Music Biz: Sony and UMG Trading Execs–Doug Morris Going to Sony

Reported elsewhere, but I’ve done a little confirming of my own:

If he can get out of his remaining contract at Universal Music Group, Doug Morris will become the head of Sony Music. Yes, he’s 72. He’s fit as a fiddle and wants the job, says my knowledgeable source.

Morris will then have run all the major companies–from Atlantic, to Universal to Columbia. Not bad.

L.A. Reid will stay at UMG and run his own label, I am told. He will exit Island Def Jam. He will stay under the corporate umbrella, and perhaps join “American Idol.”

Barry Weiss, of course, leaves Sony (really RCA) and becomes the head of New York operations for UMG.

Whew!

Morris is the perfect fit at Sony, and very close to Clive Davis, who’s had a bunch of hits this month with the likes of Rod Stewart and Santana. And Morris can figure out how to revive moribund (but not dead) Epic Records. They’re about to have a big hit with Michael Jackson‘s album. Maybe it will re-ignite the label.