NAS' "LIFE IS GOOD" PRODUCER LANDS HUGE SONY EXEC POSITION

Rap veteran Nas' longtime producer Salaam Remi is trading in the studio for an office as Sony Music Entertainment's new executive vice president of A&R/production.

Reports of the producer's new high-level gig surfaced Tuesday(November 20).

Sony Music Entertainment is expected to name Salaam Remi as executive VP of A&R/production, according to sources familiar with the situation. In his new role, the Grammy-nominated producer/songwriter will work across all Sony labels. Remi's most recent credits include Alicia Keys' current top five R&B/hip-hop hit "Girl on Fire" and Tamia's "Beautiful Surprise," plus credits on the latest albums by Miguel ("Kaleidoscope Dream") and Nas ("Life Is Good"). His extensive discography also includes production collaborations with Amy Winehouse, Monica, Jazmine Sullivan and the Fugees as well as several film scores ("Sparkle," "Tyson"). (Billboard Biz)

Last month, singer/producer The-Dream got appointed Def Jam executive.

Writer and producer the-Dream (real name: Terius Nash), who has worked with Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige and Justin Bieber, among other hit artists, has been appointed executive VP of A&R at Def Jam. According to a statement issued on Oct. 8, The-Dream "will have a comprehensive, broad reaching A&R portfolio." His responsibilities at the division of Universal Music Group will include overseeing the progress of current and new artist projects, signing new talent to the label and working in a production capacity with artists on the Def Jam roster. In his new position, the-Dream will work closely with Barry Weiss, chairman/CEO of Universal Republic and Island Def Jam Motown; Karen Kwak, head of A&R at Island Def Jam Music Group; Joie Manda, president of Def Jam Recordings; And Steve Bartels, president/COO of Island Def Jam Music Group. (Billboard Biz)

In August, fellow ATL musician Young Jeezy announced his new position as Atlantic Records' senior vice president of A&R.

Taking to his Twitter page today (Aug. 9), Jeezy acknowledged his new position -- in a message that was also retweeted by Atlantic -- by saying "From the streets to the Boardroom. SVP of A&R at Atlantic Records I am. Let's Get it!" The news was reportedly broken by DJ Greg Street of V103 out of Atlanta, and was confirmed by Jeezy's production coordinator DJ Folk last night. (Billboard)

In summer 2011, Chicago hip-hop producer No I.D. got hired as Def Jam's executive vice president.

"I'm (now) executive VP of Def Jam," the producer announced. "I'm going to keep on doing what I'm doing and take it to another level. No I.D. has worked with heavyweights such Jay-Z, Kanye West and Rihanna and said that he hopes to keep finding talent and making music. "Def Jam is a cultural staple," No I.D. said. "It's not just a label, it's part of the culture that I came up in and that I've been involved with for 20 years. It's very important that the next generation of executives grab it by the horns and keep it on track as it grows." (Billboard Biz)

MySpace Relaunch Plan Is Optimistic -- Maybe Too Optimistic Read more at http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/digital-and-mobile/business-matters-myspace-relaunch-plan-is-1008019512.story#KUAPRl2PCbLrrlbu.99

PowerPoint presentation about MySpace posted at Business Insider shows the company has an incredibly ambitious plan to turn around the social network.

But the plan may be too optimistic.

According to the presentation given, while seeking $50 million in funding, Specific Media plans to grow revenue from $15 million in 2012 to $58 million, $102 million and $140 million in the following three years. EBITDA will rise from -$42 million this year to -$25 million, $10 million and $33 million in the next three years. And it plans to do this as a music streaming service as its main competitors -- Pandora and Spotify -- have yet to turn a profit. It's a pitch to investors, so it's obviously going to be ambitious.

Justin Timberlake, Tim and Chris Vanderhook Detail MySpace's New Music-Centric Design

In the second quarter of 2013, the company plans to launch a mobile subscription service and incorporate e-commerce transactions for artist merchandise, event ticketing and music downloads. These are functions that have yet to be added by the more single-minded Pandora and Spotify.

The presentation has a handful of red flags.

• MySpace wants to sprint before it can crawl. It shouldn't worry about selling tickets, merchandise or downloads. It should concentrate on being the best music service on the web. Its competitors, namely Pandora and Spotify, focus on doing just one thing. MySpace won't compete with either unless it focuses on being the absolute best at either Internet radio or on-demand streaming. Being average at many things doesn't cut it in the winner-take-all markets of the digital economy. Or MySpace should focus on being the best social network possible. It's an either/or, not an all-of-the-above, situation.

• If MySpace will be successful, it probably won't get there on the back of the royalty-free songs from the independent artists Specific Media says makes up a "significant" portion of its 42-million catalog. Instead, MySpace will need to stream more costly popular catalog. MySpace may pay no royalties on about half of its songs now, but wait until people actually start using it as a music service rather than a social network. And if MySpace actually takes off, expect any artists and rights holders paying attention to rescind their royalty-free songs from the catalog in order to get paid.

• MySpace's "sustained competitive advantages" given in the presentation (such as a 200-person sales force and a "unified infrastructure and platform") are not advantages that typically sustain over the long term. A true sustainable advantage would be, for example, Google's ability to link its social network, Google+, to the world's most popular search engine and its suite of web properties such as Gmail and Google Docs. True sustainable advantages are hard to find in social media. People disagree about whether or not Facebook has legitimate competitive advantages. There should be far less disagreement with MySpace.

Specific Media's pitch says MySpace is "THE social music destination for the creative community to connect with fans." Since MySpace's shine started to fade years ago, artists have been given a range of tools and services to forge a direct connection with fans: Facebook, Bandcamp, Topspin, MTV's Artist.MTV pages, Twitter and Kickstarter, to name a few.

But MySpace does have an opportunity here. The presentation notes the site's fastest-growing segments are ages 13-17 and 18-24. This is demographic with a proven affinity for both social media and advertising-supported media. It's a niche, but it could be a great place to start.

NEW DOC REVEALS DETAILS OF 'DOLEMITE' ACTOR RUDY RAY MOORE'S SEXUALITY

If you're of age to remember the blaxploitation films of the '70s, or was fortunately exposed to them later in life, then you're familiar with one of the era's biggest action heros—Rudy Ray Moore, aka "Dolemite."

Now, a new documentary about the actor's life reveals some shocking details, including mysteries behind his sexuality. Check out this excerpt from Carlton Jordan's exclusive interview with Moore's longtime manager Donald Randall:

"He was never married and had no kids. I heard rumors over the years that Rudy was gay but I never saw any evidence of it. I have heard stories and have found now that the accusations were correct. I have footage of interviews with people outing him and if you listen to his comedy he does make reference to it. He also signed two drag queens to his label and had gay male actors in his movies. There were only three men around Rudy who weren’t gay. But I never knew this until his co-star and friend Jimmy Lynch told me. Then I believed it. Rudy did a very good job of covering it up.

Rudy did have some girlfriends according to his friend Ben Taylor. But he also had male lovers. The documentary will cover that."

TO SEE THE FULL INTERVIEW, HEAD ON OVER TO CARLTON JORDAN

NEW MUSIC: WIZ KHALIFA FT. CAM'RON "THE BLUFF"

Sean Khalifa rolls a few up on this trippy track "The Bluff" with Cam'ron. Off O.N.I.F.C. due Dec. 4. Get lifted and turn up below.

HECTOR CAMACHO SHOT

Boxing legend Hector Camacho was shot today in Puerto Rico, in an apparently drive-by shooting. TMZ reports the former lightweight champion and Puerto Rican legend was in the passenger seat of his car when another vehicle stopped and opened fire. The driver of the car was killed, and Camacho was taken to the hospital. He is apparently in critical condition. More information as it develops.

UPDATE: Multiple news sources are reporting that Hector Camacho was shot in the face, but that he is expected to survive.

Salaam Remi Heading To Sony Music As Executive VP of A&R

Sony Music Entertainment is expected to name Salaam Remi as executive VP of A&R/production, according to sources familiar with the situation. In his new role, the Grammy-nominated producer/songwriter will work across all Sony labels.

Remi's most recent credits include Alicia Keys' current top five R&B/hip-hop hit "Girl on Fire" and Tamia's "Beautiful Surprise," plus credits on the latest albums by Miguel ("Kaleidoscope Dream") and Nas ("Life Is Good"). His extensive discography also includes production collaborations with Amy Winehouse, Monica, Jazmine Sullivan and the Fugees as well as several film scores ("Sparkle," "Tyson").

Remi is the latest of many hit songwriter/producers to join labels' executive ranks. Last year, Chris "Tricky" Stewart was appointed to a senior A&R post at Epic Records and No I.D. was named EVP of A&R at Def Jam.  And last month, The-Dream was appointed exec. VP of A&R for Def Jam.

LL COOL J TO RELEASE 'AUTHENTIC HIP-HOP' ALBUM IN FEBRUARY

Whether you favor his "Ratchet" or not, that new LL Cool J LP is a-comin'.

The rapper/actor has announced that he will be releasing his fourteenth studio effort Authentic Hip-Hop Feb. 12, 2013. LL assures he's not trying to adapt to the young'uns running the music scene but offer up a project meant for the real ride-or-dies.

"With Authentic Hip-Hop, I wanted to work on a project that was for the true fans," he says. "I'm not trying to compete with 17-year-olds on the radio, but I am talking directly to the folks who came up with me. We may not be teenagers anymore, but we do still like to have fun."

Authentic Hip-Hop, equipped with LL's recent singles "Ratchet" and "Take It," will feature production from the Trackmasters and a collaboration with R&B songstress Monica. It hits iTunes for pre-order on Nov. 27.

Be sure to also check out the "NCIS: Los Angeles" star take on co-hosting duties for the "Grammy Nominations Concert Live! -- Countdown to Music's Biggest Night," live on CBS on December 5 at 10 pm ET from Nashville, TN.