Brilliant Deception: Ousting The Man Behind The #1 Album…
Posted April 21, 2008 — in Music News
Hits Cure Cancer: The music biz was shocked last week when hit maker Clive Davis was forced to give up his corporate role as head of BMG only to be replaced by Barry Weiss who is known for signing talent and cost cutting.
The New York Times says, “the pop hits that Mr. Davis is known for delivering typically require the kind of expensive videos and marketing campaigns that labels are reluctant to finance at a time when music sales have been sliding. Sony BMG’s decision to promote Mr. Weiss underscores the idea that hits alone cannot save the industry”.
The New York Times should have said HITS combined with erratic spending cannot save the industry. Major music labels definitely need breakout artists and Clive Davis along with his guardian angels know and understand the formula. Hits are the cure…
Ousting The Man Behind The Current #1 Album: Fox’s Roger Friedman said ‘the situation with Clive Davis at BMG Music on late Thursday caught all of us unawares —including Davis himself, his loyal lieutenant Charles Goldstuck and everyone else at Sony/BMG’. On BMG’s part, it was a brilliant stroke of deception.
Seven years ago, when word leaked out that Davis would be ousted from Arista Records, journalists like myself and Mitchell Fink — then of the New York Daily News — were able to raise a ruckus.
This time, the people arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic-like recording business moved swiftly and without one bit of thought about the larger picture.
Friedman says the “larger picture” is the bottom line, the succession of executives and who gets a bigger corner office. It has nothing to do with the future of the record business or any passion for the music. Otherwise, Schmidt Holtz and his other cronies wouldn’t have made such a miserable showing of ousting the man behind the current No. 1 album (by Leona Lewis), the biggest album so far of the year (Alicia Keys) or the one man with whom anything positive about the business is still identified.
With the budget Davis had to work with anyone could make No.1 records. What about all the flops he had like Ashley Angel and O town to start with that he couldnt even sell records for with their own Tv shows. He gave a new artist 100 million dollars!! They will never recoup that cost unless she is putting out records for the next millennium. All in all my 12 year old niece could do Clives job with the budget he has… hell, most 12 year olds could do better than any of the record execs these days. Record labels will be something you read about in an ancient history museum if they don’t change their formula.
Comment by Cris — April 21, 2008 @ 11:18 am
big budgets doesn’t guarantee stardom, far from it. Of course everybody has flops and to think everything is an automatic success is absurd.
Clive has had an incredible track record, regardless if your a fan of cheese pop!
Comment by rich — April 21, 2008 @ 5:53 pm
Not that much a fan of Clive’s, mainly because of his treatment of Kelly Clarkston. But the man’s track record does speak for itself.
Comment by Bullshit — April 21, 2008 @ 9:31 pm
Speaking of Record execs where the hell is Rick Rubin. Wasn’t he supposed to change everything somehow. I haven’t seen any change subtle or drastic.
Comment by Bullshit — April 21, 2008 @ 9:33 pm
The guys that run BMG are not idiots. Do the math. They gave Davis $150 million to start J in 2000. Who has he signed to recoup that investment? Alicia Keys is closing in on 25 million units since 2000. At $8.00 wholesale each unit,thats $200 million gross. Deduct her royalties ($2 per unit) and you’ve got $160 million. How much did it cost to run the office the past 8 years(A&R people,promo people,support staff)? How much is Clive paying himself? Besides Alicia, all the big money makers at BMG came from either American Idol, (which Clive didn’t want to do),or L.A. Reid signees (Usher,Outkast,Pink,Avril Lavigne,Anthony Hamilton).Clive fired L.A. Reid. Clive got platinum on Barry Manilow, Rod Stewart and Jamie Foxx.Clive didn’t sign Leona Lewis,she’s the winner of the British equivalent of American Idol,so she’s BMG’s property by default.If you do the math including his astronomical salary,BMG lost money on everything he did.If the American Idol franchise were at another major label,BMG would be bankrupt. Clive knows how to work the media, and fooled everybody into thinking he’s a demi-god.Bottom line,he lost BMG money,and he’s out.Clive’s track record is all smoke and mirrors, that’s why Columbia dumped him back in the seventies. When he started Arista,he had Whitney Houston.Then just as now,you can’t have a major record label with just one star.He hasn’t recouped BMG’s investment.BMG can’t afford to bleed any more cash.I don’t know who got $100 million, he only started with $150 million! BMG could have taken that money and put in T-Bills and had more profit! That’s why Clive is toast.
Comment by NURREDIN — April 23, 2008 @ 9:27 am