Harrell, Sony Discuss Boutique Label

Andre Harrell, who was ousted in August as chairman of PolyGram’s Motown Records division, held talks this week with Sony Music about possibly starting a boutique label with the Japanese entertainment conglomerate, sources said. The discussions with Harrell come at a time when Sony is beefing up its presence in the black-music business. The company recently cut multimillion-dollar joint ventures with such hip-hop labels as TrackMasters and Untertainment and purchased rap powerhouse Ruthless Records.