If there has been a kingmaker in the pop music industry in recent years, Antonio Reid has been it. “In nearly four years as the chief executive of Arista, Mr. Reid, known as L.A., sparked the careers of Avril Lavigne, Pink and Dido. This year alone he brought in 31 Grammy nominations, more than any other label.” But a couple of weeks ago, Reid found himself out of a job, the victim of an increasingly cost-conscious industry for which prestige is no longer enough if it doesn’t translate into profit. The bizarre truth is that, in the last two years under Reid’s watch, Arista lost $200 million.