Fox’s Roger Friedman says Rick Rubin will be slowly removed from his head post at Columbia Records.

“I’m told that Sony Music may have found a solution to their mess with Rick Rubin. They’re going to quietly offload him to a side label deal, and remove him from the main company.”

Rubin faced criticism when he took the high paying job as co-chairman of Columbia Records. In fact, The New York Times said when it comes to scouting and signing new artists, producer-run labels have a spotty history.

Unfortunately, it looks like reality is setting in:

“Sources say, and it makes sense. As I told you last week, Rubin has been a costly adventure for Sony. He’s produced a hit album for another label — Metallica, for Atlantic — and several CDs that were interesting but failed to spark sales,” says Friedman.

It’s also been said that Rubin moved the Sony Offices from Los Angeles to the more expensive Beverly Hills – a risky move in a time when labels are shrinking.

Not only that, Rubin was recording tracks for U2 only to find out the band rejected his tracks.

Looks like Rubin got himself in a turmoil, regardless, we can thank him for the fantastic Metallica album. But next time, turn down the volume!