METALLICA/SLAYER Producer RICK RUBIN Finalizes COLUMBIA Position

May 14, 2007

Brian Garrity of Billboard.com reports that Rick Rubin's move to Columbia Records is now official, although there are no details yet on what Rubin's exact role at the label will be or where he will be based.

The label released a statement this afternoon (May 14) confirming the Rubin hire and stating that he would "form a dynamic and creative executive partnership" with Columbia chairman Steve Barnett, under a new model devised by Sony Music topper Rob Stringer.

As part of the deal, Rubin — who will continue his producing activities for artists at other major labels, including LINKIN PARK and METALLICA — will bring his American Recordings imprint to the company, which previously distributed it in the late '90s and early '00s. American, which for the last year-plus has been distributed by Warner Music Group, has a roster that includes SLAYER, DAN WILSON and (INTERNATIONAL) NOISE CONSPIRACY. It also controls catalog from JOHNNY CASH, THE BLACK CROWES, DANZIG and the JAYHAWKS.

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).