Carey Set For New Deal

Updated:06:50, Saturday January 26, 2002

Mariah Carey is reported to be negotiating a new album deal. But it is worth only a fraction of her last contract.

Earlier this week, the singer received a £20m pay-off from EMI after her album Glitter flopped and her contract was terminated.

Mariah Carey

She had been due to complete a £57m five-album deal with the company's Virgin Records label.

Industry

Now, an industry source has told the New York Post that the American was in talks to sign a two-album deal with Def Jam records for between £2.1m and £3.5m.

The source said Carey was talking directly with Def Jam's president, Lyor Cohen, about the possible deal.

Her spokeswoman acknowledged earlier this week that a number of record companies had approached Carey but that no deals had been signed.

Rappers

Def Jam is best known for its hip-hop artists and is home to a series of major American rappers, including Jay-Z, LL Cool J, Ja Rule, Scarface and Capone.

Carey was first part of the Sony Records label but quit after a bitter falling-out with its head, Tommy Mottola, who discovered her and later became her husband.

Her massive record deal with Virgin Records, part of British-based EMI, was signed last year and came after her previous albums sold an average of eight million copies in America alone.

The industry source said: "Sony did a great job with her and recognised her talent.

"But this time, whether it was her management or her record company, they just weren't up to the task."