Mariah Carey Leaving Virgin Records

Singer Mariah Carey arrives at a screening of her film "Glitter"

After less than a year and aflopalbum, Mariah Carey is leaving Virgin Records with a deal giving her million. EMI, Virgin's parent company, announced on Wednesday that it would pay the 31-year-olddivamillion to end theirassociation, which was to last for several albums to the tune of 0 million.

That's in addition to the million she's already received since arriving at Virgin last April.

``Glitter,'' her first album for Virgin and the soundtrack for her movie of the same name, was a major disappointment. It sold 501,000 copies, according to Soundscan, a sharp drop from themultiplatinumsuccesses the Grammy winner delivered for her previous label, Columbia Records.

The ``Glitter'' disc came out in September, after the singer was hospitalized in July for a much-publicized breakdown. It was followed two weeks later by her equally disappointing movie of the same name, which failed to crack the top 10 in its first week of release and quickly disappeared from theaters.

Earlier this month, EMI released a statement denying it had agreed tobuy outCarey's pricey deal.

But in Wednesday's statement, EMI's new chairman, Alain Levy, said: ``We have decided that this is the most prudent course of action for EMI. We wish Mariah the best.''

Carey said in the joint statement: ``This is the right decision for me. I look forward to the many new and exciting opportunities, which have now been presented to me. I wish Virgin well.''

In a separate EMI statement, however, the company said it had ``terminated its contract with Mariah Carey.'' EMI described the statement as a regulatorydisclosurethat was required by stock exchange regulations.

Hours later, Carey's representatives angrily denied she had been ``terminated.'' They said thebreakwasamicableand added that EMI's statement was false and in violation of herexit terms.

Carey's lawyer, Marshall Grossman, said: ``We areappalledthat EMI would deal socavalierlywith these issues and do so less than 24 hours after the parties had finalized their agreement and settled the exact terms of the joint press statement,'' Grossman said.

But EMI lawyer Bert Fields said the disclosure statement was not in violation of the agreement.

``Certainly, it was not EMI'spositionthat Ms. Carey was fired or anything like that, and there was no intention to create that impression,'' Fields told The AP.

Grossman said it was Carey who wanted to end the contract, not EMI. When asked why she would walk away from a 0 million deal, he said: ``She has received the benefit of this agreement of million for only one album. And she is free to pursue a number of different opportunities that she was not able to pursue under the original contract.''

Grossman would not say what those opportunities were, but said Carey is evaluating offers from other labels.

Carey forged her stardom from a wholesome image and soaring ballads.

But over the past few years, her image has changed. After her divorce from Tommy Mottola, the former president of Columbia and current Sony Music chief, she became sexier.

Carey's disappointing sales and departure are another blow for EMI and Virgin; among its other commercial flops last year were albums from Mick Jagger and Lenny Kravitz.