Mariah Carey has a new compilation of her number one hits entitled, “#1 to Infinity.” Sound familiar? Yes, it’s her third. On Monday, the songstress gave fans a sneak peek of the music video for the album’s lead single, “Infinity.”

Although the single failed to crack Billboard’s Top 10 charts — it debuted at 82 earlier this month– Carey’s longtime label boss, L.A. Reid, says it’s not “realistic” to expect the Grammy Award-winning songstress to regain her previous chart-topping success in today’s music climate.

“Mariah Carey made her first hit record in 1991. To even be on the radio at this point in her career is a huge accomplishment, because radio doesn’t cater to veteran artists or legends,” he said.

But he didn’t stop there. In a new interview with Billboard, Reid explained why he feels veteran artists such as Carey, Bruce Springsteen and Prince have difficulty earning radio airplay.

“Radio caters to in-the-moment stars… Nobody that put out records 25 years ago is going to have a No. 1. Not Paul, Stevie, Bruce, Mick or Keith. Not Prince, not anyone. So if she can get on the radio, we’ve done damn good. Would we like to have a No. 1? F– yeah, I’m greedy. But it’s not realistic.”

Reid’s revealed his solution for veteran artists to the mag. “I like concept records, I like the idea of thematic, storytelling records. I love duets and the Great American Songbook. I think a great vocalist should un-cage themselves and think about things like that sometimes,” he stated.

“I mean, Frank Sinatra did it. It’s fun to sing songs you love. And let’s not forget that one of Mariah’s biggest hits, ‘I’ll Be There,’ was a cover. There are many things that Mariah can still do.”

Read more of L.A. Reid’s Billboard interview here.

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