Are Britney Spears and her fellow “X Factor” judge L.A. Reid about to make beautiful music together?
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Spears” contract with RCA will be up after one more album and among those courting the pop princess is Reid, who is head of Sony’s Epic Records.
Also in the picture is Barry Weiss, who now heads Island Def Jam. Weiss is the former head of Jive (which was absorbed into RCA as part of the BMG/Sony merger), who oversaw Spears” career from the start.
The Reporter piece says both execs are eager to sign Spears for a sum of $3 million-to-$5 million/album.
We contacted RCA, who declined to comment on the story. Weiss told THR that he would “love to be reunited with [Spears].” While Reid may have proximity on his side and the lure of making shiny new promises to an artist who may be looking for a change, Weiss has an advantage in that he”s proven to Spears what he can do. For that matter, what’s to stop “X Factor” judge, creator Simon Cowell from stepping in and trying to sign her to his Sony imprint, Syco? He’s certainly done just fine with One Direction and Susan Boyle.
Then again, we”re likely talking a few years from now since Spears still has to fulfill her contract with RCA first, and the landscape can change between now and when negotiations begin in earnest. These are the kinds of stories that make great copy, and get the rumor mill going, but we”ll have to wait to see how it all shakes out. What is undeniable is that Spears, through all her ups and downs, had remained a viable, worldwide album seller (if not as strong as she was in her heyday) so it”s no surprise that any label would love to see her on its roster.