BURBANK, CA  [Tuesday Jan.20.2004]  /WMQT.com/ -- In a move that surprised the music industry Tuesday, Antonio "L.A." Reid was forced out as president and CEO of Arista Records. Reid was one of the more popular executives in the business and was responsible for stewarding the careers of artists like Dido, Outkast, Usher, Pink, TLC and Avril Lavigne. One of the motivating factors behind the move could be the impending merger between Sony and BMG, which owns Arista, RCA/J Records and Jive.

Arista's executive management will now report to BMG chief operating officer Michael Smellie. Arista executive vp and general manager Larry Mestel will continue to oversee day-to-day operations, sources said. The label's future, however, remains unclear.

It is speculated that this is in preparation for regulatory approval for the Sony-BMG merger though at least one BMG executive insists that it's unrelated. Others believe that Arista will be swallowed up by RCA and J Records under Clive Davis who was part of a contentious period when Reid became head of Arista.

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