Though earlier reports indicated that Fox’s search for a third judge to fill out the season 13 judges panel was complete, it looks like Dr. Luke has had to drop out due to a conflict of interest.
THR broke the news that Dr. Luke, (real name Lucasz Gottwald) would be unable to serve as an American Idol judge for season 13 due to a conflict with his record label.
The conflict arose because Luke’s record label, Sony Music, is in competition with Universal Music Group, the label that holds the rights to all of Idol‘s recordings. Sony Music is not likely to be thrilled with Luke mentoring artists to create successful records for their competitor.
For Luke’s part, however, he claims that the Idol gig would just demand too much of his time. Sources close to the successful producer and songwriter claim that Luke wants to focus on his artists (among them pop act Becky G., who claimed at Sunday’s VMAs, “I think [Idol] is going to happen” for Luke), and building an entertainment company. As a result, Luke came to an agreement with Sony Music CEO Doug Morris to remove himself from the Idol running.
Sony Music exec L.A. Reid ran into the same problem when he was up for the Idol gig two years ago, and ended up over at Fox’s other talent competition show: X Factor, which has a partnership with Sony. Reid left the show after two years, and has been replaced this season by Kelly Rowland and Paulina Rubio.
So who will be the third judge to join Keith Urban and Jennifer Lopez (as yet unconfirmed) for season 13 of American Idol? Rumors have been swirling for months, but it seems the name at the top of the list recently is Justin Bieber’s manager Scooter Braun, who was apparently suggested by Lopez herself. Braun already has a label deal with UMG, but like Luke, his roster of successful artists (including Bieber, Ariana Grande, Psy, and The Wanted) keeps him pretty busy.
For all the talk of Idol revamping its judging panel in an effort to bring in new viewers and undo its ratings slump, both Dr. Luke and Scooter Braun seem like strange choices, as both men are far less recognizable and popular than the artists they represent. At this point, Lopez is the biggest name on the panel, and she has not yet been officially confirmed. After already holding a place on the panel in one of its less successful years, can she turn things around for the better in season 13?