Jay Z still manages to have hits and he is a few years older than Mariah – I think Pharrell is the same age as her had the biggest hit of the year in 2014.

Must be a sexist thing.

mancabdriver said: