Music Mogul: L.A. Reid

How I Built This · 7 Nov 2016 · 31m

What this episode covers

L.A. Reid, co-founder of LaFace Records and former CEO of Arista and Epic Records, recounts his journey from a drummer in Cincinnati to a music mogul. He details the strategic decision to launch LaFace in Atlanta, the pivotal role of the 'Boomerang' soundtrack in launching artists like TLC and Toni Braxton, and the complex dynamics of selling his company to Arista. Reid also discusses his talent-spotting instincts, the challenges of managing egos, and his eventual firing from Arista followed by his rapid rise at Universal Music Group.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies, companies scaling up and large enterprises

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
LaFace Records, Arista Records, Universal Music Group, Def Jam, Epic Records, Solar Records
Products
TLC, Toni Braxton, Pink, Rihanna, Boomerang
Also
Clive Davis, Babyface, Doug Morris, Jay-Z

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • People of Packaging · 27m

    321 - REPENT! The Label King, Robert Parker, is here!

    Robert Parker, founder of Label King, joins host Adam Peek to discuss the launch of Label King SLC, a new Salt Lake City location leveraging Parker's 23 years of experience in label printing. Parker details his journey from a salesperson at Kent Lansford (now Veritex) to starting his own business with a Webtron 650 press and hundreds of cutting dies, emphasizing the importance of consistency, team building, and vendor partnerships. The episode highlights the operational transition from a small 1,500 sq ft space to a larger facility, focusing on how established best practices and a strong culture of employee growth support their expansion into the Utah market.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 34m

    Founder Feature: Gabriella Labi and Tonya Reznikovich of Gato Dates

    Gabriella Labi and Tonya Reznikovich, co-founders of Gato Dates, explain how they transformed a home kitchen recipe for dark chocolate-covered, nut butter-stuffed Medjool dates into a premium DTC brand. They detail their 'year zero' strategy of validating the product at LA farmers markets, which generated $1,500 on day one and led to organic celebrity discovery by figures like LeAnn Rimes and Kristin Cavallari. The founders discuss their transition to full-time operations, their retail expansion into specialty and major grocery accounts, and the specific challenges of scaling production and managing margins in year two.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by How I Built This. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.